Advaita Vedanta on Birth and Death: The Illusion and the Ultimate Truth
1. The Great Human Question: What is Birth and Death?
From the moment a human is born, the same question follows him: “What is birth and what is death?” From ancient times till today, man has been thinking about this. Only humans are capable of such deep contemplation. Thinking is a function of the mind—and to have a mind is the defining trait of a human. He thinks, he inquires, he explores. But the very subject he’s trying to understand remains beyond full comprehension. The Upanishads speak of this mystery. A young seeker named Nachiketa once traveled to the abode of Yama and boldly questioned him: “What is birth and what is death?”—this forms the central theme of the Katha Upanishad. This question has preoccupied our entire Sanatana Dharma, and texts like the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad deal deeply with the nature of death. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita itself incarnated for the purpose of resolving this very dilemma.
2. The Unresolved Puzzle and Advaita’s Bold Stand
So despite countless perspectives and efforts to understand, the problem remains unresolved. What exactly is birth? What is death? We witness both, yet we are clueless about what happens after death. What becomes of us? Where do we go? None of it is clear. Is this the end of it? Is there no solution? When posed this way, 99 out of 100 religious systems admit helplessness. But one system alone stands firm, fearlessly confronting and answering this mystery—that is Advaita Vedanta. The great Advaita philosophers uniquely resolved this. Their insight: from one perspective, both birth and death exist. But from another perspective, they do not. The first is the viewpoint of duality (bheda); the second, of non-duality (abheda). Seeing the self and the non-self as separate is duality. “I” the knower on one side, and the object of knowledge on the other—including the world and even God. These are all “non-self,” and the one who perceives them is the self.
3. Duality: The Root of All Apparent Problems
As long as this distinction between self and non-self persists, so do you—and so do your problems. If you are asking about birth and death, it implies that you believe they exist apart from you. Because you believe that, they appear to exist. The more they appear, the more your mind strives to find a solution. And this inquiry arises from your own mind—not just yours, but in the minds of many. One person wonders, another does not. One questions deeply, another stays indifferent. Even the power to wonder is limited and not fully developed in everyone. That’s why some people say there is nothing after death; others say there are different worlds or rebirths; some believe only heavenly worlds exist but not rebirth; others think man is constantly reborn into higher or lower forms depending on virtue or sin. All these are opinions based on individual perception.
4. The Purāṇic View: The World Beyond and the Rules Within
Our Puranas and Itihasas speak of heaven and hell, paths to reach those realms, experiences in those worlds, and the conditions for returning to Earth. All these teachings are given from the standpoint of duality. If we accept them as truth, our entire conduct on Earth becomes structured. From rites after birth to death rituals, all must be observed. It is said that the body dies, but the soul does not. It leaves the body and travels to a world according to its karmas. Before it is born again, certain duties must be performed. The fruits of past actions stick with the soul, and such observances must be followed.
5. Non-Duality: Dissolving the Apparent Cycle
But if we can shift to the second vision—non-duality—then all of this falls away as untruth. Why? Because from the non-dual view, everything is only the self. There is no separate “non-self” or world. No other people, no world, no God ruling over them. All of it dissolves into self-consciousness. For one who sees this, what is birth? What is death? Where are they? They too are part of the self. Even if they seem to belong to me, they are merely phases, not me. The phases may change, but the one who observes them remains unchanged. Like a still lake stirred by a stone, it ripples for a while and becomes still again. The water itself doesn’t gain or lose anything.
6. The Witness: Consciousness Beyond All Phases
Similarly, birth and death are only phases experienced by the jiva (individual self), not its true nature. The true nature of the jiva is consciousness—eternal, changeless. From birth to death, it flows without interruption. The body ages, the senses change, thoughts come and go. But I, the observer, remain constant—witnessing all this change without changing myself. Therefore, birth and death belong to the instruments (body, senses), not to the real me.
7. The Argument for the Eternal Witness
Using this, we can argue that death applies only to the body and its adjuncts, not to my real nature. As the elders have said, infer the unseen by observing the seen. The body is visible; its birth and death are visible. But that which observes all this is invisible—consciousness, which is always present. So birth and death belong to the outer layers, not to me. Motion is change, and change cannot occur in that which merely observes. The observer never changes, so it cannot die.
