Time Between Rebirths and the Nature of the Soul

Time Between Rebirths By Jagannatha Prakasa (John of AllFaith) � 06.14.09 QUESTION:Sir, As per our vedas we will not sying with destroying of this body, then where we will go we can say in to a new boady. waht is the form of mine as beteen this exciting and adopting of a new body if ther is any thing in vedas or somewhere else plese tell me. Reply by Jagannatha Prakasa: Namaskar Vineet, My answer to this would be that you are still identifying with the material body: The change of location/state of being does not occur between lifetimes but within the material experiences. Our natural/eternal state of existence is "nir-guna brahman": without any material qualities. When we take conception/birth our consciousness is altered to the temporary state of existence known as "sa-guna brahman": with material qualities. At that point "marga" (the general "course" of our upcoming lives) is added and the eternal Soul or Jiva-Atman is granted the body of a human, an animal, etc. This form is then discarded once its purpose has been served. So then, between material lifetimes we exist in our external state, which is devoid of all material qualities. Different sects and pundits may add different twists and flavors to this, but essentially this is our understanding. Bhagavad Gita 2:11: The Blessed One said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead. 2:12: Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. 2:13: As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul also passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. 2:14: O son of Kunti, sensory perceptions afflict one with cold, heat, pleasure and pain. They appear and disappear and are impermanent. Therefore endure them all O descendant of Bharata. 2:15: One who is never distressed, O best among men, and who remains unaltered [in the face of] suffering and pleasure and is patient, such a person is eligible for immortality. 2:16: Being does not come from the non-existent, nor does non-being arise from the eternal. This is the considered conclusion of those who see the truth. (my translation). Hope this helps, Om Santi ~ Jagannatha Prakasa adhikari. ~ John of AllFaith Sri Jagannatha.com http://allfaith.com Om Jai Jagannatha! Sri Jagannatha.com Home Page Bhagavad Gita translated by Jagannatha Prakasa Gitabhasya of Jagannatha Prakasa