SECTION XVIII. REINCARNATION.Reincarnation, as I have said, is the physical form in which groups of accumulated causes (Karma) of reaction manifest themselves in Nature. Reincarnation means rebirth. Rebirth means, to be born again in flesh after death. In order, therefore, to know what is rebirth, we must know what is death. To know what is death, we must know what is life.Let us see what life really is. Human life is conscious mentality encased in flesh. To be briefer, human life may be summed up in one word—consciousness. Life of lower animals is negative consciousness, while human life is positive consciousness.Human consciousness is subject to three states. The Waking state, the Dream state and the Dreamless Sleep state. In the waking state all our inner and outer senses work. The inner senses are; The Intellect, the Ego and the Mind. The outer senses are the five cognizing and the five working senses. These senses are fully active during our waking state. So long as the mind thinks, the intellect decides, the Ego is self-conscious, the eye sees, the ear hears, etc., they are acting. And activity (Rāja) brings about the reaction of weariness (Tama). In other words, the senses become tired out, owing to incessant work and need rest. It is the state of weariness of the senses that makes us feel exhausted and seek rest. But the senses cannot have full rest as long as we are in a waking state, for their activity never ceases while we are awake. Here Nature's law steps in and draws a veil between the senses and their objects, the veil of Tama, born out of the excessive work of Rāja. We fall asleep.But in the first stage of sleep our senses still sustain their activity, though in a lesser degree than in the waking state, owing to their still cognizing reflections of the objects, and scenes impressed on our mind while we are awake. This is called the dream state of consciousness, Dreams are of three kinds. The ordinary dream is made up of the blended reflections of impressions of scenes and thoughts ill natural or fantastic shapes. The second kind of dream is a clear unmixed reflection of the mind's impressions of some of our experiences in a previous birth. The third kind of dream is a reflection cast upon our pure consciousness of coming events from their Karmic impressions on the Ether or on our own aura. The ordinary dreams belong to the dream state. The other two classes of dreams are experiences during the dreamless state of sleep, generally in the morning just before awaking.The dreams in the first stage of our sleep keep our senses still employed and the mind active on that account, for the activity of the mind is generated by the operations of the senses with their objects. Hence neither the tired mind nor the tired senses derive the complete rest they need, until gradually the veil of Tama grows dense and shuts out even the mental reflections of objects from their view. This stops the operations of the senses which then are absorbed by the mind whose offsprings and agents they are, for the senses cannot exist when they are deprived of their function of cognition. The same thing occurs with the mind, for its activity, caused and sustained by the activity of the senses, is the only reason for its separate existence. With the loss of its function, therefore, the mind loses this separate existence and is absorbed by the Ego. The Ego is in the same way absorbed by Consciousness, for the Ego is dependent on the Mind which sustains its existence of self-consciousness. And then Absolute Consciousness, with the passive germs of the Ego, Mind and Senses merged in it, is absorbed in its turn by the Soul and dwells in its realm until the senses have rested sufficiently.In the depth of this dreamless sleep state of our consciousness, Tama gives place to the reaction of Sattwa which is very pure during this state. This dreamless sleep may be called a negative trance state. When we awake, through development of the Rāja Attribute, we feel not only thoroughly refreshed but also in a state of mental harmony, a happy mood of mind. We also feel that we were, during that dead sleep, in a state of utter oblivion of everything. We feel we forgot then even our own existence, feel that we were not conscious even of our own self, that we were in an absolutely happy state, happy with happiness itself. We know of this condition, when we awake from it, by inference from the happy state of our mental mood, induced by the abstract impression of it upon our consciousness which was present then in its pure state. The cause of the refreshment and new strength of our body and senses is this dip in the Essence of the Soul, the source of all energy. The physicians try to put their patients into this deep sleep in serious cases of illness, knowing by experience that deep sleep is a quicker and more powerful restorer of health than any medicine, but they do not know where lies the balm of sound sleep.The activity of Rāja brings about the awakening from this state by causing the unfoldment of the infolded Ego, mind and senses which resume their operations with external and internal objects as before. The difference between death and sleep lies here. After sleep we resume the functions of our senses, but death is caused by the confusion of our mind, on account of the senses not being able to resume their functions, owing to the disorder of the physical counterparts of the sense-organs through disease. Disease belongs to the physical body, and the senses with the mind and Ego belong to the astral body which we are. The pains we feel are caused by our identifying ourselves with our physical encasement. If we keep the fact constantly alive in our mind that our physical body is the earthly home of our soul, which is the centre of our astral self, we will not only not feel physical pain but prevent or do away with such pain even in the physical body. To know ourselves as nothing but our physical body is the densest, narrowest and the most mischievous ignorance. We often find proofs of this separateness of the physical and mental bodies from acts which present themselves in our daily life; we fail to cognize the experiences of our body or even of our senses when our mind absent from them and absorbed in some other direction. It is the mind that feels pain pleasure, not the body, neither the senses.The physician, through the action of drugs, causes the attribute of Tama to assert itself and cover the mind's perception with its dark veil, so that the patient may not feel the pain of a serious operation on the body, while we feel no pleasure in eating or drinking if our mind is away from them.The Yogi who has, by practice, developed unbroken consciousness of the separatness of the mental and physical body not only enjoys, when the consciousness is absolute, immunity from physical diseases and mishaps, but also does not feel the throes of death when he leaves his worn-out or diseased physical tenement. But the generality of mortals who cannot think of themselves as anything else but their physical bodies, owing to ignorance, suffer from all physical diseases. When these physical diseases put the physical counterparts of sense-organs into disorder, it confuses the mind when it finds that its channels of outward communication, the senses, can no longer work through them. In that confusion it loses its balance and is strongly swayed by the desire to again see and hear and feel and taste, etc.But finding it impossible to do so in the present body any more, it tries to find some vehicle through which it can resume its functions. The pain of the worst stage of the physical disease distracts it more and more so that it thinks it would be more comfortable in any other body than its present one. In confusion, this central force of the astral body enters with that body into the volume of air which fills the physical body, thinking it will gain relief from the unbearable pain. And no sooner the astral body, which is very subtle and finer than the air, enters into it, than it passes out, thus air-encased, through the mouth, causing the death of the physical body. This is the common process of death. Some astral bodies enter the air-body unconsciously if the mind