Will loving animals give animal birth next time?
A male devotee asked like this:
I am an animal lover and m a Lord Krishna’s devotee too….reading Bhagwad Gita i came in contact with one doubt… Lord said at the time of death u remember me surely u will come to me….so devotees always try to remember Lord Krishna…. but on the other hand a non devotee person who is always engaged in good activites like feeding stray dogs and helping them.. sheltering them…. taking care of abondaned and weak animals who are left brutaly to die….he had taken care of them through out his life and at the time of death he must be remembering all the countless number of animals he had helped in his life….. so according to BG he will become animal in his next life…. this sounds very UNFAIR…Please advise i think i must have interprit it wrong…
REPLY:
Actually, only if you have animal like character and behave like an animal in this birth, you will take next birth as an animal. Not for loving animals. It is not correct to think that loving animals give animal birth next time.
If living with animals gives animal birth, all of us are living with the persons and hence all of us should get rebirth as humans. But, all are not given rebirth as humans.
This means what? Only the consciousness and desire that we have at the time of death determines the type of our rebirth.
“What we do” is not the factor that determines our rebirth. “Why we do” determines our rebirth.
For example, if a person is addicted to sense gratification and also likes to have uncontrolled s…x with anyone at any time without any rules, it is DOG LIKE CHARACTER. Because, only the dog likes to have s…x for long period of time.
So, this person who is always thinking of s…..x, should also take birth as a dog because he can do that legally in his next birth.
(What is the karma for killing animals as a habitual enjoyment? READ HERE!)
If a person kills an animal, he will take his next birth as an animal and be killed by someone.
Similarly, if you are always fond of meat and are taking it every day, and you are unable to live without meat even a single day, then, it is the character of wild animals like tiger , lion, etc. So, you will take birth as a wild animal and eat other animals every day.
Thus, only if you disturb the animals or behave like animals, you will have to take birth as an animal.
If you show love and natural affection for a dog and offer some food to dogs every day, it is not a bad character, but, you are showing your kindness towards animals. This will give you a sacrificing mind that is the sign of a good person.
In fact, we are indebted to the animals because we get many benefits from them. So, the scriptures recommend giving food to the animals and birds like dogs, crows, bulls, cows, etc. By doing so, we are clearing our debts to them.
(FIVE DEBTS & FIVE YAJNAS TO BE CLEARED & PERFORMED BY EVERYONE! READ HERE!)
Remember, you will not get animal or any other births Just because you love them. Krishna too showed His love towards cows, other animals and birds.
Even Vishnu, Brahma dev, Ganapati, Kartikeya and Lord Siva have animals as their vehicles and keep them always with them.
Then, how can we consider loving animals gives next birth as animals? Are the gods showing wrong practices?
No Chance.
A devotee will love any person, animal, bird or even an object as the creations of Krishna.
Otherwise, he is not a devotee.
So, love all the creations of Krishna, but DO NOT DEVELOP ATTACHMENT WITH THEM. JUST SHOW YOUR MERCY ON THEM ALSO. ENOUGH.
BECAUSE, KRISHNA IS THERE AS PARAMATHMA EVEN IN ANIMALS AND BIRDS.
(What is the Journey after death for animals birds and species? READ HERE!)