3 Reincarnation

Reincarnation


Reincarnation means that the soul is changingbodies. This changeof
bodies occurs not only at death, but throughout life; from boyhood to
youthto old age, then to a baby's body. These moment by moment changes
are too small for the personto be aware of, but when we consider
greater amounts of time, then the change of bodies is obvious. The
change of body known as death is the most apparent.

The Bhagavad-gita compares the change of body at the time of death to
a person discarding old and useless clothes, and putting on new
garments. Regardless of whatever plans and adjustments we make, our
body eventually wears out, and we are obliged to accept a new one.


Although everyone must die, still we are makingplans as though death
was not certain. Saints have described this as the most amazing thing
in this world. That is, even though we see that everyone is dying and
getting old, we think that it will not happen to us, and we neglect
the real purpose of human life: self-realization. One must inquire as
to what happens at the time of death.
Although one may have the body of a man in thislife, the soul may take
the body of a woman in the next. One may have an oriental body in one
birth,a western body in the next; or one may take birth in an animal
or insect species as a result of one'sactivities and desires in this
life. It is importantto understand how the soul transmigrates from one
body to the next.
1. Bhagavad-gita 2.13
2. Bhagavad-gita 2.22
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