has been benumbed by pain or covered by the influence of excessive Tama. But this is certain of every ordinary soul that it goes out of the body encased in air.The thought predominant in this supreme moment of human life decides the destination of the human soul encased in the astral body when it leaves its physical home. If we think of nothing but of Krishna at this moment we go to Krishna and live in His Abode, Goloka, the Abode of Absolute Love. If we think of Christ we go to Christ in His Father's Kingdom of Heaven. If we are filled with the conception of Nirvāna—extinction of all individuality—we go to Nirvāna. If we desire for higher life above the earth we go to the higher spheres. But if our earthly attachment having their influence on our thoughts at that moment, fill us with regret for being taken away from them or make us desire for earthly life, we return to earth-life again, but not necessarily to a joyful or comfortable life. A life of worldly joy and comfort is due to good Karma and self-denial in some previous existence. A life of sorrow and hardship is due to bad Karma.The earth-bound soul, on leaving the physical body, feels overcome by the shock of its final trouble with and severance from that physical body and remains in an inert state for a time. When it recovers from that shock, it finds that it has been transferred to a worse state. Although the air-body in which it encased is not diseased, it has, however, no openings for its senses to perform their respective functions. It finds it cannot see or hear or smell or touch or taste anything and yet the desires for these objects of the senses are as strong as when it was in the physical body. This makes it weep for the loss of its dear physical body and it hovers about in space sad and restless. It has no stomach, yet is filled with mental hunger and thirst which grow intense because it has no means of satisfying them. Indeed, finding this astral life to be of greater torment, the unhappy earth-bound soul longs to have a flesh covering again, to be reborn, and flies hither and thither blindly, because of the want of physical organs, and some day gains this object. It enters, through the vigor (Sanscrit Virga, 'virjya,' force, power) of a man into a woman's womb. This causes conception. No conception can take place without a disembodied spirit entering the womb. Vigor mixed with the mother's blood supplies the physical body which is mere dead matter without the vivifying astral soul. It is only when an astral soul enters it that the womb closes and conception takes place. The incoming soul then feels itself confined within its scope and cannot go out of it by its own effort or will.The selection of the vigor and the womb for the astral soul is made principally according to the subtle law of individual Karma and, secondarily, according to the law of affinity. The mental characteristics of the parents must be similar to those of the soul to draw it to them. As for its physical body, it may favor in appearance its mother or its father more or less according as their individuality and image are stamped on the vigor and the blood through the state of extreme mental concentration induced at the time. If the incoming soul possesses far stronger individuality than those of the father and the mother, it asserts this upon its body and the child looks like neither the father nor the mother. He looks like himself—a form and appearance born of the imagination of its own strong individuality.This direct rebirth from hovering in the astral body in the astral plane for some time is not true in the case of every disembodied soul. There are souls which, after death, may go at once to Heaven ('Swarga,' Celestial regions) or to Purgatory, the nether regions. According to the Hindoo Scriptures, Heaven (Swarga) is not the Abode of God, but the abode of the gods, the Swar-sphere where the gods, the governors of the Elements and Attributes of Nature, dwell. It is the Prārabdha Karma of the soul that determines its translation after death to Heaven or Purgatory. The joys of Heaven are reserved as a reward for good Karma. And yet these heavenly joys are but finest forms of material happiness, enjoyed by merit of good actions performed in earth-life for the sake of just such recompense. These heaven-dwellers mentally enjoy all these exquisite pleasures of the senses at their will, as well as the company of celestial beings, as long as the term of their merit lasts. At the expiration of the term they come down to earth to be reborn again. These heavenly blessings are, therefore, but transitory.Intensely wicked actions, in the same manner, are punished by a term of suffering tortures in Purgatory, at the expiration of which the purged souls may go straight to heaven, if good Prārabdha Karma succeeds their expiatory sufferings, or be reborn again on earth. The tendency of the pleasure-seeking, materialistic, modern mind is to disbelieve the existence of any such place of torture as Purgatory. They think that Heaven and Purgatory exist only on earth within man's mind. This is true and yet it is not. If anybody develops high spirituality he or she can taste higher, finer and more lasting joys than even celestial pleasures. For such there is neither Heaven nor Purgatory, for intense spirituality burns down all seeds of Karma. As to enduring the tortures of Purgatory here on earth through repentance, that is true too. But if the spirit of repentance is not absolute, it fails to fully purge away the sin, so that such sinful souls have to go to the nether regions for complete cleansing. The Hindoo Books do not believe in such a thing as Eternal Hell or Punishment, because it is absurd, unjust and unscientific according to the laws of Nature. The governor of "Naraka" (Purgatory) one of the gods, the presiding deity of (Dharmarāj) and the regions of his rule are situated within the bowels of the earth. Human houses of correction (prisons) tend more to corrupt than to correct, because those in charge of them are not imbued with a perfect spirit of sympathy, justice and mercy. In the Divine houses of correction (Purgatory) perfect justice blends with mercy and sympathy, and the governor thereof is the embodiment of these three attributes. He has to deal with his prisoners according to their own records of their misdeeds, reflected on the aura, a true copy of which is kept in the books of Ether, from which his Recording Angel transcribes items credited to each individual soul.For the pious, spiritually developed soul, however, there is no Purgatory, as I have said. It lives and breathes in a plane which is outside of the three lower planes of selfish actions and their reactions, outside of the jurisdiction even of the gods. To his ensouled mind the word purgatory or heaven has no meaning whatever. He loves spirituality for its own dear sake and feels itself safe from all evil in the embrace of its protecting arms.Into the vigor or the blood of such a spiritual soul, no wicked astral spirit can enter. Its pure aura repels such spirits and admits only kindred spirits seeking rebirth, drawn to it by Karma and affinity.Much suffering is the lot of the ordinary soul while growing in the womb, on account of its cramped consciousness and the narrow space in which it is confined. After the sixth month, it has a wonderful experience. The veil shrouding its past existence is suddenly lifted and the memories of all of its past births rush across its mind. It even witnesses the scenes of thousands of its previous existences and realizes the reason of the pain and sorrow suffered during all these existences—the reason of its having been attached to material objects and having disregarded the development of its spiritual self, its having been unmindful of its duty, to its Maker and its fellow man. This realization crushes its mind with contrition and it weeps and prays to God to forgive it and promises to live a life of devotion to Him in the future. This goes on for three months together until it is born, when, at the touch of the earthly atmosphere all those memories vanish and it is once more drowned in oblivion. It is more from the pain of this shock that it cries out at the time of birth.
