The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar

Dadi: "Guddu, do you believe that death is the end?"

Guddu: "What do you mean, Dadi? When someone dies, they're gone, right?"

Dadi: "In the physical world, yes. But tonight I'll tell you about a great yogi named Yogananda whose beloved teacher came back to see him - after death."

Guddu: "Like a ghost?"

Dadi: "Much more than a ghost. Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda's guru, died on March 9, 1936. His body was buried. Everyone mourned. But three months later, in a hotel room in Bombay, something incredible happened."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "Yogananda was sitting on his bed in the afternoon when suddenly, waves of joy washed over him. And there, standing before him in flesh and blood, was Sri Yukteswar!"

Guddu: "His dead teacher was there? In a body?"

Dadi: "Not a ghostly body - a solid, real body that Yogananda could touch and embrace. Sri Yukteswar explained: "From the cosmic atoms, I created an entirely new body, exactly like my physical one that was buried.""

Guddu: "How is that possible?"

Dadi: "For great yogis, the physical body is not the only reality, beta. Sri Yukteswar explained that he was now living on a different plane of existence - an astral planet called Hiranyaloka."

Guddu: "What's an astral planet?"

Dadi: "Our universe has many levels, beta. The physical world we see is just one layer. Beyond it is the astral world - made of light and energy rather than solid matter. It's much bigger and more refined than our physical world."

Guddu: "What's it like there?"

Dadi: "Sri Yukteswar described amazing things. On the astral planets, people communicate through thoughts, not words. They don't need to eat physical food - they're nourished by cosmic light. They can create things just by willing them into existence."

Guddu: "That sounds like heaven!"

Dadi: "It's one level of heaven. Sri Yukteswar said he was now serving as a spiritual teacher there, helping advanced souls progress further."

Guddu: "But if he was on another planet, how did he come to the hotel?"

Dadi: "Great masters can move between worlds, beta. They're not bound by the same rules we are. Sri Yukteswar came to give Yogananda important teachings about what happens after we leave our bodies."

Guddu: "Like what?"

Dadi: "He explained that we have three bodies - the physical body we can see, the astral body made of light and energy, and the causal body made of pure consciousness. To be truly free, we must transcend all three through wisdom and letting go of desires."

Guddu: "So death isn't really the end?"

Dadi: "It's just a transition, beta. Like changing from one set of clothes to another. The real "you" - your consciousness - continues."

Guddu: "Did anyone else see Sri Yukteswar after he died?"

Dadi: "Yes! An elderly woman who had been his student saw him walking past her house one morning - a week after his death. She didn't know he had died, so she went to the ashram asking to see him. That's when she learned he had passed away days earlier!"

Guddu: "That's amazing, Dadi!"

Dadi: "These stories remind us that the world we see isn't the only world that exists. Great saints and yogis have always taught that consciousness survives death, that love transcends physical boundaries, and that the universe is far more wondrous than our eyes can see."

Guddu: "Do you believe in life after death, Dadi?"

Dadi: "I believe that love never dies, beta. I believe that what we truly are - our essence - is eternal. Whether we call it soul or consciousness or atman, that innermost part of us cannot be destroyed."

Guddu: "That makes me feel less scared about death."

Dadi: "That's exactly why these teachings exist - to remove fear and give us hope. The body is like a car we use for traveling; when it stops working, we don't stop existing. We simply continue our journey in a different vehicle."

Guddu: "Dadi, do you think you'll visit me after..."

Dadi: "*hugging him tightly* Wherever I am, whatever form I take, my love for you will never end. That's the promise every grandmother can make - because love is the one thing that truly lasts forever."

Guddu: "I love you, Dadi."

Dadi: "And I love you, mera bachcha. Now sleep peacefully, knowing that the universe is far more loving and connected than we can imagine. Sweet dreams."