Ajit: Guruji Sadar Pranam!
Request yourself to enlighten us on the virtues of ATMA. What happens when an ATMA leaves the body, whether it remains alogside the body and observe the reaction of people.
2.What is the difference in ATMA[soul] when it enters in body [in the womb] and leaves the body [at the time of death]? Is there any value addition due the karmas done by the person? Whether knowledge, memories, relationships mean anything to ATMA after leaving the body.
3. What should we do to make our beloved forefathers happy ?
4. Kindly enlighten us on the significance of Shraddha ?
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. There are three matters which are eternal and everlasting. These are Almighty God, who is omnipresent, creates, nurses and destroys the universe. He is alive matter. He is one and will ever remain one. Second is souls. Souls are innumerable and are also alive matters. Soul resides in human body and bodies of other animals and birds based on their karmas (deeds).

Soul takes birth to face the result of his previous lives’ deeds- Good and Bad, in the shape of happiness and sorrows respectively. If any person follows the Vedic path, then he can destroy the bad effect of his previous lives’ deeds and can get long, happy life. Third matter is non-alive, which is called Prakriti. All the matters of the world are made of Prakriti and the same are destructible. As regards Atma, I paste my article as under-

Atma (Soul)

Atma consists of two meanings according to situation. For example when it is said that atma takes birth, then it means soul and when it is said that atma is Almighty and creates universe, then it means Almighty God. It is usually told nowadays that everything is atma which is false and not possible being against the Vedas. In Vedas, there are three eternal matters Almighty God, prakriti and souls. Almighty God and souls are alive matters whereas prakriti is non –alive matter. From Prakriti, all the matters of universe are created. But neither from God nor soul any matter is created. Soul can never be God being unchangeable and God can also never be soul being unchangeable. Soul due to the attraction towards prakriti is indulged in illusion and forgets his original form of immortal peace, purity etc. and has to face the birth and death again and again.

But Almighty being the commander of the souls and prakriti, is never attracted towards prakriti. He always remains purified. So, God cannot forget his original form and is never indulged in any kind of illusion. Therefore, everything like tree, tube light, stone, electric fan are made of prakriti and hence can never be God.

After death

Yajurveda mantra 3/55, says, “DEVAIYAH JANAH NAH PUNAH MANAH DADATU” i.e., by blessings (preach and true education of Vedas) may learned Acharya give us next birth of human being so that we may again be able to learn the truth of Vedas and to get salvation. So one must always adopt true path by which he gets rebirth of human being to continue the real
spiritualism to get salvation etc., because Atharvaveda mantra 9/10/16 further says that human being who has done pious deeds and adopted true path they get pious human body in the next birth, otherwise soul gets the lowest/contemptible body, like animals, birds etc. Mantra is APAANG PRAANGETI SWDHAYAA GRIBHITAH AMARTYO MARTYENAA SAYONIHI. TA SHASHVANTA VISHUCHINA VIYANTA NYA NYAM CHIKYURN NI CHIKYURNYAM.

Soul according to its good or bad deeds(APANGETI) takes bodies of animals, birds, insects etc., and (PRANG) bodies of Rishis, Munis, i.e., (uuch Yoni) best bodies after leaving the present body. The soul (SWDHAYAA GRIBHITAH) duly attached with its own power of taking birth according to pious deeds and sins, enters other bodies (AMARTAYAH) though the soul is away from death, being immortal but after death of bodies, takes new bodies. These ideas of Vedas has very well been mentioned in Bhagwad Geeta shlok 2/20 wherein Yogeshwar Shri Krishna says (AJO NITYAH SHASHWATOAYAM PURAANNO NA HANYTE HANYAMANNE SHARIRE ) i.e., the soul is (AJAH NITAYAH SHASHWATOH) never takes birth and is eternal (NAHANYATE HANAYMANNE SHARIRE) in fact after death of body too soul is never dead being immortal. (TASHASHVANTA) this process of death and birth of bodies and souls is eternal.

(VISHUCHINA VYANTA) soul and bodies go far away to different directions [soul goes to Savita etc., {given below} according to Yajurveda chapter 39 and then takes birth and gets another body and five elements of body go to space and are mixed within air, fire etc., according to Yajurveda mantra 40/15] (ANYAM NICHIKYHU) many learned know about this fact (ANYAM NICHIKYHU) another who lack knowledge of Vedas, do not know the fact, i.e., we mostly know our body but not ourselves, i.e., soul. Death is sure i.e., the body will have to be cremated one day.