SECTION XVIII. REINCARNATION.Reincarnation, as I have said, is the physical form in which groups of accumulated causes (Karma) of reaction manifest themselves in Nature. Reincarnation means rebirth. Rebirth means, to be born again in flesh after death. In order, therefore, to know what is rebirth, we must know what is death. To know what is death, we must know what is life.Let us see what life really is. Human life is conscious mentality encased in flesh. To be briefer, human life may be summed up in one word—consciousness. Life of lower animals is negative consciousness, while human life is positive consciousness.Human consciousness is subject to three states. The Waking state, the Dream state and the Dreamless Sleep state. In the waking state all our inner and outer senses work. The inner senses are; The Intellect, the Ego and the Mind. The outer senses are the five cognizing and the five working senses. These senses are fully active during our waking state. So long as the mind thinks, the intellect decides, the Ego is self-conscious, the eye sees, the ear hears, etc., they are acting. And activity (Rāja) brings about the reaction of weariness (Tama). In other words, the senses become tired out, owing to incessant work and need rest. It is the state of weariness of the senses that makes us feel exhausted and seek rest. But the senses cannot have full rest as long as we are in a waking state, for their activity never ceases while we are awake. Here Nature's law steps in and draws a veil between the senses and their objects, the veil of Tama, born out of the excessive work of Rāja. We fall asleep.But in the first stage of sleep our senses still sustain their activity, though in a lesser degree than in the waking state, owing to their still cognizing reflections of the objects, and scenes impressed on our mind while we are awake. This is called the dream state of consciousness, Dreams are of three kinds. The ordinary dream is made up of the blended reflections of impressions of scenes and thoughts ill natural or fantastic shapes. The second kind of dream is a clear unmixed reflection of the mind's impressions of some of our experiences in a previous birth. The third kind of dream is a reflection cast upon our pure consciousness of coming events from their Karmic impressions on the Ether or on our own aura. The ordinary dreams belong to the dream state. The other two classes of dreams are experiences during the dreamless state of sleep, generally in the morning just before awaking.The dreams in the first stage of our sleep keep our senses still employed and the mind active on that account, for the activity of the mind is generated by the operations of the senses with their objects. Hence neither the tired mind nor the tired senses derive the complete rest they need, until gradually the veil of Tama grows dense and shuts out even the mental reflections of objects from their view. This stops the operations of the senses which then are absorbed by the mind whose offsprings and agents they are, for the senses cannot exist when they are deprived of their function of cognition. The same thing occurs with the mind, for its activity, caused and sustained by the activity of the senses, is the only reason for its separate existence. With the loss of its function, therefore, the mind loses this separate existence and is absorbed by the Ego. The Ego is in the same way absorbed by Consciousness, for the Ego is dependent on the Mind which sustains its existence of self-consciousness. And then Absolute Consciousness, with the passive germs of the Ego, Mind and Senses merged in it, is absorbed in its turn by the Soul and dwells in its realm until the senses have rested sufficiently.In the depth of this dreamless sleep state of our consciousness, Tama gives place to the reaction of Sattwa which is very pure during this state. This dreamless sleep may be called a negative trance state. When we awake, through development of the Rāja Attribute, we feel not only thoroughly refreshed but also in a state of mental harmony, a happy mood of mind. We also feel that we were, during that dead sleep, in a state of utter oblivion of everything. We feel we forgot then even our own existence, feel that we were not conscious even of our own self, that we were in an absolutely happy state, happy with happiness itself. We know of this condition, when we awake from it, by inference from the happy state of our mental mood, induced by the abstract impression of it upon our consciousness which was present then in its pure state. The cause of the refreshment and new strength of our body and senses is this dip in the Essence of the Soul, the source of all energy. The physicians try to put their patients into this deep sleep in serious cases of illness, knowing by experience that deep sleep is a quicker and more powerful restorer of health than any medicine, but they do not know where lies the balm of sound sleep.The activity of Rāja brings about the awakening from this state by causing the unfoldment of the infolded Ego, mind and senses which resume their operations with external and internal objects as before. The difference between death and sleep lies here. After sleep we resume the functions of our senses, but death is caused by the confusion of our mind, on account of the senses not being able to resume their functions, owing to the disorder of the physical counterparts of the sense-organs through disease. Disease belongs to the physical body, and the senses with the mind and Ego belong to the astral body which we are. The pains we feel are caused by our identifying ourselves with our physical encasement. If we keep the fact constantly alive in our mind that our physical body is the earthly home of our soul, which is the centre of our astral self, we will not only not feel physical pain but prevent or do away with such pain even in the physical body. To know ourselves as nothing but our physical body is the densest, narrowest and the most mischievous ignorance. We often find proofs of this separateness of the physical and mental bodies from acts which present themselves in our daily life; we fail to cognize the experiences of our body or even of our senses when our mind absent from them and absorbed in some other direction. It is the mind that feels pain pleasure, not the body, neither the senses.The physician, through the action of drugs, causes the attribute of Tama to assert itself and cover the mind's perception with its dark veil, so that the patient may not feel the pain of a serious operation on the body, while we feel no pleasure in eating or drinking if our mind is away from them.The Yogi who has, by practice, developed unbroken consciousness of the separatness of the mental and physical body not only enjoys, when the consciousness is absolute, immunity from physical diseases and mishaps, but also does not feel the throes of death when he leaves his worn-out or diseased physical tenement. But the generality of mortals who cannot think of themselves as anything else but their physical bodies, owing to ignorance, suffer from all physical diseases. When these physical diseases put the physical counterparts of sense-organs into disorder, it confuses the mind when it finds that its channels of outward communication, the senses, can no longer work through them. In that confusion it loses its balance and is strongly swayed by the desire to again see and hear and feel and taste, etc.But finding it impossible to do so in the present body any more, it tries to find some vehicle through which it can resume its functions. The pain of the worst stage of the physical disease distracts it more and more so that it thinks it would be more comfortable in any other body than its present one. In confusion, this central force of the astral body enters with that body into the volume of air which fills the physical body, thinking it will gain relief from the unbearable pain. And no sooner the astral body, which is very subtle and finer than the air, enters into it, than it passes out, thus air-encased, through the mouth, causing the death of the physical body. This is the common process of death. Some astral bodies enter the air-body unconsciously if the mind