Paramacharya of Swaha, Pt. Hardeo Persad, part two of an interview on 90.5 FM on 07.05.20
Question: What is reincarnation? Why do we have to go through this life process and karma?
Answer: Every soul is part of the Divine and Divinity is everywhere. We appear separate because of the illusion of individuality. If you look at the air inside a jar, is it different from the air outside it? We tend to identify with the air inside the jar, or body. The limitations of maayaa create separateness, the concept, or rather, misconception of individuality.
Essentially, we are at all times pure. If we light a deeya, it shines, but if we cover it, it will not. The aatmaa, that point of individual consciousness is like that light. There is negativity because we are exposed to the physical world and experience attachment and aversion (raag and dvesh). Negative feelings are experienced such as anger, hate, greed, lust and jealousy. The five elements (panch tattva) create the 25 tattvas and they are part of the human body. We are all influenced by these creations and as such, it is difficult to attain liberation in one lifetime.
In terms of reincarnation, when someone dies and goes on to another life, it is just a change in the centre, from one body to another. We are all part of the substratum, Brahm. While we are here, we must remove the impurities of hate, anger, hate, lust, greed and jealousy from the brilliance and self-effulgence of the aatmaa. The nature of the soul is light and love. It is the essence of pure energy but it is blocked out by a screen of impurity. In life, when we work at removing the negativities, we expand to identify with the Divine Infinite Consciousness and we realise the divine glory, ecstasy and bliss.
Reincarnation is the process through which we get rid of the impurities. Once we are in the world, we are affected by both materialism and spirituality. If one could maintain pure spirituality, they will not be muddied by the poisons of the world. That is not our true nature. Once we are conquered by materialism, there are such negativities. Reincarnation is the process through which we remove the impurities that prevent us from identifying with our true nature.
We are all subject to cosmological laws, the laws of cause and effect (karma), reincarnation and the transmigration of souls. Swami Vivekananda said that as a child in school, we are taught three lessons: speak the truth, don’t steal and honour your parents. People are at different intellectual levels so we understand these in different degrees and at our own pace. The quicker we learn, the quicker we graduate to a higher level. We enter this world to learn certain lessons. In life, certain challenges arise, pain, suffering, disaster, both individual and collective. The whole world is affected by Covid-19 and we must learn its lessons. We must show love; we must have charity; we must demonstrate the various lessons that scriptures teach us.
Q: Is ‘bad karma’ cancelled out by creating good karma?
A: Cancellation only takes place in Mathematics; karmas have to be worked out. The only way we can get rid of all these impurities and bad karma is if we unconditionally surrender. In Hinduism, this is sharanaagati; in Christianity, they say accept Christ, and the Muslims say that there is no God but Allah. These all mean that there is no power except that Divine and I unconditionally surrender to That. A Hindu, Christian, Muslim or atheist can reach the highest point if they practise unconditional surrender. There is a difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is personal, but spirituality is universal. Spirituality transcends all boundaries. The nature of the soul is divine, expressing love, steadfastness, truthfulness, honesty and dutifulness. These are indicators of spiritual qualities.
Our karmas dictate where we are at the moment and where we need to go. Everything happens by Divine design. There is also interspecies transmigration of souls. If one acts like an animal in this life, it is possible that the soul could lose its human form in the next life and be reborn as an animal or another lower form of creation. When our karmas are exhausted then we climb up the ladder of transmigration once more.
The sages tell us, “O traveller, the bond of wisdom has broken; the night of delusion has come to an end. Wake up.”
