Can a soul born as an animal or bird be reborn as a human?

Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, Shri Shantanu Ray, after reading a part of Your discourse come with following question in Quora forum:

[Sir, you have to forgive this impudent and possibly stupid question but the answer will benefit the reader in comprehending the rest of the text. Is it impossible for someone born in a tiryak yoni then to transcend into higher beings? Ultimately as a human form. The question arises due to the part 'jnyan cannot be given to a bird or insect'. Since without jnyan one cannot transcend into higher beings. Sincerely hope the question is intelligible. Sir, again seeking forgiveness for the impudence and looking forward to an answer. God bless all ॐ।]

Swami replied: Souls present in a human body commit several sins due to their fascination for selfish desires without even remembering God. Such souls are given the birth of birds, animals, trees, stones etc., (tiryak-sthaavara). In these births, their selfishness gets reduced. If you see any bird or animal, it does not store its food for tomorrow. But the present human being is not satisfied even upon storing wealth for a hundred future generations! After the birth of birds and animals, if the soul’s selfish fascination has not been sufficiently exhausted, it is given the birth of a tree. As a tree, even if somebody takes its fruits (wealth), the tree will not feel any loss due to the absence of intelligence and a mind. If the fascination still remains in traces, the soul is given the birth of a stone in which the awareness is totally absent. It is a state like a long deep coma, in which the soul can forget the concept of selfishness. All these punishments are not given with an idea of revenge but are only meant for the reformation of the soul. Once the soul is perfectly reformed, the human birth is sanctioned again, where the soul acquires awareness, knowledge and a mind.

In the birth of the bird or animal, full knowledge may be absent, but a mind and awareness are present. In trees, even the mind is absent even though very basic awareness is present. In stones, even the awareness is absent. In your question, you mention about the inability to introduce full knowledge to the soul while it is in the birth of a bird or animal (tiryak). But our concept is broad in dealing with the rebirth of the soul as a human being, after passing through the births of animals or birds for a long time.

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