has been benumbed by pain or covered by the influence of excessive Tama. But this is certain of every ordinary soul that it goes out of the body encased in air.The thought predominant in this supreme moment of human life decides the destination of the human soul encased in the astral body when it leaves its physical home. If we think of nothing but of Krishna at this moment we go to Krishna and live in His Abode, Goloka, the Abode of Absolute Love. If we think of Christ we go to Christ in His Father's Kingdom of Heaven. If we are filled with the conception of Nirvāna—extinction of all individuality—we go to Nirvāna. If we desire for higher life above the earth we go to the higher spheres. But if our earthly attachment having their influence on our thoughts at that moment, fill us with regret for being taken away from them or make us desire for earthly life, we return to earth-life again, but not necessarily to a joyful or comfortable life. A life of worldly joy and comfort is due to good Karma and self-denial in some previous existence. A life of sorrow and hardship is due to bad Karma.The earth-bound soul, on leaving the physical body, feels overcome by the shock of its final trouble with and severance from that physical body and remains in an inert state for a time. When it recovers from that shock, it finds that it has been transferred to a worse state. Although the air-body in which it encased is not diseased, it has, however, no openings for its senses to perform their respective functions. It finds it cannot see or hear or smell or touch or taste anything and yet the desires for these objects of the senses are as strong as when it was in the physical body. This makes it weep for the loss of its dear physical body and it hovers about in space sad and restless. It has no stomach, yet is filled with mental hunger and thirst which grow intense because it has no means of satisfying them. Indeed, finding this astral life to be of greater torment, the unhappy earth-bound soul longs to have a flesh covering again, to be reborn, and flies hither and thither blindly, because of the want of physical organs, and some day gains this object. It enters, through the vigor (Sanscrit Virga, 'virjya,' force, power) of a man into a woman's womb. This causes conception. No conception can take place without a disembodied spirit entering the womb. Vigor mixed with the mother's blood supplies the physical body which is mere dead matter without the vivifying astral soul. It is only when an astral soul enters it that the womb closes and conception takes place. The incoming soul then feels itself confined within its scope and cannot go out of it by its own effort or will.The selection of the vigor and the womb for the astral soul is made principally according to the subtle law of individual Karma and, secondarily, according to the law of affinity. The mental characteristics of the parents must be similar to those of the soul to draw it to them. As for its physical body, it may favor in appearance its mother or its father more or less according as their individuality and image are stamped on the vigor and the blood through the state of extreme mental concentration induced at the time. If the incoming soul possesses far stronger individuality than those of the father and the mother, it asserts this upon its body and the child looks like neither the father nor the mother. He looks like himself—a form and appearance born of the imagination of its own strong individuality.This direct rebirth from hovering in the astral body in the astral plane for some time is not true in the case of every disembodied soul. There are souls which, after death, may go at once to Heaven ('Swarga,' Celestial regions) or to Purgatory, the nether regions. According to the Hindoo Scriptures, Heaven (Swarga) is not the Abode of God, but the abode of the gods, the Swar-sphere where the gods, the governors of the Elements and Attributes of Nature, dwell. It is the Prārabdha Karma of the soul that determines its translation after death to Heaven or Purgatory. The joys of Heaven are reserved as a reward for good Karma. And yet these heavenly joys are but finest forms of material happiness, enjoyed by merit of good actions performed in earth-life for the sake of just such recompense. These heaven-dwellers mentally enjoy all these exquisite pleasures of the senses at their will, as well as the company of celestial beings, as long as the term of their merit lasts. At the expiration of the term they come down to earth to be reborn again. These heavenly blessings are, therefore, but transitory.Intensely wicked actions, in the same manner, are punished by a term of suffering tortures in Purgatory, at the expiration of which the purged souls may go straight to heaven, if good Prārabdha Karma succeeds their expiatory sufferings, or be reborn again on earth. The tendency of the pleasure-seeking, materialistic, modern mind is to disbelieve the existence of any such place of torture as Purgatory. They think that Heaven and Purgatory exist only on earth within man's mind. This is true and yet it is not. If anybody develops high spirituality he or she can taste higher, finer and more lasting joys than even celestial pleasures. For such there is neither Heaven nor Purgatory, for intense spirituality burns down all seeds of Karma. As to enduring the tortures of Purgatory here on earth through repentance, that is true too. But if the spirit of repentance is not absolute, it fails to fully purge away the sin, so that such sinful souls have to go to the nether regions for complete cleansing. The Hindoo Books do not believe in such a thing as Eternal Hell or Punishment, because it is absurd, unjust and unscientific according to the laws of Nature. The governor of "Naraka" (Purgatory) one of the gods, the presiding deity of (Dharmarāj) and the regions of his rule are situated within the bowels of the earth. Human houses of correction (prisons) tend more to corrupt than to correct, because those in charge of them are not imbued with a perfect spirit of sympathy, justice and mercy. In the Divine houses of correction (Purgatory) perfect justice blends with mercy and sympathy, and the governor thereof is the embodiment of these three attributes. He has to deal with his prisoners according to their own records of their misdeeds, reflected on the aura, a true copy of which is kept in the books of Ether, from which his Recording Angel transcribes items credited to each individual soul.For the pious, spiritually developed soul, however, there is no Purgatory, as I have said. It lives and breathes in a plane which is outside of the three lower planes of selfish actions and their reactions, outside of the jurisdiction even of the gods. To his ensouled mind the word purgatory or heaven has no meaning whatever. He loves spirituality for its own dear sake and feels itself safe from all evil in the embrace of its protecting arms.Into the vigor or the blood of such a spiritual soul, no wicked astral spirit can enter. Its pure aura repels such spirits and admits only kindred spirits seeking rebirth, drawn to it by Karma and affinity.Much suffering is the lot of the ordinary soul while growing in the womb, on account of its cramped consciousness and the narrow space in which it is confined. After the sixth month, it has a wonderful experience. The veil shrouding its past existence is suddenly lifted and the memories of all of its past births rush across its mind. It even witnesses the scenes of thousands of its previous existences and realizes the reason of the pain and sorrow suffered during all these existences—the reason of its having been attached to material objects and having disregarded the development of its spiritual self, its having been unmindful of its duty, to its Maker and its fellow man. This realization crushes its mind with contrition and it weeps and prays to God to forgive it and promises to live a life of devotion to Him in the future. This goes on for three months together until it is born, when, at the touch of the earthly atmosphere all those memories vanish and it is once more drowned in oblivion. It is more from the pain of this shock that it cries out at the time of birth.
