The distress caused to us descendants by ancestral spirits manifests in

many ways in our day-to-day lives. It creates obstacles in both, our worldly
lives as well as spiritual practice. In some cases, it may seem that the
entire family has a dark cloud over it and various family members are
undergoing various problems despite all efforts to overcome them. The
difficulties that are created due to ancestral spirits come in various forms
such as marital disharmony, addictions, miscarriages and financial
problems. At an intellectual level, we can use two rules of thumb to decide
if the cause of suffering is spiritual in nature. The first rule is if all remedies
to solve the problem have failed. This is especially so when the problem
should be easily treatable by modern sciences. The second rule is if a
number of family members (e.g. 4 out of 5) are suffering with any of the
above mentioned issues simultaneously. The reason that all the family
members get affected is that they all have the same ancestors. In this
section learn how we can protect ourselves from problems caused by
ancestral spirits and assist our departed ancestors in the afterlife.

Introductory articles to problems with ancestral spirits

What are ancestral problems?

According to the science of Spirituality and unknown to modern sciences,
50% of difficulties in our lives are caused solely due to spiritual factors and
another 30% due to spiritual and psychological and/or physical factors.

Please refer to the article on, The breakdown of spiritual root causes of
difficulties in life.
One aspect of these spiritual root causes of problems in our lives is the
distress caused to descendants by the subtle bodies of their ancestors who
have passed away (died). It is also one of the more common spiritual
factors that affects almost all of humanity in some form or the other. Before
we give a detailed explanation as to why our ancestors would want to
cause any kind of trouble for us, let us first examine the kinds of difficulties
that people can experience due to departed ancestors.
The distress caused to us descendants by the subtle bodies of our
ancestors manifests in many ways in our day-to-day lives. It creates
obstacles in both, our worldly lives as well as spiritual practice. In some
cases, it may seem that the entire family has a dark cloud over it and
various family members are undergoing various problems despite all efforts
to overcome them. The difficulties that are created due to departed
ancestors come in various forms as listed below:

Inability to get married

Marital disharmony

Addictions (approximately 70% of addictions are due to ancestors who

have passed away)

Going blank in examinations despite being well prepared for it

Loss of job

Difficulty in conceiving a child

Miscarriages
Bearing mentally challenged children or children with special needs

Death during childhood

Miscarriage, death in childhood, etc. happen when the distress by

ancestors is coupled with other major spiritual causes such as destined
possible death. It cannot happen solely on account of distress of ancestors.
While the above types of problems may be a strong indication of ancestral
problems, only aSaint or a Guru (a spiritually evolved guide) can tell with
certainty the root cause of a problem.
At an intellectual level, we could use two rules of thumb to decide if the
cause of the suffering is spiritual in nature:
All remedies to solve the problem have failed. This is especially so when
the problem should be easily treatable by modern sciences such as a skin
rash, chest pain, etc.

A number of family members (e.g. 4 out of 5) are suffering with any of the
above mentioned issues simultaneously. (The reason that all the family
members get affected is that they all have the same ancestors.)

Why would my departed loved ones and my

other ancestors want to give me pain?
This is a question that is very commonly asked. People think of their near
and dear ones who have passed away and find it unimaginable that they
would deliberately cause them problems in life. The following are the two
main reasons as to why ancestors trouble their descendants.

Due to unfulfilled desires and

Due to the inability to move on in the after life and attain a higher positive
region or sub-region.

Distress due to unfulfilled desires

In this case, ancestors trouble us as they have unfulfilled desires. These
desires can include:

Anger directed at descendants who do not use their inheritance in

accordance with the ancestors wishes.

Ancestors who have an attachment to the family and still want things to be
done their way.

Ancestors who are addicted to some physical desire such as cigarettes,

drugs, sex, food, etc. They take advantage of the remaining give-andtake account between them and their descendants to possess their
descendants and fulfill their desires. Departed ancestors trouble their
descendants instead of others with whom they may possibly have a giveand-take account with; this is because the bond between blood relations is
the strongest.

Distress

due

to

call

for

help

by

ancestors

^ Top

When one dies, the vital energy is released back into the Universe. The
physical body remains on Earth, while the subtle body travels to a subtle
plane depending on its merits or sins and its spiritual level. Unlike on the
Earth plane, the only parameter that matters in the after-life is the spiritual
level or the spiritual purity of a subtle body. The physical body and the
various worldly aspects such as money, prestige, job, how well we are
connected etc. have absolutely no relevance in the spiritual realm or subtle
world.

The subtle body as shown in the diagram becomes heavy due to sins and
excessive ego. As a result, it gets stuck in lower subtle planes of existence
such as the Nether region (Bhuvarlok). If the demerits or sins are intense,
then the subtle body goes to one of the regions of Hell (Ptl). On the other
hand, the subtle body becomes lighter due to good deeds (merits) and the
intensity of spiritual practice. The higher the spiritual level, the lighter the
subtle body and faster the progress to the higher positive subtle regions of
the Universe.

Samashti spiritual level refers to the spiritual level attained through spiritual practice for the sake of
society (samashti sdhan), while vyashti spiritual practice refers to the spiritual level attained through
individual spiritual practice (vyashti sdhan). In the current times, spiritual progress for the sake of
society has 70% importance while individual spiritual practice has 30% importance.

An advanced seekers subtle body crosses the Nether region immediately

as a result of spiritual practice and goes to higher subtle regions of
existence such as Heaven (Swarga). Only ancestors who are above the
50% ( samashi) or 60% (vyashi) spiritual level are able to go to higher
subtle regions, such as Heaven and are able to access the requisite
protection from God to fend off any attack by ghosts (demons, devils,
negative energies etc.). Less than 5% of the world population falls in this
category.
The following is the breakdown of world population by spiritual level:

(Please refer to the article on spiritual level and the breakdown of the world
population by spiritual level.)
^ Top

This means that the vast majority of our ancestors (over 95% of them) will
be consigned to regions below Heaven like the Nether region or one of the
regions of Hell. A large percentage of the world population is at a spiritual
level of below 30%. When they die, they have very little spiritual strength to
help themselves in the lower subtle regions. By help we mean helping
themselves spiritually to advance to higher positive subtle sub-regions.
In the lower subtle regions, they experience pain due to demerits and do
not know how to help themselves. They are also attacked and tormented

by more powerful ghosts who control them for various purposes. They try to
go to a more positive region or sub-region in the Universe but cannot quite
do so without spiritual help.
Subtle bodies who are over 30% spiritual level, can technically help
themselves by doing spiritual practice, but this too, is rare unless they have
a strong impression to do spiritual practice that conforms to the six basic
principles of spiritual practice. All other versions of spiritual practice are
inefficient and do not really provide any spiritual help to the subtle body of
the ancestor.
The distress suffered by our ancestors in the lower regions of the Universe
emanates from them as distress frequencies/vibrations that travel across
the various subtle regions as well as the Earth region. As their family
members or descendants have the most matching frequencies, they are
best able to receive these frequencies.
Only on the Earth plane, do we have the ability to do something for our
departed ancestors. Their relatives in the other various subtle realms are
pretty much in the same boat and so cannot help. In the present times, as
most descendants are not sufficiently spiritually evolved to be able to subtly
perceive the distressing frequencies, the ancestors use spiritual energy to
create distress in their descendants lives so that the descendants take
notice of their needs. The distress perpetrated by the ancestors is thus
basically a means to communicate their pain. When the descendant finds
that problems are not going away despite their best efforts, they sometimes
seek spiritual guidance. If the appropriate spiritual guidance is obtained and
implemented, it not only provides the descendants the required protection
from their ancestors but also provides the ancestors the necessary impetus
for their onward journey in the spiritual realm.
Depending on the nature and spiritual level of ancestors the extent of
distress varies. A good ancestor would give distress only to the extent of
making the descendants aware of their needs. A vengeful ancestor on the
other hand, could cause extensive distress to his descendants.

An ancestor wanting to fulfill his desires would trouble a descendant with

similar desires.

An ancestor desirous of moving on to a higher subtle region would target a

descendant doing spiritual practice.

Spiritual research on problems with ancestral spirits

Who all are included in our ancestors?

For the purposes of this section, when we refer to ancestors, it includes all
of the following:

Subtle-bodies of all our known and unknown departed relations from all the
previous generations.

Relatives from all the previous generations from the fathers and mothers
side. For a woman from her parents side as well as from her husbands
side are included in this category. The reason for women having to include
ancestors from her husbands side as well is that with marriage the woman
becomes one with the husbands family and enjoys and inherits the assets
of that family.

Along with this subtle-bodies of departed relatives from previous births are
also included in ancestors.

Even if ones descendants (children) die before one, they too are included
in the category of ancestors as described in this section. This is even
though they are not technically ancestors.

What type of ancestors need help?

What type of ancestors need help?

The following is a frequency interval table (breakdown) of the worlds
population as per spiritual level. It is based on information accessed from
the Universal Mind and Intellect in 2013.

Please refer to the article, What is spiritual level?

