Table of Contents
- Introduction: From Harishchandra to Deeper Questions
- Jaimini's Profound Questions on Life and Beyond
- Mahamati and the Mystery of Young Sumati
- Sumati's Extraordinary Revelation: Knowledge Beyond Births
- The Cycle of Karma: Sumati Explains Death's Journey
- The Dreadful Path: Sufferings and Hells for the Unrighteous
- Yama's Judgment and the Realms of Consequence
- Rebirth and Rewards: The Path of Good Deeds
- Looking Ahead: The Mystery of Conception
- Some More on This: Insights into the Purana's Wisdom
Introduction: From Harishchandra to Deeper Questions
In the last post, we journeyed through the incredible trials of King Harishchandra, witnessing his unwavering spirit amidst unimaginable suffering. But the profound narrative didn't just end with a story of resilience. As Jaimini listened, his mind was sparked with a deeper set of questions—questions about the very fabric of existence, about suffering, about death, and the soul's journey. Now, to unravel these mysteries, the wise birds begin recounting an ancient conversation: the remarkable teachings of a young boy named Sumati to his father, Mahamati.
Jaimini's Profound Questions on Life and Beyond
Jaimini said to the birds, "I have heard from the story of Harishchandra. I have heard about his suffering and how his mind was steady even within all this. What is this being that can endure such suffering and still stay intact? What gives it the strength? How exactly does **karma** work? How are good and bad deeds experienced by the soul across life and death? You spoke about the cremation ground, the place of death. What really happens at death? How is the soul separated from the body? What is this process of dying and being reborn? You spoke about Rohitasva, his death and his re-birth, where he was revived. You also spoke about the sages who were born as birds. How is a soul born? What does it go through in the womb? What exactly happens at death? How does the soul separate from the body? What is the moment of truth for the soul? Harishchandra suffered a lot. Why do people suffer? If you please, I would like to hear from you about this."
Mahamati and the Mystery of Young Sumati
The birds replied, “Long ago, there was a **Brahmana** called **Mahamati**. Born in the lineage of great sages, Mahamati devoted his life to reading scriptures and in meditation. He lived with his young son **Sumati**. What you have asked us was once explained by Sumati to his father. Listen to us and we will share with you what Sumati told his father.”
Jaimini said to the birds, "You mentioned that Sumati was a young son. So how did he explain all this to his father, who as you said, was a learned person."
The birds said: "Listen, as we tell you about Sumati. Mahamati was worried about this one thing. Sumati did not speak. Mahamati had never heard his son say a word. The sage decided to perform Sumati’s **sacred thread ceremony**. He thought maybe after the ceremony, Sumati would speak. When the ceremony was over, Mahamati explained the four stages of life. He said, 'Sumati, in life there are four stages that we go through. The first stage is that of a **student** (Brahmacharya). As a Brahmana, you will go and learn from a teacher in this stage. You will live a simple, disciplined life, and dedicate yourself to learn the Vedas and other sacred texts. After you complete your education, you will start a family and perform duties towards the family and towards your ancestors. After you have had children and grandchildren, the third stage of life will start. You will gradually withdraw yourself from your family duties. You will live in the forests and spend your time in meditation. After this, in the fourth stage, you will attain **liberation** from this life. With your sacred thread, you are starting the first stage today. Start with your education. My dear son, please speak to me. Say something.'"
Mahamati tried various ways to get the young boy to speak, but this boy remained still. Mahamati did not give up. He tried his best every day. Days passed like this and one day, when Mahamati was feeling sad that he would never get to hear Sumati's voice, Sumati spoke.
Sumati's Extraordinary Revelation: Knowledge Beyond Births
Sumati said, "Dear father, do not worry. I can speak. I have heard everything you have said till now. I have been hearing everything that you have been telling me from the day I was born. I have studied all the texts you asked me to study. Not only that, I have also studied the texts related to crafts, architecture, weaponry and fine arts. I remember all my previous births and all the skills that I learned in those births. I know about the ultimate truth. I have experienced it and I do not need any texts to teach me that. I have lived through a full range of life-experiences. I experienced families, friends, enemies and also ups and downs in the lives I lived. I experienced life in different wombs as I was born from different beings - some human and some not human. I have experienced all kinds of diseases. I was born human and in earlier lives I was also born as an animal. In some lives I was a servant and in some I was a master. I have died in those lives. Sometimes death came to me in the hands of enemies and sometimes I was the one who killed my enemies. I do not need to read the scriptures as I have gained that knowledge now which is called **Supreme Knowledge**. You may wonder why I did not speak till date. I do not like to speak because I am immersed in the divine constantly. I have come to a state where no actions (mental, verbal, or physical) will generate results any longer. Emotional experiences are nothing but a mere bait and they do nothing but cause trouble."
Mahamati was very happy to hear his son speak, and not only speak, but speak like a liberated soul. He said, "Sumati, I am so happy to hear your voice. You cannot imagine the joy I am feeling. I am surprised by what all you spoke. This is something you hear from yogis. Where did you get this supreme knowledge?"
Sumati said, "Listen to me. I will explain this to you. In a previous life, I lived the life of a **Brahmana** who was devoted to learning and I studied all the texts I could get my hands on. I practiced a good life, a path of virtue. I conducted rituals to purify myself and my surroundings. As I grew older my fame spread around and I became a guru. I got many disciples. I also found **ego**. I thought I was the best. I ignored the fact that there was a soul in me and I took the body to be supreme. This ignorance caused me that life. I remember each and every detail of that life vividly. Like I used to, in that birth, I have gained control over my senses. I am striving to ensure that I do not go through the same in this life. If you have any questions regarding this, do let me know. I have an obligation towards you. You gave birth to me and took care of me. I will answer each and every query of yours. After that I will renounce this world, forever."
