Near Death Experiences?

Hello 'CH',

Thankyou for sharing your experiences about Srila Prabhupada. I know many devotees who have also had dreams wherein Bhaktivedanta Swami has appeared and given instructions or advice to help in their Krishna/God Consciousness. Srila Prabhupada is certainly a very kind and special personality.

Prabhupada always gave a very universal message. He was not interested in preaching 'Hindu' religion, or 'Muslim' religion, or 'Christian' religion - his only interest was to spread a simple process by which all people could revive their eternal relationship with God/Krishna through the singing/chanting of His Holy names.

Of course not everyone may be so fortunate as to receive instructions in this way and therefore Prabhupada also left us a whole host of wisdom and knowledge in his books and tapes etc...

I was wondering how these experiences have affected you? Are you performing mantra meditation with the Hare Krishna mantra regularly? We need not wait untill we leave our body to enter into spiritual life, Srila Prabhupada promises that he has given us the process in which to become fully Krishna Consciousness in this very life-time, regardless of our current material body.

Feel free to send me a private message on this subject if you wish?

Best Wishes & Gouranga

your servant,

Das

Certainly interesting reading. I have never had a NDE. I always enjoy reading about them though. xx

Dasa,

How are you all doing. I have been having a lot of connection problems. I have already lost the follow-up posts. Please don't think that I have avoided posting any replies or follow-ups. I'm gonna see if I can write my messages elsewhere and then paste them on . Please bear with me. I'm not too knowledgeable with computers.

C. H.

Dasa, and company,

The next day I got up early as usual. I headed of to work cause I knew I didn't have much time. I had been working on a friend's car during the week and was looking forward to getting it done before day's end( paint it). At work, it seemed the guides were already waiting for me. They said to slow down. They informed me that although I hadn't asked for anything in prayer, Jesus had somehow 'picked up' my heart's desire from the night before. They proceeded to tell me that although I hadn't been granted automatic spiritual rebirth then and there,still, they said that they had come up with a plan.
They said I could go ahead and take my time finishing up the car and that they would be back in a couple of days. Well, I did enjoy the glimmer of hope that they gave me and went ahead and hung around with my friends for a while.

When the guides came back after a few days they came with some news. They said that the 'powers that be' had outlined for them what they could do with my situation. They informed me that I would be given a chance to not only avert my death, for it was certain, but to also acquire the so-called next life to live it here and now. In other words, I was being given the chance to be re-born spiritually. I think the Hindus call those the 'twice born'.
They said that there would be some sacrifice on my part and some testing.
The testing, it turned out, was more fasting. The fasting would be a way to do some penance and at the same time burn off some bad karma.
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On the day the testing(fasting) started I was caught off guard. I had come home from work,famished, and was looking forward to a hearty meal. Well, what I got was my first taste of hell,or death. I somehow managed going to sleep with nothing on my stomach but sweet anguish. I thought it couldn't be so bad, I'd get a bite of something the next day. Well, I did, but it was more of the same. An air sandwich. Well, I girded my loin and took to meditating my time away. On the third day, I broke the fast, thinking that they wouldn't mind. They did. They said that from then on I would eat only when they said I could. And also I would eat only whatever they deemed suitable.

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It went on like that for days at first and then the days turned into weeks. All the while I'd be allowed to break the fasting with an egg and a potato,plus some bread. It got so bad that I could only get that grandiose meal about twice a week. One thing they let me have a lot of was work. Hard work. Before that, I used to work on cars for fun and money, this time I had to do it out of duty. No fasting in bed for me. No siree. After a while, even with all the promises of a new life, the anguish and gloom was almost inescapable. And then when I thought it couldn't get worse,it did.

One night, I had the shock of my life. And although it was in the dream state,it was more vividly real than even this plane.

In the dream, which was actually very long, I saw myself from childhood on to my adult years. In this particular dream, my mother was also very involved in the settings. There was also like a second dream superimposed on this first one. There was a lot of Baghavad Gita teachings being played like in the background. It told of how one comes to this world and plays a part and then if you learn your lessons you are allowed to move on to another life.
I was just enjoying the scenery of it all. Like I said, the dream went on like forever,until the very end. And this is what knocked my socks off. Me and my mother came upon my late grandmother who almost immediately took my mother's hand as she(mom) spoke some words about her getting ready to join my grandmother on the other side. At that very instant, in the side dream I got hold of a prescence so vast and cosmic and so real that it almost knocked me over. Although I couldn't see Her, there She was, a Goddess so grand, She was standing as though the heavens were merely clouds at her feet. I couldn't believe it. I could feel very certainly it was God,but it was a Lady. For an instant, and even sometime afterwards, I thought that God was actually a Lady. She projected total sovereignity or dominion over all that be. The bad part about it was that She had somehow projected to me telephatically that my mother's time on earth had also reached its end. She was kinda telling me that although I was in the middle of a transition between lives, so was my mother. To say that I was scared beyond my wits would be an understatement. There I was, fighting for my life,and then they tell me my mother's leaving. It was more than I could bear.
As soon as the dream ended, I woke up, already crying. It had been such a sad revelation and I knew it wasn't just a dream, as I would soon find out.

