Devayana Marga and Pitruyana Marga (देवयानमार्गः पितृयानमार्गः च।)

देवयानम् ॥ Devayana (Path to the Realm of Gods) and पितृयानम् ॥ Pitruyana (Path to the Realm of Ancestors) is the description of the path of the soul's journey to the higher realms. Existence of आत्मन् ॥ Atma (soul), after-death life, cycles of birth and death, and मोक्षः ॥ moksha (liberation from the cycles of birth and death) are the core principles laid down by the Vedas, on which the Upanishads elucidate the path for attainment of moksha. Knowledge of ब्रह्मविद्या ॥ brahmavidya is an important path towards the attainment of moksha. The path taken by a ब्रह्मजिज्ञासुः ॥ brahmajijnasu and those who go through the cycles of birth and death are elucidated in many vedic texts.

परिचयः || Introduction

सनातनधर्मः ॥ Sanatana Dharma through various texts and treatises expounded the existence of जीवात्मन् || Jivatma (soul) and पुनर्जन्म || Punarjanma (rebirth or reincarnation) of the soul going through cycles of birth and death according to the person's Karma. When the Jivatma of an individual leaves the body or उपाधिः || Upadhi (carnal attibutes) it is called Death. Cycles of birth and death are based on the पुण्यकर्म ॥ Punya karma and पापकर्म ॥ Papa karma of the individual, and it goes on until the soul attains moksha (salvation).

This can be explained with reference to the छान्दोग्य-उपनिषद् ॥ Chandogya Upanishad of the सामवेद: ॥ Sama Veda (5-3), where श्वेतकेतुः ॥ Shvetaketu once came to the assembly of पाञ्चाल-s || Panchalas, whose reigning monarch was Pravahana Jaivali.

The path that the different souls take to complete their journey in the higher realms is described by various texts mainly in the Upanishads and Brahmasutras. It shows the importance of वैराग्यम् || vairagya (renunciation) and the path to moksha or ब्रह्मलोकः ॥ Brahmaloka which is the ultimate realization of the soul, a point of no return when the soul leaves the cycle of births and deaths.

The King Pravahana Jaivali asks Shvetaketu five questions to gauge his understanding before imparting Brahmavidya. These famous five questions are as below :

1. From here (this लोकः || loka) where do the people go (after death)?
2. How do the dead come back?
3. At what point do the paths of the देवयानम् || Devayana (journey to the देवलोकः ॥ deva loka post death) and पित्रयानम् (journey to पितृलोकः ॥ Pitru loka post death) get separated?
4. Why do fewer जीवात्मन्-s || jivatmas attain Pitru loka (loka of ancestors)?
5. In पञ्चाग्निः || Panchagni, the fifth आहुतिः || ahuti (oblation), how does अप्-तत्त्वम् || Ap Tattva get the name of पुरुषः || Purusha ?

In Chandogya Upanishad, in answer to these questions, the explanation about the Devayana and Pitruyana is given.

देवयानम् || Devayana (Path to the Realm of Brahma)

The Devayana path also called as Northern path or the path of light is the path by which the student or साधकः ॥ sadhaka of Brahmavidya goes to Brahman. This path leads to salvation and takes the devotee to Brahmaloka. These sadhakas consider the worship of Brahman above the religious rites and are called अपरविद्या-उपासकाः ॥ Aparavidya upasakas. The student who receives ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahmavidya with श्रद्धा || shraddha (devotion) while doing तपस् || tapa in the forest follows the path as described in Chandogya Upanishad (Adhyaya 5).

तद्य इत्थं विदुः । ये चेमेऽरण्ये श्रद्धा तप इत्युपासते तेऽर्चिषमभिसम्भवन्त्यर्चिषोऽहरह्न आपूर्यमाणपक्षमापूर्यमाणपक्षाद्यान्षडुदङ्ङेति मासाँस्तान् ॥ १ ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.1)

tadya itthaṃ viduḥ । ye ceme'raṇye śraddhā tapa ityupāsate te'rciṣamabhisambhavantyarciṣo'harahna āpūryamāṇapakṣamāpūryamāṇapakṣādyānṣaḍudaṅṅeti māsām̐stān ॥ 1 ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.1)

