Have the Total Number of Souls Changed Since the Beginning of Creation?

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[Shri G Lakshman asked:- Swami, Padanamaskaram’s to You, While going through one of the earlier discourse, You had mentioned that the number of souls (quantity) is more or less the same across the different worlds. In the beginning God was bored and for entertainment, He created the universe, worlds, animals, humans etc. When God created the souls, I understand that, there would have been few only and later on multiplied over the period of time, is it not? Today we can say that the numbers of souls are more or less the same.]

Swami replied:- A person asked a villager that how many crows are in his village. The villager told that 400 crows existed in his village. The person told that he has counted and the number was only 390. The villager told that 10 crows might have gone to the next village. The person came after some time and told that there are exactly 410 crows in his village. Villager told that 10 crows might have come to his village from the near by village. This example is similar to our question of the number of souls expressed in materialized bodies on our earth. The souls in the upper worlds exist in energetic bodies, which are invisible to us by the will of God. There is always to and fro journey of materialized human beings on this earth after death and to become energetic beings in the upper worlds, which will return after sometime. Some souls stay for a longer-time in the upper world and some souls stay for a short time only for enjoying the fruits of their good and bad deeds. The minimum time for the soul to take birth on this earth is few munities only and the maximum time is 360 years or three human generations. Each human being is expected to live here for 120 years, which is the total sum of the periods of 9 planets. This is the reason for maintaining the ball of rice or wheat flour (pinda) in the rituals done after death for three generations. The Pinda disappears after three generations because the soul has to return to the earth and can’t stay in the upper world more than this period. Of course, some condemned special souls stay in the horrible hell forever.

The total number of souls created by God remains constant in this world. Variations in the numbers of souls present in each world are due to the to and fro journey of souls from one world to the other world. This does not mean that God can’t create any new soul. When Prajaapati (assistant of God Brahma) stole the cowherds and cows, God Krishna created new souls exactly in duplication. This means that the soul is created by God and the soul is not the creator. When the actual hidden souls were presented on this earth, God Krishna dissolved the new souls.

What I feel is that such enquiries are of not much use and we shall always try to discuss the various ways to please God to get protection from Him. The topic about the number of souls is of theoretical interest only and not related to the important practical aspect in pleasing God. Of course, we have to understand thoroughly the theoretical spiritual knowledge (Jnaana Yoga) based on which the practical implementation is arrived.

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