Ant Kaal (Final moments pre-death) and Karmic Implications in Assisted Dying: A Gurmat Ontological Perspective
Ant Kaal – The Final Mome
nt and the Trajectory of the Jiv Atma
The Soul (Atma) as Embodied Consciousness
In Gurmat ontology, Atma is not a static “soul” in the Judeo-Christian sense but is best described as embodied consciousness—a dynamic, wave-like expression of the infinite ocean of Ik Oankaar. It is not separate from the Source but appears as individualised due to karmic tendencies and haumai (egoic distortion).
Metaphor:
“ਜਲ ਤੇ ਉਪਜਿ ਤਰੰਗ ਸਮਾਨੀ ॥“
From the water, the waves rise, only to merge back again. (SGGS Ang 1020)
This expresses the ontological relationship between the Jiv Atma (wave) and the Supreme Consciousness (ocean). The wave never ceases to be water—similarly, the soul never departs from consciousness but becomes identified with form, leading to Haumai and bondage.
The Significance of Ant Kaal (Final Moment)
The Ant Kaal, or last moment, is a spiritually charged threshold. Consciousness, if prepared, has the opportunity to dissolve all remaining egoic clinging and merge into the non-dual state (Mukti). If unprepared, it contracts into vibrational patterns consistent with its final attachments.
“ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਜੋ ਲਛਮੀ ਸਿਮਰੈ ਐਸੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ॥
One who dies while thinking of wealth shall be reborn as a snake. (Bhagat Trilochan Ji, SGGS Ang 52)
“ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਨਾਰਾਇਣੁ ਸਿਮਰੇ ਐਸਾ ਜਨੁ ਰਲੇਉ ਹਮਾਰੇ ॥“
One who dies remembering the Divine merges with the Eternal. (SGGS Ang 52)
This principle aligns with the Tibetan Bardo and Yogic teachings—the vibrational field at death determines the soul’s trajectory.
Vibrational Matching: Atma’s Trajectory Post-Death
Every thought-form (vritti) is a vibrational frequency. At death, these vrittis surface in intensified clarity. The Atma, now disembodied, is drawn toward realms resonating with its dominant vibrations:
| Dominant Thought at Death | Post-Death Trajectory |
| Lust | Rebirth in animal/sexual realms |
| Greed (wealth) | Snake or subterranean incarnations |
| Attachment to family | Earthbound ghost-like states |
| Naam Simran | Mukti or higher spiritual realms |
| Haumai | Return to Samsaric cycles |
“ਜੈਸੀ ਮੈ ਆਵੈ ਖਸਮ ਕੀ ਬਾਣੀ ਤੈਸੜਾ ਕਰੀ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਵੇ ਲਾਲੋ ॥“
As the Lord’s Bani flows, so does my expression arise, O Lalo. (Guru Nanak Dev Ji, SGGS Ang 722)
This highlights the non-linear, real-time response of consciousness to Hukam—which is eternally unfolding.
NDEs, Rebirth, and Gurbani Alignment
Near-Death Experience (NDE) research shows consciousness persists beyond brain death. Subjects often describe:
Hyper-real perception
Life review with moral and emotional feedback
Encounters with non-physical beings or Light
A sense of timelessness and being “called back”
These align with:
“ਮਰਣੁ ਨ ਜਾਪੈ ਮੂਰਤ ਪਲੁ ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰੁ ਨ ਜਾਣੈ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਜਿਤੁ ਮਰਣੇ ਸੰਸਾਰੁ ਡਰੈ ਮੈ ਅਨੰਦੁ ਮਰਣਿ ਚਿਤੁ ਲਾਇਆ ॥“
No one knows their time of death. The world fears death, but I focus on dying in bliss. (SGGS Ang 13)
Assisted Dying: A Psycho-Spiritual Interruption
Assisted suicide is an ontological rupture:
It denies the Atma a conscious exit and reorientation.
Sedatives dull awareness at the most critical spiritual juncture.
The illusion of “compassion” hides egoic avoidance, not karuna.
It may result in karmic carryover, earthbound entrapment, or forced rebirth.
Psycho-Spiritual Preparation for Ant Kaal
| Practice Element | Gurmat Approach |
| Simran | Internal repetition of Naam for vibrational and em resonance |
| Saakshi (Witnessing) | Cultivating awareness of thoughts/emotions |
| Surrender to Hukam | Letting go of resistance to suffering/death |
| Physical Posture | Upright, stable, no sedation if possible |
| Environment | Naam-filled, loving, non-chaotic |
Karmic Consequences of Choosing and Administering Assisted Dying: A Gurmat Perspective
Karma as Law of Conscious Reciprocity
In Gurmat, karma is the metaphysical mechanism through which consciousness experiences the consequences of its intentions, actions, and vibrational states. Unlike deterministic or punitive interpretations, karma in Gurmat is a law of consciousness reciprocity—an unfolding of cause and effect determined by the level of self-awareness or Haumai (egoic entanglement) from which actions arise.