Mahamati was eager to hear from his son. The birds explain to Jaimini that Mahamati then asked Sumati the same questions Jaimini had asked them about birth, life, and death.
The Cycle of Karma: Sumati Explains Death's Journey
Sumati said, "I will answer all your questions, based on my experiences. The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is linked with **karma**. It is an eternal cyclic process which never wears out or stops on its own. It only stops when one achieves **liberation**. Let me start with death. Death is not the end. It is the end of a life and the start of a new beginning. At the time of death, the body experiences an agitation, as if fire has suddenly been kindled without any external source. This heat, stirred by the breath, rises and disturbs the internal organs, causing pain and dysfunction. As the organs cannot function, the body loses its ability to digest food or absorb water. This happens to all."
The ones who have practiced generosity get inner joy and contentment. A person who has been friendly, truthful, loving, and faithful and has been devoted to worship and rituals gets a **happy death**. A person who is not envious, is pure of heart, and who has controlled their emotions gets a happy death.
The Dreadful Path: Sufferings and Hells for the Unrighteous
When the time of death comes, a person who was controlled by emotions or was cruel, suffers. A liar, a false witness, and people who criticize others go through a lot of frustration and trouble during death. The **messengers of Yama** arrive to take that person away. These messengers are ugly looking and they also smell bad. Seeing the messengers, the person gets scared. The person then tries to cry out to their family for help but they are unable to speak and words do not come out of their mouths. They are only able to groan. They look around and try to make efforts to call out to their family. Breathing becomes difficult for them. Eyesight becomes dim. Suffering from pain, the person then leaves their physical body. They take residence in a temporary body to experience the pain and suffering that is due to them. The messengers of Yama then drag the person, who is in a new body, over the land which is full of thorns, rocks, and insects. Some places are hot and have fire pits. The person gets scorched by heat. The person may get eaten by wild animals. The people who have led good lives walk this path smoothly without suffering. They do not have to walk through these paths, and gods send vehicles for them, to travel in. The person had suffered and the original body is cremated; the person goes through a lot of suffering. On the twelfth day, the relatives of the person offer water and sesame seeds. The person eats what their relatives eat and does what the relatives do. The relatives should not rub oil before baths on their bodies, as the person will also do the same and will end up adding oil to the bruised and tortured body that is being inhabited. When relatives sleep on the ground, the person suffers less. Suffering reduces when the relatives donate on the person's name. The person comes face to face with Yama on the twelfth day.
Yama's Judgment and the Realms of Consequence
The person sees the dreadful city of **Yama**, and there Yama is sitting with his emissaries. He is terrible to look at with red eyes and dark skin. Based on the deeds the person has performed, the hellish destination for the person is decided.
A liar, those who killed **Brahmanas**, cows, or parents go to a hell called **Raurava**. Those who steal land or abduct another's wife or have illicit or incestuous relations also go to this hell. This hell, Raurava, is huge. There are countless pits which are very wide and difficult to cross. The land is a heap of burning coal. The sinner is released here. The person runs around to escape from the burning coal. The person is not allowed to raise or rest their feet and they have to keep it on the fire constantly. In the span of day and night, they can raise their feet just once. From Raurava, the person goes to another hell called **Niraya**.
Rebirth and Rewards: The Path of Good Deeds
There are many such hells and when all hells are crossed, the person takes birth as an animal or plant. If the person is born as a human, they are born with physical ailments and deformities. As they clean their past deeds, they keep getting a better birth and may be born as a **Brahmana**.
So far, I have told you about people who have committed some kind of crimes. Now, let me tell you about the people who perform good deeds. Even the people who have performed good deeds have to face Yama. These people are accompanied by musicians to nice places. They are clothed and dressed well. Then they may take birth as great souls. However, if they perform any misdeed, then they have to go through sufferings.
Looking Ahead: The Mystery of Conception
You asked about birth and I will now tell next about conception.
Some More on This: Insights into the Purana's Wisdom
The entire narration from Sumati centers on the doctrine of actions and their consequences and the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Sumati’s explanation that both suffering and joy after death are consequences of one's own past actions strongly echoes Upanishadic concepts stated in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.5, which says what we do, we become.
Sumati is a realized being and remembers past births. His silence and his eventual talking display the ideal of the liberated being who continues to live in the world without being bound by it.
On similar lines, the book **Jivanmukti Viveka** by Vidyaranya talks about liberation while living. It says that true spiritual freedom is not something we achieve after death; it is a transformative state of consciousness that can be realized within this very body.
Sumati's rejection of text-based learning and emphasis on direct realization also places this passage in dialogue with Vedantic thought that holds direct realization as superior to scriptural knowledge.
Sumati, despite being a child, symbolizes spiritual knowledge that surpasses even formal Vedic instruction. This challenges notions of age and learning and emphasizes experience over ritual.
The spontaneous inner combustion symbolizes the soul’s departure and the body’s final unravelling. Fire also serves as a purifying and transformative element, and links the physical with the spiritual.
Yama appearance:
- **Red eyes:** Intense, angry, unblinking, and sees through illusion.
- **Dark skin:** Symbolizes the unknown, the fear of death.
- **Terrible appearance:** This reflects the nature of justice. To the sinful, truth looks unbearable.
Garuda Purana: Especially Chapters 2–7 talks in detail about the journey of the soul after death, the appearance of Yama's messengers, and the significance of rituals like shraddha.
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