SECTION XVIII. REINCARNATION.Reincarnation, as I have said, is the physical form in which groups of accumulated causes (Karma) of reaction manifest themselves in Nature. Reincarnation means rebirth. Rebirth means, to be born again in flesh after death. In order, therefore, to know what is rebirth, we must know what is death. To know what is death, we must know what is life.Let us see what life really is. Human life is conscious mentality encased in flesh. To be briefer, human life may be summed up in one word—consciousness. Life of lower animals is negative consciousness, while human life is positive consciousness.Human consciousness is subject to three states. The Waking state, the Dream state and the Dreamless Sleep state. In the waking state all our inner and outer senses work. The inner senses are; The Intellect, the Ego and the Mind. The outer senses are the five cognizing and the five working senses. These senses are fully active during our waking state. So long as the mind thinks, the intellect decides, the Ego is self-conscious, the eye sees, the ear hears, etc., they are acting. And activity (Rāja) brings about the reaction of weariness (Tama). In other words, the senses become tired out, owing to incessant work and need rest. It is the state of weariness of the senses that makes us feel exhausted and seek rest. But the senses cannot have full rest as long as we are in a waking state, for their activity never ceases while we are awake. Here Nature's law steps in and draws a veil between the senses and their objects, the veil of Tama, born out of the excessive work of Rāja. We fall asleep.But in the first stage of sleep our senses still sustain their activity, though in a lesser degree than in the waking state, owing to their still cognizing reflections of the objects, and scenes impressed on our mind while we are awake. This is called the dream state of consciousness, Dreams are of three kinds. The ordinary dream is made up of the blended reflections of impressions of scenes and thoughts ill natural or fantastic shapes. The second kind of dream is a clear unmixed reflection of the mind's impressions of some of our experiences in a previous birth. The third kind of dream is a reflection cast upon our pure consciousness of coming events from their Karmic impressions on the Ether or on our own aura. The ordinary dreams belong to the dream state. The other two classes of dreams are experiences during the dreamless state of sleep, generally in the morning just before awaking.The dreams in the first stage of our sleep keep our senses still employed and the mind active on that account, for the activity of the mind is generated by the operations of the senses with their objects. Hence neither the tired mind nor the tired senses derive the complete rest they need, until gradually the veil of Tama grows dense and shuts out even the mental reflections of objects from their view. This stops the operations of the senses which then are absorbed by the mind whose offsprings and agents they are, for the senses cannot exist when they are deprived of their function of cognition. The same thing occurs with the mind, for its activity, caused and sustained by the activity of the senses, is the only reason for its separate existence. With the loss of its function, therefore, the mind loses this separate existence and is absorbed by the Ego. The Ego is in the same way absorbed by Consciousness, for the Ego is dependent on the Mind which sustains its existence of self-consciousness. And then Absolute Consciousness, with the passive germs of the Ego, Mind and Senses merged in it, is absorbed in its turn by the Soul and dwells in its realm until the senses have rested sufficiently.In the depth of this dreamless sleep state of our consciousness, Tama gives place to the reaction of Sattwa which is very pure during this state. This dreamless sleep may be called a negative trance state. When we awake, through development of the Rāja Attribute, we feel not only thoroughly refreshed but also in a state of mental harmony, a happy mood of mind. We also feel that we were, during that dead sleep, in a state of utter oblivion of everything. We feel we forgot then even our own existence, feel that we were not conscious even of our own self, that we were in an absolutely happy state, happy with happiness itself. We know of this condition, when we awake from it, by inference from the happy state of our mental mood, induced by the abstract impression of it upon our consciousness which was present then in its pure state. The cause of the refreshment and new strength of our body and senses is this dip in the Essence of the Soul, the source of all energy. The physicians try to put their patients into this deep sleep in serious cases of illness, knowing by experience that deep sleep is a quicker and more powerful restorer of health than any medicine, but they do not know where lies the balm of sound sleep.The activity of Rāja brings about the awakening from this state by causing the unfoldment of the infolded Ego, mind and senses which resume their operations with external and internal objects as before. The difference between death and sleep lies here. After sleep we resume the functions of our senses, but death is caused by the confusion of our mind, on account of the senses not being able to resume their functions, owing to the disorder of the physical counterparts of the sense-organs through disease. Disease belongs to the physical body, and the senses with the mind and Ego belong to the astral body which we are. The pains we feel are caused by our identifying ourselves with our physical encasement. If we keep the fact constantly alive in our mind that our physical body is the earthly home of our soul, which is the centre of our astral self, we will not only not feel physical pain but prevent or do away with such pain even in the physical body. To know ourselves as nothing but our physical body is the densest, narrowest and the most mischievous ignorance. We often find proofs of this separateness of the physical and mental bodies from acts which present themselves in our daily life; we fail to cognize the experiences of our body or even of our senses when our mind absent from them and absorbed in some other direction. It is the mind that feels pain pleasure, not the body, neither the senses.The physician, through the action of drugs, causes the attribute of Tama to assert itself and cover the mind's perception with its dark veil, so that the patient may not feel the pain of a serious operation on the body, while we feel no pleasure in eating or drinking if our mind is away from them.The Yogi who has, by practice, developed unbroken consciousness of the separatness of the mental and physical body not only enjoys, when the consciousness is absolute, immunity from physical diseases and mishaps, but also does not feel the throes of death when he leaves his worn-out or diseased physical tenement. But the generality of mortals who cannot think of themselves as anything else but their physical bodies, owing to ignorance, suffer from all physical diseases. When these physical diseases put the physical counterparts of sense-organs into disorder, it confuses the mind when it finds that its channels of outward communication, the senses, can no longer work through them. In that confusion it loses its balance and is strongly swayed by the desire to again see and hear and feel and taste, etc.But finding it impossible to do so in the present body any more, it tries to find some vehicle through which it can resume its functions. The pain of the worst stage of the physical disease distracts it more and more so that it thinks it would be more comfortable in any other body than its present one. In confusion, this central force of the astral body enters with that body into the volume of air which fills the physical body, thinking it will gain relief from the unbearable pain. And no sooner the astral body, which is very subtle and finer than the air, enters into it, than it passes out, thus air-encased, through the mouth, causing the death of the physical body. This is the common process of death. Some astral bodies enter the air-body unconsciously if the mind