Gita 6.45

Sadhak: "'Many births' to reach liberation? That's discouraging. I was hoping for progress in this lifetime."

Guru: "Consider the alternative: without continuation across lives, either you achieve everything in one lifetime or everything is lost at death. The 'many births' teaching means you cannot fail—only pause. Is it discouraging that a great musician practices for decades? Liberation is realizing your nature as infinite consciousness."

Sadhak: "But if liberation takes many lifetimes anyway, why strive intensely now?"

Guru: "Because the quality of each lifetime depends on the quality of practice. Moreover, 'many births' is the general pattern, not an absolute law. Some souls burn through lifetimes of purification quickly. You don't know which lifetime this is for you—it might be the last before breakthrough."

Sadhak: "'Purified of sins'—what exactly needs to be purified? I haven't committed major sins."

Guru: "'Kilbiṣa' means not just moral wrongdoing but all that obstructs realization: attachment to pleasure, aversion to pain, identification with body and mind. You may not be a sinner in the worldly sense, but you still identify as a limited being—that identification is the primary 'kilbiṣa.'"

Sadhak: "How do I know if I'm being purified? What are the signs of progress?"

Guru: "Signs include: decreased reactivity, increased equanimity, spontaneous compassion, natural inclination toward solitude, dispassion toward sense pleasures without suppression, growing clarity of perception. If these signs are appearing, purification is occurring."

Sadhak: "The verse says 'prayatnād'—with effort. But I've heard liberation comes through grace, not effort. Which is true?"

Guru: "Both. Effort creates the conditions in which grace can operate. Grace is always present, like sunlight; effort is like opening the curtains. Neither alone is sufficient; together they are irresistible."

Sadhak: "'Parāṁ gatim'—the supreme goal. What exactly is this goal?"

Guru: "The supreme goal is not a place you go or an experience you have—it's the recognition of what you have always been. Not heaven (temporary), not better rebirth, but liberation. The yogi doesn't gain something new but recognizes what was never absent."

Sadhak: "If the goal takes many lifetimes, how should I orient my practice now?"

Guru: "Three orientations maximize progress. First: practice as if this lifetime could be the breakthrough. Second: understand that the goal is not distant but here, merely obscured. Third: focus on purification rather than attainment—when all blocks are removed, liberation is revealed."