8. The Gita’s Truth: Existence Cannot Cease
Hence, we existed before birth and continue after death. The Gita declares: “That which is non-existent can never be; that which exists can never not be.” So what appears to rise and fall is only a form—it doesn’t truly begin or end. The sun, for instance, may appear to rise and set. But this is relative to our position. When it disappears for us, it shines elsewhere. When it returns to our view, we say it “rises.” But it was always there. Similarly, what we call birth and death are appearances—phases of visibility and invisibility of an already existing soul.
9. Subtle Form: The Continuity Beyond the Body
So when we say someone is born, it does not mean they didn’t exist before. They existed in subtle form. And when they die, they do not vanish. They return to subtle form. The Upanishads say: “The soul is never born and never dies.” The soul leaves the physical body but not existence. The jiva is consciousness associated with mind and prana. When the body falls, these subtle layers still remain and travel to other realms. They re-enter a new body to exhaust karma. Karma, once created, must bear fruit.
10. The Mechanics of Rebirth and Karma
That fruit must be experienced. The jiva identifies with the act and its results—so it must take on a form again to experience it. That’s what is called rebirth. When karma is exhausted, death occurs. Then, to experience remaining karma, it travels to other realms, returning later for another birth. This cycle continues, like a revolving wheel—samsara.
11. Karma and the Illusion of Birth
Even when we explain all this logically, from the standpoint of ultimate truth, there is no real birth or death. Karma needs a doer, and that doer must exist. So the jiva enters the body, lives, and departs once the experience is done. Hence, it must exist before and after. Therefore, birth and death do not belong to the jiva—they belong to its coverings.
12. The Subtle Body: Linga Sharira
Yet, since the jiva identifies with its coverings (body, mind, senses), even after the gross body falls, the subtle body remains. This subtle body is called the linga sharira—composed of mind and vital force. It’s not visible but definitely present. So we call it “subtle.” This proves the jiva continues to exist. Upon death, the jiva exits through the subtle body. The mind leads, prana follows, and they travel to other realms based on karma—pitru loka for ancestral merit, deva loka for divine merit, or naraka (hell) for sins. These are experienced with respective bodies—enjoyment in heaven, suffering in hell.
13. Offerings to Ancestors and Subtle Continuity
And this goes on until all karmas are exhausted. As long as the karma balance remains, the jiva keeps returning to earthly bodies. Even if the jiva is not born here, it maintains a connection through the mind and prana. That’s why we offer oblations and water to ancestors. We believe they exist in air-like forms, and so we offer them subtle nourishment. This entire system is based on dharma and duty.
14. The Path to Liberation: From Jiva to Mukta
As long as consciousness is associated with mind and prana, it is a field of dharma. As long as karma and experience persist, so will the notion of being a jiva. And as long as that idea exists, birth and death will seem real. The scriptures call one who transcends this a mukta—liberated. When there is no body, no subtle body, and even causal ignorance is destroyed, the jiva is no longer reborn. This happens when ignorance is replaced by true knowledge—when the jiva sees that everything is the Self.
15. Non-Dual Merging: The Ocean of Consciousness
When duality is ended by this vision, all distinctions vanish. There is no birth or death. The soul, mind, and prana no longer function separately. Like waves merging in the ocean, all merge into pure consciousness. Hence, the jiva is said not to “travel” after death—because there is no movement from the standpoint of reality.
16. The Real Death: Only of the Shadow
Even if it appears that the wise die along with the rest, their death is only of the body, not of the self. The body is a shadow—an appearance cast by the light of consciousness. That which is light cannot be touched by shadow. The wise person lives ever immersed in his self—unchanging, eternal. To others, he may appear to die, but to him, everything is one and undivided. Just as the ocean appears differently to the onlooker—as waves, foam, bubbles—but remains the same water. The wise see no difference. Dreams appear real while they last, but disappear upon waking. Likewise, birth and death are dreams for the ignorant. For the wise, only Self remains—eternal, unchanging. Om Tat Sat.