has been benumbed by pain or covered by the influence of excessive Tama. But this is certain of every ordinary soul that it goes out of the body encased in air.The thought predominant in this supreme moment of human life decides the destination of the human soul encased in the astral body when it leaves its physical home. If we think of nothing but of Krishna at this moment we go to Krishna and live in His Abode, Goloka, the Abode of Absolute Love. If we think of Christ we go to Christ in His Father's Kingdom of Heaven. If we are filled with the conception of Nirvāna—extinction of all individuality—we go to Nirvāna. If we desire for higher life above the earth we go to the higher spheres. But if our earthly attachment having their influence on our thoughts at that moment, fill us with regret for being taken away from them or make us desire for earthly life, we return to earth-life again, but not necessarily to a joyful or comfortable life. A life of worldly joy and comfort is due to good Karma and self-denial in some previous existence. A life of sorrow and hardship is due to bad Karma.The earth-bound soul, on leaving the physical body, feels overcome by the shock of its final trouble with and severance from that physical body and remains in an inert state for a time. When it recovers from that shock, it finds that it has been transferred to a worse state. Although the air-body in which it encased is not diseased, it has, however, no openings for its senses to perform their respective functions. It finds it cannot see or hear or smell or touch or taste anything and yet the desires for these objects of the senses are as strong as when it was in the physical body. This makes it weep for the loss of its dear physical body and it hovers about in space sad and restless. It has no stomach, yet is filled with mental hunger and thirst which grow intense because it has no means of satisfying them. Indeed, finding this astral life to be of greater torment, the unhappy earth-bound soul longs to have a flesh covering again, to be reborn, and flies hither and thither blindly, because of the want of physical organs, and some day gains this object. It enters, through the vigor (Sanscrit Virga, 'virjya,' force, power) of a man into a woman's womb. This causes conception. No conception can take place without a disembodied spirit entering the womb. Vigor mixed with the mother's blood supplies the physical body which is mere dead matter without the vivifying astral soul. It is only when an astral soul enters it that the womb closes and conception takes place. The incoming soul then feels itself confined within its scope and cannot go out of it by its own effort or will.The selection of the vigor and the womb for the astral soul is made principally according to the subtle law of individual Karma and, secondarily, according to the law of affinity. The mental characteristics of the parents must be similar to those of the soul to draw it to them. As for its physical body, it may favor in appearance its mother or its father more or less according as their individuality and image are stamped on the vigor and the blood through the state of extreme mental concentration induced at the time. If the incoming soul possesses far stronger individuality than those of the father and the mother, it asserts this upon its body and the child looks like neither the father nor the mother. He looks like himself—a form and appearance born of the imagination of its own strong individuality.This direct rebirth from hovering in the astral body in the astral plane for some time is not true in the case of every disembodied soul. There are souls which, after death, may go at once to Heaven ('Swarga,' Celestial regions) or to Purgatory, the nether regions. According to the Hindoo Scriptures, Heaven (Swarga) is not the Abode of God, but the abode of the gods, the Swar-sphere where the gods, the governors of the Elements and Attributes of Nature, dwell. It is the Prārabdha Karma of the soul that determines its translation after death to Heaven or Purgatory. The joys of Heaven are reserved as a reward for good Karma. And yet these heavenly joys are but finest forms of material happiness, enjoyed by merit of good actions performed in earth-life for the sake of just such recompense. These heaven-dwellers mentally enjoy all these exquisite pleasures of the senses at their will, as well as the company of celestial beings, as long as the term of their merit lasts. At the expiration of the term they come down to earth to be reborn again. These heavenly blessings are, therefore, but transitory.Intensely wicked actions, in the same manner, are punished by a term of suffering tortures in Purgatory, at the expiration of which the purged souls may go straight to heaven, if good Prārabdha Karma succeeds their expiatory sufferings, or be reborn again on earth. The tendency of the pleasure-seeking, materialistic, modern mind is to disbelieve the existence of any such place of torture as Purgatory. They think that Heaven and Purgatory exist only on earth within man's mind. This is true and yet it is not. If anybody develops high spirituality he or she can taste higher, finer and more lasting joys than even celestial pleasures. For such there is neither Heaven nor Purgatory, for intense spirituality burns down all seeds of Karma. As to enduring the tortures of Purgatory here on earth through repentance, that is true too. But if the spirit of repentance is not absolute, it fails to fully purge away the sin, so that such sinful souls have to go to the nether regions for complete cleansing. The Hindoo Books do not believe in such a thing as Eternal Hell or Punishment, because it is absurd, unjust and unscientific according to the laws of Nature. The governor of "Naraka" (Purgatory) one of the gods, the presiding deity of (Dharmarāj) and the regions of his rule are situated within the bowels of the earth. Human houses of correction (prisons) tend more to corrupt than to correct, because those in charge of them are not imbued with a perfect spirit of sympathy, justice and mercy. In the Divine houses of correction (Purgatory) perfect justice blends with mercy and sympathy, and the governor thereof is the embodiment of these three attributes. He has to deal with his prisoners according to their own records of their misdeeds, reflected on the aura, a true copy of which is kept in the books of Ether, from which his Recording Angel transcribes items credited to each individual soul.For the pious, spiritually developed soul, however, there is no Purgatory, as I have said. It lives and breathes in a plane which is outside of the three lower planes of selfish actions and their reactions, outside of the jurisdiction even of the gods. To his ensouled mind the word purgatory or heaven has no meaning whatever. He loves spirituality for its own dear sake and feels itself safe from all evil in the embrace of its protecting arms.Into the vigor or the blood of such a spiritual soul, no wicked astral spirit can enter. Its pure aura repels such spirits and admits only kindred spirits seeking rebirth, drawn to it by Karma and affinity.Much suffering is the lot of the ordinary soul while growing in the womb, on account of its cramped consciousness and the narrow space in which it is confined. After the sixth month, it has a wonderful experience. The veil shrouding its past existence is suddenly lifted and the memories of all of its past births rush across its mind. It even witnesses the scenes of thousands of its previous existences and realizes the reason of the pain and sorrow suffered during all these existences—the reason of its having been attached to material objects and having disregarded the development of its spiritual self, its having been unmindful of its duty, to its Maker and its fellow man. This realization crushes its mind with contrition and it weeps and prays to God to forgive it and promises to live a life of devotion to Him in the future. This goes on for three months together until it is born, when, at the touch of the earthly atmosphere all those memories vanish and it is once more drowned in oblivion. It is more from the pain of this shock that it cries out at the time of birth.