In Atharvaveda mantra 8/8/11 ‘Yamdut’ means = ‘YAM’ means God, and ‘dut’ means storm, cyclone, flood, earthquake, heavy rains, etc., etc., in mantra the air is Yam. So when a soul is to leave the body then by the power of God, sutratma air enters the body and takes the soul out of it then goes to Savita, etc.

In 39th chapter of Yajurveda the process of this cremation is mentioned. This process is also called as “NARMEDH YAJYEN”, “PURUSH MEDH YAJYEN” and “DAH KARAM” and “ANTEYESHATI KARAM”. Atharvaveda mantra 10/8/26 says “YEH CHAKAR SAH JAJAR” means He (God) who makes the body, He destroys the same one day. Sense of Yajurveda mantra 39/5 is that when the soul leaves the body then the soul wanders in so many places, takes another body according to its previous deeds (karmas). Yajurveda mantra 39/6 says that the soul after leaving the body, on the first day goes to Savita (sun), second day agnihi (fire), third Vaayu (normal air), fourth Aditya, fifth chandrma (moon), sixth ritu (seasons), seventh marutah, eighth brihaspati (tiniest air), ninth mitrah (breathing), tenth varunah (udan air), eleventh indrah (electricity), twelfth Vishvedevah (in all divine qualities). Then, after wandering in sky, gets body according to previous deeds. So these twelve days are completed, then after 13 days the soul takes another body. Rigveda mandal 10 sukta 135 says that normally soul after getting body faces the result of its past lives’ deeds and under influence of illusion (duly attracted towards illusion) does sins and again gets birth to face the sins. The soul is immortal and always separate from body. When an aspirant meets with a learned Acharya and gets spiritual education, then the fourth mantra says that the soul gets salvation.

In this connection, I would like to say that Blind faith has destroyed people. I mean to say to decide the truth, it is an eternal law that we have to tally our views, worship etc., with eternal Vedas knowledge. Due to lack of Vedas’ knowledge, now nobody knows the said eternal law made by God Himself in Vedas. As Pitra dosh, kaal sarp Yoga, Vaastu kala, Mangalik, mentioned in Vedas. So, learned never accept it, being against the Vedas. if you want to do it, you can continue it at your own accord. However, according to Vedas, we have to serve our parents and learned acharya, elders when they are alive. Tarpannam means when they are alive. Tarpannam means with full satisfaction (tript kar deina) and Shradh means concentration over truth with faith. So, when we serve our alive parents, elders or learned acharya with due respect and faith by serving them food, clothes, hiuse, sitting and sleeping arrangements (asan), it means we are doing Shradh i.e., service with shraddha by which they have been satisfied completely and they give us blessings in return (Tarpann). You are lucky that you have alive parents and grandmother but I would also like to paste my article on Shradh and Pitra paksh as under-

Shradh

The alive parents are to be served faithfully. Everybody knows that a person who is alive takes food, water, puts on clothes etc. After death body is burnt. Now how the parents will be able to take food. They according to the karmas get next birth too. So shradh is against the Vedas’ philosophy.

Pitr Paksh

Pitr means those who look after us to educate, to nurse, and to protect us etc. So the said dignitaries are mother, father, grandfather, elders, acharya, etc., so all days are pitr paksh to serve them according to Vedas. The worship of God has also to be performed daily i.e., in pitri paksh too.

Arun Gaur: Swami ji parnam, kirpya batai ki piyaj (onion) kiyu nahi khana chahiye.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. Pyaz khane mein koi manahi nahin hai kyunki weh vegetarian food mein aata hai aur uske bahut labh hain. Aisa hee lehsun bhi hai lekin pyaz aur lehsun sharer mein uttejna latey hain isliye Brahmacharya ashram mein na khaye jaye to achcha hai.

Vibha : My daughter who lives in USA wants to have her daughter’s mundan done now, during Shraad days, as Nanke have to do it. She is 17 months. We are going back to India. What can i do to negate any negative impact, if there is any? Though, I read in one of your answers, that no Shraad days are told of in Vedas. Can you reply urgently. Thanks and Hari Om.
Swami Ram Swarup: Shradh days do not effect, please, being man-made because its description does not exist in Vedas, Shastras, Bhagwad Geeta, Upnishads etc. I also paste my article on Shradh below-

Shradh

The alive parents are to be served faithfully. Everybody knows that a person who is alive takes food, water, puts on clothes etc. After death body is burnt. Now how the parents will be able to take food. They according to the karmas get next birth too. So shradh is against the Vedas’ philosophy.