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I read somewhere that souls are never created nor destroyed. How is that possible? If souls are never created nor destroyed , how did all of us come into existence and how is the population of the world increasing?

user3750229
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    good question :). the answer lies in soul vs body. The soul is immortal and eternal, the body is not. The reason for population of world increasing is because of more bodies being born on Earth. Souls can reside not only on Earth but in any one of the billions and billions (∞} worlds that out there. As for 'how did all of us come into existence'? That question has a different answer based on the different school of philosophy. According to Advaita, 'how did all of us' would be answered that 'there is no us, there is only ONE and that is God, individual existence is an illusion'. All the best – Sai Sep 02 '15 at 18:12
  • @Sai Where did you get the idea that souls reside in billions or infinitely many worlds? – Keshav Srinivasan Sep 06 '15 at 10:47
  • @KeshavSrinivasan what do you mean? I said souls reside in one among the infinitely many worlds, not all of them – Sai Sep 08 '15 at 02:27
  • @Sai Yeah, I just meant where did you get the idea that there are infinitely many worlds with souls in them? – Keshav Srinivasan Sep 08 '15 at 03:44
  • @KeshavSrinivasan ok, I will clarify that the soul in that sentence means the subtle body or the individualized consciousness. The idea of infinite worlds is from Autobiography of a Yogi. There Sri Yukteshwarji describes the various stages that a soul undergoes after death and the presence of various worlds all of which are inhabited by these subtle or causal bodies. All the best – Sai Sep 08 '15 at 14:27
  • @Sai OK, I didn't know that Yukteshwar believed in infinite worlds. I know that Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe in infinitely many Brahmandas, each ruled by its own Garbhodasayi Vishnu; see my answer here: http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/6923/36 But that's on the basis of the Satvata Tantra, which is a text that pretty much only Gaudiya Vaishnavas accept. So I'm surprised that other Hindus would also believe in infinitely many worlds. By the way, in the Gaudiya view each Brahmanda contains finitely many worlds, and there's no crossing between, so each Jiva is limited to finitely many worlds. – Keshav Srinivasan Sep 08 '15 at 15:17
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    @KeshavSrinivasan actually by infinite I just meant an extremely large amount of worlds, I did not intend to say the mathematical infinity, but rather just like the stars in the sky are said to be infinite because there are so many and its impossible to count them all, although they are probably a finite number. – Sai Sep 08 '15 at 15:21
  • @Sai Yeah, I was speaking in the same imprecise sense as you. Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe that there are countless (not necessarily mathematically infinite) Brahmandas, and that each Brahmanda contains a relatively small number of worlds, I think less than 30. But I'm not aware of any scriptures, apart from the Satvata Tantra that pretty much only Gaudiya Vaishnavas accept, that say that there are countless worlds, which is why I'm surprised that Yukteshwar believes it. – Keshav Srinivasan Sep 08 '15 at 16:06
  • @KeshavSrinivasan ok, one more clarification after re-reading your posts. The word 'world' has many meanings. The specific meaning for 'world' that I meant is 'planet'. Just as there are countless planets and galaxies in this physical universe. :) Whereas what you mean by 'Brahmanda' is actually 'universe' isn't it? – Sai Sep 08 '15 at 17:14
  • @Sai In the Gaudiya Vaishnava view, there are countless Brahmandas and each Brahmanda contains a small number (less than 30) of Lokas. I happen to believe that each Loka is an entire universe. Like I think that Bhuloka encompasses the entire physical universe. So in my view a Brahmanda would be something like a multiverse. But at least ISKCON seems to think that the Lokas are just planets, and that the Brahmanda is the physical universe. But that view isn't stated in the Satvata Tantra, so I'm not sure if it's something Gaudiya Vaishnavas have always believed or if it's a new belief of ISKCON. – Keshav Srinivasan Sep 08 '15 at 17:32

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Namaste

God created the universe as thought and as "leela", as per scriptures. In his creation there are many forms of energy depending upon its manifestation, it is can be birds, animals or human beings or stones also. These forms can interchange just like a magician doing a trick, however, in god's creation there is no magic everything goes as per defined nature's laws (nature laws= simplified term for all writings in vedas & upanishads).

In ancient days, there were many birds, animals which became extinct as man invented industrialization and destroyed them. However, soul can/may return as human beings. In short there is mass balance & equilibrium in mother nature.

To understand the creation and understand the soul, one need to read holy scriptures, then only further discussion can be held.

Annonymous
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