Gnani, the Enlightened One, explains:
Suppose we take a block of wood on which a lot of mud is stuck onto it and we put it in a pond of water. It will sink right down, isn’t it? Now, as the mud keeps dissolving, the block of wood will gradually come up. When all of the mud is removed, the block will float on water.

This is how the coverings on the Soul also dissolve. One after another, covering over the Soul opens up, and one is born as a one-sensed, then two-sensed, then a three-sensed living being. One keeps taking experience and goes on rising higher in development. Until one comes in human form, it is all a natural development.

Then from humans, (based on the kind of new karma that one binds) one can become a donkey or a fish, or may go to hell, or even in heaven and become a celestial being. When one attains Self-Realization, his wandering in the four life-forms stops. It is all scientific circumstantial evidence. There is no fault in anybody. One circumstance pushes another, and another circumstance pushes the third, the coverings break and development happens.

Thus, the journey of Soul:
Begins from a total dormant stage where the knowledge and the vision of the Soul, which are its basic properties, are totally covered;
Then very gradually, the development happens from one-sensed to a five-sensed living being and thus one evolves upto human form;
And finally, one attains Self-Realization; thereafter when all the coverings over the Soul drop off, the Soul is liberated forever.

Thus, there are two things in the journey of Soul:
Development, and
The Results of karma

When one Soul from this world attains liberation, one Soul from the dormant stage comes into this world
A little covering from over the Soul of the dormant being gets removed, wherefrom little light of Soul comes out; and thus one sense (of touch) is developed. With this, the particular living being begins his journey in this world, and gradually develops from one-sensed to two-sensed, three-sensed, four-sensed, five-sensed and then comes into human life-form where his mind, intellect, ego gets developed.
And ultimately, when one gets Self-Realization, the worldly development completes there; new karmas stop being charged then; and when discharge of all old karmas finish, one attains liberation!

Based on the karmas one has bound, the Soul can go into any of the four life-forms
In today’s age, one generally does not commit such severe karma that can lead him to Narak gati (hell). However, some people explode a bomb and 200-500 people get killed; such will have to go to the lower life-form of hell.

Most of the people commit sins such as lying, stealing, cheating people, etc. Owing to such lack of self-discipline, one may at the most have to go into the animal form. People indulging in corruption, malpractices, injustice, etc. that we can see everywhere are those who will have to go from two legs to four legs, they’ve taken a return ticket in this and come (meaning they’ve come from animal kingdom, and in the present human form, are pursuing such intents that take them back in the animal-form). They hurt others and become happy, what a big risk that is! They don’t realize that they are causing hurt to others; that too just for the sake of their own happiness, for their own selfish interest, hence they go in animal (life-form).

The whole life, when lived for the happiness of others only, eg. Saint Jalarm, Sai Baba, etc., they go to heaven, the celestial life-form.

And if what I do not like, I do not do that with others, then I am following the religion of humans and I come back in the human life-form!

When one hurts others, one binds karma that will take one from two legs (human life-form) to four legs (animal life-form). However, if one repents over his deeds, then one can be reborn as a human. Therefore, for every wrong deed that may have happened by us, we must recall such deeds and sincerely repent before God that, “Oh God! I seek forgiveness for my deeds. I do not want to hurt any living being, not even in my thoughts, nor through my speech or actions.”

To attain liberation, one must obtain the knowledge of the Self (Self-Realization)
Due to ignorance of the Self, one is binding karma and is constantly wandering in the four life-forms. If one stops binding karma and finishes all the old karma effects, then one attains liberation. For this, one needs to attain Self-Realization.

Do you know, through Akram Vignan, we can attain Self-Realization in a matter of two hours only, as Gnani, with his divine spiritual powers, directly gives us the experiential knowledge of the Self. Gnani does this out of compassion that he has for all living beings in this world; therefore there is no cost attached to this – it is totally FREE for everyone! So come, let us FREE ourselves and thereby complete our Soul’s journey by approaching the Akram Gnani!!!

To know more: https://www.dadabhagwan.org/self-realization/

Author's Bio: 

Ambalal M. Patel was a civil contractor by profession. In June 1958, spontaneous Self-Realization occurred within Ambalal M. Patel. From this point on, Ambalal became a Gnani Purush, and the Lord that manifest within him became known as Dada Bhagwan. A Gnani Purush is One who has realized the Self and is able help others do the same. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan used to go from town to town and country-to-country to give satsang (spiritual discourse) and impart the knowledge of the Self, as well as knowledge of harmonious worldly interactions to everyone who came to meet him. This spiritual science, known as Akram Vignan, is the step-less path to Self-realization.