It is rightly said that birth and death are like wearing a new body and discarding the old one. The soul takes birth upon this earth eighty-four lakh times, in different forms.

According to the Padma Purana, The individual soul appears on earth in the form of the following: 

• The ‘Sthaavara’ or immobile life like the plants, trees – 20 lakh times.
• The ‘Jalaja’ or marine life-form – 9 lakh times.
• The ‘Krimayo’ or reptile life-form – 11 lakh times.
• The ‘Pakshinam’ or bird life-form – 10 lakh times.
• The ‘Pashavah’ or animal life-form – 30 lakh times
• The ‘Maanava’ or human life-form – 4 lakh times.

The human form is the most rare and precious form of life. It is only the human form that is capable of spiritual evolution. Each one of us, has different lessons to learn in this life-time according to one’s stage of evolution. Each one is born with a specific purpose. Every experience in this human life, whether joyful or painful, is a learning experience for the soul.

Every human life provides the opportunity to evolve further and further until the highest peak of spirituality i.e. self-realisation or enlightenment, is achieved. Therefore, it is the privilege and duty of each individual to fulfil the purpose for which one has taken this human life on earth. When a person commits suicide, it means that he or she has not completed the soul’s mission or purpose on earth for this lifetime.

The mind of a person who is not spiritually evolved, has limited capacity. It makes the person believe that by ending this life one can escape the pain and sorrow that one is undergoing, but that is not true. If one ends this life abruptly, one has to undergo the same suffering or perhaps even worse suffering. Until such time that the lesson has not been learnt, the sufferings have to be endured. We are here to fulfil our divine purpose on earth, and no matter how hard the life-exam of suffering is, one must prepare oneself spiritually to attempt the examination, and to pass the life-exam successfully.

Instead of considering suicide, one should surrender completely to the will of God. When one is able to continue to undergo the tough examinations of life, spiritual evolution takes place, and one is able to climb the heights of spirituality with the grace of God and Guru.