I follow ISKCON and I have read many books of iskcon including Bhagvad geeta. I found it authentic. However, some questions are bothering my mind. I need clarity. Can u pls help?
(1) When we say we get next birth based on our behaviour/paap/Punya of current human birth (say animal1) and if that animal1 dies, then how the next birth is decided? Is the animal1 is also applicable for paap/punya and based on that he will get animal2 birth or is there compulsary 84 lack cycle and then only human life again?
(2) If for example paap is done by a human then he gets punishment in hell till the paap is neutralized. So again still he will get animal birth and 84 lack cycle? Or again human birth? or what? Similarly for Punya - Swarg same question.
(3) Why in next human birth again we suffer as per past birth if in hell (punishment) or heaven (reward) are already given?
(4) When we say "past birth" deeds are causing suffering in "this birth", do we refer to the immediate past birth of any animal or bird etc or previous human birth (prior to 84 lack cycle)?
(5) Do we have options like below -
A- Accept punishment/reward for your deeds in human life in hell/heaven and go back to Bhagvad dham permanently.
B - Instead of hell/heaven, as per human birth deeds, continue taking rebirth of 84 lack type of creatures?
C- Do Krishna Bhakti, offer all Karma to Krishna and directly avoid hell, heaven and next births and go to Bhagvad Dhaam?
(6) Are the deeds of different animals also categorized under paap/Punya?
(7) If one creature dies (say: Lion), what will be his next birth (which animal)?
Replies
Hell is the lowest material planet, must be terrible there.
Heaven is anywhere in the spiritual world.
Hell is not one planet. There are 7 planetary systems below earth.
Heaven is in the material world only, it is not in the spiritual world. There are 6 planetary systems above earth, called the heavenly kingdoms.
One need not suffer the karma of the present birth in the next birth itself.
When Dhritarashtra asked Krishna why I have to see my 100 sons die in war. Krishna replied 50 births before you killed 100 offsprings of a bird. Why I have to wait for 50 births Dhritarashtra asked. Krishna replied it took 50 births for you to accumulate punya in order to give birth to 100 children.
So the karma of killing 100 offsprings of a bird happened after 50 births.
Haribol,
S.Balaji.
Thank you Sir!
The example given by you helped me to understand the carry forward of karmas!!
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
To answer your questions,
1) Animal yoni is itself a punishment yoni. Once one gets into animal yoni, then there is a natural progression into different animal yonis, on the basis of consciousness. One has to go through those other animal yonis and then get human form only after 80 Lakh yonis (4 lakh yonis are manusya yonis). That is why human form of life is considered so rare and one is advised not to waste this human form in eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
2) Whatever sinful acts one commits, one does not finish everything by going to hell. Only a part of the sins are washed in hell, another part in animal yonis and the balance in human form. Punya - if one lands up in heaven, then after the punya is over, the soul falls back on earth in human form first, then depending on the karma, the next birth is decided.
3) Answered in 2 above. To continue - this world is dukhalayam ashashwatam - it is temporary and full of miseries. It is designed in such a manner that everyone has to suffer. So one part of suffering is attributed to this also.
4) Any previous birth - karma is applicable only to human birth, not in animal yoni. So any past human birth, need not be the immediate preceding one.
5) A. After suffering the fruits of our karma, we cannot go back to Godhead without bhakti. That is required.
B. that is what we all are doing - roaming in the 84 lakh species, depending on our karma.
C. If one does Krsna bhakti, one qualifies to go back to Godhead. However, a devotee doesnt even desire going back to godhead. He desires only service of the lord, rememberance of the lord. Heaven, hell, earth makes no difference to him.
6) no. There is no reaction to karma in animal yoni.
7) Cant say like this - what I know is after Cow yoni, one gets sattvic human body, after Tiger yoni, it is rajasic human body.
I hope I have answered all your questions. Please feel free to ask, if there are more questions or these answers are not clear.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Some questions regarding your answer to my 7th question:
7-1) Is there any fixed sequence of animals after human birth? If not, how the sequence is decided?
7-2) For every human, will the previous (84,00000th) animal birth be same animal or different animal?
7-3) Can the total number of suffering of 8400000 become less for some humans who did lesser sins?
7-4) Bhagvadgeeta confirms that bhoot yoni exists. So, is it part of 8400000 or a seperate yoni? Why humans go in bhoot yoni? Can a human stay in bhoot yoni permanently? Who/how that is decided?
Also one question regarding your answer to my second question:
2-1) If some human commited very very less paap and more and more punya then he goes to hell or heaven or both? After that still he is sent to 8400000 yonis or human?
1) As far as I know, it is dynamic, depending on the karma of the individual.
2) Same ans as 1) above.
3) Yes, again same ans as 1) above.
4) Bhoot yoni is one of the 84 L yonis. One becomes a ghost when one is denied a gross body. Then one is forced to live only in the subtle body. When someone commits suicide, or an accident happens in some cases, or even murder in some cases - basically unnatural death, then one does not get a gross body for the time period for which the soul was supposed to be in the body just left.
Suppose my lifespan is 80 years, I commit suicide at 30. For the next 50 years, I will not get another gross body, I will have to stay in subtle body. THat is bhoot yoni.
Noone stays in any yoni permanently - souls keep travelling from one yoni to another. It is all karma and the laws of nature that decide.
He could go to both the places - swarg and narak, or be born in very rich family, or get rajyog in next birth.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Thank you. I understood the concept.
Hare Krishna!
Thank you very much! I have got answers of most of the questions, however still some sub-queries exist mentioned below. Kindly help me to get clarity:
(1) Which are those 4 lacks Manusya yonis mentioned by you? I heard about this for the first time.
(2) As you said, animals' actions doesn't come under Karma category but then if say a lion eats a human then it is actually affecting karma of the human. Then what shall we call this incident as? Karma Vs No-Karma? Is it the case that the human must have killed the lion in some previous births (in some different yonis) of both of them? But if that is true, who gives the instructions to the lion to kill the human to take revenge and balance out the karma?
Thank you!
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