During the 1st World War two American soldiers called Don and Bob were injured simultaneously. Both of them were fast friends. Don died immediately but Bob recovered after he was treated by competent doctors. The problem was that when Bob became fit and healthy a great change was noted in his attitude and behavioral pattern. Bob hence forth behaved exactly like his beloved dead friend Don. In fact Bob called himself "Don". After the war ended, Bob left for Don's home instead of his own residence. There Bob met Don's parents and he experienced that very joy which Don previously experienced.
Despite Bob's psyche and behavior being exactly like that of Don yet Bob's gross physical body was not like Don at all. Meaning Bob's body was entirely his own. Don's parents refused to accept Bob as their son. This made "Don" in Bob's psyche/soul sad and sorrowful. Hence Bob recounted past incidences of Don's life which were known only to Don and his parents. Thus Don's parents were convinced that although Bob was physically different from their son Don yet Bob's soul and psyche perfectly matched those of Don. It was clear that Don's soul had taken over Bob's psyche. This incident now posed a great challenge to Modern Science especially Psychology.
A very similar amazing incident took place in Spain. One day 2 girls were traveling together in one bus. One was called Hala and the other Mirtgol. After some time the bus got involved in a road accident. Mirtgol died immediately in this mishap. Although Hala was not injured yet out of sheer fright she became unconscious. She regained consciousness after a few hours. The relatives of both these girls were informed about this bus accident. Relatives of both these girls reached the accident site. Hala's father ran towards his daughter crying aloud: Dear Hala! But he was amazed to hear Hala saying: I am not Hala. I am Mirtgol! Saying thus Hala ran towards Mirtgol's father. When her relatives felt that Hala was experiencing a memory loss situation they placed a mirror in front of her face. Instead of her delusion ending Hala exclaimed: Why has Mirtgol's face changed (into that of Hala)? Hala's father was a humble farmer. Hence Hala was not very highly educated. Mirtgol's father was a well known Professor. Mirtgol was a college student and was well versed in many subjects.
Hala's father some how managed to take Hala back to their residence. Hala went back to study in that high school where she was studying so far. Over there all her co-students and teachers were amazed to see a great change in Hala's behavior and attitude. One day Hala went to the college where Mirtgol studied when the latter was alive. There Hala gave a scholarly lecture on Spinozoa's scientific teachings to a class of college students. All the college teachers now concluded that it was Mirtgol's soul that had manifested in Hala's physical body. Certain experiments too were conducted on Hala's behavior and psyche pattern and they too gave the above conclusion.
The world famous painter Goya's soul entered the inner personality of a widow called Henroitte. This is a well known episode in America. In this new body of the widow Goya painted a masterpiece painting called "Cow-herd Maiden". On the other hand Henroitte had never in her life time painted even an ordinary painting. Hence forth American scientists accepted that Goya's soul indeed had entered Henroitte's body which explained the creation of such a marvelous painting!
This incident took place on 7th November 1918 during the 1st World War. A French boy called Ted shouted aloud one day saying: Dad is about to die. Ted's father was fighting this war for France in a far off region. Ted continued screaming: My father is shut in a dark cell. He cannot see anything because of darkness. Ted's relatives could not understand why he was shouting aloud thus. In a few seconds Ted became unconscious. After a certain length of time when Ted regained consciousness he said: Now my father will become alright. Ted's family members at that time presumed that whatever Ted spoke before and after becoming unconscious about his father was a bad dream seen by Ted. Thus they all went about their chores and forgot about this incident.
After the 1st World War ended and Ted's father returned home he remembered that incident related above. Ted's father said tat on 6th November I escaped the jaws of death. Everyone asked Ted's father as to why and how he escaped death? Ted's father replied: On that fateful day I entered a chamber of deadly gas fumes. Thus my life was in great peril. My vision too became so weak that I could virtually see nothing. At that time a boy similar to my son Ted came near me. Of course it's a wonder how he could come there in the midst of a raging war! He opened the door of the gas chamber and after holding my hand he helped me escape from the chamber. Immediately my army unit soldiers realized what had happened and they took me to a nearby hospital. While Ted's father spoke thus Ted's family members immediately understood why Ted who was miles away from the war front had cried and shouted aloud thus on that day in his home.
