The Forgotten Vow of the Soul
What Every Parent Should Know
Before a baby takes its first breath, something sacred unfolds a conversation between the soul and the Divine.
In the silent sanctuary of the womb, the soul makes a Sacred Vow (Sankalpa) a promise to live in truth, seek wisdom, and dedicate its journey to the light of consciousness.
This isn’t philosophy; it’s the spiritual reality described in the Garbhopanishad; one of India’s most profound ancient texts on life before birth.
Yet, as the baby is born, this vow is veiled by the Vishnu Prana, the life force that allows the soul to adapt to the physical world. What remains is only a faint echo, a spiritual memory that often surfaces as longing, curiosity, or even unexplained restlessness throughout life.
This is what we call The Forgotten Vow of the Soul.
What Happens Before Birth: The Soul’s Promise
The Garbhopanishad teaches that an unborn child is fully aware, a conscious being reflecting on lifetimes of experience.
In that awareness, the soul takes three sacred vows:
The Vow of Inquiry (Sankhya Yoga): a commitment to seek truth and knowledge beyond illusion.
The Vow of Devotion (Refuge in the Divine): a promise to find protection and love in Maheshwara, Narayana the eternal refuge.
The Vow of the Eternal (Meditation on Brahman): the drive to go beyond the material, to remember the Infinite within.
These vows are not symbolic, they are energetic blueprints. They define a soul’s purpose, values, and path toward fulfillment.
But when these vows are not consciously supported after birth, something subtle happens; The soul forgets its own compass.
The Moment of Forgetting
When the soul takes its first breath, the veil of birth causes spiritual amnesia.
Without a nurturing spiritual environment, one filled with love, awareness, and devotion, the child’s innate vows remain dormant.
The implicit memory of these vows then expresses itself through restlessness, fear, or constant seeking.
What looks like behavioral issues or anxiety in childhood may actually be the soul’s way of saying,
“I remember something sacred — but I don’t know what it is.”
How Forgetting the Vow Affects a Child
The Garbhopanishad describes how the forgotten vow echoes through childhood and beyond:
Infancy (0–2 years)
Symptoms: Frequent distress, difficulty sleeping, hypersensitivity to noise and touch.
Spiritual Root: The soul is overwhelmed by separation from the divine refuge it once knew.
Early Childhood (3–7 years)
Symptoms: Fear of darkness or being alone, trouble connecting with others.
Spiritual Root: Lack of anchoring in the sense of divine safety and love.
Middle Childhood (7–12 years)
Symptoms: Excessive questioning “Why am I here? What’s the point?” or cynicism toward faith.
Spiritual Root: The vow of inquiry is stirring, but without a framework, it turns into confusion or rebellion.
Adulthood
Symptoms: Success without satisfaction, mid-life emptiness, or relationship instability.
Spiritual Root: The soul’s original vow resurfaces, demanding remembrance and realignment.
What psychology calls “identity crisis” or “existential anxiety” often mirrors what the Garbhopanishad calls the soul’s yearning for the Eternal.
Why Parents Matter So Deeply
Pregnancy and early parenting are not just biological responsibilities, they are spiritual acts of partnership with the soul entering your family.
The unborn soul listens to the mother’s emotions, her prayers, her energy field. This is the first education, the Garbha Vidya, the learning before learning.
When parents engage in conscious spiritual practices, through bhakti (devotion), dhyana (meditation), and jnana (awareness), they create the vibrational field the child’s soul seeks to remember. In that field, the child feels safe, purposeful, and aligned.
It’s Never Too Late
Many parents feel a pang of regret when they realize they missed this stage during pregnancy. But here’s the most beautiful truth from the Garbhopanishad: “The vow is never lost only veiled.”
That means even now, you can re-awaken it. Through conscious parenting, prayer, story, sound, and reflection, you can give your child (and yourself) the tools to reconnect with what was once forgotten.
How to Begin Reawakening the Vow
Here are three gentle ways to help the soul remember:
Re-establish Devotional Refuge (Bhakti):
Surround your child with sacred sounds, mantras, or stories. Let your home carry the vibration of love and safety.Cultivate the Path of Inquiry (Jnana):
Encourage curiosity, not just with answers, but with silence and wonder. When your child asks “why,” pause, breathe, and explore the question together.Anchor in the Eternal (Meditation):
Create moments of stillness, through breath, nature walks, or quiet bedtime reflection — to help both of you connect to something infinite within.
Even small acts of awareness create a ripple effect reducing anxiety, calming restlessness, and helping your child’s energy settle into balance and joy.
Parenting as a Spiritual Journey
When we approach parenting as a sacred partnership, not just raising a child, but guiding a soul, everything changes. We stop managing behavior and start listening to the story beneath it. We move from guilt to grace, from pressure to peace.
Each prayer, each breath of awareness, helps the child remember their divine origin and helps you, as a parent, remember yours.
The Invitation
If you feel called to explore this deeper connection, to understand your child’s soul blueprint or bring more peace into your pregnancy journey, begin with a gentle conversation. Through Udbhavana (The Spiritual Gap Assessment) or Spiritual Pregnancy Coaching, you can rediscover the vow your soul once made, and help your child honor theirs.
Book a Complimentary 30-Minute Discovery Call
(Begin your journey to reawaken what was once forgotten.)