WHAT SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT THIS
Description of the movement of the departed one:
Those who always commit sin, those who are unkind, and those who are on the path of unrighteousness will fall into unholy hell. Those who have knowledge and always follow the path of Dharma will have a good pace.
After death, the fate of those who follow the wrong path and do not perform any Pre-Vedic karmas is as follows: Even at the time of death, they do not leave the delusion of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. The same kind of companionship he gets at the time of death and after death, as he cares for others while alive. His eyes move up and down as his breath goes out. The pulses become stagnant due to phlegm. He has to make a special effort to cough and catch his breath.
At the last moment, the dying person attains divine vision. As a result, he sees both this and that world together. Surprised by that, he doesn’t want to say anything. When the messenger of Yama approaches, all his senses become impaired. Dynamics become inert, and Prana (life air) becomes mobile. As the Prana starts leaving its place in haste, even a single moment feels like an epoch. At that time, the pain feels like a hundred scorpion bites. The mouth will fill with saliva. The Prana of sinners comes out through the anus.
At that time, two messengers of Yama approach with a noose and stick in both hands. Seeing their horror, the dying person defecates in terror. The thumb-sized Purusha (i.e., potentials), who comes out of his physical body crying “ha..ha” and is bound by Yama’s messengers, looks at his house, is tied around his neck, and is dragged towards Yama’s path.
Hearing the words of Yama’s messengers and the lamentations of his relatives, the creature weeps loudly, afflicted with hunger and thirst, and journeys on a very difficult path. He is taken to the world of Yama for committing sinful acts.
In two or three seconds, the messengers drag the creature to the world of Yama and show him the punishments for sin. After seeing it, the messengers bring the creature back to the human world. Because of the memory of his past, the creature wishes to return to his body, but he is unable to do so. So he cries out in despair.
His son owes Pinda (rice ball) to a deceased being. Because of this, even a little bit of satisfaction is given to that creature. A person who has committed many sins even after accepting Pinda’s offering will again go on the path of Yama
Even for the sake of the acquisition of a human body by the dead one, his son should offer Pindas regularly for 10 days. That pinda divides into four parts every day. Two parts of it are for the nourishment of the five fundamental elements (i.e., solid, liquid, air, brilliance, and opportunity) of the ghost body. The third portion is assigned to the messengers of Yama. In the fourth portion, the deceased is fed. In nine days and nights, the body of the ghost is formed for the attainment of Pinda, and on the 10th day, it acquires strength
On the day of Vaikuntha, the organization conducts a Vedic chanting program. The Sadgati organization can be contacted for more details.
Reference: Script: Garuda Purana
Chapter : One
Shlokas: [14-17], [18-23], [26-29], [30-33], [36-39], [40-42], [43-45], [47-50]
Building a suffering body with the offering of ten numbers of Pindas:
The head part of the deceased is formed from the Pinda (kind of rice ball) offered on the first day. On the second day, the neck and shoulders are formed from the offered Pinda. On the third day, the heart is formed from the offered Pinda. On the fourth day, the back is formed from the offered Pinda. On the fifth day, the navel is formed from the offered Pinda. On the sixth day, the hip is formed from the offered Pinda. On the seventh day, a private part is formed from the offered Pinda. On the eighth day, the back is formed from the offered Pinda. Knees and legs are formed from the Pinda offered on the ninth day. On the tenth day, hunger and thirst in the body are awakened by the Pinda given.
Only one who has acquired a body from this pinda eats the food offered by his son on the 11th and 12th days. On the 13th day, he walks the path of Yama alone. The distance of the world of Yama from here is 86,000 yojanas, excluding the river Vaitarani.
Reference: Script: Garuda Purana
Chapter : One
Shlokas: [54-56], [57-59]
Description of the Yama path:
There is no shade of tree on the path of Yama to rest, and there is also no food for beings traveling with a ghost body. Not even water will be available to quench their thirst. Twelve suns roar there.[
A very cold wind afflicts those who have committed sins while moving on this path. Sometimes thorns sting and even great venomous snakes bite. In some places, lions, tigers, and dogs eat ghostly life. Sometimes scorpions bite, and fire burns. After thus traversing, he reaches the hell of 1,000 yojanas called ʼAsipatra vanaʼ (i.e., a forest with leaves as sharp as a sword).
Asipatra Forest will be full of crows, owls, etc. The ghost of the deceased will have to feel the body pain from the sharp leaves like a sword. He has to suffer a lot from dark pools, nails, etc. There will be rain and fire at some places along the way. In some places, it rains boiling water; in other places, it rains mud containing alkali. He will have to cross deep ditches, climb, and descend very high mountains. He will have to travel through dark caves and will have to cross a lake full of pus, blood, and faeces.
Reference: Script: Garuda Purana
Chapter : Two
Shlokas: [3-4], [5-7], [8-14]
Acceptance of given food, water, and Tarpana:
When the deceased was traveling in the path of Yama, he would cry, “Oh, my son” and remember his children and grandchildren. A man who has attained human birth through the power of great virtue laments that he has unknowingly wasted his birth. He laments in various ways that he did not perform charity and recite Vedic mantras. Thus, after lamenting and traveling alone for 17 days, the deceased reaches Soumya Pura.
The deceased one, after consuming the month’s food and water (Pinda) given to him here, reaches Sauripura. Then he accepts the food and water offered by the son and moves on to Nagendra Bhavan. During the next two months, he continues his journey by using the food, water, and clothing provided by his sons.
In the third month, the deceased one reaches the city of Gandharva. There too, he accepts the food and water offered by his children, and from there, he reached Shailagamapura in the fourth month. There he receives food and water for the fourth month, and from there he reaches Kraunchapura in the fifth month.
In the fifth month, he accepts the food and water offered by his sons and proceeds from there towards Krurapura. After five and a half months, he accepts the food and water offered by his sons and takes some rest, satisfied with the ‘Ghata-dana’. Then, from there, he goes to a city called Chitra Bhavana.
“We have brought a boat to cross the river Vaitarani; if you have this kind of merit, you can sit in this boat,” the boatman in that city tells the deceased. One can sit in that boat only if one has done charity while he is alive! Therefore, the living one here has to give charity on behalf of the deceased.
After going down to the Vaitaranee River, he takes the food and water for the 6th month given by his son and moves forward. In the 7th month, he reaches Bahavadpura. There he receives food and water for the 7th month given by his son and reaches the city called Dukhada. There he receives food and water for the 8th month given by his son and reaches Nanakranda Pura. Accepting the food and water for the 9th month given by his son, he enters Sutapta Bhavan. Accepting food, water, and tarpana for the 10th month given by his son, he enters Raudrapura. Accepting the 11th month of food and water given by his son, he joins the city of Payovarshana for 11.5 months. Accepting food and water from the sraddha called Unabdika, performed by his son, he moves forward to the city of Shitadhya. There he receives the food and water offered by his son for the annual Shraddha. Then he moves forward with courage.
At the end of the year, the deceased goes to a city called Bahubhiti and abandons his cubit body. In order to experience his deeds, he again acquires a small amount of the Vaayu form of body. Those who do not give charity at the time of death are bound by bonds. With great difficulty, they go to Yamapura.[19-84]
Reference: Script: Garuda Purana
Chapter : Two
Shlokaa: [19-84]