A similar incident took place in the life of an Italian priest called Alphonsis Ligadari on 21st November 1974. On that eventful day Ligadari went into such a deep sleep state that despite others trying to wake him up he did not wake up. Many wondered whether he was dead. In order to test this they checked his breathing process, pulse etc and found that the priest was very much alive. For many hours he slept like a log. When he awakened he saw that he was surrounded by many well wishers and friends. Ligadari told all of them: I must share with you some very dire news. Our beloved Pope has just left this mortal world. Everyone said: You have been sleeping like a log for quite some time now, hence how do you know about revered Pope's death?
Ligadari said: I had left this body of mine and had traveled (astral body) to Rome. I have just returned from there. And yet his friends thought that Ligadari has just woken up from a dream and that he must have seen Pope dying in his dream only. After 4 days they got news that revered Pope had passed away. Further his death had occurred exactly at the time Ligadari was in deep-sleep like state. Thus everyone was dumbfounded and wonderstruck!
Despite an individual staying in one region of our planet Earth, he/she can send 'messages' to other parts of the world via his/her soul force (telepathy). In the examples given (above paragraphs) knowingly or unknowingly the subtle body was used as a medium of message transfer. If we activate our subtle body many important and otherwise impossible tasks can be carried out with its activated infinite divine power. In the year 1626 a similar incident took place in Algeria's Captain Tubo's life. It gives us an in depth proof of the existence of our subtle body and its infinite potential. Once, Captain Tubo was returning from a very small village of Algeria, after treating some ill patients there. The village chief Abdul accompanied Captain Tubo when the latter was returning.
After Abdul thanked Captain Tubo Abdul also told him about the miracles with reference to an awakened subtle body of a human being. Not only did the Captain ignore what Abdul said but also exclaimed that such miracles are mere fantasies of our mind. But Abdul refused to budge from his viewpoint and he told Captain Tubo that he could prove every thing about the existence of this miraculous subtle body. And yet when Capatain Tubo shook his head in disbelief Abdul entered a short meditative state and then said: Capatian! Look behind you. When the Capatain looked behind he saw in amazement that on a wall hung his most favorite painting. This painting was actually the one which the Capatain had lovingly adorned the walls of his residence in Paris i.e. miles away from this tiny Algerian village.
It is simply dumbfounding to note that on this very day Captain Tubo's father Pierre lodged a complaint with the Paris police saying that his son's precious painting valued at 1 million Rupees was stolen from their residence. The Police Commissioner was Pierre's close friend and hence when he got to know about this 'theft' he ordered his best Secret Service Agents to solve this robbery case. It goes without saying that none of them could recover the painting. These police officials checked for finger prints, foot marks etc of the robber or any such clue but amazingly none were found. Pierre then contacted his son Tubo in Algeria and told him about the painting's theft. When Tubo told his father and the Police Commissioner about the painting seen by him in far off Algeria everyone was dumbstruck.
If we deeply reflect and analyze the above incidents we can get due inspirations, directions and wisdom from them. Hence we can definitely conclude that beyond this visible physical human body lies a subtle body which cannot be seen by our gross eyesight. The fundamental unit of the gross body is 'protoplasm'. Hence what is the fundamental unit of our subtle body? This question needs to be meditated and analyzed deeply and yet it is the bare reality that within the gross body exists, an invisible subtle body. The existence of a subtle body is clearly mentioned in Indian Philosophy (Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga texts etc). Indian scriptures proclaim emphatically that the subtle body is infinitely more potent and miraculous than our gross body made of flesh, bones, blood etc. It is a fact that our gross body functions totally under the direction and power of the subtle body. If the subtle body leaves (at death) the gross body becomes lifeless and a mere corpse.
This subtle body is made up of powerful vital forces. There are 5 very potent vital forces and are represented by 5 demigods or Divine Principles. Our scriptures say that even if one demigod helps a human being attain immortality imagine what that person can attain both materially and spiritually if all 5 Divine Principles/demigods help/influence this human being subtly? The following incidents (next chapter) can give us a glimpse of the omnipotence of these 5 Divine Principles/demigods. With our gross sense organs and psyche we can never get its actual experience. It can only be attained by a psyche which is sacred and focused (concentrated one pointedly).