Do enemies become friends after death?

Some weeks ago, two brothers in New Delhi locked in a property dispute got into an altercation with each other and both lost their lives in this stabbing cum shooting incident. The incident revived memories of the shocking 2012 shootout in which Wave group owner Gurdeep Singh “Ponty” Chadha, described by the BBC as one of India’s most controversial and powerful tycoons, was killed in a crossfire between him and his younger brother Hardeep, who also died. Here too property and enmity were said to be the triggers of the untimely death of both the brothers.

Down the ages, all over the world there are numerous similar cases where two or more people with personal grudges have killed each other simultaneously. Obviously, their souls are knocked out of their bodies at almost the same time. So what happens then? They’ve already killed each other’s physical bodies and in their disembodied state, there’s nothing left to be attacked immediately. So do such souls continue feuding after exiting from their bodies? Do their souls, still powered by hate, chase each across the cosmic space above earth or in the astral world? Enemies in life, do they remain enemies after death too? Or do they realise that now that they’re no longer in the living world, the causes for killing each other over property related or other disputes are now meaningless?

There are cases too where a family member kills his or family members and then kills himself or herself. In such cases too, all their souls are released suddenly and almost simultaneously. Do the family members who have been killed pursue the soul of the killer and does a confrontation ensue between the souls? Instances of ghosts bent on taking revenge on their still alive killers or those who wronged them in other ways are well known, numerous, and particularly interesting both from a haunting and from a karmic point of view.

For example, Michael Van Duisen, in his 10 Vengeful Ghosts In Folklore And Mythology mentions that in Thailand, “…The Mangraisat is a collection of laws laid down in the 14th century which go into detail about murder. When someone murdered another person, especially a child, they were often forced to keep the corpse in their house for a predetermined amount of time. This was an effort to create a phi tai hong, which would then torment the murderer… Places of extreme violence, such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster, are said to be strong breeding grounds for phi tai hongs, as they often involve young people whose time hasn’t come… Usually, the phi tai hong stays near the place of its death, waiting for another living person to come by. If possible, the ghost will try and kill the unlucky mortal, hoping that they will take its place and free it from its spiritual bondage…”

However, many questions surround what happens to the souls of those who have killed each other and the answers and indicators are no less interesting. For instance, do they too get tied in spiritual bondage and remain so till they have expiated the wrong they have committed against each other? Is the revenge factor so powerful that their souls remain intent on harming each other? It is known that ghosts commit crimes against each other and I’ve written about this earlier. Essentially, the majority of questions and their answers are linked not only to the revenge, hate and untimely death factor but also to the manner of dying.

That’s because the moment of dying is important for several reasons. It is at this moment that a crucial transition is taking place from a physical existence to a spirit state. It is at this moment that the soul demits the body and in normal circumstances, begins its journey to the astral regions. It is at this moment that a bridge is formed for make the crossing from life to death. It is at this moment that a parting takes place from loved people, places and objects. The manner in which the soul leaves the body determines how easy or difficult it will be for the soul to adjust to a post death state. Leaving the body peacefully is, naturally, the ideal way, which is why when it is known that death is imminent, prayers, mantras and selections from the scriptures are usually chanted in addition to rituals that vary of course, from religion to religion, family to family, being performed as well.

In fact, it is known that a majority of souls—even those who have left peacefully—take some time to adjust to the knowledge that they are no longer a part of the living world on earth. But what happens in the case of sudden, violent deaths described above? A peaceful exit of the soul is a far cry in their cases. It is known that spirit guides have a tough time controlling such souls, especially when there is no remorse. In some cases, like evil spirits, they soon realise that they have power even in their disembodied, ghostly state and to extract revenge they begin tormenting the living family members of their ‘enemy’, often driving the living family members to commit suicide. In some cases, feuding souls have been known to wait for reincarnation to settle scores.

Erasing such damaging revenge thoughts is actually the toughest part for spirit guides. “Loving energy is our main guiding tool but this becomes almost useless at first when we are dealing with negative emanations from a soul.” This problem becomes compounded when a soul or souls involved in mutual killing or deliberate simultaneous killings remain earth bound for too long. “Such souls”, one of my spirit guide elaborated, “are in need of treatment, and that treatment can best be given only in the astral world where their links with their past life will gradually be weakened. Higher forces will take care of the ‘payment’ they must make to atone for their misdeeds.” Indeed, in the larger picture encompassing life on earth, the afterlife and reincarnation, a Karma quote seems to sum up such cases: “Let the players play, let the haters hate and let karma handle their fate.”

However, many questions surround what happens to the souls of those who have killed each other and the answers and indicators are no less interesting. For instance, do they too get tied in spiritual bondage and remain so till they have expiated the wrong they have committed against each other?