Question: What happens to very unaspiring souls that don't want to spend a long time in the soul's world after they die? Can they reincarnate again right away?

Sri Chinmoy: When they go back to the soul's world, common human beings usually take about six years to reincarnate. Some don't even take six years. Ordinary human beings who live an absolutely animal life may not be inclined to go to the soul's world. They want to enjoy the physical world, the pleasure-life. After six months or even three months, they may take incarnation again. In this way they progress a little faster, if you want to call it progress, because they start their journey very soon. After leading a most unaspiring life, for three or four months they take rest in the other world before coming back again.

Often it is the good souls, great souls, that take rest in the soul's world for only six or eight months or a year. Ordinary souls take six, eight or ten years. But sometimes an ordinary soul, not one with tremendous animal propensities but an ordinary soul with just a little aspiration — not very high or very aspiring and, at the same time, not very bad — wants to come back to earth very quickly. If it is God's Will or if any spiritual Master intervenes, then this soul can come back sooner. These human souls are not the lowest: they are of the common run. They have earthly desires, and they are tired of Heavenly life. They go to Heaven and after two or three years they become tired of Heavenly life; they are fond of earthly life.

Our Sarama had a mother who died not quite three years ago. Her mother kindly descended a few months ago. Her mother was tired of Heavenly life, and she was able to descend because she had a Guru and her Guru did her a favour. She has come back very soon, not because she has led an animal life, but because she was aspiring slowly, with Indian bullock-cart speed. She felt that here on earth she would be happy. There are also other souls among our departed disciples who want to come back as soon as possible, not to take part in our mission, but to lead an ordinary earthly life. In their cases my compassion did not work. Only in Sarama's mother's case I have offered my help. But it is good to take a few years' rest in Heaven. Here on earth we work so hard! We deserve some rest.