Reincarnation, as I have said, is the physical form in which groups of accumulated causes (Karma) of reaction manifest themselves in Nature. Reincarnation means rebirth. Rebirth means, to be born again in flesh after death. In order, therefore, to know what is rebirth, we must know what is death. To know what is death, we must know what is life.
Let us see what life really is. Human life is conscious mentality encased in flesh. To be briefer, human life may be summed up in one word—consciousness. Life of lower animals is negative consciousness, while human life is positive consciousness.
Human consciousness is subject to three states. The Waking state, the Dream state and the Dreamless Sleep state. In the waking state all our inner and outer senses work. The inner senses are; The Intellect, the Ego and the Mind. The outer senses are the five cognizing and the five working senses. These senses are fully active during our waking state. So long as the mind thinks, the intellect decides, the Ego is self-conscious, the eye sees, the ear hears, etc., they are acting. And activity (Rāja) brings about the reaction of weariness (Tama). In other words, the senses become tired out, owing to incessant work and need rest. It is the state of weariness of the senses that makes us feel exhausted and seek rest. But the senses cannot have full rest as long as we are in a waking state, for their activity never ceases while we are awake. Here Nature's law steps in and draws a veil between the senses and their objects, the veil of Tama, born out of the excessive work of Rāja. We fall asleep.
But in the first stage of sleep our senses still sustain their activity, though in a lesser degree than in the waking state, owing to their still cognizing reflections of the objects, and scenes impressed on our mind while we are awake. This is called the dream state of consciousness, Dreams are of three kinds. The ordinary dream is made up of the blended reflections of impressions of scenes and thoughts ill natural or fantastic shapes. The second kind of dream is a clear unmixed reflection of the mind's impressions of some of our experiences in a previous birth. The third kind of dream is a reflection cast upon our pure consciousness of coming events from their Karmic impressions on the Ether or on our own aura. The ordinary dreams belong to the dream state. The other two classes of dreams are experiences during the dreamless state of sleep, generally in the morning just before awaking.
The dreams in the first stage of our sleep keep our senses still employed and the mind active on that account, for the activity of the mind is generated by the operations of the senses with their objects. Hence neither the tired mind nor the tired senses derive the complete rest they need, until gradually the veil of Tama grows dense and shuts out even the mental reflections of objects from their view. This stops the operations of the senses which then are absorbed by the mind whose offsprings and agents they are, for the senses cannot exist when they are deprived of their function of cognition. The same thing occurs with the mind, for its activity, caused and sustained by the activity of the senses, is the only reason for its separate existence. With the loss of its function, therefore, the mind loses this separate existence and is absorbed by the Ego. The Ego is in the same way absorbed by Consciousness, for the Ego is dependent on the Mind which sustains its existence of self-consciousness. And then Absolute Consciousness, with the passive germs of the Ego, Mind and Senses merged in it, is absorbed in its turn by the Soul and dwells in its realm until the senses have rested sufficiently.
In the depth of this dreamless sleep state of our consciousness, Tama gives place to the reaction of Sattwa which is very pure during this state. This dreamless sleep may be called a negative trance state. When we awake, through development of the Rāja Attribute, we feel not only thoroughly refreshed but also in a state of mental harmony, a happy mood of mind. We also feel that we were, during that dead sleep, in a state of utter oblivion of everything. We feel we forgot then even our own existence, feel that we were not conscious even of our own self, that we were in an absolutely happy state, happy with happiness itself. We know of this condition, when we awake from it, by inference from the happy state of our mental mood, induced by the abstract impression of it upon our consciousness which was present then in its pure state. The cause of the refreshment and new strength of our body and senses is this dip in the Essence of the Soul, the source of all energy. The physicians try to put their patients into this deep sleep in serious cases of illness, knowing by experience that deep sleep is a quicker and more powerful restorer of health than any medicine, but they do not know where lies the balm of sound sleep.
The activity of Rāja brings about the awakening from this state by causing the unfoldment of the infolded Ego, mind and senses which resume their operations with external and internal objects as before. The difference between death and sleep lies here. After sleep we resume the functions of our senses, but death is caused by the confusion of our mind, on account of the senses not being able to resume their functions, owing to the disorder of the physical counterparts of the sense-organs through disease. Disease belongs to the physical body, and the senses with the mind and Ego belong to the astral body which we are. The pains we feel are caused by our identifying ourselves with our physical encasement. If we keep the fact constantly alive in our mind that our physical body is the earthly home of our soul, which is the centre of our astral self, we will not only not feel physical pain but prevent or do away with such pain even in the physical body. To know ourselves as nothing but our physical body is the densest, narrowest and the most mischievous ignorance. We often find proofs of this separateness of the physical and mental bodies from acts which present themselves in our daily life; we fail to cognize the experiences of our body or even of our senses when our mind absent from them and absorbed in some other direction. It is the mind that feels pain pleasure, not the body, neither the senses.
The physician, through the action of drugs, causes the attribute of Tama to assert itself and cover the mind's perception with its dark veil, so that the patient may not feel the pain of a serious operation on the body, while we feel no pleasure in eating or drinking if our mind is away from them.
The Yogi who has, by practice, developed unbroken consciousness of the separatness of the mental and physical body not only enjoys, when the consciousness is absolute, immunity from physical diseases and mishaps, but also does not feel the throes of death when he leaves his worn-out or diseased physical tenement. But the generality of mortals who cannot think of themselves as anything else but their physical bodies, owing to ignorance, suffer from all physical diseases. When these physical diseases put the physical counterparts of sense-organs into disorder, it confuses the mind when it finds that its channels of outward communication, the senses, can no longer work through them. In that confusion it loses its balance and is strongly swayed by the desire to again see and hear and feel and taste, etc.
But finding it impossible to do so in the present body any more, it tries to find some vehicle through which it can resume its functions. The pain of the worst stage of the physical disease distracts it more and more so that it thinks it would be more comfortable in any other body than its present one. In confusion, this central force of the astral body enters with that body into the volume of air which fills the physical body, thinking it will gain relief from the unbearable pain. And no sooner the astral body, which is very subtle and finer than the air, enters into it, than it passes out, thus air-encased, through the mouth, causing the death of the physical body. This is the common process of death. Some astral bodies enter the air-body unconsciously if the mind has been benumbed by pain or covered by the influence of excessive Tama. But this is certain of every ordinary soul that it goes out of the body encased in air.
