by C.V.Rajan

Created on: March 02, 2009

Hinduism simply says unfulfilled desires are the cause of rebirth. Not only desires, but even vasanas (subtle tastes developed in enjoying or suffering worldly pleasures, which get deeply embedded in your psyche) too can create rebirth. So, sages like Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi says that total annihilation of vasanas is the only way to avoid rebirth.

For example, a man might have relinquished himself from the enjoyment of money and sex in this birth and might have progressed well in his quest of God. Assuming that deep in his heart, he still has some vasanas left about the carnal pleasures, though he might have overcome desire to enjoy them in this present birth. At the time of his death, this vasana gets carried with his departing soul and it causes a rebirth for him to enjoy it.

In his rebirth, he might be a very spiritually evolved soul. It is not really necessary that he has to take a birth in a higher caste. Once his pending vasana gets satiated, he may become fit for total liberation free of any more birth.

Regarding taking birth to lower animal states. The most oft quoted example in mythology is that of Jatabharata, a great Gnyani. During the fag end of his life, he developed attachment towards a deer living with him in the forest. When he breathed his last, his thoughts were so preoccupied with the pain of separating from his dearest deer, that he took a rebirth as a deer. Once that affection got severed through this birth, he had no more desires left. His Gnyana was already full to the brim in his previous birth and he attained liberation after death as deer.

Some evolved souls have great desire for the company of sages. A person who has attained lots of spiritual maturity in this birth may become quite aware of the pains of taking birth as human being. He may have no attraction for taking a birth as human being, but he may have a great longing for the association with a saint, to get perfect liberation, through his grace.

A great Gnyani Bhagwan Ramanamaharshi acknowledges this fact very much. In his abode at Tiruvannamalai, there were monkeys, squirrels, deers, peacocks, cows etc which came and mingle with him very very closely - an association that is not commonly seen between animals and humans. With him at their side, they will display extraordinary symptoms of behavior not commonly seen with such animals.

Sparrows and squirrels would always try to build nests in Bhagwan's room though Bhagwan's attendents would detest them and try to remove the nests because they caused nuisense. Squirrels would hide their babies under the cushion of Bhagwan's couch inorder to ensure their closeset presence to Bhagwan. Squirrels will climb over Bhagwan's body and demand feeding them with cashew nuts with his own hands.

Ramana sensed that for a couple of them (a cow named Lakshmi, a dog, a crow) it was their last birth; they had come to his abode just to fulfill their only pending desire - to be with his company. After their death, Ramana declared that they had attained moksha (liberation from birth and death). Their mortal bodies were buried in the premises of the ashram and religious rites normally done for saints who attained liberation were performed to these animals.
Some saints also say that those who have taken birth as humanbeings and commit heinous crimes and behave like wild animals in this birth may too take birth as animals and suffer cruelty or illtreatment in the next birth. People overtly attached to their dear ones may take birth as pet animals and live with their erstwhile family members in their next birth.

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