As you can see, in todays world over 50% of people fall in the category of
20-30% spiritual level. People below the 30% spiritual level, due to lack of
any spiritual practice have very low spiritual purity or spiritual strength.
When a person dies, the only thing that matters in the after-life is the
spiritual level or the spiritual purity or sttvikt of a subtle-body. Unlike on
the Earth region (Bhlok) , the gross body and the various worldly aspects
such as money, prestige, job, how well we are connected etc. have
absolutely no relevance in the spiritual realm or the subtle-world.

^ Top

The subtle-bodies of people between the 20-30% spiritual levels are heavy
as in the lowest circle shown in the diagram above. The heaviness is
primarily caused due to demerits incurred from their life on Earth, immense
worldly attachments and lack of spiritual practice that conforms to the six
basic principles of spiritual practice.

Due to this spiritual heaviness, the subtle-bodies cannot move on to higher

positive realms of the Universe and are therefore relegated to the lower
subtle-regions such as the Nether region (Bhuvarlok) and Hell (Ptl) .
Here they experience the full measure of pain or unhappiness according to
their demerits respectively. In most cases, the demerits outstrip the merits
in people at the spiritual levels of 20-30%. Hence they mostly experience
pain and unhappiness in these realms. Along with this, more
powerful ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) attack and control
them. These ancestorsrequire our help at a spiritual level the most. We
have defined what spiritual help we can provide themin subsequent
articles.
Ancestors between the 30-50% spiritual levels require our help less and
less. Ancestors beyond the 50% spiritual level do not require any spiritual
help from their descendents in the after-life. This is one of the main reasons
why reaching the 50% spiritual level is a key spiritual milestone that we
need to strive for.

Upto which generation of our ancestors are

most likely to affect us?

Effect by generations of ancestors:

The influence or impact of ancestors of the past three generations is

maximum i.e. up to the generation of our great grand parents.

The ancestors of up to the last seven generations have some sizeable

influence.

The ancestors beyond the seventh generation do not affect us much. This
is because the give-and-take account with the ancestors is fully completed
or completed to a large extent in a given birth. Hence in the next birth,
the give-and-take with ancestors of this present birth will be negligible if at
all. If a sizeable give-and-take account remains, then we are born in the
same family once again.

The above pertains to how far we are affected by our lineage (i.e. the
vertical family tree). If we look at it horizontally (or laterally), we are affected
by our ancestors up to our second cousins.

Please note: Close friends cannot affect or cause distress like ancestors.
They can try to help if they have a higher spiritual level but we should not
accept it. This is because it will increase their attachment to worldly matters
and make them Earth bound. As a result it could cause an impediment in
their onward journey. We should instead pray that they concentrate on their
onward spiritual journey.

How is it that an ancestor at lower spiritual level has the strength to

trouble but not to help?

How is it that an ancestor at lower spiritual

level has the strength to trouble but not to
help?
Divine help is unavailable to fulfill worldly desires: In almost all cases,
the meaning of help for departed ancestors and descendants is restricted
to worldly help. When help is restricted only to worldly needs, ancestors are
unable to access divine help to assist them in fulfilling their wishes. As a
result, they have to depend on their own spiritual strength which is
negligible. If the intention of the help is to assist the descendant spiritually,
the ancestors have more access to divine intervention and assistance.
Need to use their strength to protect themselves: Departed ancestors
between the 20-30% spiritual levels, due to their lower spiritual strength will
be curtailed in the quality and quantity of help that they can give their
descendants. The truth is that ancestors at a lower spiritual level are in
most cases in survival mode and cannot think beyond themselves. The
oppressive environments in the lower regions, that is Nether region
(Bhuvarlok) and Hell (Ptl) along with the attacks by higher
level ghosts give them a substantial amount of pain. So instead of helping
their descendants they are actually in need of help themselves.
They try to communicate to their descendants and do so in the form of
creating problems in their descendants' lives. The extent of the problems
they can cause is disproportionately larger than their ability to help.
Influence of higher level ghosts: When it comes to causing distress to
people on Earth, higher levelghosts (demons, devils, negative energies
etc.) use ancestors as a means to get to humanity with expending the least
amount of energy. Hence they provide departed ancestors with the
required black energy.
Ancestors between the spiritual levels of 20-30%, i.e. lower spiritual levels
are more self-centered and hence focus on alleviating their own pain in the
Nether region. Hence their attempt to help their descendants is negligible.

Causing distress is a method of communicating with the

descendants: When we are living on Earth, we have a variety of issues in
our lives that vie for our attention. Our energy ends up being distributed
across various facets such as job, relationships, chores and errands,
entertainment etc. However when we die, there are no such activities to vie
for our attention. In the subtle regions, our departed ancestors experience
the full measure of happiness and unhappiness in accordance with their
merits and demerits. Ancestors of a lower spiritual level generally accrue
more demerits and as a result experience more pain. With no other
distractions as we have on the Earth plane, they become singularly focused
on reducing this pain or experiencing some worldly desire. They reach out
to their descendants on Earth to do something for them. As there is no
physical body, they do not need to sleep and can work at reaching out to
their descendants with an incredible amount of single-mindedness. This
single-minded focus in turn enhances their ability to affect us.

How to overcome problems with ancestral spirits

What can I do to protect myself against

ancestral problems?
Problems caused due to departed ancestors are a specific type of spiritual
difficulty. Therefore we can successfully overcome them only by applying a
specific spiritual remedy. Psychological and physical remedies simply
cannot overcome the root cause of the problem and can only provide some
symptomatic relief, at best. For example, if a person is suffering from a skin
rash caused by ancestors, relevant medical treatment can at best provide

relief but it cannot cure the rash completely or prevent it from occurring
again.
In order to gain insulation from problems caused due to departed
ancestors, we recommend chanting the protective chant of Shr Gurudev
Datta. This chant represents the Name of Deity Datta, an aspect of God.
This is to be done daily along with chanting the Name of God according to
the religion of ones birth.
Chanting of Deity Dattas Name is a kind of prescription chant to overcome
a specific spiritual problem i.e. problems caused due to departed
ancestors. On the other hand, chanting the Name of God according to the
religion of ones birth acts as a general spiritual tonic for overall spiritual
growth. Chanting of Deity Dattas Name provides protection, but not
spiritual growth.
To give you an analogy, chanting Deity Dattas Name is like having an
extra dose of Vitamin C when one has a common cold. The Vitamin C is
taken along with the usual multi-vitamin tablet taken for good health (which
is the Name according to the religion of birth).
When we repeat the protective chant of Shri Gurudev Datta, we attract the
divine energy associated with Dattas Name and as a result we benefit in
the following ways:
1. A subtle protective sheath envelops us, protecting us from obstacles
caused by our ancestors.
2. It helps to nullify the give-and-take account that we have with our ancestors
thus reducing their influence on us.
3. It gives our ancestors the assistance they require to make their onward
journey in the subtle-world.
However, the extent of benefit depends on the quantity and quality of our
chanting, which besides other factors, depends on our spiritual level.

It is recommended that one chants the protective chant of Shri Gurudev

Datta on a daily basis depending on the severity of the distress. As it is a
prescription chant that helps to remove obstacles in ones life, it is best if it
is done in the morning as it then provides the requisite spiritual protection
for the day. One can then chant the Name of God according to the religion
of birth during the rest of the day.
We recommend the quantity of chanting Shri Gurudev Datta that is
commensurate with the severity of the distress experienced due to
ancestral problems. It is based on spiritual research and Knowledge gained
by accessing the Universal Mind and Intellect through the medium of a
highly advanced sixth sense (ESP).
1. In case where no distress to mild distress is experienced, one can chant for
1 to 2 hours every day in order to avoid such trouble in future.
2. In case where the distress is medium, chant for 2 to 4 hours every day.
3. If the distress is severe one must chant Shri Gurudev Datta for 4 to 6
hours per day.
Note: The
above quantity
of
recommended
chanting has
been increased recently. The increased duration of chanting has been
recommended taking into account the rise in trouble caused by ancestors
and negative energies in the current and in the coming times.
Please read the article, What are ancestral problems to understand the
types of distress or problems that can happen due to our departed
ancestors. The following are some indicators of the severity of distress

Type

Example

Mild

Skin problems, marital conflicts

Moderate

Divorce, mentally challenged child

Severe

Miscarriage, death in childhood

Note: If the difficulties are severe, then one could also be advised to
perform specific spiritual rituals. Information regarding these will be
published in later articles.

What does the spiritual protective chant of Shri

Gurudev Datta represent?
The protective chant of Shr Gurudev Datta represents the Name of Lord
Datta, an aspect of God. One of His functions in the Universe is alleviating
distress caused due to the subtle bodies of ancestors. God carries out His
mission in the Universe through the three major principles of Creation,
Sustenance and Destruction. Lord Dattas ability is derived through a
combination of these three major principles of God i.e. Creation 10%,
Sustenance 80% and Destruction 10%. His manifest divine energy is 10%
while 90% of His divine energy is unmanifest.
The concept that our deceased ancestors can cause trouble in our lives is
very alien to us. However people from various cultures and religions have
experienced an immense improvement in their lives by repeating Lord
Dattas holy Name of Shri Gurudev Datta (click to listen to an audio
recording of the chant).

