If one faces death without clearing debts, will it give next birth?
‘Sagar Panjabi’ asked like this:
“Harekrishna prabhuji, I have one question in my mind what if someone who has taken a loan from a bank or his relative dies without paying it off, what karmic effect it will have on the individual. Do he/she will be given birth again to pay off the amount he owed in his previous birth. what does our scriptures say about taking loans?”
REPLY:
No doubt at all. If one faces death without clearing debts, it will give next birth, UNLESS HE HAS FULLY DEDICATED HIMSELF FOR SERVING THE LORD AND SOCIETY.
Though one is a devotee but not a pure sanyasi or fully detached devotee, if he faces death without clearing loans back, he may have to take birth again and clear the loans.
You may ask: “As per Bhakti Rasamruta Sindhu, a devotee has no duties to be done for others. Then, how can a devotee get rebirth if he dies without clearing his loans?”
(Are our earnings decided by the karma network of God? READ HERE!)
Ha Ha. The devotees that are mentioned in Bhakti Rasamruta Sindhu denotes the devotees who have detached from material life and are serving the Vaishnavas and the Lord seeing Krishna everywhere and in everyone.
The devotees who have attained perfection in their devotion have no duties for them.
Why?
He might have not cleared his loan for a single bank. But, he will be elevating thousands of devotees to get liberated.
So, to elevate 1000 persons, sacrificing the loan to a single person is permitted.
This is what called SANYASA in Indian culture.
See, the sanyasis would have been a brahmachari or grahastha in their Poorva Ashrama (Previous stage of life). But, they sacrifice their family to serve thousands of people.
Being in the family may be a barrier for those who like to serve 1000s of people.
I started to practice devotion even in my early twenties and I took care of my parents till they were alive. After their demise, Since I am free from the duties for the parents, I am now able to dedicate for 14 hrs a day for the devotee community.
If I am running a big family, I won’t have become such a dedicated preacher. Of late, I have happily accepted a sanyasa way of life to serve the masses, though not formally and officially taken sanyasa.
(Facing a Critical situation that has no visible solutions? A Case Study! READ HERE!)
So, being a grahastha may be suitable to practice devotion, but, one can’t COMFORTABLY serve the big masses by being a grahastha. Because, as a grahastha, he may have some essential duties for his wife, children, in laws, parents, etc.
So, Such devotees who have renounced the material life and are serving the masses may not have any pending karma as his karma account would have been cleared out with the power of his renouncement and service to the masses.
So, if such a devotee who has attained perfection may not have any pending karma account or debts to anyone.
Since he has been purified, he may not have any contamination. If he attains devotional perfection without clearing his loans, his debt would have been burnt and even the lender will also get good karma for having sacrificed his money to help that devotee to attain perfection.
That lender will be compensated by any other means such as extraordinary profit in his business, surprise income, etc.
But, it is a warning for the devotees. Even a casual devotee who is chanting something and also has so much of material desires and attachments should not take it granted as if he can die keeping the loans.
He should not think that he can die even without clearing his loans because as a devotee, he has no debts / loans to clear.
Until we have even a trace of material attachment, and until we are serving the senses though rarely, we will have to take another birth to attain the level of Perfection.
(Krishna Helps To Clear the Karma of Devotees! A Stunning Proof! READ HERE!)
If a casual devotee dies keeping the loans, he will take birth in a rich family and clear sizable loans in that birth without any difficulty.
If a serious and perfect devotee dies keeping loans, he may not take birth again as his loans will be compensated by the karma network itself as you were serving innumerable people when you were alive.
Even when you attend a marriage, you should give sizable gifts or money. Because, you have eaten the grand feast offered by the concerned person that may be worth a sizable amount. If you do not compensate the cost of that feast in the form of a sizable gift, we will remain indebted to the parents of the groom or bride.
That is why giving gifts to the married couples is compulsory in the Indian tradition to avoid being indebted to them.
We offer food to the animals and crows to compensate the services we have got from them. Without the birds, the seeds can’t proliferate and hence food scarcity may arise. Animals like cows feed us throughout our and their life.
And, you should donate something to the temples whenever you visit there and accept prasadam there. This will protect us from debts to the devas.
And, if we learn from a guru, we should offer guru dakshina. If not, we will be indebted to that guru as he has spent part of his life for us to teach the higher principles and practice of devotion. So, we may have to take rebirth to clear such debts.
(Is it compulsory to donate (Giving dhaan) on Ekadasi? READ HERE!)
So, the devotees should avoid getting loans. In case you get some loan, clear them at the earliest. Facing death without clearing debts gives definite rebirth to clear those debts.
Do not depend on the immunity given for the devotees who have attained perfection and are serving the masses. Only the loans of the devotees who have attained devotional perfection will be wiped off, not for all.
We should always think ourselves as the Last Bench devotees. Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu in Sikshashtaka said that we should think ourselves like a straw on the roadside.
So, lead a simple life and avoid ALL TYPES OF loans/debts to your level best.
(You can read about different types of our indebtedness in detail in THIS POST.)
Hope you are clear now about the death without clearing debts, will give next birth.