Question: Can I ask you something about your previous incarnations?

Sri Chinmoy: What have I to do with my previous incarnations? Suppose I know that in my previous incarnation I was a thief. If I tell you people, then I will be exposed, so why should I tell you? A thief will never admit that he is a thief. Again, what if I say that in my previous incarnation I was very, very great and well known? Then you will say, "How is it that in this present incarnation, when you have already reached the age of forty-one, nobody knows of you?" So either way, it does not help at all.

You have to know that you cannot live on yesterday's food. Yesterday if I was good, then today let me aspire to be better, and tomorrow let me aspire to be absolutely the best. And if I feel that yesterday was very bad, unsatisfactory, discouraging and deplorable, then the best thing is to forget about it immediately. The past is dust.

Again, even if the past was satisfactory, in the spiritual life we know that that is not enough. If someone feels that he was very sincere, dedicated and spiritual ten years ago, then he will still want to go farther, deeper and higher. He will feel that until he has realised the Highest, he cannot stop. Suppose you are a very good runner, running forward at top speed. Your goal is ahead of you. You have been running very fast, true, but the moment you look behind, you will fall. So since you know that your goal is ahead of you, you have to continue running the fastest towards your Goal and reach the Goal.