Why Do People Need Spiritual Help After They

Die?
A human being has two bodies the gross body (sthladha) and the
subtle-body. Along with this he has Vital energy (Pra-shakti) that links
these two bodies together. Understanding this point will help us to see why
people need spiritual help after death. See the diagram given below.

Note: In order to understand this article better, it is recommended that you

read the article Where do we go after death?

When one dies, the vital energy is released back into the universe. The
physical body remains on the Earth region (Bhlok) while the subtle-body
travels to a subtle-plane depending on its merits or sins and its spiritual
level. The subtle-body becomes heavy due to sins and excessive ego and
as a result gets stuck in lower subtle-planes of existence such as the
Nether region (Bhuvarlok). If the sins are intense then the subtle-body goes
to Hell (Ptl).
On the other hand, the subtle-body becomes lighter due to good deeds
(merits) and the intensity ofspiritual practice. The higher the spiritual level,
the lighter the subtle-body and faster the progress during its sojourn.
After death, those whose spiritual practice is not intense, get stuck in the
Nether region. A seekers subtle-body crosses the Nether region
immediately due to the lightness of the subtle-body as a result of spiritual
practice and goes to higher subtle regions of existence such as Heaven
(Swarga).
However, the subtle-body without the strength of spiritual practice remains
in the subtle Nether region and has to undergo the distress there. It doesnt
gain momentum because it lacks spiritual energy and purity
(Sattva predominance) and hence is stuck in the heavy atmosphere of the
subtle Nether region.
They need spiritual help to make their onward journey. Now, they can turn
only to their descendants to do something for them. As the descendants
are benefactors of the assets of their ancestors in one way or another, they
are spiritually bound to render requisite help to these subtle-bodies.
However, the descendents in many cases are unaware of the rites and
rituals that need to be done in a correct manner according to the science of
Spirituality to assist their deceased ancestors. As a result, the ancestors
who have passed away get no relief in the subtle Nether region. The
ancestors therefore trouble (as mentioned in an earlier article) their
descendants, in order to draw their attention towards them. When the
descendant in the Earth region experience difficulties that just dont seem

to go away, they start looking for solutions beyond conventional means. In

some cases, the troubled family members turn to spiritual help that brings
some relief to the departed ancestors.

Does the give-and-take (karma) with my

ancestors get cleared if we chant the
protection chant of Sree Gurudev Datta?
Yes, chanting the Name of Lord Datta clears our give-and-take account
with our ancestors. The mechanism of how this works is that the subtle
basic sattva component is generated through the chant and passed on to
the ancestor. This acts as a repayment mechanism and helps to nullify the
give-and-take account between the affected person and his ancestor. With
the increased subtle basic sattvacomponent, the ancestors desires
pertaining to their give-and-take with their descendant doing the chant
reduce. However, the ancestors desires in general do not reduce. Along
with this the ancestor also acquires the requisite spiritual boost to make his
onward journey into more positive sub-regions. The quantity and quality of
our chanting will decide how much we can contribute to their onward
journey.

How Can We Help Our Departed Family Members in the Afterlife?

How Can We Help Our Departed Family

Members in the Afterlife?
When family members die, depending on our culture and traditions, we pay
tribute to their lives by

offering flowers at their grave,

by publishing kind words about them in their memory in the obituary section
of a newspaper or

hanging the photograph of the deceased in ones house.

However, all these rituals have no significance in helping our family
members in the subtle-world.
Spiritual research conducted indicates that after death, about 60% of
ancestors are unable to acquire momentum and move beyond the Earth
plane (Bhlok) due to lack of spiritual level and excessive desires. As they
are unable to move on, they reside mostly in their family homes.
There are many things we can do to help our departed family members as
soon as they pass away and when they are in the afterlife. We will be
covering the various things we can do in subsequent articles.

1. The spiritual protection chant of Shri Gurudev Datta helps

our departed family members in the afterlife
To immediately begin to help your ancestors, we recommend chanting the
spiritual protection chant of Shr Gurudev Datta. Refer to the article on,
What does the spiritual protective chant of Shri Gurudev Datta represent?.

2. Our deceased family members need help because their body

and subtle-body are vulnerable at death

At the time of death, excretory gases are expelled from the dead body.
These excretory gases are regular physical gases expelled by the body
such as putrefying gases etc. Their frequencies and vibrations are negative
in nature and as a result, the Tama component increases in the immediate
environment. The ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) get
attracted to these distressing frequencies and enter the environment
around the dead body.
They attack the dead body by gaining control over the five vital
energies and sub-vital energies which are in the process of being released

into the Universe at the time of death. They emit black energy in smoke
form on to the dead body, engulfing it and creating a black covering on it.
Due to the attacks by ghosts, there is a transmission of black frequencies in
the dead body and the corpse gets charged with black frequencies.

When the ghost gains control on the five vital energies and sub-vital
energies, it also transmits whorls of black energy to ensnare the subtle
body. It thus pulls the subtle-body of the deceased ancestor in its field of
attack. Then they trap the subtle-body into their web of black frequencies
and can create obstacles in its onward journey in the after-life. After some
time, many ghosts attack the subtle-body by creating a whorl of black
frequencies and take it into their complete control. In this way, ghosts
systematically gain control over the dead body and the subtle-body of the
departed ancestor.
Spiritual science advocates some specific rites and rituals that need to be
done at the time of death to protect the body and the subtle-body from
being potentially attacked by ghosts. In many cases, people either do not
know these rituals or do not know how to perform them correctly.

3. How the Shri Gurudev Datta chant helps our departed

family members
The following are some of the main benefits of repeating the spiritual
protection chant of Shri Gurudev Datta.

Reduces Raja-Tama: Deity Datta is an aspect of God that provides

momentum to our ancestors. Effulgent striking frequencies are emitted
through the chant of Shri Gurudev Datta. These frequencies reduce the
severity of the frequencies of desire present around the subtle-body of the
departed ancestor. This results in a decrease in the Raja-Tama in the
subtle-body and thus reduces its heaviness. This enables the subtle-body
to gain energy to move onwards in its journey.

Protective sheath: A protective sheath is formed around the subtle-body

and its actual physical body. This protects it from attacks by ghosts.

Instigates momentum: As the attachment in the form of desires is also

reduced, the subtle-body is able to cross the Earth plane in a shorter time
period.

Spiritually purifies the environment: Due to the chanting, particles of

Divine consciousness (Chaitanya) are generated in the atmosphere. The
subtle-body of the recently departed family member receives help due
to these particles. All the persons chanting are also protected from the
distressing frequencies present in the atmosphere.

Continued protection: By continuously repeating the chant of Shri

Gurudev Datta on a daily basis, we protect ourselves from distress caused
due to ancestors. We also help our ancestors in the after-life by providing
them with the necessary Sattva component to make their onward journey.

4. Which of our family members will be helped by the chant?

The ancestor who is troubling the most will derive maximum benefit and get
first priority for the spiritual help generated by the protective chant of Shri
Gurudev Datta.

Disposing belongings of the deceased

After a loved one dies, many people are unsure what they should do with
their belongings. The purpose of this article is to provide a guide to the
surviving relatives.
At a principle level, we can keep a few things in mind. The actions we take
with regards to belongings of ancestors need to help them reduce their
attachments and help them move on in their afterlife.
The vibrations of the dead person remain in their belongings that they leave
behind. Death of a person means an increase in subtle

basic Tama component in the environment. If there was an associated

illness leading to death, the subtle basic tama component is further
accentuated. In addition to this, if the person was suffering distress
by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) before, at the time of
death or after, the person using the dead persons belongings is likely to
suffer a corresponding amount of distress.
The following are some of the things one can do after a relative has died to
help the dead person break his attachment to his belongings and to protect
oneself from the distressing effect of the subtle basicTama frequencies
emanating from the belongings.
1. It is best to burn the clothes worn by the person at the time of his death and
at the time of his cremation/burial as they are affected the most by the
distressing subtle basic Tama frequencies. The ashes can be immersed in
the sea.
2. Sprinkle holy water (i.e. water plus holy ash) all over the dead persons
room. This will help to reduce the tama component that is generated in the
atmosphere at the time of death.
3. The whole family can chant the spiritual chant of Shr Gurudev Datta. The
chant can also be played continuously at low volume in the dead persons
room. By continuously playing the chant of Shri Gurudeva Datta for about
a year, the premises are purified and the subtle body of the departed
relative also gains momentum in its onward journey in the afterlife.
4. For items where the dead person was very attached to, it is best to give
them to a deserving spiritual organisation. As it is given to deserving
spiritual organisations, the resolve of God becomes functional. The
vibrations of the dead person in his belongings are destroyed and the
subtle body gains momentum in its journey after death. This is because
merits are accrued due to this donation to the deserving. By deserving, we
mean those organisations that help people realise their true spiritual
purpose in life.

