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Between Births
There is often a curiosity about where we have come from and where we will go next? Which life-form have we come from and into which life-form will we go next? According to Jainism, the soul takes birth in any of these four life-forms as it wanders in this universe - celestial, human, animal-plant (tiryanch) and infernal (hell). Enslaved by its karmas, it has been wandering in these four life-forms from time immemorial. Based on the thoughts and karmas of the past life, it begets the present life-form.
Where Have We Come From?
Wherever the soul has come from, it brings along with it the influence of that place. If it has come from the celestial lifeform, then it brings the heavenly influence. When it comes from the infernal world, it