Do Animals Have Souls?

The Vedic Viewpoint and Other Spiritual Perspectives

The Vedic literature states that anything living has a soul. Actually the living force within is the soul, and the thing in which the soul is inhabiting is matter. So your body is matter and a dog's body is matter and an ant's body is matter and a trees body is matter but the source within is the soul. The Bhagavad-Gita stated that there are 8,400,000 species of life. There are Aquatics, plants and trees, insects, birds and beasts and 400,000 different species of human forms of life. Obviously they do not all exist on this planet. They are living in all different planets such as the moon, sun, Venus, Mars, and millions of other planets and universes. The bodies on the higher planets generally can not be seen with our earthly vision. Anyway that's a whole other topic.

Animals eat sleep mate and defend as do human beings. The basic difference is that the animal does not have the intelligence to question its existence or its relationship with God. It has to live out its Karmic situation until the soul transmigrates to the human form of life. It is explained that if one has a human body it is to be understood that that soul has transmigrated through every species of life and then gets a human form and the opportunity to understand God. Can you even conceive of how many living entities are in your back yard compared to the few humans who are extremely rare?

Darwin's theory has been proven wrong even by science back in the 1960's, so why they are still teaching a bogus theory in public schools is ridiculous. That means they do not want our children to know the truth. There is a book called Forbidden Archeology which has recorded thousands of artifacts and bones that show advanced human life even millions of years ago. (Way more advanced than we are today) And monkeys were still the same monkeys we have today. If you need proof then I suggest you get the book.

Animals and other lower species of life do not get bad Karma (Reactions for their sinful activities) they are allowed by the laws of nature to kill, eat flesh and so many other things that if a human being did they would get a reaction. To be qualified as a human one must eat the prescribed food (vegetarian diet) and abide by the laws of Material nature which where given by God. If a human does not abide by these laws, then he or she is considered no more than a two legged animal. So just because one has a human body does not qualify them to be a human being. A human being is qualified by his or her consciousness and actions. If one wants to at least be a human being then they should follow the injunctions given in the ancient Vedic literature to become qualified. If one does not act on the human platform then in ones next life they can glide down into a lower species of life. This is Gods mercy so that the living being does not create more Karma for themselves. The human form of life is meant for spiritual realization and if one does not use this rare gift to advance, then by Gods mercy they will glide back down. So friends take this gift of the human form of life to know who you really are and in this life go back home to the eternal world where there is no birth, death, old age, or disease.

Actually every living entity is a loving eternal servant of God, but their consciousness is covered by many different layers of illusion. Animals are just more covered than most humans. If one wants to fully awaken their consciousness to who they really are then they should chant the names of God (Christ, Krista, Krishna, Allah, Jehovah, Gauranga, Govinda etc. The name of God and Himself are one in the same and unaffected by duality or illusion. If we associate with those names constantly, gradually all duality and illusion will be removed and one will regain their eternal constitutional position. If you raise your consciousness, by your association others will be able to raise their consciousness. This is how we can change the world one person at a time. And animals, bugs and plants--- we can help them by reciting the holy names to them so they can be elevated in their next life. Don't eat them they deserve their life as much as you do. In the Bible God said "I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. When God says that He gives man rule over the animals he means to care for them, not cut their throats for your sense gratification. There is no killing in heaven yet people want heaven on earth. Have you ever seen the greeting card where the lamb is laying next to a lion? This is showing that in the spiritual world the lamb does not fear for its life even next to the lion. Animals do not even eat animals in the spiritual world.

"Go and sin no more" Jesus said. In the Gita Krishna states the pillars of sin: Illicit sex, Intoxication, Gambling and Meat eating (which supports animal slaughter). It is very difficult to give up these bad habits but with association with Gods names and others who also associate with His names and who have given up these bad habits, it becomes easy. Then you will be able to see the soul within everyone and not discriminate on the bodily platform. We must give up this animal consciousness of bodily designation (black white, yellow, Russian, Indian, Polish, Mexican, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Moslem, Cat, Dog ant, etc. These are all bodily designations. If we want to have pure consciousness then we must see that every living entity comes from God and should not be exploited for our sense gratification nor should we hate or envy them. Envy of an animal would be you want their flesh for the satisfaction of your tongue. This is envy!

By Jayasri Radha

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