The thought predominant in this supreme moment of human life decides the destination of the human soul encased in the astral body when it leaves its physical home. If we think of nothing but of Krishna at this moment we go to Krishna and live in His Abode, Goloka, the Abode of Absolute Love. If we think of Christ we go to Christ in His Father's Kingdom of Heaven. If we are filled with the conception of Nirvāna—extinction of all individuality—we go to Nirvāna. If we desire for higher life above the earth we go to the higher spheres. But if our earthly attachment having their influence on our thoughts at that moment, fill us with regret for being taken away from them or make us desire for earthly life, we return to earth-life again, but not necessarily to a joyful or comfortable life. A life of worldly joy and comfort is due to good Karma and self-denial in some previous existence. A life of sorrow and hardship is due to bad Karma.
The earth-bound soul, on leaving the physical body, feels overcome by the shock of its final trouble with and severance from that physical body and remains in an inert state for a time. When it recovers from that shock, it finds that it has been transferred to a worse state. Although the air-body in which it encased is not diseased, it has, however, no openings for its senses to perform their respective functions. It finds it cannot see or hear or smell or touch or taste anything and yet the desires for these objects of the senses are as strong as when it was in the physical body. This makes it weep for the loss of its dear physical body and it hovers about in space sad and restless. It has no stomach, yet is filled with mental hunger and thirst which grow intense because it has no means of satisfying them. Indeed, finding this astral life to be of greater torment, the unhappy earth-bound soul longs to have a flesh covering again, to be reborn, and flies hither and thither blindly, because of the want of physical organs, and some day gains this object. It enters, through the vigor (Sanscrit Virga, 'virjya,' force, power) of a man into a woman's womb. This causes conception. No conception can take place without a disembodied spirit entering the womb. Vigor mixed with the mother's blood supplies the physical body which is mere dead matter without the vivifying astral soul. It is only when an astral soul enters it that the womb closes and conception takes place. The incoming soul then feels itself confined within its scope and cannot go out of it by its own effort or will.
The selection of the vigor and the womb for the astral soul is made principally according to the subtle law of individual Karma and, secondarily, according to the law of affinity. The mental characteristics of the parents must be similar to those of the soul to draw it to them. As for its physical body, it may favor in appearance its mother or its father more or less according as their individuality and image are stamped on the vigor and the blood through the state of extreme mental concentration induced at the time. If the incoming soul possesses far stronger individuality than those of the father and the mother, it asserts this upon its body and the child looks like neither the father nor the mother. He looks like himself—a form and appearance born of the imagination of its own strong individuality.
This direct rebirth from hovering in the astral body in the astral plane for some time is not true in the case of every disembodied soul. There are souls which, after death, may go at once to Heaven ('Swarga,' Celestial regions) or to Purgatory, the nether regions. According to the Hindoo Scriptures, Heaven (Swarga) is not the Abode of God, but the abode of the gods, the Swar-sphere where the gods, the governors of the Elements and Attributes of Nature, dwell. It is the Prārabdha Karma of the soul that determines its translation after death to Heaven or Purgatory. The joys of Heaven are reserved as a reward for good Karma. And yet these heavenly joys are but finest forms of material happiness, enjoyed by merit of good actions performed in earth-life for the sake of just such recompense. These heaven-dwellers mentally enjoy all these exquisite pleasures of the senses at their will, as well as the company of celestial beings, as long as the term of their merit lasts. At the expiration of the term they come down to earth to be reborn again. These heavenly blessings are, therefore, but transitory.
Intensely wicked actions, in the same manner, are punished by a term of suffering tortures in Purgatory, at the expiration of which the purged souls may go straight to heaven, if good Prārabdha Karma succeeds their expiatory sufferings, or be reborn again on earth. The tendency of the pleasure-seeking, materialistic, modern mind is to disbelieve the existence of any such place of torture as Purgatory. They think that Heaven and Purgatory exist only on earth within man's mind. This is true and yet it is not. If anybody develops high spirituality he or she can taste higher, finer and more lasting joys than even celestial pleasures. For such there is neither Heaven nor Purgatory, for intense spirituality burns down all seeds of Karma. As to enduring the tortures of Purgatory here on earth through repentance, that is true too. But if the spirit of repentance is not absolute, it fails to fully purge away the sin, so that such sinful souls have to go to the nether regions for complete cleansing. The Hindoo Books do not believe in such a thing as Eternal Hell or Punishment, because it is absurd, unjust and unscientific according to the laws of Nature. The governor of "Naraka" (Purgatory) one of the gods, the presiding deity of (Dharmarāj) and the regions of his rule are situated within the bowels of the earth. Human houses of correction (prisons) tend more to corrupt than to correct, because those in charge of them are not imbued with a perfect spirit of sympathy, justice and mercy. In the Divine houses of correction (Purgatory) perfect justice blends with mercy and sympathy, and the governor thereof is the embodiment of these three attributes. He has to deal with his prisoners according to their own records of their misdeeds, reflected on the aura, a true copy of which is kept in the books of Ether, from which his Recording Angel transcribes items credited to each individual soul.
For the pious, spiritually developed soul, however, there is no Purgatory, as I have said. It lives and breathes in a plane which is outside of the three lower planes of selfish actions and their reactions, outside of the jurisdiction even of the gods. To his ensouled mind the word purgatory or heaven has no meaning whatever. He loves spirituality for its own dear sake and feels itself safe from all evil in the embrace of its protecting arms.
Into the vigor or the blood of such a spiritual soul, no wicked astral spirit can enter. Its pure aura repels such spirits and admits only kindred spirits seeking rebirth, drawn to it by Karma and affinity.
Much suffering is the lot of the ordinary soul while growing in the womb, on account of its cramped consciousness and the narrow space in which it is confined. After the sixth month, it has a wonderful experience. The veil shrouding its past existence is suddenly lifted and the memories of all of its past births rush across its mind. It even witnesses the scenes of thousands of its previous existences and realizes the reason of the pain and sorrow suffered during all these existences—the reason of its having been attached to material objects and having disregarded the development of its spiritual self, its having been unmindful of its duty, to its Maker and its fellow man. This realization crushes its mind with contrition and it weeps and prays to God to forgive it and promises to live a life of devotion to Him in the future. This goes on for three months together until it is born, when, at the touch of the earthly atmosphere all those memories vanish and it is once more drowned in oblivion. It is more from the pain of this shock that it cries out at the time of birth.