Reincarnation On Other Earth-Like Planets?

[Rishi_L]

Sri Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, verses 14-15:

 

Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the heavenly planets, those in the mode of passion remain on the earthly planets and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish planets.

 

So for a person who dies whilst predominantly situated in rajas, they remain on the 'earthly' planets. Notice the word 'planets', it's referring to a plurality of worlds similar to our own. But I don't know in which way it is similar, yet I think it would be similar in the sense that its inhabitants would be predominantly situated in rajas. Now I presume that the VAST majority of human inhabitants on this planet die in a predominantly rajasic way, so why do all these people seem to reincarnate on this particular 'earthly' planet to the exclusion of ALL other similar predominantly rajasic planets? Now I'm not trying to say that ALL of the people here on Earth who die predominantly situated in the mode of passion remain here on Earth, it's just that I've read dozens of anecdotes and personal accounts of people supposedly remembering events of some of their past lifetimes and though there are many differences in each of these accounts and anecdotes, there are at least TWO things they ALL share in common: their past lifetimes occur in a human form and they occur on this planet.

I've NEVER heard of reincarnation accounts where a person recalls living on a planet in another galaxy (for example). Why do you think this is so? Could one of the major reasons perhaps be that people might die with unfulfilled desires that, for whatever reason, can ONLY be fulfilled on this particular planet? What do you think? Has anyone here heard of people claiming to remember past lifetimes on other planets in our universe (perhaps through hypnotic regression)? If you have heard such accounts, please post them here.

[theist]

Our time conception is too short. We thnk 100 lifetimes is an incredibly long time. This is like a childs perception of time. From what I have learned from various sources is that not only do we tend to take numerous births on earth before moving on but we also reincarnate together with many of the same souls as previous births but in varying roles. The parent today may be the child tommorrow.

 

I see it like a theater company. A certain group of actors come together to put on some plays but slowly that group always changes. Someone retires, someone gets fired or moves on and new members are brought in to replace them.

 

So in the short view it all looks rather consistent. Basically the same people and on the same planet. But from a wider perspective we have done this same thing with countless other groups and on other worlds or dimensions.

 

As far as remebering only human lives in hypnotic regression this is understandable because in past life regression what comes up into conscious awareness is the most prominent of impressions or samskaras.

 

Many past live sessions are done in a therapeutic context. Like looking for the cause of ones aqua-phobia which very often has it's root in a past life trauma like drowning.

 

That and human samskaras not only will be closer to the surface of the councious mind but they will be the samskaras that one looks for when beginning a past life regression. The intention that is signaled to the subconscious is for a particular experience that is applicable to the human situation. That intention is a powerful force. And besides since we are in human form now would we even recognize samskaras from an animal or plant birth? And what relevance would they have?

 

There are exceptions mentioned in the scriptures like Maharaja Bharata who took the birth of a deer and then again as a human as Jada Bharata. But this speaks to a special case and he maintained awareness throughout these changes of body.

 

It is conceivably possible to remember an animal birth from the past but who would want to. And God help us if death should approach us while we were remembering such a thing. Many parts of our past are best left forgotten. We can sense that such a birth was miserable from every angle. That much of an impression we should retain as we move on to higher ground. But no need to look back.

[gHari]

<b><br>Student</b> (12): Is this continual reincarnation only occurring on this earth, or does it occur on other planets?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: Oh, other planets. All throughout the whole material world.

<b><br>Student</b> (12): Is there interchange between the planets?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. You can go in another planet also. Because it is said in the Bhagavad-gItA, sarva-gA. Sarva-gA means the soul can be transferred to any place. It may be in America, it may be India, in moon planet, sun planet, or any..., anywhere.

<b><br>Student</b> (13): Has the universe existed forever, or does soul have a beginning?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: No. This material universe is created and dissolved. BhUtvA bhUtvA pralIyate [bg. 8.19]. Just like this body: it is born for some time, it will stay for some time, it will go for some time, then it will become old, and it will vanish. Similarly, the whole universe is like that. It has its creation, it stays for some time, a long duration of time, and it creates so many other things, by-products, and there will be time when everything will be vanquished.

<b><br>Student</b> (13): And where were the souls before the universe began?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: That is called spiritual kingdom. In the spirit.

<b><br>Student</b> (13): And is that where they will all end up again when the universe comes to an end?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: Yes. If you are not liberated, then you have to come to this material world and change one body after another. That will be your business. But if you get yourself transferred to the spiritual world, then there is no more coming back to this material world, and you get your eternal, blissful life of knowledge.