मासेभ्यः संवत्सरँ संवत्सरादादित्यमादित्याच्चन्द्रमसं चन्द्रमसो विद्युतं तत्पुरुषोऽमानवः स एनान्ब्रह्म गमयत्येष देवयानः पन्था इति ॥ २ ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.2)

māsebhyaḥ saṃvatsaram̐ saṃvatsarādādityamādityāccandramasaṃ candramaso vidyutaṃ tatpuruṣo'mānavaḥ sa enānbrahma gamayatyeṣa devayānaḥ panthā iti ॥ 2 ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.2)

It can be summarized as follows

Those who know this (the philosophy of पञ्चाग्निविद्या ॥ Panchagnividya), and those who meditate upon faith and penance, follows this path

• Reaches the अर्चिर्देवाः || archirdeva (the Adityas) or light during उत्क्रमणम् || Utkramana time or during departing time.
• The ब्रह्मज्ञानी || Brahmajnani continues on his journey through the daytime through the शुक्लपक्षः || shukla paksha (bright half of the lunar month).
• From there they go higher into the realm when Surya is in the उत्तरायणम् ॥ Uttarayana or Northern hemisphere. From here, they go to the realm of the संवत्सर-देवताः || samvatsara devata. This realm is the point of separation of the Devayana and Pitruyana paths.
• Then, through the samvatsara devtas, he reaches आदित्याः || aditya which is the passage for the soul to liberation and from there to the subtle realm of चन्द्रः || chandra (the Moon).
• From the moon moving further and higher to the उर्जा || urja (energy, lightning), the soul is received by the देवदूताः || devdutas ( persons who are not human) who carry it to परमब्रह्म || parabrahma (the Absolute or सत्यलोकः ॥ Satyaloka).

This is देवयानमार्गः (the divine Way), the final destination in the भूलोक || Bhuloka dimension, is the path of freedom; the path of liberation or Moksha.

The human body is likened to the Cosmos. The ब्रह्मज्ञानी || Brahmajnani (the wise one) goes to the higher realm through heart veins which are beyond hundred, unlike the ordinary person who transits through the veins lesser in number.

A critical question that arises is, how does he perceive through which veins he is passing through? Such discussion is unwarranted as one who has worshiped the परमपुरुषः ॥ Parama Purusha, is absorbed in the ultimate goal, the wise seeker who through his own education and by divine grace being illuminated is able to recognize the veins that help him depart to a higher realm. Such an advanced soul can transit through the path of light and even if such a person dies at night or in दक्षिणायनम् || Dakshinayana, the ज्ञानी ॥ jnani will attain ब्रह्मलोकः || brahmaloka (Moksha).

पितृयानम् || Pitruyana (Path to the Realm of Pitrus)

People unable to live a spiritual life, cannot live a life of meditation, having no knowledge whatsoever of the higher truths of life,yet have done good or punya karmas or deeds in this world, with satvika thoughts, deeds and charities, with danaguna and who are parahitachintaka ॥ one who thinks of the welfare of others, accumulate the merits of equivalent to that obtained by performing great sacrifices such as yagas — such good people by means of virtue do not go along the path of light. Rather, they go along the Southern Path of Return.

They embark on another kind of life journey which involves discharging one’s functional responsibilities or dharma and fulfilling material desires with no direction towards acquiring ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahmavidya and then eventually death. This is called the path of smoke, or dhuma-marga, dakshinayana-patha, or the Southern movements which is, again, presided over by divinities as described in Chandogya Upanishad

अथ य इमे ग्राम इष्टापूर्ते दत्तमित्युपासते ते धूममभिसम्भवन्ति धूमाद्रात्रिँ रात्रेरपरपक्षमपरपक्षाद्यान्षड्दक्षिणैति मासाँस्तान्नैते संवत्सरमभिप्राप्नुवन्ति ॥ ३ ॥(Chan. Upan. 5.10.3)

मासेभ्यः पितृलोकं पितृलोकादाकाशमाकाशाच्चन्द्रमसमेष सोमो राजा तद्देवानामन्नं तं देवा भक्षयन्ति ॥ ४ ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.4)

This path can be summarized as follows

• Those living in the villages, perform deeds of dharma, works of public utility, such sadhaka during उत्क्रमन || Utkramana time are received by the smoke (vayu devatas). From there they continue their journey at night time.
• Such a soul moves to the realm of the कृष्णपक्ष || krsnapaksha (dark half of the lunar month) and then onto the southern direction. From here they do not go to the realm of the Samvatsara devatas but move in a different direction.
• The soul reaches the धुमाभिमनि देवताः || dhumabhimani (vayu devatas) without seeing the संवत्सर देवताः || samvatsara devata they reach the पितृलोक || pitruloka (realm of the ancestors) instead of the Aditya loka.
• Then the soul moves to the आकाश || Akasha (Sky) and eventually reach सोम || soma (Moon or the grain of the devatas). Soma is the king, that is the food of the devatas.

