Soul Departure

Q. After death, will the soul be taken immediately or after some time by Yamadutas to hell (non devotees) and after receiving the punishment and put into another gross body will the soul be given sometime to stay with the family members or with the dead body?

A. The time elapsed before a soul gets a new body depends on various factors:  his desires stored in the mind, his attachment to his past body, and his actions of past life.  If his attachment to his body is too strong, then he may hover around his home or his dead body in the form of a ghost until he obtains a new body.  Especially in cases of suicide deaths, such phenomena are said to be common.  Generally, however, the soul does not have to wait too long before accepting a new form.