The Soul After Leaving the Body

The Lord continued: after leaving the body, the being remains in a very subtle form. The Puran calls it a body the size of a thumb, angushtha-matra. It cannot be seen with the eyes, but in this form the being still senses what is around it.

According to the Puran, the Yamdoots take this subtle being to Yamlok for a short while, where it is shown a glimpse of its deeds. Then it is brought back near its home. Its real journey begins only after the thirteenth day.

Back home, the being sees its family. It wants to return to its body but cannot. It sees its loved ones weeping and calls out to them, but no one can hear. The Puran says that in these days the being feels hunger and thirst, and only the pind and water offered by the family satisfy it.

That is why tradition says not to lament too much in these days. It is believed that the tears of loved ones hold back the mind of the one who has left. Grief is natural, and crying is not wrong. But alongside it, keep prayer, a lamp and God's name, so the departed may find peace.

The customs of lighting a lamp at home in these days, keeping a vessel of water and listening to the Garud Puran come from the same feeling. In a way, they all say to the one who has left: we love you; go forward in peace.