Chapter 111

'THE WAY OF REBIRTH

Before startlng on rebirth 1 would llke to say something about the

methodoloy)~ by which 1 am exploi-ing rebirth. A doctrine as per vedrc view is

acceptable nnlv if i t had the concurrence of three tests namely I . Scriptural

ev~dence (.vrttf~) 2. Reasonableness Cyrrkti ) 3 . Actual experience (Anubhava).

These 3 tests ;ue necessary for the acceptance of any doctrine. Therefore in my

illustration on rebtrtll. I am presenting the arguments in the above manner except

in the case of actual experience where I have presented a case study described in

the book Talks wr/h Sri. Ramana Mal2ar.d.

The quest of man to study what is beyond death is time immemorial.

Vedic literature is one among the source material for the findings of rebirth.

Historians have excavated evidences of the belief in life after death, even in the

pre-vedic periotl. At that time, there was a practice of encasing the dead body of

~nfants in womh like earthen pots and of burying them inside their home or very

near to it. According to the assumpt~on of the historians their practice had the

belief that the dead chlldren would come back in a new body in the same family.

711c pr-oblet~~ of immortaltcy has been mentioned from the early Vedic

period onwards l{g b'eda says: "ljo not Agni, bum up or consume him (the

deceased): do not dissolve his skin, or his body."' The Doctrine of Karma and

1'1marjunn1u has been described in the Upanisads. In the Kufhu Upanisad the

question I S rased in a very instructive fashlon. Nachiketa, sent by his father to the

God of Death. questioning Yama, "of the man who has gone forward who has

passed awav tiom us, some say that he is and others 'this he is not': Which then

I S right'' Mlilat 1s the truth of the great passage?". The knowledge Naciketa asks

for tnvolves thc decper finer ~ r o b l e m of which Yama af i rms that, even the Gods

debated t h ~ s 1 1 f ' old and it is not easy to know; for subtle is the law of it:

something survtves that appears to be the same person, that descends into hell

that ascends into heaven, that returns upon the earth with a new body, but is it

really the same person that thus sun tves? Yama too in his answer speaks not at

3 all of the survival of' death He only gives a verse or two to a bare description of

Tlic ston; of Ya~na arid Nachikcta is not told for tlic first time in this Upanisad. The story first occurs in the Rg- 1 hrln. I n its fcnth mandala. which speaks of a boy who went to the heavcn of Yanla at tlic csprcss dcsirc of his royal father The story appears in a more developed form in the Tn~ll i r ivn Nrchihrt~nnn of ;i l;~tcr pcriod where Nacikcta is granted thrcc boons by Yama. The story in tlic A-nlhn ilr~nni.?~~dr. corrcspndf in all the csscntial particulars with that in uhc nrfihnmno. Tlic single poi111 oFdilTcrcncc l i c in Yama's ansxrcr to thc third boon by which Naciketa asked Yama lo tell liiln her\ lo conquer dcalli. In thc IMihrnann lhc answer to this boon rcferrcd to thc pcrfornuncc of ;i ccnain sacrifice. This was but a repctition of the answer to thc second boon. But tllc answer to this question gncn in thc !&(ha i.@ani$od lifls the subject from sacrifices and rituals to tlic high lcvcl of moral striving and spiritual realisation.

that constant rchirth which admitted as a universally acknowledged truth. What

he speaks of I S the self. the real mm, the Lord of all these changing appearances,

withour the knowledge of that self the survival of tlie personality is not immortal

I l k , but a constant passing from death to death. He only who goes beyond

personal~tv ic, ~ h c real person becomes immortal.

According to R~had8ra~yaka llpanisad there are two states for man- the

state in thls world. and the state in the next. There is also a third state, the state

intermed~ntc lxtween these two, which is similar to dream. While in the

intem~ediatc state, a man experiences both the other states, that in this world and

in the next. When a person dies, he leaves only the gross body. Tne subtle body

still remains. on whlch left the impressions of his p u t deeds. Again while in the

intermediatc state, he foresees both the evils and the blessings that will yet come

to him, as these are determined bv his conduct, good and bad upon the earth, and

by the character in which thls conduct has resulted. Thus it is that in the

intermediate state he experiences the second state, or that of life in the world to

come.4 The 'intermediate state', according to this definition, is a sort of lucid

post-mortem interval during whch an individual takes stock of himself and is

compelled to rewew his past deeds.. together with the consequences they must

hour inevitably produce in his next b~rth upon this earth or elsewhere.

i h e 1 j~crtli~acic- has mentioned the utility of ~aj5aakanna' and lay stress

on the n:~luic of' ilctions, good and evil, and emphasize reincarnation or

l~lriiurlat?ni~r i n accordance with the quality of a person's deeds and thoughts.

k'u/hu / . ' / ) U I ~ I . T ~ J ~ says: "Some souls enter into a womb for embodiment, other

enter stationrrv olyccts accord~ng: to their deeds and according to their

thoughts" ' l'he Kori.?i/aki Upaniscrd expands the idea of rebirth with great

clal-~ty "t:~thcr ;IS a womi. or as an insect, or as a fish, or as a bird, or as a lion, or

as a bear. or a!; a snake, or as a tiger, or as a person, or as some other in this or

that conditio~is. he is born again according to his deeds, according to his

knowledge'' f i e 12.laitri llpanisad also reiterates that "white (Brkla) or dark

(Krsna) h i t s of actton determine the good or evil womb". ' Thus the iJpanisad~

established a I>octnne of Kanna and ,PunarJanrna.

The Buddhist maintains that there is no escape from the consequences of

karina under any clrcumstances. The Dhantrnapada asserts, "--- not in the sky,

not on the mldst of the sea, noT anywhere else on eath is there a spot where a

man may be frecd f?om the consequences of an evil dead."

' In/n"nk-nrnin.~ arc n rnc;lns of purilication and i:upiration.

" h'nlho Cpnwi.vn<l. 11.2 7

Kvu.Cilnki i>o!,/.tn,i. 1 .!

Afnilr i~Jpnn~snii. I l l .

EIho!imiopodo. I28

Furtlicr, the Buddhists say that an individual is personally responsible for

bearins the consequences of his actions. The Dhammapada tells, "By oneself

evil is d(~ne. by one-self one suf&rs, by oneself evil is undone, by oneself one is

purltied " I i '

Thir\ the Doctnne of Karma became an mescapable law of personal

responslb~lit\ and retr~butrve justice Early Buddh~sm completed the edrfice of

the Doctrine of Karma and rebuth formulated by the Upanrsads.

