Reincarnation and Afterlife in Hindu Scriptures

Subject Areas : Christianity

پریا الیاسی ¹ (ندارد)

Received: 2009-12-14 Accepted : 2010-02-14 Published : 2009-09-23

Keywords: reincarnation, karma, samsāra, mokśa, Vedas, Brāhmanas, Upanisads, bhagavadgītā,

Abstract :

Reincarnation, which means rebirth of the soul or self in a series ofphysical or preternatural embodiments such as human being, animal,plant or divine, angelic and demonic embodiments, is a fundamentaldoctrine in some Asian religions. Though it has been stated that thisidea could be originated in primitive religions, in Indian religions it isan essential doctrine directly connected with two basic beliefs namelykarma and samsāra. For Hindus the process of rebirth is endless, but itcan be ceased by true liberation or mokśa. The development of theconcept of reincarnation is traceable through the Hindu Scriptures suchas Vedas, Brāhmanas, Upanisads and bhagavadgītā, which is a part ofthe great Indian epic Mhābhārata. Scholars put forward differenttheories about the origin of the Hindu doctrine of reincarnation, somuch so that they recognized it as a non-Indian idea; howevereventually they reached to a consensus: the belief stems from Indianindigenous cults.