REBIRTH

Rebirth is due to mind
And to the tendencies of the mind.
You think: and an impression is left in the mind,
This impression is the seed of thought,
The impressions coalesce together
And make tendency or tendencies.
As you think,
So you become. You take birth
According to your thoughts.
Sattva rises upwards
Rajas is in the middle,
Tamas goes downwards
Enveloped in evil qualities.
Mind is the cause
Of man’s bondage and liberation;
An impure mind binds,
A pure mind liberates.
When you realise the Truth,
When you know your own Self,
The cause for future births is removed,
The thoughts are killed, the Samskaras are burnt.
You are free from rebirth,
You attain Perfection,
You enjoy Supreme Peace,
You become Immortal—this is the Truth.
If there is only one birth,
If the evil-doer is thrown into eternal fire,
There is no scope for his betterment;—
This cannot be accepted.
This is not reasonable too,
The Vedanta embraces even the worst sinner:
How sublime is this philosophy!
It proclaims to him:
Friend! Thou art pure Soul,
Sin cannot touch thee,
Regain your lost divinity,
Sin is nothing.
Sin is a mistake only;
You can destroy sins in the twinkling of an eye,
Be bold, be cheerful,
Stand up, wake up, “Uttishthata, Jagrata”.
The Gita says: “Even the worst sinner
Can become righteous, can cross sins
By the raft of wisdom.”
How do you account, friend!
There is the existence of boy geniuses,
A child plays on the piano,
A child delivers lectures,
A boy solves great mathematical problems.
A child narrates his previous life,
One becomes a full-blown Yogi,
This proves that there is rebirth:
Buddha gained experiences in several births.
He became Buddha only in his last birth.
He who has a taste for music,
Gains experiences in several births,
And becomes a master of music in one birth,
He cuts grooves for music in each birth,
Slowly develops tendency and aptitude,
And becomes an expert musician in one birth;
So is the case with every Art.
The baby sucks, the young duck swims,
Who taught this? They are
The Samskaras or the tendencies of previous births.
In one birth all virtues cannot be developed.
By gradual evolution only, one can be cultivated.
Saints possess excellence in all virtues,
The existence of saints and adepts
Indicates that there is rebirth.