5. For items that the dead person was not much attached to, family members
may use them after a period of six months by which time the vibrations of
the dead person would have been removed due to the purification by the
spiritual chant.
6. Pictures of the departed ancestors should be taken down in the house.
Having the pictures of dead relatives in the house fuels their attachment for
their previous Earthly life and their previous family. This in turn impedes
their progress in their onward spiritual journey. In some cases it makes the
departed ancestor Earthbound in their home.
7. If a will has been drawn out by the dead person it should be honoured so
that his wishes do not remain unfulfilled.
The importance of putting the above steps into practice is that this is one of
the deciding factors in the departed ancestor moving on or getting stuck in
the Earth region. For our own complete protection, regular spiritual practice
that pertains to the six basic principles in spiritual practice is suggested.

Other articles on problems with ancestral spirits

I am a Christian. Why should I chant Lord Dattas Name?

I am a Christian. Why should I chant Lord

Dattas Name?
Lord Datta is a deity. One of His functions is such that, those who worship
Him are bestowed with the ability to overcome the difficulties in their lives
that are due to subtle-bodies of ancestors.

Quite often people from various religious backgrounds (for example,

Christians or Buddhists) may question, Why should I chant a deity's Name
that does not belong to my religion?
The universality of this aspect of God, regardless of religious faith or
religion of birth can be understood by a simple analogy.
Panadol (whose chemical formula is C8H9NO2) is an allopathic drug that is
manufactured in Australia and other countries as well. It helps to provide
relief from symptoms such as fever, headaches and other minor aches or
pains. Irrespective of place of manufacture (in this case Australia), Panadol
whose chemical formula is universal can be used to treat the symptoms of
people not only in Australia but in the entire world.
So also, chanting Lord Datta's Name helps any person regardless of
nationality, religion or cultural background to overcome problems caused
due to departed ancestors. This benefit of chanting His Name has been
experienced by many seekers being guided spiritually by SSRF around the
world.
Read the case study of Cyriaque who was troubled by subtle-bodies of his
ancestors and how chanting Lord Datta's Name helped him.

It is said that sometimes our ancestors help us, is it correct?

It is said that sometimes our ancestors help us,

is it correct?
It is commonly believed by many people and cultures that their departed
ancestors look over them and help them in their lives.
The spiritual research conducted by SSRF corroborates the fact that
ancestors can help us. The extent and quality of help depends on their
attitude in their life on Earth and their spiritual level. Departed ancestors at
a lower spiritual level can help less than those at a higher spiritual level.
The higher the spiritual level, the more the extent and quality of help
possible.
In almost all cases, the help that ancestors want to provide to their
descendants is at a worldly level.
For example:

An ancestor may help his descendant get a job by putting the idea in the
interviewers mind of selecting him.

They may help a girl get the boyfriend of her choice by putting the thought
in the to-be boyfriends mind.

An ancestor with the foreknowledge of a possible accident may try to delay

the departure of the descendant from the house thus trying to keep him
away from the scene of the accident.

Ancestors, by helping their descendants, are in effect enhancing the

attachment of their descendants to worldly pleasures and simultaneously
get further attached themselves. The only real help departed ancestors can
give their descendants is to make them aware of the necessity of spiritual
practice. More than 50% of mankind is below the 30% spiritual level with
minimal spiritual strength. It is very difficult for these ancestors to be of any

help to their descendants. Sometimes higher-level ghosts (devils, demons,

negative energies etc.) like subtle-sorcerers (mntrik) can also ensnare
our departed ancestors of lower spiritual levels and torment them. At this
point, survival is the only thought in their mind.
However even if some ancestors may genuinely desire to help their
descendants, the fate of the helpful ancestors is akin to being trapped in a
glass cage. They can see the plight of their descendants but cannot reach
out to them to alert them of danger or deliver timely help. This can be
caused by one of two factors:
The descendants do not receive or understand the signals sent by the
ancestors or do not believe in them.
The spiritual power of ancestors falls short of the help needed.

For example, a departed father may want to warn his son about the risk in
signing the business deal through dreams but the son either does not make
the connection between the signs in the dreams and the deal or if he does,
he may not attribute enough significance to it thus ignoring the message.
In another case, a departed mother may have to helplessly watch her
beloved son falling prey to a lethal drug addiction orchestrated by a subtlesorcerer. She understands the root cause of the addiction, though the son
and the world is unaware about it, but as her spiritual power falls much
shorter than that of the subtle-sorcerer she is forced to be a helpless
spectator.

Dreams of Departed Family Members and Ancestors

1. Introduction
Quite often our readers ask the meaning behind seeing dead relatives in
their dreams frequently. A few of them, welcome seeing dead relatives and
a few are fearful of the same. Their questions include, Has my father
moved on in the afterlife?, Has he gone to heaven?, What are they trying

to tell me?, etc. In this article, through spiritual research, we shed some
light on this issue from both a psychological and spiritual viewpoint.
Please read what is spiritual research?

2. What are the reasons behind seeing dead family members in

dreams?
Through spiritual research we have found that there are psychological and
spiritual reasons for seeing dead family members in dreams. 30% of the
time the reason is psychological and 70% of the time it is spiritual.
Psychological reasons can include a feeling of guilt or regret for not having
spent time with a loved one before he/she died or some anxiety about that
departed family member. Here the images that appear in the dream are
eruptions from our sub-conscious mind.
Spiritual reasons are mainly two-fold. One is that the subtle-body of the
departed family member needs help in the afterlife and is trying to contact
its descendant on the Earth region (Bhlok) of existence. The other reason
is trying to seek revenge, to get even with some family member.

Through spiritual research we have found (with regards to the spiritual

reasons) that approximately 70% of the time, it is the subtle-bodys need for
help in the afterlife and 30% of the time, it is to seek revenge or to trouble
the descendant on the Earth plane of existence.
A dream can be considered spiritual in nature if the same dream recurs at
least 3 times. Dead family members will generally try to contact the family
member (or appear in the dreams) who they feel is most likely do
something for them. The reasons subtle-bodies, in the afterlife, find it easier
to communicate through dreams as opposed to the waking state is
because during the waking state the person who they are trying to contact,
is more engrossed in the five senses and does not have concentration of
the mind. During the dream or sleep state, the mind is more receptive to
messages from the subtle.
We have found that people who have had untimely or violent deaths are
more likely to appear in dreams as opposed to people who have had
normal deaths such as after a prolonged illness. This is because the
person who has died of natural causes is more mentally prepared for death
and therefore finds it easier to move-on in the afterlife.
In only 10% of cases could there be a negative energy masquerading as
the ancestor, in the dreams.
^Top

3. What if the dream is of a close friend who had died

suddenly?
However, dreams of the departed are not necessarily limited to deceased
family members. Sometimes even close friends who are deceased appear
in ones dreams. This is mainly to seek help as they may feel closer to the
person who they are trying to contact as opposed to their family members
on Earth. The following example narrated by one of the members of the
SSRF research team will shed more light on this aspect.
Recently a friend of mine, Andrew (not his real name), visited me at the
SSRF research centre and narrated how he had been plagued by dreams

of a close friend who had died in a tragic accident. Andrew said that once,
while at University, he did not go on a trip with his friend because he was
competing in an event that his friend had trained him for. During the trip, his
friend drowned.
Andrew was overcome by a feeling of remorse and guilt for not being there
for his friend and perhaps being able to save his life. He did not have the
strength to go to the funeral. Soon after the funeral, Andrews deceased
friend began to appear in his dreams. It would be the same dream each
time and it would recur every few days. This continued for many years.
Andrew was very fearful of the dream but he did not ask for help from
anyone on this matter.
Then one day after many years, he faced his fears and said to his friend in
the dream, Look I am sorry I was not there for you. I cannot change the
past but I cannot keep living like this, dreaming of you every second day.
So whatever it is you want from me . do what you must kill me if you
will, I dont care. From the next day onwards he did not have the dream
ever again. Andrew felt that standing up to his deceased friend in a dream
was the correct thing to do. However, from a spiritual perspective, all that
the departed friend wanted, was some spiritual help from his closest friend
Andrew. Once he saw that Andrew would never understand, the subtlebody of the deceased friend retreated, never to ask again.
Andrewss correct action should have been to help organise a ritual to be
conducted to help his deceased friend.

4. What can one do, at a spiritual level, to help deceased loved

ones or family members who appear in ones dreams?

The Name of Shr Gurudev Datta is a potent chant that provides relief
from any problems caused due to departed ancestors or family
members.

SSRF also recommends that for more severe problems due to

departed ancestors or family members, along with

chanting Shri Gurudev Datta, some specific rituals such asNryaa

Ngbali (for ancestors), Tripindi shrddha, etc. be performed.

It is the spiritual level/ability of the priest conducting the ritual and

the mantras that mostly determine the efficacy of a ritual and its
ability to help the deceased in need of help in the afterlife. Rituals
that just have prayers are more at a psychological level and have a
minimal effect as opposed to the energy generated from
specific mantras.