तस्मिन्यवात्संपातमुषित्वाथैतमेवाध्वानं पुनर्निवर्तन्ते यथेतमाकाशमाकाशाद्वायुं वायुर्भूत्वा धूमो भवति धूमो भूत्वाऽभ्रं भवति ॥ ५ ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.5)

अभ्रं भूत्वा मेघो भवति मेघो भूत्वा प्रवर्षति त इह व्रीहियवा ओषधिवनस्पतयस्तिलमाषा इति जायन्तेऽतो वै खलु दुर्निष्प्रपतरं यो यो ह्यन्नमत्ति यो रेतः सिञ्चति तद्भूय एव भवति ॥ ६ ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.6)

• They dwell there (in the realm of Moon) till their karma is exhausted and these souls come back to पृथ्वीलोक || prutvilok using the same path that they had used to go up, through the Akasa, Vayu, Smoke, Cloud, Rain.

• Determined by one’s कर्म || karma, the soul is reborn embodied through औषध || (medicinal herbs, varieties of roots) वृक्ष || vriksha (tree) form अन्न || anna (rice, barley, wheat, sesamum) which when consumed by man forms the पुरुषबीज || Purushabeeja (Semen) and then through स्त्रीगर्भ || Streegarbha (Womb of a woman) takes rebirth on the earth.
• The Jivatma or soul coming back from the moon evolves from a plant to man in the following order:
  • Akasha, Vayu, Smoke, Cloud, Rain, Plants (medicinal herbs, trees), Food, Purushabeeja, Streegarbha, Man

तद्य इह रमणीयचरणा अभ्याशो ह यत्ते रमणीयां योनिमापद्येरन्ब्राह्मणयोनिं वा क्षत्रिययोनिं वा वैश्ययोनिं वाथ य इह कपूयचरणा अभ्याशो ह यत्ते कपूयां योनिमापद्येरन् श्वयोनिं वा सूकरयोनिं वा चण्डालयोनिं वा ॥७॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.7)

By the power of धर्म || dharma, कर्म || karma (दैव || daiva) and good conduct, through these grains, souls accept the wombs according to a definite principle and may be born either as a ब्राह्मण || brahmana, क्षत्रिय || kshatriya or वैश्य || vaisya. Such pious people are called as रमनिया चरना || ramaniya charana. If however their accumulated sin during the human birth is high, then they could become dog, pig or a चान्डाल || chandala (outcaste). Thus those souls who are attached to worldly pleasures but do not do things prohibited by Vedas attain Pitruloka. After enjoying all the accrued punya there, they return back to earth through the Pitruyana marg.

अथैतयोः पथोर्न कतरेण च न तानीमानि क्षुद्राण्यसकृदावर्तीनि भूतानि भवन्ति जायस्व म्रियस्वेत्येतत्तृतीयँस्थानं तेनासौ लोको न सम्पूर्यते तस्माज्जुगुप्सेत तदेष श्लोकः ॥ ८ ॥ (Chan. Upan. 5.10.8)

The jivatma of one who does not follow the injunctions of sastras are involved in "paapopasana" leading a wayward life,they do not attain the higher realms and do not traverse either of these paths, the देवयान and पितृयान. Such souls are reborn time and again in the lower species of life owing to their great sins attaining a place called Triteeya. Therefore पितृलोक || pitri loka is not filled all the time.

ब्रह्मसूत्राणि ॥ Brahmasutras

Brahmasutras extensively and intricately describe the path of the Soul after Jeevan mukti and Videha mukti.

