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Is it that Human births for each soul take place after long periods of time?

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    I have read somewhere that brahmins must have been humans in their previous life - hence "twice-born"
    – S K
    Mar 24, 2021 at 20:22
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    @SK - that has nothing to do with meaning 'twice born'. All of us have had innumerable lives in the past. Twice Born or Dwija means the birth of Jnana during Upanayana around age 8 in the same birth.
    – mar
    Mar 24, 2021 at 22:39
  • @mar "birth of Jnana during Upanayana": could you explain what this means?
    – learner
    Mar 24, 2021 at 22:41
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    Sacred thread ceremony en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanayana
    – mar
    Mar 24, 2021 at 22:42
  • @mar oh ok. thank you
    – learner
    Mar 24, 2021 at 22:44

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Is it possible that we had been born as humans before ?

Yes.

Bhagavad Gita 4.5

bahuni me vyatitani janmani tava carjuna
tany aham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa

Many, many births both you and I have passed.
I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!

e.g. Arjuna was previously Indra. Bhishma was previously Vasu. Innumerable such examples.

Is it that Human births for each soul take place after long periods of time ?

Yes.

Vivekachudamani

jantUnAm narajanma durlabham atah pumstvam tato vipratA tasmad vaidikadharmamArgaparatA vidvatvam asmAt param |
AtmAnAtmavivecanam svanubhavo brahmAtmanA samstitih muktirno satakotijanmasu krtaih: punyairvinA labhyate ||

Of all births, that as a human being is rare to obtain. rarer still is to be born as a male; rarer than that is to be born a BrAhmana. More difficult than that is to be inclined towards the path of dharma declared by the Vedas. Successively more difficult than this are scholarships (in the revealed texts).
Discrimination between the Atman and anAtman, perfect experience following profound meditation, the state of being established in Brahman and lastly, mukti or liberation. These cannot be obtained without merit acquired in hundreds of crores of lives.

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  • When Krishna said "Many, many births I have passed", was he referring to Vishnu's previous avataras?
    – learner
    Mar 24, 2021 at 23:00
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    @LearningHindu - yes, Krishna is same as Vishnu. an avatar is just like dressing up in different clothes and going to a different place. It's the same person.
    – mar
    Mar 24, 2021 at 23:09
  • Re: Arjuna was previously Indra. Bhishma was previously Vasu. I thought Arjuna was the son of Indra.
    – Severus Snape
    Mar 27, 2021 at 13:15
  • @SeverusSnape - he is. but in his previous janma, he himself was an Indra, as were the other 4 pandavas.
    – mar
    Mar 27, 2021 at 23:26

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