Bodiless State Hereafter

A friend who was recently departed (May 24, 2015) finally left aside a bodiless astral form and assumed a youthful astral body which clearly exhibits senses and distinctions which keynote him as a person.

Initially when he first leaves the last physical form, one’s psychological energies may be in disarray. This causes the non-formation of a subtle form. Instead one realize himself as a series of thought/idea patterns.

In yoga experience, it is essential that whatever is experienced be distinctly described, otherwise we would convey confusion and misconception. For instance in the Yoga Sutra there is mentioned about a bodiless state but as that is defined it is different to the state my friend found himself to be after his body died. His was a lower level of a bodiless condition.

He is what Patanjali described:

बहिरकल्पिता वृत्तिर्महाविदेहा ततः प्रकाशावरणक्षयः॥४४॥

bahiḥ akalpitā vṛttiḥ mahāvidehā tataḥ

prakāśa āvaraṇakṣayaḥ

bahiḥ – outside, external; akalpitā – not manufactured, not artificial, not formed; vṛttiḥ – operation; mahā – great; videhā – bodiless state; tataḥ – thence, from that, resulting from that; prakāśa – light; āvaraṇa – covering, mental darkens; kṣayaḥ – dissipation, removal.

By the complete restraint of the mento-emotional energy which is external, which is not formed, a yogi achieves the great bodiless state. From that the great mental darkness which veils the light, is dissipated. (Yoga Sutras 3.44)

In my friend’s case his bodiless state was based on using the mento-emotional energy, not restraining it.