Ancestor Worship and Ancestor Veneration

1. Introduction to ancestor veneration and ancestor worship

Ancestor veneration or ancestor worship is practiced in some form
or another throughout the world. The types of customs and rituals are
varied; in some cultures, ancestors are worshiped as deities. In this two
part series on ancestor veneration and ancestor worship, we provide
spiritual perspectives for various beliefs and customs, from simple respect
and veneration to ancestor worship, so that people can make informed
decisions about how they should treat their departed ancestors, both from
their own perspective and that of the departed ancestors.
The first ritual for departed ancestors is the funeral rite and we have given
a spiritual perspective to some of the more popular funeral rites in our
article cremation versus burial.

2. Some popular belief systems that drive ancestor veneration

and ancestor worship

Protection: Departed ancestors are believed to wield great authority,

having special powers to influence the course of events or to control the
well-being of their living relatives. They provide protection to the family;
keeping it together is one of the departed ancestors main concerns. The
living may regard the departed ancestors as guardian angels; protecting
them from serious accidents, or guiding their path in life.

Intervention: Sometimes departed ancestors are considered

intermediaries between God (and/or Deities) and the family they have left
behind. It is believed that they intercede with God, Saints and Deities for
the benefit of the family.

Fear and reverence: In some cultures the attitude of descendants towards

departed ancestors is one of mixed fear and reverence. It is believed that if
neglected, and not venerated or worshiped after their death, the departed
ancestors may cause disease and other misfortunes.

Communication from the afterlife: Departed ancestors have the ability to

communicate with the living through dreams and by possessing their
descendants.

Help in lifes decisions: The descendants sometimes turn to the

ancestors for guidance through seances and mediums or Ouija boards to
help them in making important decisions.
The following sections explain some spiritual research in relation to the
above beliefs that fuel ancestor worship:

3. Departed ancestors ability to protect and look out for their

descendants:
The ability of a subtle-body in the subtle-regions of the Universe to protect
someone on the Earth region (Bhlok) is directly related to the subtlebodys spiritual strength or spiritual capacity. The following table provides
an overview of the proportion of people going to the various subtle-regions
after death.
Region type

Proportion of people
going to these regions
after death

Relative spiritual
strength

Main aim

Higher positive regions of

the Universe
(i.e.Maharlok and beyond)

Less than 0.1%

+ 100 to Infinity

Spiritual growth

Heaven (Swarga)

Less than 1%

+5

Enjoying the fruit of

The Nether region

(Bhuvarlok)

85%

+1

Survival

1st and 2nd Region of Hell

(Ptl)

10%

-10 to -20

Survival and troubli

3rd region of Hell and

lower

5%

-30 to slightly before

negative infinity

Troubling others

Note: The negative figures for spiritual strength show the spiritual energy
that is demonic spiritual energy. It is also commonly known as black
energy.
On average a departed ancestor will take about one to three generations to
lose attachment to his previous life on Earth. One generation can be taken
as roughly 30 years. In other words, people are most affected by the
generations that pertain to their parents to great-grandparents. One aspect
that decides this time period is the suffering that one has to undergo in the
subtle-regions due to incorrect actions and deeds when on the Earth plane.
When undergoing these sufferings, departed ancestors are aware of which
part of their Earthly existence is responsible for the suffering. In that time
their attachment to their previous worldly life also exists and is bound to
influence the lives of their descendants.
Samashti spiritual level refers to the spiritual level attained through spiritual practice for the sake of
society (samashti sdhan), while vyashti spiritual practice refers to the spiritual level attained through
individual spiritual practice (vyashti sdhan). In the current times, spiritual progress for the sake of
society has 70% importance while individual spiritual practice has 30% importance.

The subtle-bodies that can effect real change on the Earth plane for their
descendants are subtle-bodies that are spiritually evolved and reside in the
higher regions of the Universe such as Maharlok,Janolok, etc. These
subtle-bodies are above the 60% (samashi) or 70% (vyashi) spiritual level.
However, in practice people do not receive material help from these highly
evolved beings. This is for two reasons:

Firstly, less than 0.1% of our departed ancestors go to these higher regions
of the Universe because ones spiritual level needs to be above 60%
( samashti) or 70% ( vyashti).

Secondly, even if our departed ancestor was to be of a high spiritual level,

material help would not be something that he would indulge in. As a person
evolves their only focus is to grow spiritually. So all their help to others is
also given from the perspective of helping them grow spiritually. Moreover
they begin to loose their attachment to family members. This is because
they get more expansive in their perspective which is to help all of humanity
grow spiritually.

Subtle-bodies in Lower and Higher Heaven are fairly evolved spiritually.

However, while in the subtle-region of Heaven, they are mostly involved in
enjoying and experiencing the fruits of the merits gained when they were
on the Earth region. This is why they rarely help their descendants on the
Earth region. Moreover, they have less spiritual strength and if they do help
their descendants it is in the more easily manageable worldly matters. Less
than 1% of all departed ancestors go to the subtle-region of Heaven.

Most of our ancestors go to the subtle-regions of Nether region and the 1st
and 2nd regions of Hell. Here the environment is quite oppressive. Due to a
lack of spiritual practice and various attachments/unfulfilled desires, subtlebodies of departed ancestors in these regions mainly experience
unhappiness. Most of the time these departed ancestors want to trouble
their descendants. The following are the two main reasons as to why
ancestors trouble their descendants.

Due to unfulfilled desires

Due to the inability to move on in the after life and attain a higher positive
region or sub-region.
Please refer to the article Why would my departed loved ones and my
other ancestors want to give me pain? If help is provided by the
ancestors, then it is because of intense desire to help. It is generally for
small things such as getting a job, etc. However if a descendant on Earth is
to undergo some event because of medium to severe destiny, it is
impossible to change that event without the descendant themselves doing
spiritual practice.

Ancestors that go to the lower regions of Hell generally only trouble their
descendants and never help.
Mechanism of how subtle bodies of departed ancestors help
In almost all cases, ancestors have very little ability to influence events on
a sustained basis in another plane of existence such as the Earth region.
Sometimes the strength to accomplish the wishes of departed ancestors is
given by higher level ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc).
Higher level ghosts provide energy so as to create a give-and-take
account with these subtle-bodies that they help and thereby get them under
their control.
^ Top

4. Can departed ancestors intercede for us with God or

Deities?
This is rarely the case. In some cases a subtle-body in the region of
Heaven or the Nether region can intercede on behalf of their descendants
with lower level Deities in the region of Heaven. This happens by
exchanging some merits they have earned, to get something on Earth.
However, lower level Deities also have a limited amount of power and can
only help out in smaller things. In most cases, lower level deities expect
something in return for the favours they give out. If someone has done a lot
of spiritual practice then he can also ask for boons from Higher level
Deities. However in this the spiritual energy gained by their spiritual
practice is used up.

5. If neglected or not worshiped can ancestors cause us

problems?
From a spiritual perspective, neglected means not doing the requisite
rituals or spiritual practice to help ancestors in the afterlife. If the correct
rituals are not done departed ancestors can trouble their descendants.

In the next article we will examine some of the popular rituals and customs
worldwide and their efficacy in providing protection from problems
caused by departed ancestors.
Refer to the article Why would my departed loved ones and my other
ancestors want to give me pain?

6. Can departed ancestors communicate with their

descendants?
Yes, it is possible. They do this through a number of ways:

Communication by creating problems in the descendants

life: Departed ancestors, most of the time, communicate by causing
problems in their descendants life. Departed ancestors use spiritual energy
to create distress in their descendants lives so that the descendants take
notice of their needs. The distress perpetrated by the ancestors is thus
basically a means to communicate their pain. When the descendant finds
that problems are not going away, despite their best efforts, they
sometimes seek spiritual guidance.
Refer to case study on eczema caused by ancestral problems

Mediums and Ouija boards: Sometimes descendants on Earth, or

departed ancestors in the afterlife, try to communicate through mediums or
Ouija boards. In most cases it is not the ancestor who is communicating.
Please refer to the article What is the spiritual perspective on contacting
my departed relatives through a medium or an Ouija board? Accordingly, it
is best not to ask ancestors for advise about ones life decisions through
these mediums because in all probability one would be speaking to another
ghost or negative energy. And while initially the advice may be okay, it can
be interspersed with wrong advice to lead people astray or in harms way.

Dreams: Sometimes ancestors communicate through dreams. Departed

ancestors live in a world that is more subtle than the very tangible Earth
region that we live in. When we dream, we go to a more subtle-plane and

hence it is easier for departed ancestors to contact us. Most dreams are
psychological in nature. However, there are instances when dreams are
spiritual in nature. As a rule of thumb, a dream can be considered spiritual
in nature if a dream recurs three times in a row. If what appeared in the
dream also occurs in the waking state, it is to be understood that this, too,
is spiritual in nature. Some dreams are typical of ancestors trying to
communicate. For example, continuously seeing ancestors in your dreams
or seeing snakes. Seeing cobra snakes are generally indicative of
ancestors that mean well, whereas any other variety of snakes is
considered to represent ancestors that mean harm.
6.1 Mechanism of the action for communication
All actions have to be done using one of the Absolute Cosmic Principles
(Panchatattva). Depending on the spiritual strength of the ancestor they are
able to access higher and higher Absolute Cosmic Principles to establish
communication
Absolute Cosmic Element

How it manifests

Earth (Pruthv)

Generally a bad odour in the environment without any physical cause

example, urine smell in the house. It could also be a perfume associa
departed ancestor.