Tlic ahove textual evidences show that the theory of rebirth is very ancient

as thought itself and its origin is unknown. In former times this doctrine is known

in the nan~c of transmigration. NON reincarnation is the popular tern?. For the

modern m~nii. reh~rth IS nothing more than a speculation and a theory. It has

never been proved by the methods of modem science. Neither has it been

disproved. Modem science knows nothing indeed about a soul at all; its province

stops with flesh, bra111 and nerve.

At prcsent tlic greater part of the human race believe in it. Hinduism and

Buddhism are bascd on it. Althoug,h Buddhism does not believe in anything,

which I S ~nfiri~te. i t helleves in its continuity. For them, soul is nothing but a

cornbinatlor1 ol',Sk~~i~(.l/~u.s, which is a stream of consciousness.

1 0 Ihid.. I65

Evcri though Hinduism and Buddhism accept the doctrine of

relncarnatlon there a -e subtle differences between them. Here I would like to

eupl~calc on the sul$t:ct from the Hindu point of view, especially based on the

view stated in the N12agavadGita Almost all philosophical schools and thought

accept the tloctr~ne of reincarnation in one way or another manner. Clear

evidences of thls belief are to be found in Greek thought, in the Zoroastrian

Scriptures. I'rlmitive and tribal races in hfferent regions of the world, etc. From

th~s we can t~nderstand that from the very beginning the human race has been

untiosteti \v~t l i the mysteries of birth as well as of death; Where does man come

tiom? Wticre does tic go? These questions lead us to the enquiry into the

relationshll) hetween Karma and R.ebirth

3.1 Karma ; I I I ~ Rebirth

The l i ~ l d d h ~ s t anti the Vedamrist perceived that there is a continuity and

what detcrmlncs thls continuity is their search. The Buddhist denied any real

identity. There is, according to thern, no self, no person; there is simply a

continuous stream of energy in action, like the continuous flow of a river or the

continuous bumins of 3 flame. It is t h ~ s continuity, whlch creates in the mind, the

fiilse sense of ~dentlty We are perceiving only a false appearance of identity.

Obviously, then there is no soul thal reincarnates, but karma that is flowing

continuously down the sane apparently uninterrupted channel. It is karma that

relncal-ni~tc\ K ~ ~ t l 7 r r creates the f o m of a constantly changing mentality and

physical I~odles that are, we may presume, the result of that changing composite

oiidcns anti iensa~ions, which Srl Aurobindo call myself ' I

I St.] Aul-ol~indo the ancient idea of kcrrn~a is inseparably connected

with :I IlcIicS In the soul's con~.inual rebirth in new bodies and this close

assoc1atli.n %,as not a mere accident, but a perfectly intelligible and inevitable

union of two related truths which are needed for each others completeness and

12 can w~lh J~Sficult-\ exist in separation. These two things are the soul side and

the nature s~tie ot one and the same cosmic sequence. Rebirth is meaningless

without kwrnlcr. Kc~rnln has no relevance if it is not in connection with rebirth. If

we believe that the s o ~ ~ l is repeatedly reborn in the: body, we must believe also

that there I S some l ink between the lines that preceded and the lines that follow

and that the past c>t'the: soul has an effect on its future and that is the spiritual

essence of the of Karma. Here we can see that the Law of Knwna is

ultimately based upon the doctrine of rebirth is one of the basic tenets of Hindu

philosophy and rcllgion. Actuall!r it is the presumption of all oriental

philosophies

I I Sri Aurobindo. TAc i'ri,hio?i ofRcbirfh ( S r Aurobindo Ashram. Pondichcrry. 19x7). p. 122

. ' Sri Aurobirtdo. 7hc 1.1 ir 1)ivine (Sri Aurobl~ido Ashrani. Pondichcrr).. 1993), p.718.

In I liiiriuism, rebirth is more or less a nletaphysical doctrine, a belief

postulated lor- cxpla~n~ng mysterie:? of life prior to birth and after death. A belief

in rebir-th goes s ~ d e hy side wlth a belief in karma. Hindu thought has given

tremendous importanc:e to the Doctrine of Karnza. It is taken to be both a

metaphys~cal and as a moral law. Metaphysically speaking, this law explains

birth and formation of bodies; our present life and our body are based on our past

karma.^ i t 1s belicved that our kc~nnas create tendencies in accordance with

which our subsequent bodies and capacities are built. The Law of Karma is also

conce~ved as ;\ moral law. It is considered to be another name of the moral

maxim "as vou sou so you reap". The ancient Indian seers have suggested that

man's bondase and suffering are due to his own wrong actions done in the past

and that right and good deeds perlimned in this life will bear fruit in hture and

will enable man to makc himself free and liberated.

As far as an ~ndlvidual is concerned he is unique because of his peculiar

physical and mental inheritance. iiccording to the Law of Karma, what an

individual now isl is the effect of his actions, his habit of thinking, feeling,

speaking and actlng in the past. Man makes himself through all these diverse

activities. Internal and external. Though they appear to be so insignificant

separately, taken tosether they create the tremendous forces that shape his health,

character, and 111s eritlre destiny.

' i ' l i~ nwral sig,ninificance of the law is more important because it is

conslstcnt with hls moral convictions and also with his kind of faith in rebirth.

'i'lie r-ealrs;~t~on that one's own k,c7rnzas determine the future nature and status of

an individual creates the hrther realisation that it is man hmself who is the

make1 oT111s own destiny. Now, it is for an individual to consider whether by his

own acts tic is going to make himself a good man or an immoral man. Such a

realisation will create a sense of I-esponsibility in man. He will now know that it

is almost :)bligaton/ for him "to raise hmself by himself' so that he can fully

express <!ii<i rcnlisc the Divinity latent in him.

Fro111 this we can understand one thin,g. As far as philosophy is

concerned the problem of ourselves is a very fundamental question. Ln which our

enquiry is "why we are here and what we are and what is behind and before and

around us and what we are to do with ourselves, our inner significance and our

outer envrronrnent.""

But the concept of rebirth is not without objection. The main problem

with regard to it 1s the loss of memory. Nobody remembers the event of his past

lives. Hut t h~s objection has been aptly answered by the argument that how many

of us can recall even the past incidents of our present life. We know that an event

of the p a s . ~ v h ~ c h ha:; entirely slipped out of our normal consciousness, is yet

I 3 Sn Auroh~ndo t 'rohlrm ofRehrrth (Sn Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicheny, 1987). p 35

present in some dark comers of our memory and can be brought in delirium or

under the n~iluence of some drugs or directly by hypnotism. Therefore nothing is

lost or forgotten. On the contray, everything is preserved very carefully.

