Posted on: 19 May 2024
[Smt. Chhandaa asked:- Paadanamaskaram Swami, Suppose a soul with different quality (assuming Brahmana) is getting birth in a family of different qualities (like Vaishya). Then, the ambience (atmosphere) will not be congenial to the new born soul. In this regard, I have the following doubts. Please clarify them:]
Swami replied:- Thought is made of nervous energy. When the thought becomes stronger and stronger, the thought is called as vaasana, samskaara and guna. These three stages of strengthening thought are like gas, liquid and solid states of matter. Thought is weak. Vaasana is strong. Samskaara is stronger. Guna (quality) is the strongest. From millions of births, these thoughts become stronger and stronger and finally reach the state of quality, which is like the strongest diamond. These qualities (diamond-like strong thoughts) are inherent for a soul and together called as Prakruti or nature of the soul. The decisions of the individual soul in any birth are finally decided by these inherent qualities only. If you advise a soul, there may be a temporary effect, but finally, the soul will show its real inherent colour (varna). Hence, the Gita says that every soul will finally bend to its inherent nature called Prakruti and resistance by advices has no final effect (Prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni…).
The soul is born in a family following the five possibilities:- i) A bad soul is born in a bad family so that the soul and the family together are destroyed. ii) A good soul is born in a good family so that both the soul and the family are uplifted. iii) A slightly bad soul is born in a strong good family so that the soul is reformed. iv) A slightly good soul is born in a very strong good family so that the soul can be reformed. v) A strong good soul is born in a bad family so that the soul can reform the family. The success of God in the reformation of a soul or in the reformation of a family is based on the strongest good qualities of the soul or the family. Preachings will certainly strengthen the souls, but the strongest qualities of the soul become powerful finally in leading the soul to a decision. Hence, the administration of God is giving lot of importance to the rebirth of a soul keeping the above hopes of reformation in the view. However, the first possibility may appear to us that God is condemning the soul in the name of destruction by throwing it into the everlasting fire of special hells. But one day or other, the soul will get reformation in these special hells governed by God Kaalabhairava. God is efficient, omnipotent and omniscient Divine Father and will not give up the issues like an inefficient human father. Here, the good qualities mean spiritual qualities and bad qualities mean worldly qualities. But, in worldly qualities also, there are relatively good and relatively bad qualities. i) All the spiritual qualities are good, which are termed as sattvam. ii) All worldly relative good qualities are termed as rajas. iii) All worldly relative bad qualities are termed as tamas. With respect to sattvam, rajas and tamas are bad qualities.
[Smt. Chhandaa: a) In this case, how will the parents understand that the child has different qualities from them, as parents mostly think they are always correct and also, they are not spiritually inclined?]
Swami replied:- The parents are the best observers of the qualities of the child-soul in its rebirth because they are constantly associated with the child. If the parents are of sattvam quality, they will try to imbibe sattvam in the child and also try to discard rajas and tamas in the child. Similar is the case of parents with rajas or tamas qualities.
[Smt. Chhandaa: b) What is the role of the child here as he is under conflict many a time? How should be his behaviour because he may take it in any direction as he may or may not be matured enough?]
Swami replied:- The child or the family will finally yield to the diamond like inherent qualities (gunas). Depending on the differential strengths of the child and family, the reformation can take place.
[Smt. Chhandaa: c) What should be ideal approach of the parents to bring the child up in case they are able to identify the same? Since the parents do not contain the qualities that the child is born with, it won’t be possible for them to behave in line with the child’s qualities.]
Swami replied:- Certainly, there will be initial conflict between the child-soul and souls of the family. But, the success depends on the differential strengths of gunas of the child-soul and the souls of the family. God has already taken care of these differential strengths and selected the soul and the family so that reformation of soul or family can take place.
[Smt. Chhandaa: d) The case becomes even more complicated if the soul is taking birth in a family, where the parents themselves are having different qualities, which we witness most of the time. At Your divine lotus feet always, Chhanda.]
Swami replied:- The conflict certainly has to come between good (knowledge) and bad qualities (ignorance). You cannot avoid conflict and expect a smooth process of transformation. God selects the soul and family in such a way that the lesser good quality can be easily transformed by stronger good quality. Hence, the success of reformation is sure because the total reformation is based on the strengths of good and bad qualities, which are the final factors of success.
The conflict appears because there is free will on this earth. Free will sometimes drags the soul in the other direction. But, the final success is based on the strength of the diamond like quality only. If the family or the soul feels disgusted in the conflict, the soul or the family can take the help of the Sadguru, who will certainly succeed in the reformation since there is already possibility of success based on strengths of qualities. If the atmosphere of strengths of qualities is not congenial to the divine administration, even God will fail in the reformation. God Krishna tried His level best to reform the bad-Kauravas and even exhibited His divine cosmic vision. In spite of all that, the Kauravas were not reformed and came to fight in the war on the side of injustice only, against God Krishna. The Kauravas belong to the first possibility since they are very strong demonic souls with the strongest bad qualities. They deserve only the everlasting fire of the special hell (Tānahaṃ dviṣataḥ krūrān…- Gita). Through such punishment in the special hell, even the worst souls are reformed after a very long time and hence, God always succeeds!