Water (pa)

Leaving some kind of taste in the mouth.

Fire (Tj)

Taking the form of the ancestor in the dream state, ability to see the d
ancestor or a vision of the departed ancestor.

Air (Vyu)

Feeling as if someone is touching one without anyone being there, mo

around the house.

Ether (ksh)

Hearing voices, sounds.

In almost all cases where an ancestor tries to communicate with his

descendants, it is most likely that the ancestor has unfulfilled desires and
the descendants should do their best to help the departed ancestor to
move on.

Frequently asked questions

1. We are living a very comfortable life and so did our parents

and grandparents. We do not suffer from any symptoms of
ancestral problems as mentioned on your website. Should we
and our children still chant Lord Dattas Name?
Ans.: It would still be advisable to chant Lord Dattas Name as it is
extremely rare for one not to have distress due to subtle bodies of departed
ancestors. Besides not doing any form of spiritual practice is itself a kind of
distress. One is so engrossed in and attached to worldly life that one is
consequently far away from God. One experiences the full measure of pain
when the people and things we are attached to are taken away from us.

2. Is it true that children are protected by keeping photos of

their ancestors in their bedroom?
Ans.: No, this is a misconception. In fact they are prone to experience a
variety of distress due to the negative vibrations of the subtle bodies of the
departed ancestors.
The reason is as follows. A rule of Spiritual science says that the word,
touch, form, taste, smell and the energy of any object co-exist. According
to this rule, wherever there is a picture of our ancestors, their spiritual
energy co-exists. As explained earlier, most ancestors experience distress
in the subtle realms due to their lower spiritual level. Therefore there is a
very high likelihood that their distress is transmitted through their
photographs. These distressful vibrations can affect children adversely.

Refer to the article, Why would my departed loved ones and my other
ancestors want to give me pain?

Frequently asked questions

You have mentioned in one of your articles that one of the reasons our
ancestors trouble us is because the give-and-take account has not been
settled. However is it not pre-destined how much account we are going
to settle and with whom in a particular lifetime?

Yes, but we do not always complete it and besides we create new

give-and-take account too.
Planning ones wedding after the death of a close relative such as
ones parents
For those who are in a quandary about wedding plans due to the sudden
death of a close relative such as ones father or mother, the following
spiritual perspectives can be kept in mind:

It is recommended that a wedding ceremony should not be planned for at

least a year after the death of a close relative. This is because the period
after the death of a close relative is considered spiritually inauspicious. The
reasons are:
There is an increase in the subtle Tama component at the time of death
and the period after death.
Due to the unfulfilled desires of the person who has recently passed away,
the strong vibrations related to their attachments are present in the house
where they were living.
The ancestral home is affected with the subtle existence of the deceased.
Even if the groom-to-be is living in a different country because of the karmic
connection with the deceased he and his home will be affected.
Spiritual research shows that people with whom we have a strong
emotional bond such as a close friend are not included in the spiritual
definition of close relatives.
In such cases, if the marriage happens within a year, the newlywed couple
can have distress from the departed ancestor lingering around the family.
Additionally, if the departed ancestors subtle body is suffering from

any spiritual distress such as demonic possession, then all attendees

present for the marriage ceremony may also face spiritual distress.
Thus, it is advised not to plan weddings or any other auspicious
ceremonies for at least a year after the death of close family members.
The best way to minimise the harmful effects of the death of a close relative
is by doing regularspiritual practice.

Disposing belongings of the deceased

After a loved one dies, many people are unsure what they should do with
their belongings. The purpose of this article is to provide a guide to the
surviving relatives.
At a principle level, we can keep a few things in mind. The actions we take
with regards to belongings of ancestors need to help them reduce their
attachments and help them move on in their afterlife.
The vibrations of the dead person remain in their belongings that they leave
behind. Death of a person means an increase in subtle
basic Tama component in the environment. If there was an associated
illness leading to death, the subtle basic tama component is further
accentuated. In addition to this, if the person was suffering distress
by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) before, at the time of
death or after, the person using the dead persons belongings is likely to
suffer a corresponding amount of distress.
The following are some of the things one can do after a relative has died to
help the dead person break his attachment to his belongings and to protect
oneself from the distressing effect of the subtle basicTama frequencies
emanating from the belongings.
1. It is best to burn the clothes worn by the person at the time of his death and
at the time of his cremation/burial as they are affected the most by the
distressing subtle basic Tama frequencies. The ashes can be immersed in
the sea.

2. Sprinkle holy water (i.e. water plus holy ash) all over the dead persons
room. This will help to reduce the tama component that is generated in the
atmosphere at the time of death.
3. The whole family can chant the spiritual chant of Shr Gurudev Datta. The
chant can also be played continuously at low volume in the dead persons
room. By continuously playing the chant of Shri Gurudeva Datta for about
a year, the premises are purified and the subtle body of the departed
relative also gains momentum in its onward journey in the afterlife.
4. For items where the dead person was very attached to, it is best to give
them to a deserving spiritual organisation. As it is given to deserving
spiritual organisations, the resolve of God becomes functional. The
vibrations of the dead person in his belongings are destroyed and the
subtle body gains momentum in its journey after death. This is because
merits are accrued due to this donation to the deserving. By deserving, we
mean those organisations that help people realise their true spiritual
purpose in life.
5. For items that the dead person was not much attached to, family members
may use them after a period of six months by which time the vibrations of
the dead person would have been removed due to the purification by the
spiritual chant.
6. Pictures of the departed ancestors should be taken down in the house.
Having the pictures of dead relatives in the house fuels their attachment for
their previous Earthly life and their previous family. This in turn impedes
their progress in their onward spiritual journey. In some cases it makes the
departed ancestor Earthbound in their home.
7. If a will has been drawn out by the dead person it should be honoured so
that his wishes do not remain unfulfilled.
The importance of putting the above steps into practice is that this is one of
the deciding factors in the departed ancestor moving on or getting stuck in
the Earth region. For our own complete protection, regular spiritual practice
that pertains to the six basic principles in spiritual practice is suggested.

The case history in Cyriaques words

1. What was the problem?
By nature, I was a very introverted, extremely shy and tense person who
could not mix well with people.
The trouble started during my teenage years, though I cannot put a finger
on exactly when the trouble started. On many occasions, I would have
some strange feelings as if I was witnessing some weird incidents and I
was not myself. The following were some of the incidents which were quite
out of character for me:

At times when walking on the streets, I would feel that I was very tall and at
times I would feel I was out of my body.

Quite often, I would be walking on the streets and would suddenly get very
bad thoughts like beating or pushing the person next to me (someone I
didnt even know), or would have some sexual thought.

Sometimes some very bad thought like that of murder would come to my
mind.

One day when I was awaiting my turn for a modelling casting, I just
happened to turn around. The girl who was behind me screamed and
backed off by two metres. She told her friends that when she saw my eyes
she was scared. (Normally Cyriaque has a very calm personality.) Many
times I would see myself in the mirror and feel a lot of anger.
I was also addicted to cigarette smoking. I would smoke one to one and a
half packs of cigarettes a day. Along with smoking sometimes when we
went to a party, I would drink a lot of alcohol. Many times I had no desire or
need for a drink, but would nevertheless find myself drinking.
Another experience that I had quite often was that I would suddenly feel
tired, as if all of my energy was drained. I would experience a lot of weight

on my shoulders; as if I was carrying some one elses suffering and would

experience a lot of unhappiness.
I felt that there was something amiss with me. At first I thought I may be
suffering from some sickness. Afterwards I began to think I must be a little
crazy. I did not know how to resolve the problem and felt reluctant to go to
a psychiatrist.

2. The turning point

In February 1999, I came in contact with Yoya (now my wife since 6 years)
and her mother Dana. One evening we went to have dinner in a restaurant
in Milan, Italy. Dana was sitting to my right. During the course of the
evening, Dana started getting fidgety as she felt that some unpleasant
electrical current was surrounding me. She tried to touch my right shoulder
and felt as if the electric current that she felt was burning her. She felt that
something strange was going on. Then she placed her hand above my
forehead at a distance of about 10 cm. (Later she told me that she did not
have any idea why she placed her hand on my forehead.) However, at that
very moment, I was consumed with inexplicable anger. I got up from the
table and went to the bathroom. I was so angry, I wanted to break the
mirror.
Two to three days later after the incident at the restaurant, I went with Yoya
to her home. Dana told me that she had asked His Holiness Dr.
Athavale about the reason for my anger and what was happening to me.
He had said that the cause of my distress was from the subtle-bodies of my
departed ancestors and that I needed to chant the Name of Lord Datta to
alleviate the problem.
Intuitively, at that very moment, I knew this was the answer I had been
looking for. I had an intense urge to start chanting that very second to free
myself from these erratic thoughts and moods that I had been
experiencing. Looking back, I cannot explain this urge to chant the Name of
Lord Datta as the whole concept was alien to me. But I remember having
the thought that I had nothing to lose by implementing the chanting.

