The philosophy of Rebirth

Rebirth means accepting another body after leaving the previous one. This takes place when the five principal elements which existed earlier are used up for one’s merits and demerits, after this, according to one’s deeds; the creator assigns him another body. This solely depends on the deeds of his earlier birth. One’s next birth is according to the acts, circumstances and modes of doing the acts. Another thing which plays an important role in this process is time. Time acting upon the rule drags the creatures to the distance to which they are thrown according to their deeds and action.

These things to be resisted are honour and dishonour, profit and loss, and destruction and growth, they force themselves upon creature. They are just momentary and after their play they have to disappear. Happiness and sorrow which one experiences are the result of one’s deeds. The enjoyment and sorrows of the earlier birth were active from the foetal stage itself. The deeds, good and bad done at the different stages of this birth -childhood, youth and old age will be repaid in the next life. This is explained in a very simple manner with the example of a calf. The calf even in the herd of thousands is said to recognise its dame. So also a man can recognise his past deeds and its results in this birth, even if he is one among the thousands of his species. When the entire universe dissolves, those who have attained the position of Devas and the fruits of their acts which are yet too spent, occupy that stage of life in the coming kalpa, which was their pristine one. This depends on the likeness of every successive kalpa to every previous one^[1].

The supreme creator creates the opposites like the mobile and immobile, destructible and indestructible etc. These creations are given the attributes of previous creation. The same attributes can be seen in every subsequent creation. One thing that requires special mention is that the character that had been bestowed at the early birth will be continuing as long as this process continues. It is so because good or bad like injurious nature or peacefulness, mildness or ferocity, righteousness or unrighteousness, truthfulness or untruthfulness; each creation will be provided with these particular attributes. The man who is created in this pattern is sure to be in the whirlpool of his deeds. The same can be compared to the grinder. The man, in the grinder, will be churned by his deeds in the rebirth. The nature of his deeds is the parameter for deciding his rebirth. The deeds of the man chain him to the circle of rebirth. The acts of injury if done in ignorance are said to be transformed to virtuous acts by the Brahmavādins. This statement of the Brahmavādins has been approved by the Vedas whereas the acts done with deliberate intention will reap the effect according to the grossness and subtlety of the act. If the wise or righteous soul does an injurious act due to Ignorance, he will be forgiven but if done intentionally, the consequence will be hell, and this difference seems disproportionate in the graveness of the acts that produce them. This can be said in other words, that is, if a container which has water is made to hold some more water, then naturally the level of water increases. This is the case of good acts. The acts which are done with just or otherwise by a wise man, it increases the virtue which has already heaped up. This doesn't mean that the acts are not rewarded. The righteous or sinful act done knowingly or otherwise will have to face the consequences which is either enjoyable or sorrowful. The superior colour which man attains is by his pious deeds. Attainment of supreme colour is highly difficult. It can be seen that a person who resorts to sinful deeds kills himself. A person who thinks, has a body, will have a consciousness of duality which is loaded with opposite pairs of emotion that he engages himself. An acquirer of Liberation has the power to get rid of the consciousness of duality. Acts leads to the destruction of the creature, but knowledge helps a man to be free from it. A perfect yogin among beings who has understood and acquired knowledge never goes to the other side of life or never performs any act. Acts are that path which makes man takes rebirth with a body made up of sixteen ingredients. The mighty knowledge will metamorphose one into the unmanifest and immutable eternal.^[2]

The supreme creator creates the opposites like the mobile and immobile, destructible and indestructible etc. These creations are given the attributes of previous creation. The same attributes can be seen in every subsequent creation. One thing that requires special mention is that the character that had been bestowed at the early birth will be continuing as long as this process continues. It is so because the characters like injuriousness or peacefulness, mildness or fierceness, righteousness or unrighteousness, truthfulness or untruthfulness each creation will be provided with these particular attributes. The man who is created in this pattern is sure to be in the whirl pool of his deeds. The same can be compaired to the grinder. The man, as in the grinder the flour churns will be churned by his deeds in the rebirth. The character of his deeds is the parameter for deciding his rebirth. The deeds of the man chain him to the circle of rebirth. The acts of injury if done in ignorance are said to be transformed to virtuous acts by the Brahmavādins.

This statement of the Brahmavādins has been approved by the Vedas whereas the acts done with deliberate intentions will reap the effect according to the grossness and subtlety of the act. If the wise or righteous soul does an injurious act due to Ignorance, he will be forgiven but that done in sooth, the consequence will be hell, and this difference seems disproportionate in the graveness of the acts that produce them. This can be said in other words, that is if a container which has water is made to hold some more water, then naturally the level of water increases. This is the case of good acts. The acts which are done with just or otherwise by a wise man, it increases the virtue which has already heaped up. This doesn't mean that the acts are not rewarded. The righteous or sinful act done knowingly or otherwise will have to face the consequences which is either enjoyable or has to endured. The superior colour which man attains is by his pious deeds. The inability to acquire this supreme colour is highly difficult. It can be seen that a person who resorts to sinful deeds kills himself. A person who thinks, has a body will have a consciousness of duality which is loaded with opposite pairs of emotion that he engages himself. An acquirer of Liberation has the power to get rid of the consciousness of duality. Acts leads to the destruction of the creature, but knowledge helps a man to be free from it. So the yogin who the perfect creatures, and who have understood and acquired knowledge never goes to the other side of life or never perform any acts. Acts are that path which makes man takes rebirth with a body made up of sixteen ingredients. The mighty knowledge metamorphoses one into the unmanifest and immutable eternal^[3]. The man of knowledge is like the moon on the last day of dark for night, which is subtle and its existence is felt. The succession of births of the individual is the captive of Ego and the effect of desire pushes him to act. The pull and push and cause and result of acts give rise to fresh causes. The desire which captures the soul makes it to act or rather engages the soul to act. This leads to non-stop revolution of the wheel of existences with a beginning but the end unknown or end is not seen.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

prajāvisargaṃ tu saśeṣakāle sthanāni svānyeva saranti jīvāḥ |
niḥśeṣatastatpadaṃ yānti cānte sarve devā ye sadṛśā manuṣyā || Mahābhārata XII, 280–52.

[2]:

Śāntiparva , 241-7,8.

[3]:

śāntiparva, 241-7,8.