Devayana Marga and Pitruyana Marga (देवयानमार्गः पितृयानमार्गः च।)

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परिचय || Introduction

देवयान || Devayana (Path to the Realm of Gods) and पित्रयान || Pitrayana (Path to the Realm of Ancestors) is the soul's journey to the higher realms. Sanatana Dharma through various texts and treatises expounded the existence of जीवात्मा || 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 Upaadhi (carnal attibutes) it is called Death. Cycles of birth and death are based on the punyakarma and papakarma of the individual, and it goes on until the soul attains moksha (salvation).

This can be explained with reference to the Chandogya Upanishad of the Sama Veda (5-3), where Shvetaketu, once came to the assembly of 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 वैराग्य || vairagya (renunciation) and the path to the moksha or 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 ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahmavidya. These famous five questions are as below

  1. From here (this लोक || loka) where do the people go (after death)?
  2. How do the dead come back?
  3. At what point do the paths of the देवयान || Devayana (journey to the deva loka post death) and पित्रयान (journey to Pitr loka post death) get separated?
  4. Why do fewer जीवात्मा || jivatmas attain पित्र् लोक || Pitr loka (loka of ancestors)?
  5. In पञ्चाग्नि || Panchagni, the fifth आहुती || ahuti (oblation), how does अप तत्त्व || Apa Tattva get the name of पुरुष || Purusha?

देवयान || 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 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 Aparavidya upasakas. The student who receives ब्रह्मविद्या || Brahmavidya with श्रद्धा || shraddha (devotion) while doing तपस् || tapas in the forest follows the following path.

  • He reaches the अर्चिर्देवाः || archirdeva (the God of Light) during उत्क्रमन || Utkramana time or during departing time.
  • The ब्रह्मज्ञानी || Brahmajñāni continues on his journey through the daytime (God of Day) through the शुक्लपक्ष || shukla paksha (bright half of the lunar month).
  • From there they go higher into the realm when the Sun is in the Uttarayayana 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 Pitrayana paths.
  • Then through the देवताः || devta he reaches आदित्य || aditya which is the passage for the soul to liberation and from there to the subtle realm of चन्द्र || chandra (the Moon God).
  • From the moon moving further and higher to the उर्जा || urja (energy god) the soul is received by the देवदूत || devdoota (Bhagawan’s assistants) who welcome him to परमब्रह्म || parabrahma (the Absolute).

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

The human body is likened to the Cosmos. The ब्रह्मज्ञानी || Brahmajñāni (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 Param purusha, is absorbed in the ultimate goal, the wise seeker who through his own education and by God’s 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 दक्षिणायन || Dakshinayana, the jnani will attain ब्रह्मलोक || brahmaLoka (Moksha).

पितृयान || Pitrayana (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 yet good or punya karmas or deeds in this world, with satvika thoughts, deeds and charities, with danaguna and who are parahitachintaka ॥ onw 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

  • Such dharma sadhaka during उत्क्रमन || Utkramana time are received by the Wind Gods. From there they continue their journey at night time (God of night).
  • 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 (wind gods) 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 Gods).
  • After their karma is exhausted, these souls come back to पृथ्वीलोक || prutvilok using the same path that they had used to go up, through the Sky, Wind, 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, wheat) 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:
    • Sky, Wind, Smoke, Cloud, Rain, Plants (medicinal herbs, trees), Food, Purushabeeja, Streegarbha, Man

By the power of धर्म || dharma, कर्म || karma (दैव || daiva) and 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.

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.

As in Brahmasutras

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

तदन्तरप्रतिपत्तौ रंहति सम्परिष्वक्तः प्रश्ननिरूपणाभ्याम् || (Bram. Sut. 3-1-1)

Tadantarapratipattau raṁhati sampariṣvaktaḥ praśnanirūpaṇābhyām || (Bram. Sut. 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.

As in 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. G. 8.26)

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

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

सम्वाद || 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.

References

  1. Narayanacharya, K. S. (2011). Veda Sanskritiya Parichaya, Part I. Hubli:​Sahitya Prakashana​.
  2. Chandogya Upanishad, Chapter 6
  3. https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft Page 613 and 614
  4. http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/bs_3/bs_3-1-01.html
  5. http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/bs_4/bs_4-2-04.html
  6. http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/chhand/ch_1c.html
  7. http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_z_misc_major_works/brahma_suutra.html
  8. http://bhagavadgita.org.in/Chapters
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_of_the_Dead
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