Saturday, November 5, 2016

Life beyond Death (PEA)

Life beyond Death (PEA)

In old age, the death is approaching with signs of slowed breathing, weakened heart rate and a change in colour of the body due to fall in blood pressure. When some one dies; the process of shutting down of the organs starts: pulse stops, heart stops beating, breath stops. But it is not death. There are two stages of death. Clinical death and Biological death. In clinical death, the heart stops beating, but the brain is alive. Body as a whole may be dead but certain parts within are alive. The brain cell starts to die about 4-6 minutes later from the loss of oxygen and the biological death occurs. Doctors may be able to delay biological death of VIP patients by cooling the body (to slow down metabolic rate) for extension of window of resuscitation. There are customs in many communities to wait for a day or a night before the cremation of the body. There are examples, where dead resuscitated.

Now doctors have started explaining PEA. Even in clinical death when the heart is stopped/arrested and not producing pulse, there is life. It is called Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA). Doctors apply CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to maintain cardiac output to preserve brain function until further measures are taken. 

Death has a distinct smell. One may smell it within an hour. The living bacteria in the bowels start decomposition of the body, that generate the death odour. Therefore, Hindu tradition of cremation in the fire is the best method of disposal of the dead bodies. They use cow dung and do washing, cleaning of the place to keep it free from bacteria. The custom of bathing etc, for the people who carried the dead body, linked with maintaining very high standards of personal hygiene to maintain good health of the living.

It has not been proven, but it is believes that hearing is the last of the senses lost before death. Therefore, when death seems imminent, the family members express their love and support through talk. There is a tradition to read religious book at the time of departure. After the death, the family and relatives do talk to the dead body as if it is listening.

It is also believed that the life flashing before the eyes of the dying person. People return from cardiac arrest do talk about seeing light, or their tour beyond the body. There is something more beyond the organs. Hinduism believes that consciousness continues even after death. The physical body is dead but subtle body is alive. It can't express but can see, hear and feel. It takes rebirth till moksha.

Death is a mystery for the humans. His search for the life beyond death is still on. Many customs and rituals for disposal of dead bodies have been followed all over the world for centuries. There are religious directions. Some bury, some cremate, some flow the dead bodies into the holy rivers, some hang them in the well for the  vultures to eat. For special people, pyramids, tombs, samadhi temples are built over their ashes/remains to hold their memories. 

There are two stages of death: clinical and biological. But these are deaths of a body. The driver of the body, the Atma, the Spirit never dies. It may wait till the kayamat, or may take rounds of rebirth till finally merged into the Almighty, the Brahman, the Universal Consciousness.

Punamchand
5 November 2016

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