Question: When a soul comes to you for blessings, is its appearance similar to the physical form of that person?

Sri Chinmoy: No, no, it does not have to be the same. The soul can take the form of a flower or something else. Sometimes the soul comes with the same human face, but it is not at all necessary. Just a few days ago your husband's soul came to me for special blessings and on that very day, a few hours later, I came to learn that his father had just passed away. At that time, your husband's soul did not come with its physical human form. It came as a beautiful flower. As soon as I looked at the flower, I knew that it was his soul.

The outer appearance has nothing to do with the soul's form. Quite often the soul takes the form of the subtle body for us to recognise it, but sometimes the soul does not have to take the human form. It can take any form — a flower or plant or tree or anything, anything. But as soon as you see that form, you recognise the soul. It is like a dress. Whatever a person wears, immediately you recognise that person. The form the soul takes may have nothing to do with the physical form that we have been acquainted with for many years.