Reincarnation

Reincarnation 

Shri Sanjay Prasad, Shri Vijay Ranchan and I were discussing the concept of reincarnation. We couldn’t finish the talk but whether the concept of rebirth which is the core of Hinduism was there in original Vedas, Upanishads and Gita or had been introduced later was not answered as there were many addition and alterations in these books over the centuries. However, the term Moksha of Hindu, Nirvana of Buddhist, Kaivalya of Jain, the last day of Christianity and Kayamat of Islam are suggestive of some journey and judgement for each individual consciousness. 

Whether God became man or a man achieved human divine to escape reincarnation, the cycle of birth and death and have eternal life is a question that has divided the believers into two beliefs. Vaishnavas in Hindu consider Lord Krishna a God became man. The Vedantis consider all atmas as one eternal Brahman. Similarly in Christianity, Roman fraction believed that Jesus was God become man and the orthodox believed that he was a man who achieved human divine. 

Jainism believe in eternity of each soul but a journey in a cycle of four categories as per karmas of merits and demerits. No role of any God in individual’s destiny. 

Buddhism doesn’t believe in soul, self or spirit but accept only a stream of consciousness. The self oriented mind transcends to nirvana. Anatta is similar to Brahman of Vedanti. Former merges into stream of ‘no self’ and latter merges into the stream of ‘self’. May be like night and day of the same universal consciousness. 

Islam doesn’t believe in reincarnation but believe in Allah and Spirit. It believes that there is only one birth on earth. The Doomsday comes after death and each spirit will be judged as to one has to once for all go to hell or be unified with God. This may be similar to the belief of Christianity that when a person dies their soul would sleep in the grave along with their corpse. This soul sleep continues until a time in the future known as the “final judgment” in which God give to each person according to what he has done. 

Hinduism and Jainism believe in a continuous journey of a soul in a cycle birth and death in which the soul is in no waiting and gets position in rebirth of reward or punishment as per its deeds. 

We are witness to our conscious life of some years, therefore, it is not difficult to believe in existence and our presence as soul or no soul. What happens after death is a mystery. Whether each soul takes on the flesh again or not, there is difference in opinion and only faith can end the arguments. When we look at a tree passing through the seasons of autumn and spring, the tree remains but the leaves get changing through the cycle of birth and death. Similarly, the stream of Consciousness, whether call it God, Brahman, Allah or No-Self, is eternal. The bodies made of flesh are taking birth and are dying but the consciousness remains as it is like the life in a tree. Tree is just an example as it also dies one day but the Consciousness is eternal, never die.

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि

न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।

अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।Gita. 2.20।।

Punamchand 

20 March 2022