Satwant Pasricha is the head of Department of Clinical Psychology at NIMHANS, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences at Bangalore. She also worked for a time at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the USA. Pasricha investigates reincarnation and near-death experiences. Pasricha co-authored the 2011 book Making sense of Near-Death experiences, which was Highly Commended in the Psychiatry category at the 2012 British Medical Association Book Awards.
Pasricha has investigated and participated in about 500 cases of reincarnation involving children (referred to as subjects) since 1973 who claim to remember previous lives. She became interested in working in parapsychology because she was not satisfied with the conventional explanations of certain paranormal or unusual behavior.
Pasricha studies not just the characteristics of reincarnation prevalent in India, but also suggests ways they are similar or different from those of people in other countries. She collaborated with Ian Stevenson in reincarnation research beginning in the 1970s.
She joined NIMHANS as a faculty in December 1980 as a lecturer in Clinical Parapsychology; and then was promoted to Assistant professor, Associate professor and Additional Professor of Clinical Psychology. She is also involved in clinical work such as patient care and teaching and research in the areas of her interest at NIMHANS.
Shiv Behari Jain was of the Jain religion, while Ram Prakesh was born into the Hindu faith, Shiv Behari Jain a prosperous merchant lived in Firozabad, northern India. He died and reincarnated as Ram Prakash who was born on April 10, 1966, about 9 months after Shiv Behari Jain died.
The Life of Shiv Behari Jain-A Member of the Jain Religion
Shiv Behari Jain was a prosperous merchant or businessman who lived in Firozabad, a city in northern India. He belonged to the Jain religion. Shiv was well-respected, as he was also involved in local politics and charities. He died on July 10, 1965.
Change of Religion: Shiv Behari Jain Reincarnates as a Hindu
Ram Prakash was born on April 10, 1966, about 9 months after Shiv Behari Jain died, in a village north of Firozabad. His parents were farmers of modest means who belonged to the Hindu religion.
When Ram was 4 or 5 years of age, he started talking about a past life. One day, an older brother called Ram by name and ordered him to fetch a glass of water. Ram responded:
“I am not Ram Prakash, I am Jain Saheb” In India, “saheb” is a title placed after a man’s name as a mark of respect. In other words, Ram was indicating that he was a man of stature. Ram later gave his full past life name as “Shiv Behari Jain.” (1)
Ram Prakesh Remembers his Past Life Family and Address
Ram related a number of details regarding his past life, including his address in Firozabad, his past life wife’s name, as well as the number of brothers, sons and daughters he had in his lifetime as Shiv Behari Jain. Ram also remembered the philanthropy that he was engaged in his past life, reporting that he contributed money to a college, a hospital and a Jain temple.
Reincarnation & Change in Religion: Though Born Hindu, Ram Observes Jain Customs
Ram demonstrated practices of a member of the Jain religion, which was very unusual for a Hindu boy who had not been taught these Jain customs. For example, Ram wanted to eat dinner before sunset, drink only filtered water and he would not kill insects. For Jains, nonviolence is a central tenet of their religion, which is why even insects are not killed. When someone gave Ram a portrait of Mahavira, an enlightened leader and reformer of the Jain religion, he would worship in front of this picture twice a day.
Ram Prakesh Misses his Past Life Wealth & Identifies Strongly with his Past Life Persona
Ram was aware that he was much better off financially in his prior lifetime as Shiv Behari Jain. He complained that his family lived in a kachcha house, which was built of unbaked bricks. He remembered that in his past life, he had a large house, a pukka, which was built of baked bricks. Ram recalled that in his previous life he slept on a cushioned bed, whereas in his current life, he slept on a charpoy, a bed made of a frame with with light rope strung into a net. He remembered that he owned a chair that he sat in, but in his contemporary life, he had none.
As he got older, Ram would no longer even respond to his given name, his identification with his life as Shiv Behari Jain was so great. His schoolteachers accepted this and called him “Jain.”
Ram Prakesh Meets his Past Life Family, Who Accept Him as Shiv Behari Jain Reborn
Members of Ram’s village learned of his unusual behavior and the word spread. Bus drivers in the area learned of his story and they passed it on to Shiv Behari Jain’s family in Firozabad, who came to visit Ram. He was able to recognize and name these past life family members.
To test his knowledge, Shiv’s family also showed Ram photographs of their relatives. Ram was able to accurately recognize and name these members of Shiv’s family without assistance or leading questions. Based on his past life knowledge, Shiv’s family accepted Ram as the reincarnation of Shiv Behari Jain. They gave Ram gifts and encouraged that he visit their home in Firozabad. Ram would visit his past life family once or twice a month and stay with them for 5 days at a time.
