Animal Birth/ Janma

I love my cat ‘Selvie’ very much. I spend a lot on her food, toys, and accessories like bags, combs, belts, etc. I never scold her even if she does any mischievous things. Inspite of my busy schedules and even if I am very much tired, I spare sufficient time for her.
Our neighbour says – ‘How lucky your cat is….probably she must have been your dearest and closest friend in your previous life.’
Another neighbour says- ‘She must have been your mother-in-law in your previous life, whom you didn’t care much and now she came as ‘a cat’ to get unfinished work done by you, i.e to get cared and loved. 🤣🤣( To clear the karmic debt.)

Although we take such conversations in casual or funny way,  most people wonder about the truth behind such opinions.

It is very common to speak and know about human relationships and their karmic connections from previous lives. We should also know the same; regarding our karmic connections with the animals around.
We commonly observe that some people love animals and have the pets. Some people hate animals and don’t prefer the pets. Some people love the animals but cannot keep them as pets because of certain unsuitable conditions.
Some eat the animals; some hate eating the animals. There are many misconceptions regarding the merits and demerits (papa, punya) of animal killing.

So let’s understand everything about animal birth – ‘How does the concept of reincarnation and law of karma works for the animals.. How does one get animal birth…what is the purpose of their life ..how do animals evolve spiritually?,etc as per our scriptures.

The souls pass through many species of life, getting embodied in different bodies in each birth/ janma. As per our scriptures, one’s next birth is determined by the desires one developed in current as well as previous lives. The most intense/ the most contemplated/the most prominent desires are fructified first. The soul is given a particular body it deserves, to satisfy those desires/ to exhaust the prarabdha.

For example, the one, who is desirous of eating continuously and never get satisfied by eating; is suitable for a pig body to satisfy a gluttony, however the one; who is desirous of own spiritual evolution, is suitable for Human body in his next birth.
Even after getting human birth, if one does not avail the opportunity of spiritual evolution but simply harbours the desires or habits which suits the animal species, the nature provides that soul, the body; appropriate or suitable to satisfy those desires or pursuits in his next life.

As per our scriptures,
# The one; who has a predominance of tamoguna (lazy, evil minded, not inclined to work for own or others sake, but still wants to get pampered, excess indulgence in sensual enjoyment,etc) is pushed downward to the lower births in the next life.
# The one; who has a predominance of rajoguna (constantly runs after/ pursue material gains, desirous of the results of every action.  Rajasic one will build a school for his name, fame and the profit. But society will be benefited by his work/school- qualities suitable for human life); remains in the human form in next birth.
# The one; who has predominance of sattvaguna (good, virtuous, Selfless.) gets propeled upward and gets the higher births in next life.

Only the human beings have choices and free will to choose. His conscious choice only determines his future births- sufferings in animal births or enjoyment in higher births.
And also, with Guru’s grace and guidance, he/she can get liberated ( highest goal of human life) from  these repeated cycles of births and deaths.

According to our scriptures, there are two types of yonis/births.
Bhog yoni- This birth is given only to enjoy or suffer the results of one’s past karmas. There is no free will to choose and no scope for creating new karma/agami karma in this birth. After exhausting the karmaphalas/prarabdhas completely; by taking births in different species, one returns to human birth; where sanchita karma again decides his further journey. If he uses viveka and free will to choose the right, he can evolve spiritually to get higher births or no birth (Liberation)

Bhogyoni includes all species other than human beings. From insects, animals, birds, plants to devatas( even the Lord of devatas.)

A man works hard in his office to earn money. He has a choice to earn the money with ethical or unethical ( dharma/ adharma) way. When he earns it in unethical/adharmic ways, he gets caught by police and has to spend 3 months in a jail. He exhaust his prarabdhas/results of his bad karmas in the jail and when that period is over, he returns home.
Then he starts earning money in ethical/dharmic way. Slowly he collects good amount of money. He plans a trip to singapore. He enjoys a lot there but after some period, when money gets finished, he has to return home again.
Now, he must use his intellect to choose the right- To go here and there, up and down or to go nowhere( Liberation).

Karma yoni- Only the human birth is ‘karma yoni’. Because only human species have the freedom to do karma. Humans are blessed with viveka -power of discrimination between right and wrong.

