In the second chapter of the 2nd canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a description of the process of leaving one’s body through the process of mystic yoga. By this process, a yogi can choose where he wants to go after leaving his body. Naturally, this process is very difficult in the age we live, but in the Srimad Bhagavatam, we find descriptions of many great personalities who followed this process while leaving their bodies. As Srila Prabhupada explains:
“In olden days such practice was very common for the transcendentalist, for the mode of life and character in those days were favorable. But in modern days, when the influence of Kali Age is so disturbing, practically everyone is untrained in this art of bodily exercise. Concentration of the mind is more easily attained in these days by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air.”
The first consideration for leaving one’s body in the process of mystic yoga is the time and place. In the Bhagavad-Gita (8.23-26) the Lord describes the appropriate moments for one to leave his body, but in BG 8.14 He clearly states that one who is advanced in devotional service does not need to be concerned with such details. Sukadeva Goswami concludes one that should not be perplexed about the proper time or place, focusing instead of advancing on the process of devotion. Leaving at an opportune moment is not as important as one’s being a successful yogī who can quit his body as he likes.
The next consideration is the process itself. One should comfortably sit without being disturbed and, regulating the life air, control the senses using the mind. The next step is to merge his mind into the self by using one’s purified intelligence, and then merge the self into the Superself (Paramatma). By this process, one attains the stage of labdhopaśānti, where there is full bliss and cessations of all material hankerings.
In his purport, Prabhupada brings it closer to our reality by explaining that this state of labdhopaśānti can be attained by first purifying our intelligence by hearing from the scriptures, and then using this purified intelligence to remove our thoughts from materialistic activities and bring them to the service of the Lord. When our thoughts are fully absorbed in the service of the Lord, we re-attain our pure, unalloyed state as souls, and reach the same platform of bliss attained by pure yogis. (SB 2.2.15-17)
Reaching the stage of labdhopaśānti means one becomes again situated in his eternal position as a soul, ceasing to identify with the body. One may be still technically living in the body, but at this stage one becomes liberated. Material time and the three modes of material nature affect only the body, therefore when one sees himself as a soul, he becomes free from the influence of both time and the three modes. The body still becomes old and eventually dies, but at this stage, one becomes a dhira, who (as mentioned in Bg 2.13) is not affected by this change.
The fact that one stops identifying with the body does not mean he ceases all activities. He may either stop all material activities or continue acting externally according to his duties, the main point is that there is no more identification or attachment. By giving up the false ego, the tendency to lord over the material world, one becomes situated in his original position of surrender to the Supreme Lord. In this stage, one develops a spiritual body and can join the Lord’s pastimes in one of the transcendental planets of the spiritual sky.
If however one is not able to accept a position of service to the Lord, like in the case of impersonalists, the highest one can go is the impersonal Brahmajoyti, a marginal position where one can be free of material contamination, but not directly engaged in the service of the Lord, however, because the impersonal Brahmajoti is not the eternal position of the soul, one has to eventually fall back into the material world.
So far, everything is clear, but what is this process for leaving the body at the chosen time by the process of mystic yoga?
It’s described that the soul is situated in the region of the heart, floating on the five vital airs (Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana, and Samana). Through the process of astanga-yoga, one can gradually learn to control these five airs, and when one becomes experienced in this technique, one can leave his body at the time he chooses. This is done by plugging the evacuating hole with the heel of the foot and then progressively moving the life air progressively through six places: the navel, abdomen, heart, chest, top of the palate, eyebrows, and finally the cerebral pit on the top of the skull. From there, the yogi can make the vital airs burst out of the body, carrying out the soul.
At this point, one becomes free to go whenever he desires. A perfect yogi, of course, goes back to Godhead, abandoning all material connections, but imperfect yogis who are not free from material desires are not able to leave the material mind and senses behind and are thus forced to take another birth. (SB 2.2.22)
There are 14 planetary systems in the universe. Each planetary system of formed by millions of different planets or stars, but they are categorized by the level of consciousness of the inhabitants. The first seven are the lower planetary systems, inhabited by the Asuras. We live in the 8th, called Bhu-Loka, the intermediate planetary system.
Upwards there is Bhuvarloka, inhabited by subtle beings, like Yakshas and Rakshasas under the control of Kuvera, and Swargaloka, the celestial system, where the demigods live. Still higher, are the planetary systems of Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapaloka, and Brahma-Loka, inhabited by highly elevated souls.
A yogi may take his next birth in any of these planetary systems, according to his level of qualification. This possibility of elevating oneself to higher planetary systems, where one can enjoy a very long duration of life and much better standards of living is also available for the yogis who meditate in the universal form.
In this way, perfect devotees are completely unrestricted. They can go to any planet they like, be it material or spiritual. Imperfect yogis don’t have access to the spiritual planets, but they can still transfer themselves to higher material planets, while materialists can’t go higher than Swargaloka, even if they are extraordinarily pious by material standards. More often than not, materialists just glide down to the lower planetary systems, where they become progressively more restricted. As Bhagavatam mentions, “The fruitive workers, or the gross materialists, can never move in such an unrestricted manner.”
People like to talk about the freedom of doing whatever they want, but this is not real freedom. When one is in conditioned life, “doing whatever one wants” means just following the dictations of the mind and senses, which is actually a form of slavery. Real freedom is attained when we cultivate spiritual knowledge and learn to control our senses. A pure devotee becomes completely free, just like perfect yogis.
“O King, when such a mystic passes over the Milky Way by the illuminating Suṣumṇā to reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, he goes first to Vaiśvānara, the planet of the deity of fire, wherein he becomes completely cleansed of all contaminations, and thereafter he still goes higher, to the circle of Śiśumāra, to relate with Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 2.2.24)
The circle of Susumara is the path of the Milky Way we can see in a clear night sky. The yogi follows this path to reach the higher planetary systems. After Susumara there is Maharloka, and then Janaloka and Tapaloka, culminating with Brahmaloka. After Brahmaloka there are the universal coverings, the causal ocean, the impersonal Brahmajoti and after it the spiritual planets.