Posted on: 04 Feb 2005
[I am discouraged by the difficulty of Your path of true knowledge and You say that we have only one human birth to achieve it. Can you encourage me?]
Let me encourage you at the very out set itself by stating that the Lord will encourage you by giving you an infinite number of human rebirths and also help you in every human birth by providing a congenial atmostphere, on one condition that you constantly try to travel in the spiritual path, by putting up your best efforts at all times. When you stop your spiritual efforts and your efforts are directed towards to the world, the Lord does not sanction human rebirth to you and subsequently you will be thrown into the cycle of animals and birds. When a human being’s interest is limited to food, drink, sleep, sex and blind bonds with his issues, the human being is not different from an animal or bird in any way. Thus, the Lord is justified in such action. In such a case there is no use of giving that person a human birth at all. Therefore, you need not be discouraged about the path or the goal. It is not essential to achieve the goal in this human birth itself. If you are constantly trying, with full sincerity, till the last moment of this human birth, it is sufficient. You should not be discouraged by your failures. You should not stop your efforts. One day or other, you will certainly succeed.
Even in worldly efforts, success is seen by constant efforts. In spiritual efforts, the help from the Lord is additionally present. This is stated in the Gita (Yatate cha tato bhuyah…). Human rebirth is negated as a general rule because most human beings fall under this general rule. The special devotee comes under the special exemption. If you are under such special exemption, you need not worry about the general rule. If you are constantly trying, you will reach the Lord even after several human rebirths as said in the Gita (bahunam janmanam…). However, earlier you reach Him the better it is. You can treat every day as a fresh human birth and the sleep in every night, as death. In such a case you will achieve the goal in this birth itself [since you would have passed through several births and deaths in this life itself according to this new definition of birth and death]. Christians and Muslims are the best in this point, since they do not believe in human rebirth and become careful and alert about the spiritual effort. Hindus, who believe in human rebirth are neglecting their spiritual efforts, postponing it to their oldage and then to the next human birth. Hindus must know that the human rebirth is only a special exception and not the general rule. Even in Hinduism it is said that the human birth is very rare (Nara Janma Durlabham).