When a person dies, we say ‘he passed away’. The body is right in front of us, but still we say ‘he passed away’. This implies there are 2 entities, the ‘body’ and the ‘he’. The ‘he’ is the soul, the real person.

This is the first teaching from the Bhagavad-Gita, the real ‘he’ is the soul and not the body. The ‘he’  has always existed and will always exist.

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.12)

He has passed away, where to?

To another body.

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.13)

What Illuminates the Body with Consciouness?

It is the soul which illuminates the whole body with consciousness. When he passes away (the soul leaves the body), the body instantly losses the consciousness and becomes dead matter.

“That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.17)

We (the soul) are Eternal

The body dies but ‘he’, the soul, never dies, ‘he’ passes away to another body.

“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.20)

The fundamental Law of Physics: Energy cannot be destroyed, but it can change forms.

We (the soul) are the energy and the body is the form. When we leave (pass away) from this body (our current form), we change to another form, another body.

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.22)

Nobody can destroy the real us (the soul)

God has made us (the soul) indestructable.

“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind. This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same. It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.23-25)

When is the Day of Judgement?

Immediately at death.

Some people believe that the Day of Judgment is someday in the future. Why should God keep the dead waiting?

At death, the ‘he’ is judged based on the actions taken in his life (karma) and then ‘he passes away’ to another body. Death simply means he (the soul) has passed away to another body.

Some people believe that the dead body will rise again someday in the future (resurrection). Anyone with some basic science knowledge will understand that the body is dead matter and within a few months of death, the body will decay and disintegrate and eventually turn to dust. From dust the body is made and to dust the body will return. The dead body will never rise again, because nothing will be left due to decay. If God can give us this body then He can certainly also give us another body.  He does not need to make the dead matter (the body) useable again. The Laws of science and the ways of God are completely compatible based on the Vedic teachings.

The fundamental Laws of Physics is that what has a beginning will have an end. What is made of matter will eventually be destroyed due to decay, caused by time. The body has a beginning and it’s made of matter, thus based on scientific logic, the body will be destroyed.

Those bodies which are buried will never rise again, but the souls who once occupied those bodies are alive and well today and will always be alive, but in different bodies.

“One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.27)

Sure, we will miss those who pass away, but we have to accept the fact that nobody can stay in the same body forever. Also as the body ages, it becomes more diseased and thus harder for the soul inside to live a quality life. Old and diseased people find it hard to eat, digest food, walk, sleep, sit, breath, talk, stand-up, and so on. Thus it’s better for them if they were to get another body.

“O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.30)

We should not lament for those who pass away, because they could be better situated in their new body and they may have gone back to the spiritual creation called Vaikuntha, the ultimate destination for all souls. On the millions of Vaikuntha planets, the people live eternally in the same body that is completely beautiful, in complete bliss, full of knowledge, and with no old age, no disease, and no trace of any misery.  Based on Lord Krishna, nobody is sent to hell forever, eventually every soul goes back to the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha. This is because, Lord Krishna (God) is most Merciful and Forgiving.