Accordmg to f'atanjali: "By malcing san?yama on previous thought-waves

(samsksrs.~) one obtains knowledge of one's past lives."14 Here the samskara.~

means the impressions of the past experiences which lie dormant in our

sublim~nal self. and are never los~:. Memory is nothlng but the awakening and

rising of latent Here we can see that one who accepts the doctrine of rebirth

must ncccssai-ilv helie1.e in the Law of Karma, sinc.e one is complimentary to the

other 'l'hcrl i t may be asked that if human nature and character are formed by the

knrn1a.r ot'thc man, then, what is the meaning of saying that the soul is free?

I'he a t m e question compel:^ us to study the different faces of action. The

two featurcs of Nature are 1 . Connection with the past 2. Creation with the future

- which arc prcscnt in human level also. The connection with the past is denoted

by the word 'k~rtiiu' Human life is an organic whole where each successive

phase SroLvs ou1 of what has grown before. All acts produce their effects, which

are recorded both in the organism and the environment. Their physical effects

may bc sliol-t-lived but their moral effects (samskBr2s) are worked into the

character o f the sclf F:\:ery single thousht and deed enter into the chain of cause,

which inakcs us what we are. In other words an action brings effects on the

organism. Its elfects on the organisrr~ are retained as sanl.rkziras or tendencies of

~liouglit. w l ~ ~ c h lbrni tlic character nS the being. The Law of Kar/?iu recognises

the rule not only in clutward nature, bmut also in the world of mind and morals. We

are maklng ~ L I I charactels and shaping our destines e-very moment.

Wll~le putting Sot-ward the doctrine of rebirth, our main argument is that

the b~rth of ;I he~ng must be determined by some cause. The cause may be termed

as the ktrrn~rr i~ i that hemg The Universe can't be ruled partly by laws and partly

hy a bl~nd ~~~ir~-;lsonnbie chance. I t can only be grasped from a spiritual point of

view. 'I'he of Kcirrna, therefore. is a law, whlch dominates all other natural

laws.

Accord~ns to the Law of Karnia every act or deed must be followed by its

consequences, wh~ch arc not merely of a physical character but also a mental and

moral character. The word samskarriis meant for the physical, moral and mental

traits with which a person is born. They form part of his personality and are born

by h m in h ~ s lifetime and canied into a future existence. The consequences of a

person's acts not bcir~g fully worked out in this life need a future life for their

consumption 17ie doctrine of immortality of the soul, which justifies the belief in

a future existence ot'the individual, equally justifies the pre-existence of the Law

of Knrnla.

Hut. the implication of the karma theory has been much misunderstood;

thercforc necds proper perspectives. Overlooking the distinction between actively

pursued human action and passively received fate, some people mistake it as a

theory of determinism. But fate is different from the actual situation.

While eticozatlny human situation this theory views man as a free agent who is

the sole tletcrn,iner of his action and is therefore morally responsible for that."

Further the theory of karma maintains that: the whole world is subjected

to some k~ni:l ofunifhrm law. It recognises the rule of law within and outside, in

innel- life as well as in outward nalure. The present placement of an individual in

a paitlcular type of psycho-physical complex is due to the past karma.s of that

individual 7'hc past i~ctions dete:nnine our present state of existence and our

present act~ons would in turn determine our future state of existence. 16

E\eii tl1ouy11 111a11 is derennined by his own past karina.~, he is free to

create prospective knrmas. So there are two aspects of karma.^ - retrospective,

which has a connection with the past, and a progressive aspect, which has its

influence on the future. The soul has to pass through various embodied stages

and that the tendenc~es of each stage are determined by the karmas performed in

the past. From this it follows that the karmas performed in this life will determine

I 5 K . K . Mittal. i'er.specctii,e,~ on Karma andRebirth @elhi University, Delhi, 1990), p.34.

'" ibirl.

the futu~r l~fc Dr Radhakrishnan stresses on the necessity of karn~a. Man,

according to hlm, is determined by his past but he is free to create his progressive

/rur/?~a also For tlils purpose he emphasis on the choice. There are so many

alternatives icti for man. It depends on man how to use it. This is the real

freedom. But he is aware of the fact that man can't consume all the potentialities

in one I I ~ C So he has 1.0 take birth after till the actualisation of all the actions

performed by an inclividual. Hence rebirth is necessary for the soul's

emanclpatlon That is why he says that the future of the man depends to a very

17 great extent o r t nlan h~nlself

3.2 Prakrti and Rebirth

t311tIi rid dcath are relevant only in the realm of the perishable. Absolute

reality IS not perishable, it is the imperishable Brahman. According to Muni

Narayanaprasatl 3"' verse of chapter VIII in Bhagnvad Ciifa gives a precise

definition of' ktrrma. From this we can understand that karma belongs to the

imperishable reality and not to any particular individual. "It is prakrti (Nature)

according lo its gtrnas (rnodalities:~ that does all kama.r (actions)"".

I'~crkr11 has been defined as the effect or power of &rahman, the ultimate

reality, In other words, this illusion or mriya of' an objective, spatio-temporal

- l i S. Radllakrisht~;~n. :in I~lenlist View oJLifi (George Allen & Unwin. 1951), p.278.

universe IS projected hy the Reality itself 'I'herefore, it follows that Prakrti and

. a Hrahnrci~~ 111ust be co-existent, and that Prakni like Brahman, had no beginning

and will liavc no end.

At the same time, within the universe, another process is at work. It is in

the naturc 01 ' the individual ego c.ense to struggle slowly upward towards self-

realizat~on. tiom the inanimate to the animate, from the vegetable to the animal,

from the arllrnal to the human, through thousands and even millions of births,

deaths a11d I-ch~rths

I ' h t r .411rr(r1z I!; w~thin the stone, no less than within the man. But the stone

can never know itself as the Aman so long as it remains as stone. It must evolve

through Ii~gllcr forms until, at last, it reaches humanity. It is only within the

human m~ntl-hody that the in&viclual ego can know its real nature, and thus be

liberated li-0111 ihe cvcle of reincarnation.

T h r o ~ ~ ~ h o u t his enormou.s journey toward total consciousness, the

individual IS subjected to the Law of Karma. His desires and acts regulate the

speed of h ~ s progress. His present state is continuously being conditioned by the

karnlas of h ~ s past and continually productive of future kannas Death does not

interrupt thls process. Neither does rebirth. The individual is merely reborn with

a body, mind. ;I character and social surroundings, which express, as it were, the

sum total of'hls kannic balance at that particular movement in time.

