Chitraketu vs Dasharathar story- Does Atma remember after death

Updated on April 5, 2021 in General
1 on April 4, 2021

Adiyen has one confusion. Does the atma remember the last birth after death. I understand that after the atma takes another birth, it will forget the past births but what about before that or after the atma is in swarga or naraka.

For example in Srimad Bhagavatam in Chitraketu story, we find that the king’s infant dies. After the Rsis bring the child back, the child questions Chitraketu and asks who he is. When he says he is the child’s father, the child asks “in which birth were you my father”. So that means that as soon as atma quits the body, the atma forgets about its birth’s details (name, relatives etc).

At the same time we find Dasharathar remembered Ramar and appears before him and gives his blessings after the Ram-Ravana war. Similarly I have heard in Swami’s upanyasams that Shanthanu came to personally accept the pindam offered by Bhisma but Bhishma said he will only keep the pindam on the floor and not give it to him as that is what Sastram says. Both of these stories suggest that the atma remembers the past birth.

If the atma forgets as soon as it quits the body as per Chitraketu story then how does the atma recognize its son once it reaches swargam from the previous birth as in the Dasharathar and Shanthanu story. Also how about an atma that has attained mukyhi and is in Vaikuntam. Will that atma remember the relatives from the past birth.

Please forgive me if I have asked anything inappropriately.

 
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0 on April 5, 2021

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha,

Namaskaram Narayana97 BhagavAta,

 

With Acharya ThiruvAdi Bhalam and Ammangaar Abhimaanam and Velukkudi Sri Krishnan Swami’s Aasirvadham, splitting the questions into two sections:

 

1) Athma’s who under go “Nithya Pralayam” regular/repeated Birth-Suffering-Death cycle within Samsaram/Leela Vibhoothi (Material World), Velukkudi Sri Krishnan Swami has said in one of the Enpani (couldn’t remember the number) that those Athma’s which has some Yogic powers do remember their past janmas and not all past janmas, but to an extent of few past janmas. If an Athma starts remembering all the countless janmas that it has taken, then it will be a miserable life for that Athma in that janma. Like the present Athma in a male body as an example could be a wife of another neighbour 5 year old child Athma in some past janma. Also a son could be actually a grandfather of his present father Athma in some past janma. Ones male office manager could have been their sister Athma in some past janma. Ones present daughter Athma could be a maternal uncle in past janma, or it could be some different Athma whom we had no relationship in any janmas.  So there could be lot more miserable permutation and combinations that we can do, which BhagavAn Sriman NarayanA only knows the truth.

 

So in order to keep us focussed on PURPOSE OF LIFE, which is every Athma has only PRAAPTHAM with one common PARAMATHMA (SRIMAN NARAYANA), HE has applied Karma’s on us, so that we  don’t need to remember any material relationship with other Athma’s of past janmas. So whomever we got in this Janma, if they have same common GOAL as ours like BhagavAt, BhagavAta, Acharya Kainkaryam then they are “Athma Bandhus (useful for us)” , where as others who doesn’t have this goal in this Janma or any Athma’s of past janmas whom we were in relationship are called “Shareera Bandhus (Useless for us)“.

 

2) Athma’s who has gone through “Naimitthika Pralayam” (Last Death), One time escape from Birth-Suffering-Death cycle by reaching Moksham / NITHYA Vibhoothi (Spiritual world). Will those Athma remember their Bhooloka life and relationship?. It’s KARMA-FREE world, so NO they don’t remember, since NATURAL STATE of every JeevAthma is to Think/Serve/Kainkaryam to Sriman NarayanA. At the same time, those MukthAthmas has high ability since they are in their Natural state (No Karma’s and Prakrithi Sambhandham), so if they want they can remember their Bhooloka life and bring in some of the Athma’s of their last few Janmas to opposite side of Virajai Nadhi and say Hai-Bye-Bye or recommend to Sriman NarayanA to let them cross Virajai Nadhi to SriVaikuntam (Moksham). Velukkudi Swami graces answer in Enpani #994 “Will I remember Bhooloka Life in SriVaikuntam”.

https://www.kinchit.org/kinchit-en-pani/951-1000/

 

Adiyen (ElayaAlwar) Srinivasa (DhoddayAcharyar) Dasan.

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