Now, all this happened before I was totally familiar with the concept of ''The Universal Form". Dasa, I know you are familiar with such concept.

For those reading along and not familiar with the concept of The Universal Form in the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, it refers to mainly and foremost to The Majestic Lord Maha Visnu, Krsna's giantic plenary expansion. The Blue Giant, the main lord of the Hindu Triune,which also includes Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. This concept also refers to the assemblage of the countless Gods and Demigods (and Goddesses and Demigoddesses) when summoned by the Supreme Lord Radha Krsna.

Anyway. At the time I was barely familiar with the teachings of the Gita,so I didn't know much about the different expansions of Lord Krsna. This Lady seemed like She was the One and Only One in existence as a God, or in this case, a Goddess. I call her Mother Visnu. She is known as Maha-Devi. (Right Dasa?)

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C. H.

Like I said, I woke up already crying. That last scene of my mother joining my late grandmother had been very unsettling. It had been such an eerie sight in itself. I was only wondering what my guides would have to say,if anything about it. Well, they surely did. And what they did say wasn't too pleasant either. They told me that by now I was too familiar with the prophetic dreams, so all they could say was that what I had felt or sensed myself was what was actually going to happen. They didn't need to repeat the meaning of the dream. I asked them how that could be fair to me. I was trying to make a life for myself which at the same time would save my mother some pain. But now, it seemed that there would be pain for me,and lots of it. They only said that some things they had no control over. Well, I spent a day or two in rock bottom. I prayed. To Jesus. To whoever would listen. But as far as The Lady was concerned, I was scared. Looking back, in retrospect,when I see the paintings of The Universal Form, I kinda understand what's going on. In those paintings there's always someone on his knees scared beyond belief.

Well, I don't know how long it was before the guides came with some good news. They said that 'the powers that be' had decided that they would let my mother stay around another while,but that I should continue with whatever tests they'd hand out to me. The fasting went on for about another month,but it didn't hurt so bad as before. Not when I knew that my mother would be around for me and the rest of the family.

There were other kinds of tests besides the fasting in the following months and years.

To be continued. (If there's any interest).


Yours truly,

Christian Hindu

Hello C.H,

Thankyou for sharing your tests and experiences. You're right with the phrase 'twice-born' - it usually refers to one who has taken initiation from a guru within the Vedic tradition. First you are born from your mother, and then you are re-born through the teachings and wisdom of the spiritual master.

The vast majority of spiritual paths from India advocate a strict vegetarian diet (no meat, fish or eggs), with occasional fasting for special holy days, but I'd be careful about doing any regular fasting for more than 24 hours at a time. It sounds like yours was obviously a one-off special case?

Originally Posted by Christian Hindu

There was a lot of Baghavad Gita teachings being played like in the background. It told of how one comes to this world and plays a part and then if you learn your lessons you are allowed to move on to another life.

"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."
Bhagavad-Gita 2.22

By 'Maha-devi' do you mean Durga, or Maya-devi maybe? Durga is said to be the demi-god in charge of the illusory nature (our material world), and I imagine her form to be both awesome and somewhat fearful as you described?

There is a common misconception that within 'Hinduism' all the devas or demi-gods are just different representations of the one supreme 'formless' God. However the Vedic scriptures themselves do not support this modern theory - the devas are described within the Puranas as being the same type of souls as ourselves (jivas) but who have taken birth in far greater material forms than our current human ones. Vishnu and Shiva are said to be exceptions to this rule. Sri Vishnu is described as an incarnation of the Supreme Person (God) who has personally taken charge of the maintenance of our universe, and Lord Shiva is described as being neither God Himself, nor a jiva like ourselves but somewhere inbetween! Shaivites worship Shiva as the Supreme Lord, Vaishnavas worship only Vishnu and His incarnations. Radha-Krsna are taken as the Supreme forms of God as you describe within the Gaudiya-Vaishnava (Hare Krishna) tradition.

Do you have a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita which you are currently reading? It can be ordered online from the following link if you are looking for a copy :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...467600-3966064

What other tests where you asked to go through?

Best Wishes,

Your servant,

Das

Dasa,

I share my story because I know that at least you can understand it. There's not many people that can understand Hinduism in any of its various forms. People generally seem to dismiss those spiritual beliefs as mere fantasy or as mythological creations. I once read an article in the newspaper about how the Southern Baptists here in the U.S. considered the Hindu devotees as those in the darkest of ignorance,next to Muslims and Buddhists and others. I just laughed. Little do they know,or anyone else for that matter, who really is the grand master of it all. Anyway...

