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What! Having been born a Hindu, and having the blood of the great sages coursing
through your veins, do you entertain this doubt in your mind? Yes, undoubtedly there is rebirth.
First of all, you have several miraculous instances of young boys and girls suddenly
exhibiting great knowledge. A young girl, who has never studied any book, recites the Gita.
How do you account for it except by the fact that she had mastered the Gita in her previous birth,
and that by the grace of the Lord, that knowledge has come to the conscious part of her mind in
this birth too?
Further, rebirth is a necessity for the soul’s evolution. Perfection cannot be achieved in
one birth. Even to develop some cardinal virtues it might take several births. If you wish to
attain Self-realization, you have to achieve perfection in all the virtues. You have to achieve
perfect self-purification. So, rebirth is a necessity for the Jiva’s evolution.
Have you seen the caterpillar moving from one leaf to another? It will reach the edge of
one leaf; then project itself; it will catch hold of another leaf, and then only will it entirely leave
the first leaf. The Jiva, too, goes about like this. Even before it leaves one body, it has made
another (gross or subtle) body according to its Karmas and desires; and it enters this new body
with all the Samskaras and Vasanas.
From "May I answer that" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Website of Divine Life Society, Photographs of Swami Sivananda, German Pages on Swami Sivananda