Thus coming to the animal birth, animals don’t have free will. They can enjoy or suffer but can’t create new karmas/agami karma to add in their sanchita karma. While exhausting the prarabdhas/bhogas, they continue to evolve spiritually until they get a human birth.
Why can’t animals do karma?
Any action/ kriya with some motive or intention behind that action is karma and it brings its results for sure. Animals just act as per their instict and not the motive.

Not the action but the intention or motive behind actions gets counted in deciding papas and punyas.
A doctor cut the limb of a person. This action may seem to incure papa. But when motive of doctor behind his action i.e ‘to save the life of a diabetic patient from the gangrene’ is known, the very action is counted as punya.
That is why, human beings who have a free will and intelligence to choose, are entitled for reward or punishment for their actions, as they have the motive behind their actions.
A toddler or an Insane person or a sleeping person, if kicks other person, is not subject to consequences of his actions. ( they lack viveka/the discriminating power between right and wrong). They are said to be non-doers because of the absence of ego created motives or intentions.

This is how, Animals can’t create new/agami karmas.
Animals lack free will and viveka. Animals have awareness and mind and low level of intelligence. Thats why they don’t have the capacity for higher level reasoning and thinking and discriminating ( sense of right or wrong), that humans have.  Hence it is difficult for them to earn merits or demerits and progress to the higher births on their own. They are being taken care of..by the nature and are well programmed.
But indirectly they help themselves to cleanse their own karma by providing an opportunity to humans to practice unconditional love, compassion and earn merits.

If a dog died under your car, you didn’t intend for, that is just a happening. Your unintentional action and ending of his sufferings(bonded life) are just by coincidence, i.e. your manifesting karma geting coinciding with the manifesting karma of the dog. No motive- no papas or punyas.

Everything you get ( lower or higher birth) is determined by your longing and tendencies only. Nature is not thinking in terms of punishment or reward. It is just helping you to fulfill your own desires. For helping you satisfy your longings; nature imparts you a suitable body. It’s Ultimate aim is ‘ reformation of the soul’ and not the revenge of bad karmas.

Thus; whenever you see animals suffering (not getting enough food, getting beaten or killed), these are due to their  past karma/past material desires, stemming from their attempts to enjoy at the expense of others, in some human body before. Few ones are getting good food, love and much care. They are the results of their past karmas in human form like excess desire to eat and get pampered without doing anything. Such animals although seem to be lucky, the very animal janma is the prison( no opportunity of freedom). As the human beings, we should have compassion for them ( to avoid the future animal birth.🤣)
If the desires are still not exhausted in one animal janma, he gets that birth repeatedly. Just like a failed student has to sit in the same class till he work hard and goes to higher class.

If a lion kills the deer, it’s action doesn’t incure papa/sin. If you get your pet sat at the yajna, hours together; it will not add any merits/punya in pet’s account. If a buffalo throws people with her horns, it will not add in her papa account. Because these are the actions/ kriya but not the ego driven karma.
But in case a mentally sound man kills an animal, it will incure sin/papa. Because his ‘action with intention’ is his karma, he has chosen; using his free will.

When a deer is getting killed by a tiger, it involves suffering of a deer(dukh) and enjoyment of a tiger(sukh). These are the actions…not the karma. The death of the deer is the end of some reaction, and thus it is free of the deer(life)bhoga and the soul continue his journey toward human life.

If an animal is getting killed in its healthy condition, then it is the suffering of the animal. (dhkhbhoga), and enjoyment of the man at the expense of that animal( sukhbhoga). If the very killing is for protecting his own life , it would not incure sin. But if the killing is for the enjoyment, it would add to his demerit account.

In Hinduism, killing an animal is permitted only when one’s life is in danger from that animal i.e when the animal itself is  threat to one’s life and in times of famine like situations/ natural calamities to fulfill the basic need of a hunger; when no other eatable option is available.

So as a human being, we must apply our viveka to discriminate between right and wrong, Satya and Asatya and  long for That which is the Ultimate-beyond all these limitations.
Now what happens, we long for this and that throughout our life. Reason for these longing is the ignorance of our eternal nature. Thinking we are matter/BMI and that other matter/BMI (things and beings) will make us happy, we long for this and that and work hard to achieve them. Our every longing is noted and saved and taken care of. The causal world/maya/ the nature knows -what to do with you, where to put you….in animal world or plant world, mineral world or higher world…as per your longing account.
The one who doesn’t have longing for this or that, will not get placed anywhere…he will be liberated now and here…

   Hari Om !

Image- My cat sitting on the keyboard of a laptop, asking me to stop the work. The moment captured by mobile camera.