<b><br>Student</b> (13): What happens if the universe ends and there are some souls that have not yet transferred themselves to the other universe?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: The same thing. What happens when your body will be vanquished? Nothing happens. The same thing will go on. There are many bodies, there are many universes. It is coming and going and vanquished. It is the law of nature.

<b><br>Student</b> (13): Do you mean the universe is likely to go on forever?

<B><br>PrabhupAda</b>: No. It is created. As your body is created, similarly anything material, it has got a life. It has got a period of creation, it stays for some time, then it is finished.

[gHari]

GurukRpa: Within this universe are there other planets similar to the earthly planet where the inhabitants are getting the same, similar material bodies?

 

PrabhupAda: No, every planet there are inhabitants.

 

GurukRpa: But similar to this?

 

PrabhupAda: Hm. (aside:) Don't come very near.

 

GurukRpa: This is called martya-loka, and are there other...

 

PrabhupAda: Not similar. Every planet is different from the other. Just like in down planets there is no sunlight, so how they can be one? There the light arrangement is different. [break]

 

Devotee (1): ...He displays His VRndAvana only on the earthly-like planet?

 

PrabhupAda: Yes, VRndAvana is there already.

 

Devotee (1): It's already there?

 

PrabhupAda: Yes.

 

Devotee (1): Because I know when He comes to the earthly planet and He displays to the human being, and I know that there's the higher and lower planetary systems, but like when He goes to any universe is it always to the earthly-like planet, lot of times(?) to earth? It's always like that?

 

PrabhupAda: Just like the government has got a circuit house in every big, big cities. Similarly, in every planet ("universe" - per gHari) there is a replica of VRndAvana.

[Rishi_L]

In all seriousness, I'm intensely interested about the notion of reincarnating on other planets in this material/physical universe. Like I mentioned in the original post of this thread, I think desires which can only be fulfilled on this particular planet is the main cause for why we return in human bodies to Earth as opposed to other physical planets elsewhere in this universe. For example, if a human on this planet desperately wanted to buy a Porsche in the final years of that lifetime of his, then to me it would make sense that he would be drawn back to Earth for his next lifetime. After all, perhaps he could only enjoy that type of car on Earth and nowhere else? Am I on the right track here with this line of thought?

[gauragopala dasa]

 

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #666666 1px solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 3ex; BORDER-TOP: #666666 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 3ex; BORDER-LEFT: #666666 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #666666 1px solid" bgColor=#e0e0e0>SB 11.7.11 (UG 1.11)- One who has transcended material good and evil automatically acts in accordance with religious injunctions and avoids forbidden activities. The self-realized person does this spontaneously, like an innocent child, and not because he is thinking in terms of material good and evil. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

 

I’d like to share a personal realization

 

Just to add to that interesting comment by theist, all material vessels both subtle (ethereal) which includes the heavenly bodies or vessels on planets like the Sun and Moon and the ethereal vessels housing the baddha-jiva in the Hellish planets, as well as the millions of different secular (biological) vessels (species) found in the middle planetary systems like our earth, are all ‘mahat-tattva’ vessels, meaning they are part and parcel of the mahat-tattva, belonging to Maha-Vishnu who ‘rents’ them out to the living entity, according to their desire and what they deserve (karma)

Today I walked around a shopping centre and saw so many varieties of human bodily vessels, every time I observed, I thought ‘what wonderful creations Maha Vishnu has made with His amazing maha-tattva material creation,’

 

I therefore tried to see all theses bodies, including the one I am trapped in, for what they really are, as Maha Vishnu's creations we have all obtained from Him, that covers or encages the baddha-jivas or us, that is presently, while in the mahat-tattva, a sub-conscious extension of who really are as servants of Krsna in His Kingdom, where each of us have an eternally perfect Krsna Conscious bodily form - nitya siddha).

I observes fat bodies, skinny bodies, ugly bodies, beautiful bodies, old bodies, young bodies, crippled bodies, rich bodies, poor bodies, karmi bodies, devotee bodies – all covering the real identity of every living entity that possesses them.

I tried to understand further, as I am now constantly doing, that we are not the outer biological body, nor the subtle body from where the gross secular biological body manifests, realizing that if we are to have any hope of understanding the next step, our spiritual identity, first we must understand we are not any of the bodies provided to us from Maha-Vishnu within His mahat-tattva dreaming creation.

To lust after beautiful material biological bodies is actually impersonal because one is attracted to the vessel and not the occupying soul within.

