Question: Then what happens to the country? Does it take a new soul, or does it evolve in a different way altogether?

Sri Chinmoy: It has happened that the souls of some countries want to reincarnate in a human form and the Supreme sanctions their wish. When the country-soul enters into a human body, at that time the Supreme creates a new soul and puts it into that country.

Some mighty souls who were previously country-souls have become very famous, world-famous, when they have taken a human body, because of the gratitude that was offered to them. The soul may have received tremendous affection, love, gratitude and worship, unconsciously, let us say, from the human beings living in that country. Perhaps some patriots and revolutionaries worshipped their country. In India they sang:

If the revolutionaries and patriots love their country like a human being, if they admire, adore and worship their land as a tangible reality, then the aspiration, the devotion that the soul gets from those human beings can be of great help when the soul takes a human body. This has happened in the case of some souls of countries who have become kings, emperors and other world figures. Again, they may be very bad after becoming kings and emperors in future incarnations because their body, vital and mind may not be totally aspiring. That has also happened. While they were country-souls, the souls were able to manifest their divinity; but when they took human form, the darkness and ignorance that the human body cherishes stood in the way of the soul. In such cases the soul finds it extremely difficult to manifest the divine light on earth.