Early Writings — Page 52
52 THE limited in time and space to be infinite. Would Bawa Sahib kindly explain to me that if the amount of birth that occurs in four and a quarter billion years is what he calls infinite, then how would he quantify such birth which takes place over a period of eight and a half billion years? Therefore, it is a categorical misstatement to say that the existing souls, in spite of being confined to a limited period of time and space, are infinite. For such reproduction as occurs within a limited period of time cannot exceed a fixed num- ber. And, if you say that all souls are born instantly at once on the earth, this too would evidently be false. According to you, the earth is limited while souls are unlimited in number. How then can the infinite exist within the finite? If you say that some ani- mals, due to their having not achieved salvation, do not appear in the new world, this would be against your own principle. For it has already been mentioned above that as per your own principle, all such souls that fail to find salvation during an earlier cycle of creation, are reborn once again so that they may taste the fruit of their past actions, and no soul is exempt from this process of rebirth. Now, putting all other arguments aside, if we were to reflect over just this argument alone of being confined in time and space, it is clearly established that you have no choice but to accept that souls are limited in number-you must concede on this point. If all the arguments given by me in answer to Question Number 1, and those cited by me in answer to the question being addressed now are read collectively, any fair-minded person would conclude that to deny such categorical arguments is to, as if, deny the exist- ence of the sun. It is unfortunate, therefore, that Bawa Sahib still believes that souls are infinite and will never cease to exist even