If a person dies you cannot make him alive That is the logical proof that soul exists In human being
which went away from body, But how about birth, how does it enter the womb(humans as well as non humans) since I don’t have any logical and scientific proof that how it enters womb by travelling through space I have doubt over existence of soul please enlighten me
—BHARGAV P PATEL, INDIA
Thank you for your question.
Swami Kriyananda was often present when Paramhansa Yogananda spoke privately with disciples, received visitors, or discussed his writings. These conversations are recorded in a wonderful book, Conversations with Yogananda. This basic question of life is addressed in entry #177:
It is a common belief these days that until a child is actually born, it is not yet a consciously developing human being. This belief is fallacious.
“When does the soul enter the body?” someone asked the Master.
“At the moment of conception,” he replied. “When the sperm and ovum unite, there is a flash of light in the astral world. Souls there that are ready to be reborn, if their vibration matches that of the flash of light, rush to get in. Sometimes two or more get in at the same time, and the woman has twins, triplets, or even – well!
“It is important, therefore, to come together physically with an uplifted consciousness. That flash generated in the astral world reflects the couple’s state of consciousness, especially as they felt during the moment of physical union.”
Some sensitive, intuitive parents report feeling the soul being born to their family in that moment; and that the soul feels like a fully conscious, mature presence that then becomes the baby. Some parents say they can sense something of the soul’s strengths and challenges, and how to best guide that soul, once he or she is born, and ready for the School of Life. It is by no means every devotee parent who feels these things – but it does happen, and it helps shine some light on this topic.
Interestingly, in his teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita, Paramhansa Yogananda said that the moment the sperm and ovum unite is when a soul is “born” to this plane, and, therefore that is the ideal moment from which to draw an astrological chart. However, since that is highly impractical, using the moment of the baby’s first breath is the second best option, and is considered only to be approximate. (For this reason, and others, he said only a true God-realized Master can do an astrological chart with complete accuracy.) You can read my longer article.
You can read more in my longer article. When Does the Soul Enter the Body?
There are also numerous credible books of people recalling their past lives, or their time in the astral world between lives. Yogananda describes the astral world in fascinating detail in Chapter 43 of Autobiography of a Yogi: “The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar,”
I hope these resources help you in your quest for knowledge. Please feel free to ask more questions at any time.
Blessings,
Mary Kretzmann
