Namaste all
I'm reading a book 'What Becomes of the Soul After Death' by Swami Sivananda. According to Swami there is two paths: the path of light followed by souls liberated who go to God and the path of darkness followed by souls who only did good because they wanted something out of it, this leads to continues reincarnation.
What I don't understand is that Swami say that these two paths are not for all people on earth.
On which path is the rest of the world then and what about evil people?
Thank you in advance for any answers and opinions
Here is the passage.
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Chandayoga Upanisad Chapter V Section 10
Now the people who know this, and the people here in the wilderness who venerate thus:- "Austerity is faith" - they pass into the flame (after death), from that flame into the day, from that day into the fortnight of the waxing moon, from that fortnight of the waxing moon into the six months when the sun moves north, from these months into the year, from the year into the sun, from the sun into the moon, and from the moon into the lightning. Then a person who is not human- He leads them to Brahman. That is the path leading to the gods.
The people here in the villages, on the other hand, who venerate thus - "Gift giving is offerings to gods and to priests"- they pass into the smoke, from the smoke into the night, from the night into the fortnight of the waning moon, and from the fortnight of the waning moon into the six months where the sun moves south. These do not reach the year but from these months pass into the world of the ancestors, and from the world of the ancestors into space, and from space into the moon. This is King Soma. There they become the enjoyment of the gods and the gods enjoy them. They remain there as long as there is residue of their actions, and then they return by the same path they went - first to space, and from space to the wind. After the wind is formed, it turns into vapors; after the vapors have formed, it turns into a thundercloud; after the thundercloud has formed, it turns into a rain cloud; and after a rain-cloud has formed, it rains down. On the earth, they spring up as barley and rice, plants and trees, sesame and beans, from which it is extremely difficult to get out. But, when someone eats the food and deposits the semen, from him one comes into being again.
Now people here whose behavior is pleasant can expect a pleasant womb of the upper castes. But people of foul behavior can expect to enter a foul womb of an outcaste and even animals.
Then there are those proceeding on neither of these two paths- they become tiny tiny creatures revolving here ceaselessly. Just, "Be born! Then Die! Be born! Then Die!" - that is the third state.
As a result the world up there is not filled up.
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The philosophical principle is interesting but the mechanism proposed looks dodgy to me. Anyways.
