Hi all,
I've been wondering how the belief behind pitru dosh and shraddha/tarpanam is reconcilable with the doctrine of reincarnation.
If it is true, as some yogis like Sadhguru and also most vedic astrologers say, that the dead are trying to live through us and that we may need to attend to up to 12 generations of ancestors with our offerings and rituals to help them peacefully move on away from us, that begs the question of how long do souls stay in limbo before rebirth.
Does an individual with pitru dosh imply that his past ancestors are stuck in an astral limbo and cannot reincarnate, even with centuries going by, unless rituals are done and Gods grace intervenes in this life?
Does anyone know how it all works in a way that includes both reincarnation and ancestral spirits sticking around us with grudges and unrequited desires?
Or can we still be influenced and held back by our ancestors even if they are back on earth now in different bodies living separate lives somewhere while we are alive? And our own prayers, rituals and lifestyle somehow influences them without them knowing it?
Any knowledge and thoughts are welcome.
Thanks,
S.
Hi S,
I'm a huge follower of the schools of thought you mentioned especially Sadhguru. This issue has been on my mind for some time.
I know from a lot of changes in my life that they definitely have impacts on us.
I want to share a recent experience I had that may shed some light on how it's all happening. I have friends who practice Animal Communication. One of them read for me, I asked about a beloved family pet who was treasured in the family. I was shocked when I heard that the particular being I was asking about was already in a new life/in a new body. \ Yet the Animal Communicator could still "reach" her with details from the "previous" life.
I was told that this was normal and even in this current state that we were still energetically collaborating sub or super consciously (on I believe the astral or causal plane-not on this plane). I wasn't doing any rituals to reach this particular entity but this is what was confirmed. I imagine the default is that we do stay connected energetically and the rituals help to consciously balance, heal or regulate the connection.
The Animal Communicator was able to pick up on so many specific details so I don't doubt the channeling ability.
When I reflect on this and the Vedic teachings I remember the teaching that Time is only an illusion. I think where the ancestors are, the rules of time are just non-existent or different. Much of our reality is illusory like this according to that perspective.
This is why I believe more than ever in honoring the ancestors and doing what we can for them, yet also valuing all of the lives I encounter so much because I never know who was what to me ten years ago. Maybe the new child I just met was one of my grandparents? It's making me rethink some things for sure.
Also just like all relationships, dysfunctional patterns need to be resolved, healed and good boundaries need to be established.
So for me now, there is no contradiction, just more profundity.
I hope you find this helpful!
I want to test this with a medium too.
Thanks Cathy.
The more I've pondered it the more I've come to think along the lines similar to what you articulated. We are, even now, existing on an astral and causal level along with the physical while alive, sometimes with our astral selves unable to move forward with the present life here and now.
I still welcome any additional input or other points of view, even though we may not be capable of knowing, or even entitled to know the "perfect" explanation.
Let me/us know if you get any good info from a medium.
This is such a wonderful topic. I have had these questions too and from what little I have comprehended about how this all works, I've come to the conclusion that this ancestral influence is information imprinted in the DNA. So, when we want to step away from that influence, we must change our DNA and our energetic structure and that involves doing certain mystical things because it's not something we can do with just the physical realm. Maybe that translates into changing the condition of the causal and astral bodies' information.