Q100. How do we move up or down in Life?

Just as we can get promoted or demoted at work, we also get promoted or demoted in life. By getting a good education, earning good money, having a big house, and nice cars, you have simply become a polished animal. Material advancement is not evolution, but devolution of spiritual consciousness. At death, all our degrees, properties, cars, and bank balances are completely useless. If you have spiritual knowledge, then you will move up in life, thus take birth in one of the higher species of living beings or overcome the cycle of birth and death. If you have no spiritual knowledge, then you will go down in life by taking birth in the lower species, in the plant and animal kingdoms. There are 8.4 million species of living beings. According to exactly what you deserve, you will either go up or down in species after this life. I am not saying that you give up all the comforts of life and live in a cave, no. My point is that if you add some spirituality to your life, which includes stopping sinful activities like meat eating, gambling, drinking, and relationships outside marriage. Become charitable and treat people nicely. Then at least, you will be able to maintain your current position in your next life.

“At death, those who have developed the mode of goodness, will go to the higher planets where the saintly persons live. Those who have developed the mode of passion, will take birth among those engaged in materialistic activities. Those who have developed the mode of ignorance, will take birth in the animal kingdom.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.14-15) “Those who are situated in the mode of goodness, go to the heavenly planets. Those in the mode of passion will take birth on planets like Earth. Those in the mode of ignorance will take birth on the hellish planets or in the animal kingdom." (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.18)