तदन्तरप्रतिपत्तौ रंहति सम्परिष्वक्तः प्रश्ननिरूपणाभ्याम् || (Bram. Sutr. 3.1.1)

Tadantarapratipattau raṁhati sampariṣvaktaḥ praśnanirūpaṇābhyām || (Bram. Sutr. 3.1.1)

Meaning : When the transmigration of the soul takes place, the living being enters into the new body along with the subtle elements- मनस || manasa (mind), बुद्धि || buddhi (intellect) and अहङ्कार || ahankara (ego). This is corroborated in the Upanishads. The Devayana and Pitrayana is described in the Brahmasutras in the 4th chapter (phaladhyaya), 2nd section. The mode of departure from the body up to the way is common to both the knower of the Saguna Brahman and an ordinary man

समाना चासृत्युपक्रमादमृतत्वं चानुपोष्य (Bram. Sut. 4.2.7)

Meaning : And common (is the mode of departure at the time of death for both the knower of the Saguna Brahman and the ignorant) up to the beginning of their ways; and the immortality (of the knower of the Saguna Brahman is only relative) without having burnt (ignorance). The present Sutra says that the knower of the Saguna Brahman enters the Sushumna Nadi at death and then goes out of the body and then enters the Devayana or the path of the gods while the ordinary ignorant man enters some other Nadi and goes by another way to have rebirth.

But the mode of departure at death is common to both till they enter on their respective ways.

ज्ञानमार्गः कर्ममार्गः च ॥ Jnana Marga and Karma Marga

One important question raised is who traverses which path? What kind of actions leads one on either of these paths? Do all beings take either one of these paths? Answers to such questions is given extensively in Brahmasutras and Upanishads.

• The BrihadAraNyaka (6.2.15 and 6.2.16) says that those who meditate on the Panchagni's (five fires), Satya or Brahman reach the world of Hiranyagarbha (brahmaloka) eventually by the path of the gods. This is the Jnanamarga.
• Those who perform yajnas, give away gifts, and undergo penances, eventually reach the world of chandra (moon), by the path of the ancestors. The path of the manes is clearly identified as those who take up the karma marga, not necessarily karma yoga which involves giving up the fruits of actions. As such, those who take the path of the manes and reach the world of chandra will have to be reborn on the earth after their merits have been exhausted. (See above Chan. Upan. 5.10.7)
• Those who do take neither the path of the gods nor the path of ancestors are reborn as insects, moths, mosquitoes, etc. and lead a lowly existence on earth (See above Chan. Upan. 5.10.8).
• As per Brahmasutras (4.2.7) there is no departure for the knower of Nirguna Brahman. His Pranas are absorbed in Brahman.

भगवद्गीता ॥ Bhagavad Gita

The law of Creation is also explained in the  Bhagavad Gita (VIIth & VIIIth Chapters) and in the third chapter of Yajna chakra. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that the Ultimate Reality has to be realised in both aspects, transcendent as well as immanent. The Yogi who realizes both has nothing more to know.

This complete union with the Brahman is an extremely difficult task to attain. Of the millions of human beings, very few aspire for this union, and among those who aspire for it, few make efforts to achieve that union, and of the few who make efforts, few ever reach the pinnacle of spiritual realisation.

Sri krishna then explains about the manifestations of the Paramatma as the revealed universe and the power behind it. He speaks of these manifestations as His lower and higher manifestations (Prakritis). The lower Prakriti is made up of the five elements, mind, ego and intellect. The higher Prakriti is the  ultimate ‘Powerless Power’ which creates and upholds the universe, and causes its final dissolution. In the eight chapter,

शुक्लकृष्णे गती ह्येते जगतः शाश्वते मते । एकया यात्यनावृत्तिमन्ययावर्तते पुनः || (Bhag. Gita. 8.26)

śuklakṛṣṇe gatī hyete jagataḥ śāśvate mate। ekayā yātyanāvṛttimanyayāvartate punaḥ || (Bhag. Gita. 8.26)

Meaning: These are the bright and the dark paths (called the path of the devatas and the path of the forefathers in the Upanishads); by the one he departs who does not return, by the other he who returns again.

संवादः || Discussion

The Vedas are the earliest literatures that speak extensively about the concept of life after death and the journey of the soul in different paths. While other faiths also believe in the existence of life after the death (For example Christians believe in Heaven, Hell and Purgatory) clear explanation about the upward journey of the soul is described vividly in the Vedas, Brahmasutras, Upanishads like Chandogya and Mundaka apart from Brihadaaranyakopanishad and Garuda purana.

No other faith has such extensive and ancient system of rituals and deeds for their ancestors as described in Sanatana Dharma. In the present day, festivals like Halloween, Day of the Dead, Wag festival, Bon Festival, Ayamarca, Ghost Festival are celebrated, characteristic of each religion or country, as an event to remember and honor the departed souls.