As it was the first time I heard the Name, I could not repeat it properly so I
asked her to write It on a piece of paper. Then I immediately went into the
bathroom to be alone so I could chant. When I sat and took the paper in my
hands, I was feeling a little strange and had difficulty in pronouncing it
properly.
So I prayed to God, Please God I dont know how to repeat this Name.
Please chant for me.
My prayer was answered instantly as the chanting started automatically
from within. I felt it working inside me, going very fast as if in a spiral.
This experience is a manifestation of the effect of the chanting on the
subtle-bodies of Cyriaques departed ancestors and the resultant spiritual
cleansing.
After a few minutes, I got up and was feeling very dizzy. I could not even
stand on my feet. As I got up to leave the bathroom while chanting
intensely, I felt myself nailed to the bathroom door with force. I yelled out
for help. Dana came almost immediately and helped me to walk away from
the door and spoke something to me in a loving tone.
One of the entities within me snapped back at her saying, Look how
powerful I am.
Entities such as ancestors subtle-bodies, ghosts (demons, devils, negative
energies etc.) are privy to the happenings in the lives of the person whom
they possess at all levels from gross to subtle, depending on the extent of
their possession. One of their characteristics are that they are egotistical.
I myself felt as if I was eight meters tall. At that time, something told me that
there were eight ghosts within me and that one of them was the strongest.
This is an experience directly related to the subtle-bodies of the ancestors.
Due to the effect of the chanting of the Name of Lord Datta, the subtle-body
of the ancestor was experiencing severe distress and as a result was
forced to surface and manifest externally. When the subtle-bodies manifest

grossly, the persons consciousness of their own identity is very much

clouded by the awareness of the consciousness of the entity. As the
departed ancestor does not have a gross body (sthladha), their
experience of self is limited to their subtle mental body which can be eight
meters tall. This was also an attempt by the ancestors subtle-body to show
off its power.
I told this to Dana. Then Dana helped me to lie down.

3. Resolving to overcome my difficulties with spiritual practice

Two days later Yoya spent the evening with me. That night, I had the
feeling that the subtle-body of the ancestor within me had bad intentions for
Yoya. Then in the morning, I took Yoya back to her home.
On the way back from Yoyas place I had an intense desire to fight this
ancestors subtle-body within me. I made a resolve that I would not stop
until it went away. At that time, I was in a metro (underground railway) and I
became very angry. Some people moved away from me. The anger within
me was such that when I was holding the rail in the metro I felt I could
break it. Internally, I understood that the ancestor was angry as I decided to
fight.
I was scared but then I heard a soft voice saying, Dont worry, I am with
you.
Even when walking from the metro to my home, some people moved away
from me. When I arrived home I sat on the bed and started chanting. Within
a few minutes, I collapsed and started twisting around. After some time I
sat again and chanted again until my body collapsed. I experienced
a sensation like my body was being lifted above the bed some 20 to 30 cm.
It was really eerie. I would not experience the sensation of my gross body
but I had awareness only of the subtle-body. I felt as if I was undergoing
spiritual surgery to remove the subtle-body of my ancestors from me.
Throughout this process, I did not experience any pain. I barely slept or ate.

It all lasted for two days or so. Then all of a sudden, I felt like the main
ancestors subtle-body left my body.
Yoya is also a seeker being guided in her spiritual journey by SSRF. She
has the unique ability to perceive and represent the subtle-world graphically
and has created many drawings based on subtle-knowledge to this effect.
Yoya created drawings based on subtle-knowledge of what she saw
happening to me over the two days. The drawings are a representation of
what happened at the subtle-level to bring about the remarkable change in
me.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

After the two day period, I felt completely drained physically. When I tried to
smoke a cigarette, I could smoke only half the cigarette and had to stop.
Slowly and steadily I began feeling much lighter. My smoking habit stopped
completely as I felt I had no need to smoke. Along with this the negative
thoughts stopped coming to my mind. I became more open and
communicative.
Over the course of the next few months some of the earlier symptoms
resurfaced. I was informed that I had been affected with a whole batch of
ancestors subtle-bodies. So I continued the spiritual treatment of chanting
3 mls (A mala is a string of 108 beads i.e. 3 X 108 = 324 times) of the
Name of Lord Datta daily. Later that same year in December 1999 when
we met H.H. Dr. Athavale for the first time in Goa, India, He told me to
increase the chanting to 9 malas (9 x 108 = 972) as the problem of being
affected by subtle-bodies of ancestors was severe.
In the months that followed, many a time I would experience some distress
but the difference was that this time around:

I knew the root cause of the problem so did not panic or feel any anxiety

I knew the remedy, that is chanting the Name of Lord Datta and the
spiritual science behind it.
The symptoms would always subside after chanting the Name of Lord
Datta. Along with chanting the Name of Lord Datta, I was also asked to
chant the Name of Mother Mary as I am a Roman Catholic by birth. I
remember being told the difference between the two chants: Lord Datta
acted as a prescription chant to alleviate a specific spiritual problem and
chanting of Mother Marys Name acted as general spiritual tonic.
Please read our section on chanting
Even though initially my mind was full of doubts about spiritual practice, I
persevered in the spiritual practice of chanting on a daily basis. I also
always remember the initial experience that I had and it gives me strength
to know that this is the correct way and keeps me steadfast on this path
even though the initial symptoms have now long since subsided.

4. Summary

A common spiritual problem: Cyriaque had a variety of difficulties in life,

many of which were attributed to distress by subtle-bodies of departed
ancestors. This is a very common problem that affects humanity at large.
We have covered the topic in detail in our section on Ancestral Problems .

Method of Spiritual Diagnosis: The diagnosis of the root cause of his

problem was made subtly by H.H. Dr. Athavale even without meeting him.
The technique of getting an answer in the spiritual realm is described in the
section About Spiritual Research

On acceptance: Credit goes to Cyriaque for being able to accept both,

The diagnosis of distress by subtle-bodies of ancestors and

The treatment consisting of chanting the Name of Lord Datta with an open
mind.

This was even though the spiritual remedy was alien to his religion and
culture. Putting the remedy into practice immediately also hastened his
recovery.
The immediate effect of the remedy : The immediate effect can be
attributed to-

The specific correctness of remedy.

The resolve of H.H. Dr. Athavale behind the application of the remedy of
chanting the Name of Lord Datta.

Immediate and complete acceptance of the remedy by Cyriaque.

Immediate action (starting it immediately upon getting to know it.)

On distress being experienced after application of the remedy: The

distress experienced by Cyriaque immediately after commencing to chant
is an indication that the subtle-bodies of the ancestors were distressed by
the divine energy emanating from the chanting. This is also evidence of the
correctness of the diagnosis and remedy.

Immediately stopping smoking: The inability to smoke a cigarette after

implementation of the remedy of chanting and abstinence ever since is an
indication that the smoking habit was indeed a manifestation of the distress
by subtle-bodies of ancestors. Cyriaques body was used to experience
smoking by the ancestors subtle-body.

Case study: Recurrent dreams of departed

ancestors
SSRF publishes these case studies with the intention of providing some
direction to our readers with regard to problems that manifest at a physical
or psychological level, but which can have their root cause in the spiritual
dimension. When the root cause of a problem is spiritual in nature we have
observed that the inclusion of spiritual healing remedies generally gives the
best results. SSRF advises continuation of conventional medical treatment

along with spiritual healing remedies for the treatment of physical and
psychiatric illnesses. Readers are advised to take up any spiritual healing
remedy at their own discretion.

Recurrent dreams of departed family members

are mostly due to spiritual reasons. In most cases it is the departed family
member (who appears in the dream) that requires help in the afterlife. Mrs.
Shourya Mehta, an architect by profession, had recurring dreams of her
deceased sister, for 10 years. The following is an account of Shouryas
experience along with a few observations from the spiritual research team
at SSRF.

My sister met with a violent accident wherein she was crushed between
two buses in a freak accident and died at the age of 22. Just after her
funeral, as I was lying down in a half-sleep-half-waking state, I saw her
subtle-form enter the house. Over the next 10 years, I would see her very
often in my dreams. It was the same dream and I felt she was not able to
move on in the afterlife and was in a lot of pain. The dreams were very real
and I would wake-up very disturbed by them.

10 years after her sisters death, Shouryas father passed away. As

Shouryas family was known to have problems due to departed ancestors,
SSRF recommended that certain rituals be done to ensure the smooth
journey of her father in the afterlife. 12 rituals were conducted at one month
intervals over the period of a year.
While performing the last of the twelve, monthly shrddha rituals for my
father, a seeker from SSRFs subtle-department Mrs. Anjali Gadgil was
studying the subtle-effect of the ritual on the journey of my father in the
afterlife with the help of her advanced sixth sense. During the course of the
ritual, Mrs. Gadgil saw that some of the positive energy generated from the
ritual was being drawn to a certain shelf in a cupboard nearby. She also
saw a young woman standing nearby. Mrs. Gadgil was unaware of the
tragic circumstances of my sisters death. In fact the shelf in the cupboard
had many photo albums of my sister and some of her books. When I
showed Mrs Gadgil the picture, she confirmed that it was the same girl she
had seen through her sixth sense (psychic ability).
Spiritual research conducted showed that the ritual conducted for
Shouryas father had a positive effect on other departed family members as
well and that Shouryas sister too had benefited.
After the 12 rituals were conducted, I only saw her once but this dream
was very different compared to the previous ones. For the first time, it was
a pleasant dream wherein she had started spiritual practice.

