“I Have Lived Before: The True Story of the Reincarnation of Shanti Devi” by Sture Lonnerstrand
By Robin Ohara
The best documented and subsequently authenticated case of reincarnation ever written about, “I Have Lived Before,” is the story of one soul’s life, death, in between lives, and rebirth that was so interesting and compelling that Gandhi got involved with Shanti Devi’s story. Gandhi was so fascinated with the story that he encouraged further experiments and writings about this landmark case of past life regression without the use of hypnosis.
Reincarnation is the foundation of both Hinduism and Buddhism. It was even part of the Christian religion for several hundred years, until a meeting in Constantinople brought the era to an end. All religions who believe in life after life have some sort of proof of reincarnation, and the comfort of proof that the soul survives on after death of the physical body.
In this story of Shanti Devi, she tells the story of being born and growing up in Muttra, India, miles south of Delhi. She died in childbirth on October 4th, 1925. A little over one year later, she reincarnated to another girl’s body, this time in Dehli. At the age of four she started talking about her husband and asked how her son was, at six years old, while being dressed by her mother, she gave a detailed account of what kinds of clothes she used to wear, what she used to eat, and a very detailed description of her former husband and the location of his cloth shop. Both families were able to verify her remarkable story.
Skeptic’s love proof and this book is compelling proof that this little girl really lived in another time. She is able to meet her former husband, and upon entering her old home knew the entire layout and even remembered where she had hid some money. The reader even gets to find out what it was like for her to meet her son-who is one year older than her.
Perhaps the most interesting and most comforting of Shanti Devi’s story of Hindu reincarnation is what happened to her soul during the in between times-the year she spent as an ethereal soul, waiting patiently to be reincarnated. Her story is one of calmness and hope, and a breath of fresh air for those grieving the death of a loved one, or experiencing one’s own mortality due to physical complications. I believe that it is also important here to point out that Shanti Devi believes that it is a blessing that our past lives are forgotten. It was desperately hard for her to leave her parents from her first life and go back with her current parents. If you are afraid and alone, Shanti Devi’s book provides answers and healing that you must read for yourself.
