Is there rebirth for a soul?

[You say that the same Lord revealed the same knowledge in the entire world in different languages. But Islam and Christianity say that there is no rebirth. Hinduism speaks about rebirth. If the Lord is same, where from does this contradiction come?]

Only one Lord created this entire universe. He must have told the same knowledge everywhere in the world. The apparent contradiction is only due to misunderstanding. In Hinduism also Shankara says that getting human birth is almost impossible (Jantunaam Nara Janma Durlabhamidam). Shankara was the incarnation of Lord Shiva and so what He said is authoritative. Even the Gita says that the soul comes back to this world but does not say that the soul gets another human birth (Ksheene Punye Martyalokam Vishanti). In the second chapter, the Gita speaks about rebirth but not about human rebirth. Islam and Christianity say that the human birth is given only as a single chance. At the end of this birth, the final judgement is given. The soul either goes to the Lord or goes to hell permanently.

The Gita also mentions two ways for the soul. Either the soul goes to the Lord and does not return back or the soul returns back to the world (Abrahma Bhuvanat…, Yat Gatva…). According to the Gita, if the soul does not go to the Lord (Brahma Loka), it returns back after enjoying the fruits of an incomplete spiritual effort. Therefore in this human birth, if the spiritual effort is completed, the soul goes to the Brahma Loka permanently. If the spiritual effort is incomplete the soul may go up to any world below Brahma Loka [other types of heaven which are lower than the highest heaven, which is Brahma Loka], but it will return back to this earth after enjoying the fruits of its incomplete spiritual effort. The soul may go up to the sixth world, but it cannot go to the Brahma Loka, which is the seventh world by doing the remaining spiritual effort in the sixth world. The reason is once the soul leaves this earth all the upper worlds are only Bhoga Lokas i.e., worlds in which the soul can only enjoy the fruits of actions performed on earth, cannot do any new actions or work (Karma). Therefore the soul has to return back to the earth. The soul will not get another chance of human birth because once it has failed, it can never succeed. Therefore the soul comes to the earth and falls into the cycle of animals and birds. When the soul is trapped in this cycle of animal births, it is treated as a permanent hell. If the soul goes to Brahma Loka it always accompanies the Lord either in Brahma Loka or may come back to the earth along with the Lord who takes the human incarnation. In such case the soul is born as a divine servant of the Lord. Such a soul will not take rebirth in the cycle of animals. Thus even for the divine soul, there is no such rebirth. In this way Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are correlated as one concept preached by the one Lord.

Christians and Muslims are putting up sincere spiritual effort because there is a threat that this human life is the only chance. According to these religions, there is no re-examination if you fail in this examination. This human birth is the only examination and the soul either passes or fails and will not be allowed for any re-examination. But in Hinduism such threat is not there. People have taken a lenient view of spiritual life because they think that human rebirths are possible and so they can put up the spiritual effort slowly in the future human births. The Lord cannot tell different theories to different people. The rule must be the same for all the human beings in the world. Therefore whatever the Lord said in Christianity and Islam is also said in Hinduism. Hindus misunderstood the concept. Therefore whatever may be the religion, every human being should think “Now or never”.

The human rebirth is given only for the Yoga Bhrashta i.e., the soul, who has reached Brahma Loka and fallen due to some slip. Such a soul is suspended from Brahma Loka and comes down to the earth and takes rebirth as a human being. Suppose you have passed the postgraduate degree and obtained the post of the lecturer. But you were suspended for a month due to some mistake. You will be re-appointed. Similarly the Yoga Bhrashta will be born as a human being for some time and will come back to Brahma Loka. The case of an incomplete spiritual effort is different from a Yoga Bhrashta. The incomplete spiritual person is like a B.A. degree holder who never achieved the lecturer post. You cannot argue that you can be appointed as a 75%-lecturer since by getting a B.A. degree, you have met 75% of the total educational requirements for the post of a lecturer (assuming that a postgraduate degee is required for the post of a lecturer). Thus, there is no partial achievement by partial spiritual effort. The grace of the Lord is either hundred percent or zero. If it is hundred percent, you reach Brahma Loka. If it is zero percent, you fall back to the earth in the cycle of animals and birds. There is no third way in between these two. When this truth is revealed, only one in thousands will try to put the real spiritual effort as said in the Gita (Manushyaanaam Sahasreshu). By this, Hindus will become alert in spiritual effort like Christians and Muslims.

This human birth is given to you not according to your file of karma because according to your file, you deserve the birth of animals. The Lord has given one chance to you, to see whether you can please Him by your practice. If He decides that you will not change even if human rebirth is given, He will throw you into the everlasting fire, which is nothing but the continuous cycle of births of animals, worms etc. Most cases come under this category alone. But if the Lord finds a ray of hope about you, He may grant another human birth to you because the Lord is not bound by any rule and He is Omnipotent. Therefore Christianity refers to the majority of human beings by speaking about the final judgement. Hinduism speaks about the minority of human beings, who have the possibility of the next human birth.