Ram’s visits to the family of Shiv Behari Jain are reminiscent of Daniel Jurdi’s stays with his past life family in Lebanon. This past life case demonstrates a remarkable similarity in physical appearance from one lifetime to another. Place your cursor on the image of Rashid holding a picture of his past life persona to enlarge it.
Past Life Memories: Families of Shiv Behari Jain & Ram Prakash Deny Prior Contact
Dr. Pasricha interviewed the families of Shiv Behari Jain and Ram Prakash in October 1975. The two families vouched that they had never met or had any contact prior to Ram’s statements of remembering to be Shiv in a past life. Ram’s father related that he once heard Shiv Behari Jain make a speech at a political meeting, but had no direct contact with him. Ram’s mother said she had never heard of Shiv Behari Jain. Dr. Pasricha also noted that their differences in religion and wealth would have made prior relationship between the two families very unlikely.
In an interview in 1975, when Ram was 9 1/2 years, when asked his name, he promptly replied “Shiv Behari Jain.” Shiv’s family was still giving gifts to Ram and he was continuing his visits to his past life family in Firozabad. (2)
Mandeep Kaur, a member of the Sikh religion, lived in New Delhi, India, with her husband and on June 2, 1961, Mandeep’s husband stabbed her to death. About 4 years later, a girl named Pushpa was born on June 16, 1965 into a family of Hindu religion.
Mandeep Kaur lived in New Delhi, India, with her husband, who made a living repairing bicycles. Mandeep had younger sisters. Mandeep’s family was uneducated, relatively poor and they belonged to the Sikh religion. A famous place of worship for Sikhs is the Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, which is pictured to the right.
On June 2, 1961, Mandeep’s husband stabbed her to death.
Mandeep Reincarnates as Pushpa, a Hindu Girl
About 4 years later, a girl named Pushpa was born on June 16, 1965 in New Delhi, approximately 350 meters or 380 yards from where Mandeep lived. Pushpa’s family was of the Hindu religion.
When she was 18 months old, Pushpa stated pointing in the direction of where Mandeep and her husband lived. Later on, Pushpa said she was married to a Sikh and she recited the names of her children in a past incarnation. When her family asked what her past life husband did for a living, Pushpa made movements with her legs as if she was pedaling a bicycle.
Pushpa’s Past Life Phobia of Knives & Innate Knowledge of Sikh Religious Practices
When she was between 2 to 3 years of age, Pushpa demonstrated a severe fear of knives. She also had knowledge of Sikh religious practices, which was unusual for a young Hindu girl.
Eventually, Pushpa told her family that in her past life, her name was Mandeep Kaur and that her husband stabbed her to death. Pushpa expressed deep concern for her children from her past incarnation and she wanted to visit her past life family.
The family decided to investigate Pushpa’s claims, making inquiries regarding a Sikh woman who was stabbed to death. They found that Pushpa’s story matched the life of Mandeep Kuar, whose husband was a bicycle repairman.
Pushpa Accurately Identifies Members of her Past Life Family
Pushpa’s family contacted the Kaur family and arranged a meeting, where Pushpa accurately named members of her past life family. When Pushpa met Mandeep’s sisters, who were now older than she, Pushpa treated them as if they were still younger, as if their chronological status was still unchanged.
When Pushpa met Mandeep’s husband and murderer, she demonstrated “coolness and indifference.” (1)
Mandeep’s and Pushpa’s families denied any prior knowledge, acquaintance or interaction with one another. Dr. Pashricha pointed out that though only 350 meters separated their homes, socially they lived in different worlds. Pushpa’s family was well-educated, with members of her family including a medical doctor, a Sanskrit scholar, a journalist and a schoolteacher. In addition, they were Hindu and quite prosperous. In contrast, Mandeep’s family was poor, uneducated and Sikh.
Pushpa Attends the Wedding of her Past Life Daughter
Pushpa maintained a relationship with Mandeep’s family and participated in the wedding of Mandeep’s third daughter.
Dr. Pasricha interviewed Pushpa four times between 1973 and 1975, as well as 17 other informants involved in this case. Dr. Pashricha also reviewed Mandeep’s autopsy report. Her conclusion is that this is a valid reincarnation case. (2)
Change in Religion: Mandeep was a Sikh, whereas Pushpa was born into the Hindu religion. Pushpa had innate knowledge of Sikh religious practices, even though she was born into a Hindu family.
Past Life Phobia: As a child, Pushpa had a marked fear of knives, reflecting her past life in which she was stabbed to death.
Footnotes
1. Paricha, Satwant, Can the Mind Survive Beyond Death? Volume 1: Reincarnation Research, Harman Publishing House, New Delhi, 2008, pages 6
2. Ibid, pages 5-7