SOME THOUGHTS ON REBIRTH, REINCARNATION, DEATH etc.---5

June 30, 2009

Vedanta(Hindu Philosophy) expounds the truth of truth of survival of the soul at death and its rebirth as a part of its total philosophy of the Self(Atma). In the Katopanishad, young Nachiketa

addresses Yama(god of death), the teacher thus;"When a man dies ,there is this doubt: some say he exists; others say that he does not exist. I would like to know(the truth in his regard) to be taught by you". Yama clarifiesas as follows:- "Some souls enter the womb to get embodied,others go to the plants according to their action and knowldge(

YATHA KARMA YATHA SRUTHAM). When viewd from outside man is nothing but a body,but viewed from within he is revealed as a soul, as a spiritual entity which uses the physical body as its instrument for self-fulfilment . Death of the body therefore does not involve death of the soul. The soul which was encased or conditioned by the physical body during life(jivahood) becomes released ffrom the body at death. Based on the investigations into extrasensory experiences modern thought has accepted and has become impressed with the Vedantic views on the soul or the spiritual self of man. One of the fruits of the enquiry into the inner world is reincarnation----the soul or jiva taking up body after body to gain experience and knowledge and thereby achieve fulfilment.

Vedanta talks about the self being clothed not only by the Gross body(the physical body) but also by the subtle body(Sookshma Sareera). The latter constitutes the entire inner world of thoughts,feelings,memory, impressions and ego sense. It is this finer body or Sookshma Sareera,

the equvalent of soul in the English language , that is subjected to survival and reincarnation unlike the Gross Body which decays and dies. It was an insight into the nature of this Subtle Body that gave man the truths of survival and reincarnation

(to be continued)G.Balasubramanian