Shouryas case study was a bit unusual as it took a specific ritual to

alleviate the issue. However in almost all cases a simple chant helps to
alleviate problems caused due to departed ancestors. Chanting the Name
Shr Gurudev Datta" is a very potent measure that provides relief from
such problems. Some specific rituals like the ones conducted by Shouryas
family help to hasten the spiritual help to departed ancestors.

Case study Cure of mouth ulcers by chanting

Lord Dattas Name
SSRF publishes these case studies with the intention of providing some
direction to our readers with regard to problems that manifest at a physical
or psychological level, but which can have their root cause in the spiritual
dimension. When the root cause of a problem is spiritual in nature we have
observed that the inclusion of spiritual healing remedies generally gives the
best results. SSRF advises continuation of conventional medical treatment
along with spiritual healing remedies for the treatment of physical and
psychiatric illnesses. Readers are advised to take up any spiritual healing

remedy at their own discretion.

I have been doing spiritual practice under the guidance of SSRF since
1998. In 2001 I began to get mouth ulcers very frequently. They would
surface every fortnight or so in different places in my mouth cavity. I
consulted various doctors. The treatment regime provided by them was Bcomplex supplements and Dologel (a local anaesthetic solution to be
applied on the ulcer). I also consulted a Homeopath but to no avail. I
continued to be plagued by ulcers in my mouth for a period of five years.
One day I happened to mention my problem to a Subtle department seeker
of SSRF. She told me that it was due to ancestor problems. At the time I
was chanting 3 malas (i.e. 3 X 108 times) of Deity Datta's Name. She told
me to increase it to 9 malas a day. I could almost immediately perceive the
benefit of the increased chanting. The intensity of the ulcers and the
frequency with which they occurred also reduced. After about two months
they did not occur again.
Now looking back, one thing that should have given me a hint that the
problem was spiritual was the fact that the ulcers would mostly appear
around the full moon day or new moon day.

The Subtle perception department is a section of the SSRF consisting of seekers who can perceive
the subtle dimension, draw pictures of the subtle world (subtle pictures) and administer spiritual
remedies. Some of the seekers from this department receive divine knowledge and some are
pursuing divine art. The research activity of the SSRF is carried out predominantly by this department.

Comment from the Editor:

Even though Mr. Marathe was chanting 3 malas a day of Deity Datta since
he started spiritual practice with SSRF, it was inadequate to combat the
problem of ulcers. Only when the requisite amount of chanting was done
did the problem go away completely.

Ancestral Problems: Case Study

SSRF publishes these case studies with the intention of providing some
direction to our readers with regard to problems that manifest at a physical
or psychological level, but which can have their root cause in the spiritual
dimension. When the root cause of a problem is spiritual in nature we have
observed that the inclusion of spiritual healing remedies generally gives the
best results. SSRF advises continuation of conventional medical treatment
along with spiritual healing remedies for the treatment of physical and
psychiatric illnesses. Readers are advised to take up any spiritual healing
remedy at their own discretion.

Trouble caused by ancestors due to family traditions not being

followed
Until February 28 2003, Mahesh, a seeker in India had been experiencing
many difficulties in life such as obstacles in studies, constant arguments
with family etc. On starting his spiritual practice this seeker started residing
in the Spiritual Science Research Foundations (SSRF) centre in Thane, a
city outside Mumbai, India. In the course of his spiritual practice, it was
noticed that the seekers temperament would suddenly change from his
normal self and he would get uncontrollably noisy and loud and would not
be himself, as though he was possessed and controlled by another entity.

The seeker was sent to SSRFs hermitage (ashram) in Panvel, another city
in India for spiritual treatment by seekers with subtle perception abilities so
as to help him get to the root of his problem. It was very quickly discovered
that the cause was the ghost of his ancestor.
The following is a transcript of the conversation between the ghost who had
manifested and the seekers of SSRF with the ability to perceive and
converse with it.
Comment: This is one of the ways that ancestors possess their
descendants and converse through them.
Ancestors Subtle Body: Im his fathers cousin. Leave me in Khareshwar
(A temple in India).
Seekers: What is there in Khareshwar?
Ancestors Subtle Body: I possessed him in the Khareshwar temple, and
so I can leave him only there. Your His Holiness Dr. Jayant Athavale has
asked me to leave him. I feel like listening to Him.
Comment: Each ghost has different demands to leave the affected person.
It is difficult to reason out each time as to why they have those demands. In
this case, it may be that since the ghost has been told to leave and by
leaving at the same place where he came in, his attachment to this
individual and his family gets fulfilled, as though a sin has been paid off,
thereby closing the circle.
Seekers: Why do you trouble him?
Ancestors Subtle Body: Because nobody in his family follows the family
tradition of worshipping Lord Shiva (the divine principle of Destruction), at
Khareshwar and so I cannot be freed from my ghost-like existence. Since
they are not continuing the family tradition, why should I let them live? I
want to destroy their family.

Comment: After death, a subtle body travels in various subtle planes of

existence before they are reborn as per their give-and-take account that
they have created. Many a time they get stuck in some plane and cannot
progress to the next plane as they do not have the ability or energy to do
so. These souls or ghosts derive the required energy to proceed to further
planes from spiritual efforts made by their living descendants. Hence if the
descendants do not do the required spiritual effort, they trouble that family
till they do so. This is called an ancestors soul problem.
^Top

Seekers: Why do you make so much noise and cause so much trouble?
Ancestors Subtle Body: Because I cannot stay in the hermitage. Leave
me in Khareshwar. I do not have enough energy to leave him here (in the
hermitage)
Comment: As explained above, each ghost has various specific demands
to leave affected persons. The ghost in this case could not leave because
the positive energy (sattvikta) of the hermitage was so high that the ghost
had been drained of energy and did not have the energy required to leave
the affected seeker.
Seekers: When did you possess him?
Ancestors Subtle Body: When he was 4 years old I possessed him in
Khareshwar temple.
Seekers: How did you trouble him?
Ancestors Subtle Body: I degraded his handwriting (seeker has bad
writing), I put obstacles in his education. (When the troubled seeker was
studying for engineering he missed a year, thereby failing. Later he studied
hard but despite this, still failed. He thought of dropping out of school, but
other seekers persuaded him to complete it.) I troubled his mother and also
tried to create doubts about him in other seekers minds.

(Prior to the ghost talking to the seekers, the affected seeker always used
to say, I want to go to Thane)
Seekers: What is there in Thane?
Ancestors Subtle Body: I can trouble him more in SSRFs centre in
Thane but not here in the Panvel hermitage (ashram), as here a lot of holy
energy (sattva component) is present.
Comment: Ghosts (negative energies) themselves feel very distressed in
very holy atmospheres. In such places they do not have much capacity or
energy to trouble their affected victims.
Seekers: If we take him to Khareshwar will you definitely leave him?
Negative energy : Yes, definitely I will leave him. I swear by Khareshwar!
(The ghost repeated this thrice)
Comment: Ghosts have been known to lie on several occasions. The
reason being that telling the truth could prove detrimental to their mission of
causing trouble. When a ghost repeats his oath three times, it is a strong
indication that he is, in fact, telling the truth.
^Top

Seekers: While going to Khareshwar, if you give him trouble, we wont be

able to take him.
Ancestors Subtle Body: No, I wont trouble him on the way. I will trouble
him only when he goes inside the temple and bows before the symbol of
Lord Shiva (Pindi). (I will not trouble him while going to the temple and I
wont trouble this seeker again was repeated three times by the ghost)
On March 2, 2003 when the affected seeker was taken to the temple of
Khareshwar , while bowing to the symbol of Lord Shiva, the ghost
manifested again and gave the following information:

Ancestors Subtle Body: Every year bring him to visit this temple and ask
him to go to the holy place Kashi (a place of pilgrimage in India) soon. This
is my wish. I have given him lot of trouble and so Im sad. Give my regards
to H.H. Dr. Jayant Athavale. I feel sad while leaving.
After that the seeker felt light, as though a huge burden had been lifted,
and thereafter did not experience any trouble.
Comment: Many times, in order to remove problems with ghosts, it takes
the resolve of a Saint to have the ghost leave, as it was the case here. It is
also important to note that depending upon the quality of the affected
seekers own spiritual practice, he may or may not have to heed the final
wishes of the ghost.
It must be noted that to overcome the negative energy trouble there is no
need to go to any Sorcerer but with the power of chanting the Name of
God and other complementary spiritual practice, one can fight troublesome
ghosts just like this seeker did.