Due to Prarabdha if a person is to suffer from a disease or if he has to die young, will the repetition of the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra help him to overcome them?

Prarabdha can be overcome by the grace of the Lord. The Lord’s grace descends when there is sincere devotion and when man does Purushartha. Purushartha is possible when the mind is pure. The mind becomes pure when one does acts of kindness and charity. The laws of nature do not operate when there is the grace of the Lord. His grace is all-powerful. We have the instance of Markandeya who conquered death by his Purushartha, by sincere devotion to the Lord. He was destined to die young, but when the Lord’s grace descended, Lord Yama had no power to carry out his wish. So it is possible to overcome Prarabdha by Teevra Purushartha.

Some philosophers lay great emphasis on reason and rational living. What have you to say?

How can reason and logic be given the highest place? The mind, intellect and reason fail when you are under the power of an intoxicant. When anaesthesia is given, where is the logical mind? Does the logical mind function when you have fasted fully for a fortnight? It disappears in sleep and swoon. There are some herbs that incapacitate the mind the moment you take them. Thus, there are many occasions when the logical mind of man becomes impotent and stops its function. How can this logical mind or rational living be given the highest status? Intuition is the highest faculty and the evolution of man is complete when he develops this intuition to the greatest degree and realizes his Atman. The knowledge gained in Samadhi is the highest knowledge. It is Samyag-drishti or Tattva-jnana.

Of all systems of medicine, which system is the most effective and harmless? Please give reasons.

Every system of medicine has got its own advantages and disadvantages. Each has its own supremacy over the others. Each has its own deficiencies. As regards my view, Ayurveda holds the foremost place in my heart. It has been expounded by Lord Dhanvantari who is the Ayurveda Pita. Ayurveda is the foremost amongst the medical sciences now extant. The effect of its treatment is lasting and unhampered. It is the origin and source of most of the other systems of medicine. As regards immediate cure with the least delay, Allopathy occupies first place in the front rank. Homeopathy is the most harmless system of medicine and the cheapest in view of cost.

I have been trying to do some Sadhana, Japa, meditation, etc., but my mind is not concentrated and it gets distracted. I try to control it, but I am not succeeding to a degree of satisfaction. The progress I make is not as good as it ought to be.

You ought to have put forth more efforts if you wanted quick progress! Do more of Japa, concentration and meditation. Increase your Vairagya and Abhyasa. At night have Satsang and Kirtan. Do not feel depressed; in due course of time you will make substantial progress. Go on doing little by little.

There is such an expression as “the flight of the alone to the Alone”. Where is the necessity for a Guru or his grace? God’s grace will do, as it is said in the Upanishad.

How will you get God’s grace? When you discipline yourself, how will you know how to discipline yourself? By observing others who have walked the path successfully to the goal of perfection. Who are these men who had walked to the goal? It is these that are known as Gurus. So you need their help, their personal example, their encouragement and their grace. Thus, we have come round to the answer that a Guru is necessary as well as his grace. Everything is necessary - Atma Kripa, Guru Kripa and Isvara Kripa.

Which is greater - love or wisdom? Bhakti or Jnana?

Keep your intellect in a box. Love and wisdom are one. Bhakti and Jnana are one.

Prema leads to Jnana. The one helps the other. People read books and start arguments. Is this great? Or is that great? It is all foolishness. God is both love and wisdom. One should not waste his time in these useless arguments.

Swamiji! I live in Lucknow. It is so different from Rishikesh. I would very much miss the calm, peaceful atmosphere of Rishikesh when I go back to Lucknow. The atmosphere there is so artificial. What Sadhana can I do?

Why! You can do wonderful Sadhana there also. The world is not a hindrance. You have got a very practical and thorough knowledge of Vedanta. The fiery spirit of Ram Tirth is in you. Start Brahmamuhurta meditation classes. This is the greatest service you can do to the citizens of Lucknow. Go from Mohalla to Mohalla and preach Vedanta. Open study circles in each Mohalla. Conduct morning Brahmamuhurta meditation classes in each Mohalla by turn. You would be doing a great service to all humanity and to yourself. Awaken people to the real purpose of their life. This would keep your consciousness awake too.

Is it possible for a soul with a male body to take a female body in the next incarnation?

O, yes. The soul must undergo various experiences in different bodies. In the male body, the soul experiences the qualities of boldness, strength, etc., and patience, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, etc. in the female body. Moreover, neither man is a complete man nor woman a complete woman. There is woman in man and man in woman also. There are animal traits also in man. There is the dog in some men, there is the donkey in some, there is the jackal in some and the tiger in others. Whichever quality is predominant, the soul takes a body with that particular quality in the next incarnation. Therefore, develop divine qualities. You will evolve quickly and become divinity itself in the end.

What is your conclusive opinion about rebirth? Do you really believe that there is rebirth?

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.

What is the interval between death and the next birth? Where does the soul dwell during the period between death and rebirth?

The interval between death and rebirth varies from person to person. It may be two years or it may be two hundred years, or more. There is no hard and fast rule. If the attachment to the world is very intense, a Jiva may be born again immediately after death. There is a girl in Dehra Dun who has memory of her past life. She took her present birth four years after she died in her previous life. Those who have done a lot of virtuous actions remain in heaven for a long time, for two hundred or three hundred years, before they are reborn on earth.

A wicked man will go to another region. You may call it hell. Or it may be a place where he may not get the objects of enjoyment that he wants. A man addicted to drinking may not get liquor there. It may be a place like a jail where one has to break the stones and do such other hard work. But if one has done virtuous deeds, if one is a philanthropist, who has dug public wells, built charitable hospitals, etc., he will go to heaven where he will enjoy for a long time.

If the Soul is immortal, why does Swamiji celebrate his birthday, which belongs to the body?

I do not celebrate my birthday. It is the devotees who do it. Celebration of such birthdays is equal to worship of Para Brahman. Worship of the Guru is worship of Para Brahman. The devotees take delight in celebrating the birthday, and they are benefited, uplifted. A spiritual wave is created year after year when the birthday is celebrated, and more and more people get a chance of knowing the existence of the Divine Life Society and my teachings. The celebration of the birthday is an annual reminder to the aspirants of the purpose of their life. It is a fillip to their Sadhana. The pious, receptive attitude prevalent on such an occasion draws forth the grace of the Guru and God upon the devotees. The thoughts of peace, love, devotion, etc., sent out by the innumerable devotees that assemble together to celebrate the birthday go a long way to promote peace, harmony and spiritual well-being in the land.

It is not without purpose that the Hindus celebrate the birthdays of religious leaders, saints and sages, such as Buddha Jayanti, Sankara Jayanti, Mahavira Jayanti, etc. The Hindu calendar is spotted with many such Jayantis and other holy days, so that the observance of these Jayantis and holy days may give the needed spiritual impetus to people and they may strive with increased zeal for the attainment of the purpose of life, viz., God-realization. The more we have of such special, holy days, the more we have the chance of being inspired to intensify our spiritual progress.