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Thread: Rebirth as an animal

  1. #11
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    Re: Rebirth as an animal

    Pranam

    Quote Originally Posted by ale84 View Post
    Hello, I've heard from ISKCON that is easy to fall back from human stage to the animal realm.
    But what is the position of other schools, like Advaita for instance, on this issue?
    Are animals jivas, like human beings, or are they part of a collective soul from which they eventually split into jiva/human existence?

    Thanks.
    Now that would be too simple to say one can fall back to animal realm that easy, yes they are many example in this regards, some on the account of curse as the example given by Devotee ji

    What does lord Krishna says in this regards;

    Remembering whatever object one leaves the body at the end of life, one attains that object, O Arjuna, because of the constant thought of that object (one remembers that object at the end of life and achieves it). (8.06)

    The story of Bhgvatam of maharaj Bharat as mentioned by Viraja, fits in nicely with above.

    Off course the cumulative effect of the thoughts and actions of one's life influences one's thoughts at the time of death, that is for sure.

    Krishna Bhagvan in chapter 16, also warns us of the three gates to hell or birth in lower realm and to be weary of them.

    As to who is coming and going, surly there are different answers one gets depending who you follow, personally it is me the individual who never dies as explained in Gita

    There was never a time when I, you, or these kings did not exist; nor shall we ever cease to exist in the future. (2.12)

    He further explains to Arjun you and me have had many birth, I remember them all but you do not.

    That is the difference between us Jiva who is coming and going from one existence to another, according to our desires and karma the authority that be decides our fate.

    Jai Shree Krishna
    Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
    Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
    The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.

  2. #12
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    Re: Rebirth as an animal

    Namaste

    These are some of my understandings as taught to me within Hinduism in relation to animals:

    (1) Simply being born an animal does not always mean you are "less than a human". There are times when an animal can demonstrate high intelligence or even the highest intelligence. When is there an example of this? The example is when the Divine Hindu God or Gods or Devi is directly manifesting in Form on Bhumi, the intelligence of the Divinity is so enlightening and prevading that animals exhibit intelligence and even exhibit powers of siddhi or transcendental powers and rasas. Some may speak many languages, or practice meditation and so on.

    (2) Animals have souls. Individual souls and not one collective soul.

    (3) Yes, you can be reborn as an animal, in most cases this is a "step down" or "step backwards" from a human birth, however sometimes it may be a reward and a purpose to extend Dharma.

    (4) You should not go about with an attitude "animals are beneath my dignity". This leds surely to the slaughter of animals and thus bad karma. There is also collective karma.

    Om Namah Sivaya

  3. #13
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    Re: Rebirth as an animal

    The whole of the births are into the different lokas. Human birth is the middle loka. There are 6 lower lokas which consist of the different lower forms of bodies like animals, creatures, plants etc. Higher lokas do not have physical bodies bodies like humans or other animals.

    Depending on the karmaphals and state of mind, the fitment can be into the respective body. It can be lower, higher or human body.
    Love and best wishes:hug:

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