“ਕਰਮੀ ਕਰਮੀ ਹੋਇ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥”
Through karma, destiny is determined. (Japji Sahib)
Karma is not simply the act, but the intention, consciousness-state, and relational field behind it. Both the individual choosing assisted dying and the agents enabling or administering it become participants in a karmic field whose consequences unfold according to their vibrational alignment or misalignment with Hukam (cosmic order).
Karmic Implications for the Individual Choosing Assisted Dying
The act of assisted dying is rarely a conscious transition of Atma aligned with Naam, Simran, or divine trust. Instead, it is often rooted in:
Fear of pain and helplessness
Despair and identity loss
Emotional fatigue
A belief in material reductionism (i.e., that death ends suffering permanently)
From a karmic lens, the individual generates samskaric imprints of aversion, avoidance, and egoic control. These vibrations do not dissolve at death but become the subtle body’s trajectory, shaping post-death experience and future birth circumstances.
“ਆਪੇ ਬੀਜਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਖਾਹੁ ॥”
As you sow, so shall you reap. (Japji Sahib)
Such a death reinforces the illusion that one can escape suffering through annihilation of the body, rather than by confronting the root of suffering—Haumai and separation from Naam. The soul may therefore:
Reincarnate in circumstances with unresolved karmic residue
Experience disorientation in Bardo-like states (as per Tibetan cosmology and NDE reports)
Retain unresolved psycho-emotional grief, which is carried into future embodiments
This is not punishment, but the unfolding of vibrational inertia left unresolved due to the interruption of the natural karmic cycle.
Karmic Implications for Those Administering Assisted Dying
Those who aid, prescribe, or legally enable assisted suicide (including doctors, caregivers, lawmakers, or family members) become active participants in a karmic system that facilitates an act with profound ontological implications.
Even if legally sanctioned, from a Gurmat perspective:
Intention is key: Did the action arise from true Karuna (compassion rooted in higher awareness) or from emotional exhaustion, guilt, or convenience?
Spiritual ignorance compounds karma: Unawareness of the Atma’s journey and denial of post-death consequences deepen karmic entanglement.
Responsibility for facilitating a vibrational rupture at Ant Kaal bears consequences as one disrupts the natural dharmic unfolding of another being’s life journey.
“ਨਾਨਕ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਆਵਹੁ ਜਾਹੁ ॥”
O Nanak, by the Command of Hukam, beings come and go. (Japji Sahib)
To interfere with Hukam—especially at the sacred juncture of death—creates karma not only through action but through the conscious distortion of one’s own role in the web of life.
Psycho-Emotional Impact on the Inherent Sense of Humanity
Beyond metaphysical consequences, there is a psycho-emotional cost to both parties.
For the Individual Choosing Death:
May feel relief initially, but on the subtle level of Atma, an unresolved fragmentation of meaning occurs.
The existential pain that fuels assisted dying is not annihilated but carried forward as dormant samskara.
This may express as grief, confusion, or fear in Bardo states or future births.
For the Practitioner/Administrator:
Repeated exposure to such acts often leads to:
Desensitization or emotional dissociation
Suppressed guilt, leading to moral fatigue
Diminished reverence for the sacredness of life
The sense of being a custodian of life’s dignity is replaced by the psychological burden of being an agent of death.
These effects subtly erode one’s ontological coherence—the integrity of being that arises from living in alignment with truth, compassion, and sacred regard for life.
Ontological Displacement and the Loss of Moral Grounding
Assisted dying introduces a profound ontological displacement:
Life is no longer regarded as sacred mystery but as a problem to be managed.
Death becomes a bureaucratic solution, not a sacred transition.
The role of family, carers, and community shifts from supportive witnesses to transactional participants in death.
In Gurmat, the highest ethical act is not to end suffering by eliminating the body, but to cultivate the conditions for Naam-based awareness in every state—including dying.
Summary Table: Karmic and Psycho-Spiritual Outcomes
| Actor | Karmic Pattern Created | Psycho-Emotional Impact |
| Individual choosing | Samskaras of avoidance, fear, identity collapse | Disorientation post-death, unresolved pain |
| Doctor/Administrator | Karmic imprint of disrupting Hukam and spiritual transition | Emotional blunting, moral exhaustion, subtle guilt |
| Family/Supporters | Mixed karma: attachment, helplessness, sometimes resentment | Loss of sacred relationship with dying, emotional trauma |
Conclusion
From the ontological standpoint of Gurmat, assisted dying generates karma for both the one who chooses death and those who facilitate it. It reflects a collapse of spiritual education, emotional resilience, and existential understanding. The deeper human cost is the erosion of sacred coherence—the loss of reverence for the mystery of life, death, and the unfolding of Hukam.
Rather than compassion, the act becomes a tragedy of misrecognition—where love turns into fear, and presence is replaced by procedure. True karuna lies not in ending life, but in accompanying consciousness into its sacred transition with awareness, Naam, and reverence.
Gurmat rejects the fear-based, ego-driven response to suffering that promotes assisted dying. Instead, it offers an ontological pathway rooted in awareness, Naam, and surrender. The final moment—Ant Kaal—is not merely a biological event but a psycho-spiritual inflection point. Only when understood as such can true karuna—rooted in awareness and not avoidance—be practiced.
D S Panesar 2025
Gurmat Psychology Series 2025