Might a devotee be born in a Muslim family?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So might a devotee be born in a Muslim family? Actually we don’t have to, so much worry about a future destination, as long as we are taking care of our present consciousness.
Because Krishna will, Krishna is not a judgmental God, who wants to, who is just waiting to catch us when we do wrong. Krishna is there to catch us when we fall. He will help us rise from wherever we are.
And usually Krishna will put us in a situation which will be favorable for our spiritual growth. So Krishna actually gives the trajectories quite clearly, in the spiritual path he says that, he says that actually, those who are, those who practice bhakti, or practice spirituality even in general, he says in 6.37 to 6.45 he answers the question, he says, they will be born in a cultured family. Or they will be born in a, in a wealthy family, which is spiritually inclined.
Or if they are very advanced, that is if they have practiced spiritual life to some extent and have some material desires. But if they have practiced serious spiritual life, then they will be born directly in, in devotional families where they can advance very much. There is one more possibility if a devotee is practicing bhakti and the devotee falls away from the spiritual path.
Then it may happen that because of that, not just falls away, by falling away also, if the devotee was earlier pious and returns back to piety, that is one thing. But falls away to sinful life. Then sometimes that sin may have its consequences.
Just like Bhagavatam gives the example of Bharat Maharaj, who was born as a deer. But although he was born as a deer, he did not get deer consciousness. He still got human consciousness, despite being in a deer’s body.
So similarly, we too will, if at all some devotee does some seriously wrong activities, then the reaction may come where a devotee may have to take a low birth. In that remote possibility, a devotee may be born in a family where low birth means sinful activities are the norm. But even in that situation, Krishna says, what will happen is purvabdhyasena tenaiva riyate yavasopisa.
That by past practice only, almost helplessly attracted to spiritual principles. So I was in Canada, I met one devotee who was from Iran and he said from his childhood itself, you know, he just, something told him don’t eat meat and it was so odd because everybody was taking. So he was just somehow, no, I don’t want to take this.
And then when he started practicing bhakti, it was almost just like natural for him. So, in general, we don’t have to worry too much. If we are practicing Krishna consciousness nicely right now, then Krishna will always give us a destination which will be favorable for our spiritual growth.
And even if somehow some unfavorable destination comes, even in that, that spiritual consciousness will still be preserved and Krishna will pull that devotee towards him even through that situation.