Q89. Will I see my relatives again after this life?

Never. Our relationships are based on the body and so when the body is finished, our relationship is also finished forever. The body is destroyed after death and, so we can never know that person again. Even if we come across the same soul again in another body, we will not know that this person was once in another body that we knew.

Arjuna was lamenting for his relatives who were on the opposing side of the war, and Krishna made him realize that all his current relatives were never his relatives before this life and they will never be his relatives again, after this life. We cannot know where the souls of our dead relatives and friends have gone. But there are some yogis and personalities like Brahma and Shiva, who can tell where the souls have taken birth again, and Krishna knows exactly where you and I were trillions of years ago. In the material creation, all our friends and relatives are just for this life, and in many cases not even for this entire life, as we change friends, give up friends, and lose contact with some. But in the spiritual manifestation (Vaikuntha), you will know all your friends and relatives forever. “The soul which resides in the body never dies. Therefore, you should not lament for any living being.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.30) Yes, it’s natural to lament for our loved ones who have passed away to their next life. You should know that eventually all living beings will go back to the spiritual manifestation where they will live eternally in the same body with no trace of misery or suffering. Every single person we have known in this and our previous lives will eventually go back to the spiritual manifestation. That’s why Lord Krishna states that we should not lament for any living being. Lord Krishna is the real God and He is very merciful and loving to all living beings. We should not lament for those who pass away, because they could be better situated in their new body and they may have gone back to the spiritual manifestation called Vaikuntha, the ultimate destination for all souls. On the millions of Vaikuntha planets, the people live eternally in the same body that is completely beautiful, in complete bliss, full of knowledge, and with no old age, no disease, and no trace of any misery. Based on Lord Krishna, nobody is sent to hell forever, eventually every soul goes back to the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha. This is because, Lord Krishna (God) is most Merciful and Forgiving. “In those Vaikuntha planets there are many forests which are very auspicious. In those forests the trees are desire trees, and in all seasons they are filled with flowers and fruits because everything in the Vaikuntha planets is spiritual and personal.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.16)