A study of'the vedic concept of the state of souls aAer death and the role

of kintlo in 11 has been made by A.t3. Keith in "The Religio~i and Philosophy of

/ i ~ e Vetlu crt~il (ipcr~ii~~:~c~s."" But Muni Narayanaprasad does not consider the

above book as a serlo~ls work. According to Muni, which do not bring clarity.

For h~ln Jlr-cct references to tl-ansmigration of souls are found in the

Ht-i~adLirni~vuka and (:hLindogya l ~ ~ l a r ~ i s a d s . ~ ~

3.3 Karma - Vipaka

Kc~nrrtr-Vlpakn means maturation of karma, which constitutes the

mechanism linking karma and rebirth. Karma determines the type of birth,

human or non-human, length of life, happiness and suffering experienced as

bang the consequence of good or bad acts done in previous births. Karma

fipgka exposes the serious limitations of the Doctrine of Karma. I t reduces the

Doctrine of Kurma trorn the status of'law of moral causation to a theorem. That

IS why the lj11agavod G l f a says (;ahana Karma~?o (;afrh Karma is truly

descr~bed as ntlrsta [Here there is no rule by which peoples premous karma

produces part~cular effects under the Influence of place and tlme What ~ndeed 1s

the relation between those two things, whch are not immediately connected.

Death is an occurrerice by which all the specific attributes of an individual

I U A.B. Kcith. f<cli,qion i1nri.7 Phrlosophy of 1"eda and L'pa!?i;ad (Motilal Banarsidass .Delhi. 1976).

'" Muni N;lra?;lnapr:lsad. h,,,wnn nndReincnr17rrcion (D.K. Printworld, Ncw Dclhi, 1994), p. 19

disappcar- I t is not a process of becoming nothing. T l ~ e Gila is the only Indian

Scr~pture. wli~ch defines karma prec~sely and scientifically which definit~on read

as follows "'l'hz~t creative urge which causes the emergence of all existent beings

is designated kirrnin". 21

'The 1ipi~nlnisad.c. emphasize reincarnation ul accordance with the quality

of a person's deeds and thoughts.2z Maitri Clpanisad also pointed out that white

or dark f r u ~ t of. action determine the good or evil womb.23 Thus the [Jpanisad~

established :I Doctrine of Karma ~ind Punarjannza. This in turn gave rise to the

concept 0 1 ' .Sanuiirrr c:akra of the. Mairri (/panisad and Rrahmacakru of the

.~ve/ii.sva/r lipanrsad. Rebirth 1s an aspect of Sarirsara, which is perpetually

fed and renewed by karmas, good ;md bad.

I'he liplmisud~ while fomtulating the Doctrine of Karma and Rebirth,

also put fornvarti the ideal of moksa or liberation fiom Sam.s~ra. Since karma is

the force, wh~ch leads to rebirth and suffering, and karmas are born of desire, the

llpanisadk also teach the goal of desirelessness, detachment from or

renunciation of'the karmas. The Bl~agavad Gifa developed it into the philosophy

of ttiskamcr knrr~la.

The Ruddliist and the Jainas also come to the same point while they put

forward the ~dea of nirvZ?la. The only qualification that was recognised was that

in case of /)rtlrahdlla kartnas, that is those karmas, whlch have begun to bear

fruits niokscr is necessarily deferred till those karmas are exhausted. 24 The

Buddhist ma~ntains that there is no escape from the consequences of karma

under any cii-curnsta~ces. Further, the Buddhist makes an individual personally

responsible for bearing the consequences of hls actions. Early Buddhism

compicteil the edifice of the Doctrine of Karma and rebirth formulated by the

( Ipnnis~rc/\

~\cco~~citng in Satnas, karma is atomic matter. When a person acts, there is

inflow o l ' k 1 1 ~ 1 7 1 c . matter into the soul, wluch binds the soul. It is the accumulated

karnzas in a soul that c:onstitute the karma iarira, the subtle karmic body that

transmigrates aticr dcath into a new birth.

Gai-~rdzj~tirZr!~~ explains the soul of the deceased in various ways with

respect to the karma conducted by each person.25 Which explains that after

death the soul of the deceased acquires a vayrja iarira - air born body.2h

'' K.K. Mittal. OF', cit.. p.37.

25 Garuda I 'unino. 11. I . 3 1-32.

'"hid.. [I. 107i -77

T'he ancient Ayur-veda text like (arakn-samititu, Susnr/a Samhita,

A I all accept the Doctrine of Karma and rebirth. Caraka in iarira

s11ta11a sa\s that thc soul trans1nig:rates from one body to another guided by its

27 past actlons 4yurveda classifies diseases as karmaja, born of past karmas and

r/osaji?. I-rorn of lmbalance of the 3 humours, vatu, pitla and kapha. The knrmaja

d~seases alc not amenable to therapeutic measures.

I t 1s poss~ble to escape from rebirth first by arresting the production and

I I I ~ ~ L I X 0 1 ' I ;C>S/ I kijr1111(: tnatter by reduc~ng a man's activities practising restraint

(Yonfir) anti renunc~at:~on and secondly by liquidating or purging of the

accumulated kert~lic matter through ascetic practices involving self-

mortificatior~'"

The soul transm~grates at the death of a creature to a new birth and the

transmigration 1s regulated by the accumulated karma.^, which have yet to mature

and fructify. The belief that a soul reincarnates after death by getting another

body is common to all the religion of Eastern origin. ' f ie nature of the next birth,

according to t h ~ s bel~ef, depends on the merits and demerits of one's actions in

the present l~fc

.. Carnka S~rnhilo. 11.21-27.

'' K.K. Mittal. cit p.iX.

Eve1-v soul in its pure state is omniscient. Though many men after

phys~cal death remairr in an article world for 500 or 1000 years, there is no

invariable ]rule about the length of time between reincarnations. A man's

allotted span In physical or an astral embodiment is kaarn?ically pre-

determ~ncd :" ' [he ksvmic law requires that every human wish find ultimate

fulfilment i)csir-e is thus the chain that binds man to the reincarnational wheel3'

3.4 A Case Study on Rebirth

Ev~tlc~lces show that there are some cases of rebirth. We have read many

a time in newspapers and magazines about the cases where child comes to

remember w~th his past life and recognizes the persons, places and things related

with the past life. The scientific instruments available now show that when an

arm is cut ott' from the body and photographed, then we can see an aura of the

whole of tile body within that m. Now this aura cannot be explained in purely

gross material terms. 'I'he study indicates that t h s gross body develops some sort

of subtle body, which m Indian Philosophical systems has been termed as linga

.iarira or .c.rrkrma iariru. It is possible that this subtle body, in some cases, gets

separated from the gross body and either roams in the form of ghosts or enters

29 Paramahansa Yogananda, 4utobiogrflph.v o f 0 Yogi (Jaiw Publishing House, Dclhi, 1995). p.258.

3 0 Ibl(i.. p.:zo~j.

some other body. it 1s said that this separation often occurs when the mind of a

man is very much d~sturbed or dissatisfied or an accident occurs.31

in the lmok Iirlkv wiih Sri I<amana Maharsl~i a case of rebirth is pointed

32 out. The rncrdent rllustrates in the following manner. In a certain occasion Sri.

