Presence of Mind

I'm guessing your next question is, "Well, then how did Shanti Devi remember her past life?" This gets interesting.

You may have heard about the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Perhaps you've even heard of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Numbers of ancient, spiritually advanced cultures carefully trained people so they would know how to go through the process of death consciously. Often- as in the Egyptian texts and in some Gnostic Christian books, too- this involved memorizing lots of key phrases and detailed imagery.

The point in all these traditions is that if you don't want to lose yourself, if you want to attain the type of immorality that comes from the ability to hang on to your present identify from life, then during the process of death you must keep your presence of mind!

All those elaborate memorizations and visualizations in the variations in the various Books of the Dead are designed to help newly deceased soul stay focused and conscious.

Lugdi Devi, Shanti Devi's previous self, had been using an old trick recommended by yogis for thousands of years. During her Lugdi life she had kept repeating the name of God constantly, with full devotion, day and night. At the time of her death, her mind stayed with the divine name. It helped her remain calm and alert through a process where most people lose consciousness. As she was being reborn, her awareness remained with the name of God rather than locking into her new physical brain. So she didn't forget her previous identity. Shanti Devi actually describes this procedure in Lonnerstarnd's book.

Well, you may believe this story or you may not. But now you know how it's explained in the Hindu tradition.