Those who lack spiritual strength first exploit their own material body from over eating, over sleeping, self-love, masturbation, earnings spent on making their material body comfortable, dissimilarity due to being so convinced the material body one occupies, is their real identity.

That leads to ALL the above being extended to manipulating and exploiting other material bodily vessels for selfish adoration. It is therefore impossible for love to exist based on the mahat-tattva shells or bodily vehicles that all of us have ‘rented’ off Maha-Vishnu.

So this is what I always try do while shopping or preaching to others about Krsna, I look at all material vessels as the creation of Maha Vishnu whom ultimately IS moving ALL theses bodily objects within His mahat-tattva creation, simply via His dreaming.

 

In other words, such vessels (bodily containers), ARE the maha-tattva; the only difference is, is these moving parts of the mahat-tattva that are occupied by the presents of life, has entered SUCH VESSELS (being part and parcel of the mahat-tattva), by coming down as a dreaming conscious projection from Goloka (the baddha-jiva), while other objects of the mahat-tattva are not possessed by life.

Hare Krsna prabhus

[Skydancer]

 

Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the heavenly planets, those in the mode of passion remain on the earthly planets and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish planets.

 

That is similar to Buddhist philosophy and to the principles of the 6 realms (lokas) of cyclic existence: God, Demigod, Human, Animal, Hungry ghost, Hell realm. It is said they exist simultaneously as actual planes of existence and as aspects of our daily lives.

[Rishi_L]

Hey, check out the English translation and purport of these fascinating verses from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4, Chapter 20 (verses 35-36):

 

"TRANSLATION

 

King Pṛthu worshiped the demigods, the great sages, the inhabitants of Pitṛloka, the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka and those of Siddhaloka, Cāraṇaloka, Pannagaloka, Kinnaraloka, Apsaroloka, the earthly planets and the planets of the birds. He also worshiped many other living entities who presented themselves in the sacrificial arena. With folded hands he worshiped all these, as well as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the personal associates of the Lord, by offering sweet words and as much wealth as possible. After this function, they all went back to their respective abodes, following in the footsteps of Lord Viṣṇu.

 

PURPORT

 

In modern so-called scientific society the idea is very prevalent that there is no life on other planets but that only on this earth do living entities with intelligence and scientific knowledge exist. The Vedic literatures, however, do not accept this foolish theory. The followers of Vedic wisdom are fully aware of various planets inhabited by varieties of living entities such as the demigods, the sages, the Pitās, the Gandharvas, the Pannagas, the Kinnaras, the Cāraṇas, the Siddhas and the Apsarās. The Vedas give information that in all planets — not only within this material sky but also in the spiritual sky — there are varieties of living entities. Although all these living entities are of one spiritual nature, in quality the same as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they have varieties of bodies due to the embodiment of the spirit soul by the eight material elements, namely earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence and false ego. In the spiritual world, however, there is no such distinction between the body and the embodied. In the material world, distinctive features are manifested in different types of bodies in the various planets. We have full information from the Vedic literature that in each and every planet, both material and spiritual, there are living entities of varied intelligence. The earth is one of the planets of the Bhūrloka planetary system. There are six planetary systems above Bhūrloka and seven planetary systems below it. Therefore the entire universe is known as caturdaśa-bhuvana, indicating that it has fourteen different planetary systems. Beyond the planetary systems in the material sky, there is another sky, which is known as paravyoma, or the spiritual sky, where there are spiritual planets. The inhabitants of those planets engage in varieties of loving service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which include different rasas, or relationships, known as dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, mādhurya-rasa and, above all, parakīya-rasa. This parakīya-rasa, or paramour love, is prevalent in Kṛṣṇaloka, where Lord Kṛṣṇa lives. This planet is also called GolokaVṛndāvana, and although Lord Kṛṣṇa lives there perpetually, He also expands Himself in millions and trillions of forms. In one of such forms He appears on this material planet in a particular place known as Vṛndāvana-dhāma, where He displays His original pastimes of GolokaVṛndāvana-dhāma in the spiritual sky in order to attract the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead."

[Rishi_L]

Here's an intriguing link to a page about other planets (namely in this solar system of ours) and jivas living on them in-between incarnations on this 3-dimensional planet:

 

http://www.edgarcayce.org/ps2/soul_life_lives_of_leila.html

 

Even though I don't agree with everything mentioned on that page, it certainly seems to vindicate Vedic statements about life existing on ALL planets, both material and spiritual, and how the mahat-tattva is unlimitedly multi-dimensional.