Karnana Mah:~rashr was reading Trilinga in Telungu on the reincarnation of a

boy. The boy 1s now thlrteen years old. When he was 3 years old he used to dig

here and there When asked he would say that he was trying to recover

something wh~ch he had hidden in the earth. When he was 4 years old, a

marriage tiinctrori was celebrated in his home. When leaving, the guests

I~onourably remarked that they would return for this boy's marriage. But he

turned rountl and said. "I am already married and have two wives." When asked

to point then) out, 11c requested to be taken to a certain village. There he pointed

two women as IS LvIves. It is now learnt that a period of ten months elapsed

between thc death of their husband and the birth of the boy. According to

Ramana Maharshi. some are born immediately after, others after some lapse of

time. a few are not reborn on this earth but eventually get salvation in some

higher region and a vcry few get absolved here and now

. --- . - - --- 31 K.K. Mittal. op ci t . pp 107-108.

"T.N. Venkata R;irn;ln. 7bik.r u ~ i h .Sri Ranrann A4aharshi (Sri Ramanasran~am, Thimvannamalai, 19841, p.232.

According to Ramana Mahausi, "when complete self surrender comes, the

thouyht of ' I ' also will disappear. Then all your predispositions (samskaras) are

washccl otl' ; I I I [ ~ you are free."' For Ramana Maharsi the question about

reincarrtat~nti a~nses due to the thlnking of yourself -you think yourself as the

hodv. . l ' l~~s body has birth and death and when thls body falls another body arises

w h ~ c h IS c;llled re~nc;mation. If you find that you are not this body but the spirit,

you w~l l I v t'rcc ti-otn gross or subtle bodies and then there will be no

I . , Ilrn~tattoni

In thc Soviet Union, a great scientist and philosopher, Kirlian, developed

a special camel-a and specially se:nsitive films, so sensitive that they can see

things w h ~ c h our eyes cannot see. tiis first experience was of tremendous wonder

because hts photographs showed auras around everybody, not only around human

beings but around animals and trees. Now thls method of photography is

popularly known as Kir-lian photogt-aphy.35

1 5 Kirliau pl~otography IS a nieans of taking pictures of the non-material world without a camera. I t provides a \+a! of viewing the unseen patterns of energv and force fields that probably permeate all subaances. I t offers us a tool with whch to view both an and science. The technique can scwc as a medical diagnostic instrument, too. The Kirlian effect is useful for recording energy balances and harmonies in all forms of life.

Thc cquipmcnt produces the Kirlian photographic effect uses no light but only the radiation spark discharging from an otject k i n g photographed on a filni emulsion. The

li~rllall was surprised to know that the more silent, peaceful a man was

the blggel \vim the aura And the more angry anxiety-ridden, sad or miserable,

full ofangti~st~ a man was, the smaller was the aura. And before a man was going

to d~e . S I X rnonths beforc. the aura completely disappeared, then his photographs

came w~th~)tlr any aura, just like ordrnary, photographs36.

I)iscuss~ng the tiirlian effect in their book, The Dark Side ofthe Brain,

Drs. Harry Oldfield and Roger Coghill suggest that the Kirlian effect results from

a high voltage corona dischage caused by pulsed high- frequency waves.

'fhrough thc actton of hryh frequency fields, electrons are emitted from the body

of an oryanlsrn and this energy gets dissipated in a photographic emulsion in the

same way as light. Depending on the strength of the emitted electrons an image

will be formed in the emulsion so that a picture appears3'.

Will~arr~ A Tiller, Ph.D., of Stanford University has expressed deep

Interest in the Kirlian efl'ect. He says that each individual organism or materials

radiates and absorbs energy via a unique wave field which exhibits certain

cquipmcnt consists of a n~ctal plate and a gen1:rator or oscillator that produces a high voltage field of variable pulsc and frcqucnq. Film put in contact with the platc and with the object on top of it causes a photograph to bc produced. Depending upon the type of film used - instant colour film, 35-nim black and whitc film, or something cise with an emulsion that records images - dfferent colours or shading appear in a brilliant corona surrounding the object.

36 Oslio Rajnccsh. Dod1tidharm;l : The Grrnlesc Zen mnsler (The Rckl. 1987), pp.242-243

geometrical li-cquency and radiation - type characteristics. Whether animate or

inanimate, thcrc is an extended force field that exists around all fonns of matterJ8.

' I l i~s aura has been by sensitive people, just as Kirlian's sensitive films

photograph i t I t I S said that the sensitive disciples ofJesus and Gautama Buddha

w~l l sce so~~lcthlng which others will not able to see. The more they become

receptlvc. t l~c most: they become sensitive. We have seen pictures of Jesus,

lir~shna or f3rlddha w ~ t h a surround.~ng aura. That is an actual phenomenon and

now it has ;I s i ~ e n t ~ l i c basis to support it.

Scient~sts have been trying to prove that there is no soul on the grounds

that when they weigh a living man just a moment before he dies, and when they

weigh h ~ m ;I rrioment after, his weight is the same- absolutely the same. Naturally

their conclusion 1s that nothing has gone out and hence that there is no soul. If

something gocs ol~t . then the weight will be less. But now it can be told to

scientists that 11ght has no weight that is why if a point of light transmigrates it

won't make any d~fference on your w'eighing scales.

Light is at>iolutely weightless and the transmigration body is nothing but

pure light 'l111s 1s ccrper~enced by people even of shallow understanding. Those

who don't undersi;lr~d much, but st111 have a little consciousness, can see this

light.

'"hid

Froni this we can understand that there is some sort of subtle body

developed with the ~ r o s s body. which in some special circumstances gets

separated lion) the gross body at the event of its death. The separated subtle body

may take up mother gross body, .which amounts to rebirth, or it may roam

\vitliout a gross botiv Rebirth takes place when a person is mentally agitated. If

the person is mentally satisfied the subtle body is destroyed with the destruction

3<1 ofthe gross body. \+ h~ch amounts to the liberation or mo&a of the person.

