What happens if, despite your sincere faith and devoted effort, your spiritual journey remains unfinished in this lifetime? Will the Divine still bless you with the fruit of your practice in the next?
This is a question that transcends time—one that Arjun himself courageously asks Shree Krishna in the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
You might wonder, like Arjun did: What if I begin walking the sacred path, sincerely follow the instructions, and yet fail to complete the journey, perhaps due to carelessness, lingering negative sanskaras, limited time, or wavering effort? What then? Will I drift aimlessly, caught between worlds, neither belonging to this earthly life nor to the Divine, like a solitary cloud torn from the vast sky, lost with no place to call home?
Gita: 6.37-38
अयति: श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानस: |
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति || 37||
ayatiḥ śhraddhayopeto yogāch chalita-mānasaḥ
aprāpya yoga-sansiddhiṁ kāṅ gatiṁ kṛiṣhṇa gachchhati
Translation: What is the fate of the unsuccessful yogi who begins the path with faith, but who does not endeavour sufficiently due to an unsteady mind and is unable to reach the goal of Yog in this life?
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति |
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मण: पथि || 38||
kachchi nirbhaya-vibhraṣhṭaśh chhinnābhram iva naśhyati
apratiṣhṭho mahā-bāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
Translation: Does not such a person who deviates from Yog get deprived of both material and spiritual success, O mighty-armed Krishna, and perish like a broken cloud with no position in either sphere?
Krishna’s Reassurance to All Seekers
Shree Krishna’s answer to Arjun is a timeless message for all seekers.
Gita: 6.41-42
प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वती: समा: |
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते || 41||
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् |
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् || 42||
prāpya puṇya-kṛitāṁ lokān uṣhitvā śhāśhvatīḥ samāḥ
śhuchīnāṁ śhrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣhṭo ’bhijāyate
atha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛiśham
Translation: The unsuccessful yogis, upon death, go to the abodes of the virtuous. After dwelling there for many ages, they are again reborn in the earth plane, into a family of pious and prosperous people. Else, if they had developed dispassion due to long practice of Yog, they are born into a family endowed with divine wisdom. Such a birth is very difficult to attain in this world.
The Spiritual Journey Never Stops
Shree Krishna assures Arjun—and through him, every sincere seeker—that you are never starting from zero. Your spiritual progress is never lost. Even if you are unable to reach the ultimate goal in this life, the Divine takes note of every sincere effort. You carry your inner growth forward into your next life.
Shree Krishna assures you that such a soul is reborn into a favourable environment, where conditions are naturally supportive of spiritual progress. Whether it's a nurturing household, spiritual atmosphere, or simply an intuitive inner pull toward the path, the foundation is already in place. Your journey continues from where you left off.
Hardships May Appear, But the Flame Remains
That said, some seekers, no matter how spiritually elevated, might still encounter difficulties on the outer level, based on the workings of prarabdha karma. Life may not always look smooth on the outside, but these challenges do not derail the journey.
Even in the midst of outer struggle, the inner sadhana continues. The soul quietly carries forward the impressions of past practice. Whether the environment is clearly supportive or seemingly challenging, the inner current of sadhana (spiritual practice) flows on.
Divine Justice: The Ledger of Life’s Balance
In God’s divine administration, there is perfect justice. Every act of sadhana, every “Radhey Radhey” you chant, every moment of heartfelt effort—it’s all noted and accounted for. Your spiritual merit accumulates like a bank balance.
If you are unable to complete your journey in this life, God doesn’t erase your efforts. He preserves them. And in your next life, you resume from that very point—with greater clarity, stronger faith, and deeper detachment.
Shree Kripaluji Maharaj once told, “If someone receives true spiritual knowledge and conviction in the path of bhakti and dies, then know that 50% of the journey toward God-realisation is complete. In the next life, they will begin with that same wisdom and move ahead from there.”
That’s how your divine bank balance works; it is not reset but preserved.
That is why little children sometimes exhibit a deep and spontaneous inclination toward spirituality far beyond their age or environment.
Once, in Los Angeles, Swami Mukundananda visited the home of a devotee whose brother had recently arrived from Nepal. During the satsang, an eight-year-old boy sat quietly through a full one-and-a-half-hour lecture, listening with rapt attention. Later that evening, the child called his parents and recounted the entire talk in detail, point by point.
The boy’s attentiveness moved Swamiji, but what truly astonished him was what came next. The child approached him with folded hands and asked with innocent seriousness, “Swamiji, what is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita?”
Swamiji smiled and gently responded, recognising the depth behind such a question. He explained that this rare curiosity was not accidental—it was the result of spiritual impressions (sanskaras) and merits (punya) carried over from past lifetimes. This was a reminder: nothing is lost. Your spiritual efforts never disappear—they re-emerge when the time is right.
Material Things Will Be Left Behind
Material possessions will not follow you beyond death, but the consequences of how you acquired them certainly will. In fact, when something is gained through dishonest means, the penalty is double. Think of it like a smuggler getting caught—not only are the goods seized, but he is also punished for the crime. In the same way, if you accumulate wealth through deceit, theft, or corruption, that money will be left behind at the time of death. But the sin committed in acquiring it? That will accompany you into the next life.
Everything material is stripped away, but one treasure stays with you—your spiritual merit. The time you spend in sadhana, prayer, service, and inner purification becomes your soul’s true wealth. That divine bank balance remains untouched by death and travels with you.
So if you’re ageing or facing a serious illness, don’t fall into despair. That phase of life can be a golden opportunity to turn inward and deepen your connection with God. Just as students give their best effort before a final exam, the end of life is your final test. It’s the moment when you present your report card to the Divine.
And what will God see?
“Hmm… things are a little messy here. Some good, some not so good,” He might say. “Alright, you’ll return as a human, but where and how you start next will depend on this karmic record.”
Yes, you carry your report card with you. And while you may not control the exact outcome, you absolutely control how you prepare for it.
That’s why every moment of devotion counts. Every time you repeat God's name, every act of kindness, every spark of awareness you ignite—it all adds up. The more sincerely you walk the spiritual path, the more luminous your grades become on that eternal transcript.
When the final moments of life arrive, your material riches won’t matter anymore. What will remain—what is truly yours—is your inner growth, the love you’ve offered, and the sadhana you’ve done from the depths of your heart.
In the end, your spiritual balance sheet is the only thing you truly carry forward.
