I am from South Africa working in China. My 25yr old son was involved in a car accident two weeks ago, He was unconscious and then taken to hospital and was still unconscious. He passed away the next day. Please tell me if he will be fine in the after life if he was unconscious the whole time. I was not at his side because I was flying home during that time to see him. I only found out on my return home that he passed on.
—Shireen Gokool, China
Dear Shireen,
My heart goes out to you in this difficult time. I am sending prayers.
I imagine that your concern over your son’s passing is based in the yoga teaching that it is spiritually desirable to make a conscious exit from the body. We see, or hear about, unconsciousness, and we think we know what happened: “Oh, he never regained consciousness. He did not exit consciously.” What does consciousness mean in such a statement, anyway? It is merely a medical term for the brain not functioning in some “normal” way. The soul, however, is ever conscious, and it can never die.
Swami Kriyananda said that, often, souls whose bodies die in an accident are not fully present for the accident; they begin departing the body beforehand. Might your son have done that? Only a great master can know for certain. But we can say that there is neither failure nor peril nor oblivion in leaving the body while “unconscious.” Rest assured that your son’s soul has simply gone to a realm that is beyond the turmoil of this world, and is compatible with his deeper nature.
And the answer is yes, he will be fine. I’m sure he feels your love, and perhaps if you can find a quiet space in your heart, you will feel his.
If you would like to ask for more prayers for him or for yourself, please send an email with details (and photos if you have them) to prayers@ananda.org.
Blessings,
Nayaswami Gyandev