3.6 Motlrrr~ Iliology and Rebirth

No\\. the qtirstion is where does the self crf a human offspring come

frorn? Sclf I S ctem;ll Uodem biology recognises the mind but not the self But

without tllc rci:ogn~t~on of the self. an unvarying spiritual principle in the psycho-

physical orsanlsm. the integration of the ever shifting physical and psychical

factors and tlic~r pioccs:; and also ti-~e direction of the whole towards a definite

end remalrl uliexpla~ned. As observed by Edmund Sinnott: "What pulls together

the separate parts and process of a plant or an anilnal and knits them into an

organism, arid \vllai draws this organism towards a developmental goal

prefigured in its 11v1ng stuff - these are the problems where the confident

progress of biology has made but littl'e headway."40

39 Ibid.. p. 108

" ' Edmund CV Sinnott. llicz lir;f/ge ofI.ife (Simon and Schuster, Ncw York 1966). p.128.

' l 1 1 1 i 1c;lds 11s to thc conclus~on that there is a constant factor in human

personal~ty r h n t lntegratcs all the physical and the psychical factors into a

ct>l~ci c111 \ \ ili->i'. w h ~ c i ~ co-ordinates the diverse functions of the mind, the organs,

and the l)o(l\ 1:urther i t maintain:; the identity of man despite all changes,

cutem;~l I ~ntci-r~nl which is responsible for the livingness of the

psvchol~hvs~cal org:inism

I.et us cons~der the birth of a child. In explaining the origin and

development of an individual the biologists have had recourse to both assumption

and chance Says 1)ohzhansky: "A child receives one-half of the genes of lus

father and one-half of the maternal ones; which particular maternal and paternal

genes are transmitted to a given child is a mater of chance; which mutations

occur and when and where. is also a matter of ~ h a n c e . " ~ '

It 1s cqualiy ~rnpossible for the child to inherit the mind from either

parents. An individual's mind is d~stinct from the self and the body as well,

although closely associated with hoth. These three constituents cannot be

~dentified w ~ t h one another. None of the organ can h c t i o n unless the mind joins

w~th i t Rut the m ~ n d can function even when the organs and the body are

inoperative. It is the identity of the mind that maintains one's individuality

I I Thcodosil~s DobzJ~;~tisk? 7he Biolop of f.ltimare Concernflle New American Library. New York. 1967). p 120.

beyond dc;rth and ircbilth. Hence the child's mlnd cannot be a fragment of the

pmerit;~l t i ~ i l ~ i l Wl~ i~ t the offspring actually receives from the parents are the

rudiments of 11s phvs~cal body. This can serve as the medium for the transmission

of the parent's phvsrcal charactenstics to the offspring more or less. Can the

child's mint1 and the self as well develop from this physical source? If not, where

do they cornc from"

t:ron~ this we can conclucle that modem biology gives no satisfactory

explanaliori of'the hirth of a genius or a moron. More over the prime factor in the

orig~natlori arid development of an ~ndividual is the individual himself, all else is

subsidiary to h ~ m . This 1s particularly evident in the case of young prodigies. For

instance, Sankaracharya, the greatest exponent of Advaila Vedanta, lived only

thirty-two ycors (.AD 686-718). At the age of seven he mastered the Vedic

literature. tll:; Glirc~ was astounded by the pupil's genius.

The profound scholarship and wisdom of young Sankara won the

admirat~on of one and all. His fame extended far and wide. At the age of nine he

crnhraced rrlonastic~sm And he atta.ined nirvikalpa sanzadhi, the apex of spiritual

1' . ,I iZatioti. l~efore hc v:as twelve. \nost of his literary works, the masterpieces of

/Id~~oi/(l li~,lirn/i~. wei-e composed by the time he was sixteen. His great

achievemctit wrthin a short span of'thirty-two years are the marvels of the world.

Evidently, tli~s cxtra ordinary powers are not due to heredity, or

environment or the Interaction of the two. There must have been cultivated by the

individuals themselves in their former lives. The doctrine of reincamation

maintains the ~tlentlty of the individual throughout the succession of births and

deaths

In short. the ccntral principle in human personality is the luminous self,

the knower within, whose radiance sustains the psycho-physical constitutions and

I,cconics rn~ln~fest through it. There is neither evolution nor involution, neither

cxpa~is~nn 111.u corltrachon, neither growth nor tiecay, in the ever shining

chanyelcss scif All these variations character~se the psycho-physical constitution

alone. kla11's splntual sclf is not actually boni or does i t die, but transmigrates for

the time be1n.1. under the Law of Karma. 'He is the life of life' says the Upani~ad

42 with regard 10 the r-cal rnan.

3.7 Gross, Sl~btlr and C a ~ ~ s a l Bodies

Wc know that to every effect there is a cause. The effect is visible

while the cause is ~nvisible. These invisible agents or forces together with the

micro part~cles of matter make up the subtle states of the phenomenal

universe. The manifestation of an object totally depend upon its subtle form.

If we extend this theory to human being we can see that the gross human

body is closely related to its subtle body. Then, as far as human body is

concerned what exactly we mean by a subtle body? According to Vedknta,

the subtle body consists of Antahkarana, that is, the internal organ or the

rnind substance with its various modifications, mind, intellect, egoism,

memory. thc five instruments of perception, the five insttuments of action

and the five pvsns.~.

/'rat711 is a Snnsk:rit word, which means vital energy or the life sustaining

powel 111 u:, \Itlioi~gli l ~ r a n a is ctnc it takes 5 different names on account of the

five different functions it performs. This word prarta includes the five

manifestations of the wtal force. F~rst, that power which moves the lungs and

draws the atmospheric air from outside into the system. This is also calledprana.

Second, that po\ucr which throws out of the system such things as are not

wanted. It i s called api5na. Thircl, it takes samsrza as performing digestive

functions and canying the extract of food to energy part of the body. It is called

l/dst,a when 11 is tlic cause of bringing down food from the mouth through the

ali~nent;~y canal t a thc: stotnach, and also when it is the cause of tho power of

speech. Thc iiRh power ofprana is that which works in every part of the nervous

system tiom head to foot, through evexy canal, which keeps the shape of the body

and givcn hc;~lth and life to every cell and organ.

l'he sr~l>tle powers together with the non-composite elements of the gross

body and also w~th the potentialities of all the impressions, ideas and tendencies

that each lnd~vidual gathers in one l~fe, make up his subtle body.