As far as being allowed to eat eggs and potatos,well, I guess, they knew I had to eat something. They didn't consider me a devotee of Krna. At least not at the time. One of the hardest parts of the fasting was that I had just gotten hooked on sweets and milk and cereal. After a while that really did hurt. I was craving milk and cereal like you wouldn't believe. I had never been much of a milk drinker,other than with cereal, much in my life. When I was doing the fasting I was craving it much like an infant does. I just had to have it. I didn't get it, Neither did I get any sweets, which I was also dying to get. Once, in a dream, I dreampt that I had gone to a store, and I just opened a package of cookies before even paying for them. Then a voice just said," You cannot eat that, you're fasting".

I don't know why I didn't suffer any internal damage( like ulcers or something). I did lose a lot of weight. I went almost to skin and bones. At night when I'd go in to shower when I'd look in the mirror it was the most scary and sight. All bones. It was pretty sad, to say the least. What kept me going was the fact that they did encourage me occassionally or probably they challenged me. And later on, when they accepted my fasting as sacrifice for my mother,well, I didn't care if I died trying.

page two.

About Mother Visnu, well, I've noticed in some Hindu Scriptures, where they refer to Lord Visnu's consort as Maha Devi. I refer to her as Mother Visnu,as opposed to Mother Krsna, which we both know refers to Srimati Radha-rani,or Radha Krsna's eternal consort.

As far as there being a lot of misconceptions regarding Hinduism,yes, there are innumerable ones. I kinda understand your description,generally. There are major Demigods and minor ones. Lord Visnu being the most major of them all. One of the major misconceptions,though, is that there is a belief that Krsna is an avatar of Lord Visnu. But like you say, Visnu is the avatar,or incarnation, of Lord Krsna. Lord Visnu, though, is major to even Jehovah and Allah. I know I'm getting a little ahead of the topic at hand,but it's only to differentiate their standing. To clarify that point I'm gonna have to go back to where I was regarding my personal 'journey' along the way and how I learned that fact. It is something of utmost significance(the contrast and difference between Lord Visnu, Jehovah and Allah),but for now let's just wait. After all, Jehovah(YahWeh) and Allah are not mere 'players' in the grand scheme of things.

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page three.

I'm gonna go back a little now to when it all began.

After they gave me the chance to work my way back to this world and during those fasting days they (Swami and my brother the other guide) took the task of reviewing my life. Much like they do when one is on the other side. They pointed at both the good and the bad things that I had done. The fasting served both to burn the bad karma away and as a form of sacrifice. They stressed that they couldn't send me back 'for free'. They reminded me that I had myself elected to go through my death right here on earth,which is what they were 'customizing' just for me. And even while I was in that virtual desert they were already talking about a very important test waiting for me if I did get through that fire first. All this happened in 1982 while I was spending time in suburban Chicago IL(U.S.A.). They said that when I went back home to Texas there would be a final test for me. One very important test. Supposedly, that test would propel me back to the land of the living. There would be no alternative. I will describe what took place ,not to show off,but for describe the seriousness of the situation. These guys were pretty stern.

They said," when you go back home (to Texas) ,be sure to wear tennis shoes(sneakers) whenever you're working on that car of yours that you plan to work on when and if you make it back. " At the time, I wasn't too sure if I was gonna get out of that fire alive. Still, they were planning ahead. What they said was gonna happen was that I'd be working on the car and it was gonna somehow fall of the jack and land on my foot. They said there'd be some broken bones That would be the sign that I had crossed back(officially) to this world. They kept insisting that although I was still physically alive, technically, I was anything but.

Well, I did get through that initiation(at least that's what I call it). After the fasting the first place I went to was a bakery. Man, that was dreamland for me. Eating was like an art. There's no way to describe the joy and the exiliration of tasting sweets after like forever. I couldn't have enough of all the different kinds of those sweet pastries. Like heaven on earth. But they were quick to remind me that I was not there yet. I enjoyed my sweets whether there'd be hell to pay later on or not.

I made it home by Christmas and hung around with the family and friends and did whatever everyone does at that time of the year. After the holidays, sure enough, I found myself working on that old car of mine. Putting on a motor and stuff. But the days went by and nothing happened. By that time,I was getting frustrated. I wanted to get out of that curse of death or whatever spell I was under. I was already feeling uneasy or oppressed. I very well knew why. I knew that as alive as I was physically, a part of me, was some where in suspension. Like the Christians say, of what benefit is the whole world if you don't have your soul. It was almost like that, cause I knew that I still had my soul, although I didn't have much freedom,especially with all the new rules they had imposed. Which ,by the way, is another story in itself.

Anyway, when they sensed my frustration, they suggested I take matters into my own hands. They said," Take the hydraulic jack and jack up the car ,put your foot under the brake drum and slam your toes." IF you hit the big toe and it cracks, it'll be good enough for us." They said that would be my first step back into this world. There would be absolutely and positively no other alternative. It seemed easy enough,so I went for it.

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