A personal exploration of Hindu philosophy on death and what happens when we truly face our mortality

The Sacred Books That Guide Us

We've all heard of the Bhagavad Gita and the Garuda Purana – ancient Hindu texts that teach us about death and what comes after. These aren't just old books; they're guides that help us understand the biggest mystery of all: what happens when we die?

In Hindu belief, Lord Shiva plays a special role in this process. He's not just a destroyer – he's also a transformer. When someone dies, Shiva says their body finally gets free from all life's pain and problems, and their soul eventually becomes part of him. It's like when a small drop of water falls into the ocean – it doesn't disappear, it becomes the ocean itself.

Why Shiva Lives at the Burning Grounds

You might wonder why Lord Shiva is connected to cremation grounds (called shamshan ghats). It's because these places represent the ultimate truth – that our physical bodies are temporary, but our souls are eternal.

In Puri, Odisha, there's a place called Swargadwar where people believe souls go straight to heaven. Each sacred place has its own spiritual significance in helping souls find peace.

My Eye-Opening Experience: Two Days That Changed Everything

Day One: The Shock of Reality

I'll never forget my first visit to a cremation ground. Two bodies were burning on funeral pyres when I arrived. People immediately started telling me to move away.

"Don't stand so close!" they warned. "The smoke isn't good for you!"

I stepped back and watched from near a tree. Within minutes, something strange happened. I felt an energy I'd never experienced before – not exactly negative, but definitely powerful and unsettling. Old memories started flooding back, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't understand what was happening to me.

An elderly man eventually told me to move along. As I walked away, I noticed a dead crow with blood around it – part of the ritual offerings that accompany death ceremonies.

That day taught me something important: there's a big difference between scientific explanations and spiritual reality.

Day Two: Deeper Understanding

I returned the next day and saw a funeral procession with families crying their hearts out. While I understood that grief is natural, seeing so much pain made me think differently about death.

I watched as bodies burned – hands, legs, heads consumed by flames. It was harsh to witness, but I realized something profound: these burning parts are just the "frame" we carry around in life. Our real self – our soul – is something completely different.

According to Hindu tradition, when we die, our souls can go in four directions:

1. East: For good, happy people

2. North: For those who were generous and gave to others

3. West: For those who did bad things (they go to hell first)

4. South: For cheaters and liars

Life Lessons from Watching Death

The Big Questions We All Need to Ask

When you see someone's body burning, it forces you to think about the really important questions:

1. Who are you, really?

2. Why are you here on Earth?

3. What's the point of your life?

4. When you die, what will you take with you?

The answer to that last question is simple: absolutely nothing. No money, no fame, no possessions. We come into this world empty-handed, and we leave the same way.

Why Life is Actually Precious

I've noticed that people who say "I don't want to live anymore" have usually never seen death up close. If they witnessed what I witnessed, they'd quickly realize how valuable life really is.

Nothing Material Really Matters

All the things we stress about – money, relationships, status, possessions – none of it matters when we die. We arrive alone in this world, and we leave alone.

According to the Garuda Purana, when your soul leaves your body, you don't get to choose when it happens. Based on your actions in life, you'll end up in one of three places:

1. Heaven (Swarga)

2. Hell (Naraka)

3. The Underworld (Patala)

How We Should Live

This experience taught me that our purpose in life should be to spread happiness and help others. We shouldn't cause pain or suffering to anyone, because whatever negative energy we put out comes back to us – especially during our final moments.

Having faith in God helps us get through life's challenges.

Har Har Mahadev (Victory to Lord Shiva)

The Truth About Aghoris

There are lots of crazy stories about Aghoris – the ascetic holy men you might have heard about. People say they eat dead bodies, live in graveyards, and do all sorts of shocking things. Most of these stories are completely false.

What Aghoris Really Do

Real Aghoris don't eat human flesh, and they don't live in cremation grounds. They visit these places for spiritual practice because it's one of five sacred locations where they're supposed to meditate.

Think about it: cremation grounds are places where all worldly desires die along with the body. It's symbolic – when the mind (which creates all our wants and cravings) gets "burned" with the body, spiritual clarity can emerge.

The fake stories come from criminals who eat human flesh and pretend to be Aghoris to avoid getting arrested. They've given real spiritual practitioners a bad reputation.

The Aghori Path

Aghor means "without fixed rules." Real Aghoris can change their spiritual practices however they want – there's no rigid system they have to follow. They might perform a fire ceremony one way today and completely differently tomorrow, and that's perfectly fine for them.

But here's the catch: to reach this level of spiritual freedom, you first have to rise above all desires, hopes, hatred, and lust. Only then can you truly practice without rules.

Final Thoughts

My visits to the cremation grounds opened my eyes to life's most important truths. Death isn't something to fear – it's something that can teach us how to live better. When we truly understand that our time here is limited and that we can't take anything material with us, we start focusing on what really matters: being kind, spreading joy, and growing spiritually.

The next time you're worried about money, status, or other worldly concerns, remember what I learned: at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how much love and happiness you've shared with the world.

Have you ever had an experience that completely changed your perspective on life and death? These moments of awakening, though sometimes difficult to witness, often contain life's most valuable lessons.