It is well known that mere physical body will not move, grow, or act

unless the life principle presides over it. This life principle, the divine spark

of life 01- the spiritual centre-called the Atman in Vedanta-is considered to

have hectl enveloped by various sheaths or layers of matter of varying

1 7 degree?: which are:

2 ) f'rtr/ztnrrcrva koia or V~tal-Alr Sheath

3 ) Mt~r?ortirrrir koia or Mental sheath

4 ) C'qtzcctitrn7tt~a hoiu or lntellect~lal sheath

5) Anaritlcrnrcr~a ko.<u or Bllss sheath

Rcfor-c wc go rnto the minute study of the composition and nature of various

sheaths. w e have to understand the philosophcal implications of the term

4 1 Sxv;~ni~ Chiilrtl:t!;~nanda, ~frnm,i.\:sn iTp,.misod (Central Chinmaya Mission Trust. Bombay, 1992), ~ 2 1

'interlor' When we say that one sheath is lnter~or to the other, we only mean that

the inner one I S subtler than the outer

Hcrc. physical body is the grossest. The vital-air that we take in is

represented h\i vital-a~r sheath as subtler than the gross-food sheath. Our mind

can certa~nlv reach a distant place where our breath cannot reach, and our

intellect can. its visions, certainly reach places where the mind had never put

light. Finally. the subtlest, is the Aiman. It envelops all, and none envelops it. It is

all perv;~(i~ri,c

'l'l~e Food Sheath is so called becausc it has come up from the essence of

the food and it exists because of the food taken in and ultimately after death, it

must yo hack become food again. The organ of knowledge and the organ of

action exlst in t h~s sheath.

I'hc Rlcntal-sheath, which is the seat of mind, entertains our doubts, joys

and the like emotlons. Mind is the doubting element while intellect is the

determining factor in each of us.

111~: ital-,21r-Sheath consists of air that we breath in, get mixed up with

tlie blooti and reachcs every cell of the physical body. Further, which controls all

the organs of ;ictlon and the science of vedanta has classified it as ten in number,

five p~ar7;j.c- and f i ~ c z/pa-pranris.

The Intellectual-sheath is considered subtler than the mind because it

adventures tbrth into realms farther than what it had heard or seen before.

The Bliss-Sheath is cons~dered blissful because, whatever be the

condition in which ~ndividuals are, .walung or dream states, once they reach the

hall of sleep. be thev rich or poor, successful or disappointed, healthy or sick,

young or old, all of them experience the same undisturbed peace and bliss.44

The subtlest of all is the life centre in us, which is represented by 'Aum'

In thc f i s ~ ~ r c ;IS sho\vn below. From the following figure we can understand that

which sheaths cons(1tute the gross, subtle and causal body.

--

1.4 Ihicl., pp. 2 2 - Z i

Subtle body

Gross body

Rucid171 w~th the cognitive senses is called the sheath of knowledge or

l:i/iia/lantr~~~a-ko.i.a ,l.rlanu.~ with the cognitive senses is called the sheath of

manas or mcir7ot?tqvc1-ko.Fa, The five vrjyus are called Prena or the breathing

activity. Therc are some who add another five vayus such as N@a, Kfirma,

K&la, llc~~crrr'rrtta. Ilhanaiijaya which are called ~ r ~ a v s y ~ . ~ ~ ~ . These 10 v;iyls

together w~lli the cognit~ve senses f c m the active sheath ofprrjna orpranamaya-

ko.Ccr. O f tliesc ilirec shcaths, the vrjEianamaya sheath plays the part of the active

agent; the ~~icrnonzc~~~a I S the source of all desires and volition, and is therefore

regards as h m n g an instrumental f~mction; theprsnamaya sheath represents the

motol- finct~ons. These three sheaths make up together the subtle body or the

vtrkvnici-~nriri; Thc.;t: three sheaths represent the subconscious impressions from

46 which our conscions experience is dl:nved

Every ;action and thought which we perform is stored up in the form of

sarizskerrra in our tnmd It remains latent for some time. This will be reproduced

later. Vedanta calls it as vasanfis. Vzisanas are the deciding factor of a new birth.

According to scriptures, evely action, voluntary or involuntary, is stored

up in the subtle body. U'hen a man dies the individual ego or jiva, whch means

the germ of l~ fe 1s not destroyed. 11: continues to exist in an invisible form. It

remains like a pemanent thread stringing together the separate lives by the Law

of Knrnia. 'l 'h~s idea IS clearly expressed in Vedanta. According to Vedbta, "the

thouyht, will nr des~rc which is ex.tremely strong during lifetime will become

predominant at the time of death and will mould the inner nature of the dylng

I< Bhaiwvana~ida Yo#. liamcnyoga Chonrlr, ka (Dathatraya Peetam, Th~rwananthapuram, 1923, P 31

16 S.N. Dasgupta.. ,I Ifisrow (:/Indian Philosophy , Vo1.2 (Motilal Banarsidass, 1975), p.76.

-47 person. i'he newly rnoulded inner nature will express the new form according

to his past knt.mrr.v. Here, Brahman is considered as the ultimate cause of this

uniathoinablc world. Then we can ;ask a question at this juncture. Why did such

an eternal spirtt indulge in the activity of creating this ephemeral universe? How

do .YN.S/I.(IY extr~cate themselves from this impasse? The same has been dealt with

In a detailed manner in Upanisah, Rrahma szitras, and Blzagavad Gita.

3.8 Ilcbirth and Bh:~gnvad Gitn

I'!i:, ( d t r I:. probably the earliest document where a definite statement is

inadc icga~-dlliy thc imperishable nature of existent things and the impossibility

of that \vll~ch 1s ncln-existent coming into being. It says that what is non-existent

cannot come into 1,elng and that what exists cannot cease to be4' This is similar

In all aspects t o tlic law of conservation of energy and also of mass.

i4ccortllng rn fll2agavad Gnu, there are two thtngs in the world, the real

(the soul) and the unreal (the body) and both of them are not to be grteved for,

because the soul ncver ceases to be and the body 1s pertshable Here Krtshna has

talked about the past and the future by saytng that there was never a ttme when

they were non-ex~stent, nor they w ~ l l cease to be. In future the bodtes wtll not

'' Ihid, 8 6

cont~nuc $11 1~ the \amc, but we (soul) will never cease to be because the real 1s

eternal I t MIIS nc~ther rlon-ex~stent in the past nor wlll be in the hture4'

'The l,odv does not remain the same, it always changes. It passes by stages

througli habyhood, youth and old age. So Krishna says: "Just as boyhood, youth

atid oltl i~pe :ire attrtbuted to the soul through this body, even so it attains another

body. l'he wlse mcn (enlightened one) does not get deluded about this"".

