Dear Sir/Madam,
Please accept my pranam. I want to know what happens to those people who die suddenly in an accident? Do they reincarnate immediately and in the same family? And is this because of their karma that they die like that suddenly in an accident?
My uncle died in an accident in 2004. He was a harmless, good soul and he was just 40 years old . His death destroyed a family. Therefore, I am looking for answers.
Thanks & Regards,
Shainee
—Shainee Chakraborty, India
Dear Shainee,
We can’t always know what personal karma is within each person and what needs to be resolved. It can certainly seem unjust that someone such as your uncle, who at a relatively early age, died in an accident. We, for the most part, will not be able to understand such matters from just an intellectual perspective. There are some things to be gained, however from looking at these things from other viewpoints.
Sometimes an early death could be a blessing; a person may simply have worked out as much of their karma as they are able to do in their current lifetime, and that’s as far as they’re going to go. One way of looking at karma is that an accident is a relatively quick way to move on.
As for someone reincarnating immediately, and in the same family; it is each person’s karma that will determine what will happen in their next lifetime. Each of us is given the opportunity and setting that will provide the best possibility to continue to overcome our karma, whether it is good or bad.
As for those loved ones who are deeply affected by losing a family member or friend; it is their challenge to release their attachments and send blessings to those who have passed on to the astral realms. Here is an excerpt from the Astral Ascension Ceremony which Swami Kriyananda wrote and which we use at Ananda: “And what of us, Friend, who love you and would be remembered by you? Behold us as threads of light in the tapestry of your life – threads which, through the magnet of soul-friendship, will appear ever and again, woven with increasing beauty as our hearts expand together in God’s love.”
God is always with us, even in the midst of overwhelming circumstances, if we open ourselves to that divine touch. Then even death is but a passing experience that allows us to rest and then continue onward with our spiritual journey of releasing all karma and realizing our oneness in God.
In divine friendship,
Nayaswami Pranaba
