From earlier chapters we saw that when Dnyaneshwar Maharaj drew seven lines, the bullock crossed each one and narrated what had happened in each of his previous births. Similarly, in the 36th chapter of *Gurucharitra*, Lord Dattatreya Himself drew seven lines, and as a Shudra man crossed each line he recalled and revealed the story of his past births. From this we understand a profound truth: every soul carries a journey across many lifetimes. This journey continues until the soul becomes completely purified — until it rises above anger, greed, pride, attachment, jealousy and all other impurities. Only then does the journey end.
When the soul (prāṇa) enters the mother’s womb at the moment of conception, it becomes inseparably one with the body. The two remain united until death. Therefore the pain of the prāṇa is felt through the body, and the body’s experiences shape the prāṇa. Only when prāṇa and body separate does the soul attain freedom. Until that moment, the conditions of the body are the conditions of the soul’s journey.
A striking incident from the life of Vyankatnath Maharaj illustrates this truth. He once developed a very high fever of around 105°F that would not come down. Despite medical advice, he insisted on bathing and performing his daily rituals. Before bathing he said: “Check my temperature now,” and it was 105°F. He then wrapped his dhoti with a towel, set it aside and said, “Now check again,” and the thermometer showed 97°F. Afterward he asked them to check the temperature of the dhoti; it showed 105°F. Throughout two hours of worship his body remained at 97°F while the dhoti held the fever. When he wore the dhoti again, his temperature instantly returned to 105°F.
Such mastery is possible only for a perfect yogi. Vyankatnath Maharaj, the fifteenth Nath in the lineage beginning with Machhindranath, had mastery over the five elements. For ordinary people, however, the body’s suffering is the soul’s suffering, and thus we feel our difficulties intensely.
Every human being encounters phases of despair, confusion and inner darkness. These moments are not random; they are reflections of past karmic actions. In daily life, we act according to our intentions, intelligence, education and environment. We put forth sincere effort, and yet many times the direction is right, the method is right, the effort is sincere — and still obstacles appear. Success is delayed, the mind becomes dull, and confusion grows. Gradually a person thinks, “Perhaps these are simply my karmic conditions. Maybe my fate will never change.” Negative thoughts increase, confidence diminishes and hopelessness settles in. Meanwhile, others in similar circumstances achieve results easily because their past karmas support them.
Confidence cannot be permanently created by medicines alone. If a person’s past-life impressions contain weakness, then confidence will rise and fall according to those seeds. Astrology often reveals this: planetary combinations show whether one’s tendencies support confidence or weaken it.
In society we interact with many people. Even when we behave honestly and respectfully, misunderstandings arise without logical reason. Someone forms an incorrect opinion that affects our work and peace of mind. These misunderstandings often have no present-life cause; they arise from old karmic debts. Once those karmic knots dissolve, misunderstandings disappear, relationships improve and situations shift without force. The transformation is subtle, natural and permanent.
The despair a person experiences is usually the result of past-life karmic defects, not present mistakes. When proper spiritual practices are performed, the burden on the subtle body reduces. As karmic defects dissolve, negative thinking decreases, despair disappears, confidence rises and life becomes aligned again. At Nath Shakti Peeth, these spiritual methods have been practiced and refined for over thirty years, and countless seekers have experienced relief from deep-rooted despair and negativity.