When a man wakes up &e:r a sound sleep, he says that he slept soundly

and he was not aware of anything. It means that he was not aware of anything

during sound sleep 'This knowledge of nothingness by the self proves that the

self ex~stcd even tlunng the sound sleep. Thus his own self existed before his

sleep, dul-lny h ~ s sleep and after h ~ s sleep. None feels his non-existence at any

time, rather Ilc feels his existence incessantly.

L3ut the problem arises in the following manner. All the bodies which, are

perceptible are perishable while the soul is imperishable and eternal. The

~mmortal soul. though different &on? the body, has identified itself with the body

and has developed an 'ego' or 'I' ness with it and thus regards its death as self s

(soul's) death 'T'hercfore Krishna says: "These bodies of the imperishable,

~ndefinablc ;lnd eternal soul are spoken of as perishable Therefore 0' Arjuna,

light" ''

In thc 13'' vcrse of second chapter it has been mentioned in brief that the

wise men docs not get deluded when the soul transmigrates from one body to

another. Now Knshna by giving an illustration explains that "as a man by casting

off won) (3111 clothes IS not grieved, a man casting of worn-out bodies should not

gr~eve."''

!.\t.ri fliougli thc above said 1s the position of Gnu, it does not try to prove

this properly hut takes i t as a self-evident principle which is taken for granted. It

seems to apply the principle only to the nature of the Self (Afman). Thus it says,

"0' Arjuna. that principle by which. everythmg is pervaded is to be regarded as

deathless: no one can destroy this imperishable one. The bodies that perish

belong to the deatl~lcss eternal and unknowable self; therefore you should fight.

He who thinks the self to be destructible, and he who tlunks it to be the

destroyed, do not know that it can neither destroy nor be destroyed. It is neither

born nor does it dtc. nor, being onc:e what it is, would it ever be again . . . ... . .

Weapons can't cut 11. fire can't bun1 it, water can't dissolve it and air can't dry

itn5'. I'hc immortality of self, preacihed in the Gila seems to have been directly

borrowctl f~om the Upanisadr. The passages that describe it seems to breath the

splrit of thc 1 /l~aniscrd~v not only in idea, but also in the modes and expressions.

The first arsument urged by Krishna to persuade Ajuna to fight was that

the self was lrnmortal and that it wa:j the body only that could be injured or killed

and therefore Arjulla need not feel troubled because he was going to kill his

kinsmen 111 the battle of Kzmrkshetra. Upon the death of one body the self only

changed to aric)ther. In which it was reform, just as a man changed his old clothes

for ncw ollcs l'he body is always changing and even in youth, middle age and

old age. does not remain the same. ' f ie change at death is also a change of body,

and so thctc I S no 1iitl.lnslc difference between the changes of body at different

stages of llfc inti thc uli~mate change that 1s effected at death

In icplv to Arluna's questiolns as to what becomes of the man who, after

proceeding a long way on the way of yoga, is somehow through his failure

dislodged iiom it and dies, Knshna replies that no good work can be lost and a

man who has been once on the path of yoga is snatched away by the hand of

death, he is born again in a family of pure and prosperous people or in a family of

wise ~ogins '" In this new birth he is associated with lus achievements in his last

birth and bcg~ns the course of advancement and the old practice of the precious

birlh cnrrlci hlm onward, without any effort on his part, in his new line of

PI-ogrcss l i v the continual efforts through many lives and the cumulative effects

of the r~sllt endeavours of each lifi:, the Yogi attains his final realization.

(ird~nnrily. the life of a man in each new birth depends upon the desires

and ideas that he fixt:s upon at the time of his deathSS. But those that think of

God, the upholder of all, shining like the sun beyond all darkness, and fix their

lifc-h~~cc:- i~ct\veerl thcir eyebrows, and control all the gates of their senses and

the11 in~liii i r l their hcarts, ultimately attain their highest realization in ~ o d %

From thc great Lord, the great unmanifested from which come out all the

manifested tllings and in time agam return to it and again evolve out of itS7. Thus

there arc twi~ fbrms of the unmanifested, the unmanifested out of which all the

manifested things come, and the tuunanifested which is the nature of the eternal

Lord from whom the former come.5x

The ideas of deva-yana and pitr-yana, daksin~yana and uttarayana, the

black 'and the wh~te courses as mentioned in the Upanisads are also referred to in

the Gila 'l'hose who go through smoke in the new-moon fortnight and the later

six months (when the sun is on th~e south of the equator), and thus take the black

course. retum again; but those would take the white course of fire in the MI-

moon fortnight and the former six months (when the sun is on the north of the

equator) do not return again59. These ideas are very similar to the ideas stated in

the (,'11;?ncio~qya i /~ ,nn , suds .~~

Ahovc study of kam~n and rebirth lead us to the following conclusions.

The doctl-inc of relncamation is a complement to the Doctrine of Karma. Man is

reborn for the fulfilment of his kczrmu. As he sows, so he reaps. The Law of

Karnza is the cham that ties man lo the wheel of birth and rebirth. It is through

karma that man is bound. And it is through karma that he can get free. Karma

proves to he the cause of his bondage as long as man clings to the temporal, but

when he turns to the eternal, kar~va opens the way to freedom. The two fold

doctrine is based on a comprehensive and consistent view of human personality

comprising its present, past, and future.

Even though human be~ngs in general are obhv~ous of thelr prewous

I~ves, yet there have been except~onal cases of mdiv~duals in anclent and modem

times who had memories of their past incarnation or incarnations. In many

instances tllc~r recollections of past lives have been verified.

According to Patanjali by a special method of meditation a person can

awaken the memories of his p a t lives. Patanjali says: "As a result of the

perceptior~ o i subhminal impressions one gains the knowledge of former lives."6'

The Sanskrlt tern for such recollection is called Jatismara. The Buddha is said

to have remembered all his past lives. Sri Krishna speaks of the past incarnations:

''0' Ar.iun;~. jiiany i r e the lives I have passed through and thou too. Rut 1 know

them all, wll~lst you knowest not, 0' Scorcher of foes''.6z

Thus a careful study of human being points out to the truth that man is not

just a phvs~cal., or a bio physical, or a psycho physical being. The real man is the

knowing self, the ccrltral principle of consciousness, to which we have to raise

through the Way o f 1:rcedom.