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An Atman by Any Other Name : Two Non-Buddhist Parallels to Antarabhava

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An Atman by Any Other Name : Two Non-Buddhist Parallels to Antarabhava Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies, Vol. 47, No . 1, December 1998 ( 5 ) An atman by Any Other Name : Two Non-Buddhist Parallels to antarabhava Robert KIZITZER Introduction In the third chapter of the Abhidharmakosabhasya,Vasubandhu, after enumerating the four forms of existence, asks the question, "What is the intermediate existence?" In a long discussion of antarabhava (AKBh : 120.6-131.2; La Vallee Poussin, v. 2 : 31-60), he proves that there is, in fact, an existence spanning the interval between death in one life and rebirth in the next and describes the features of intermediate be- ings. Vasubandhu explains that, contrary to appearances and to the speculations of some outsiders, it is not an atman that transmigratesbut simply the five skandhas, the series of which continues uninterrupted in the form of the antarabhava before enter- ing the womb from which birth in the next life will occur. Furthermore, he continues, the series, in the form of the skandhas of the newborn being, will grow up to acquire kdesasand perform karma,due to which it will be reborn yet again.This process Vasu- bandhu calls "the beginningless circle of existence." Vasubandhu, of course, relies on earlier sources. Most of the details in his discus- sion can be found in the Vibhasa, where they are organized quite differently, and many of them can,also be found in the Yogacarabhumi. In this paper, I shall examine short passages from two non-Buddhisttexts, (1) the Caraka Samhita and (2) the Anuglta of the Asvamedhikaparvanof the Mahabharata, both of which describe the transition to the new life in terms similar to those of the Abhidharmakoga (and its Sarvastivadinand Yogacarapredecessors). The crucial differ- ence is that in the two non-Buddhist texts an atman or jiva transmigrates, not the skandhas in the form of the antarabhava. I cannot establish a direct textual connection between the description of antarabhava in the abhidharma and the passages in the Caraka Samhita and Anuglta. 'However, a comparison of these three passages, the 506 ( 6 ) An atman by Any Other Name:Two Non-Buddhist Parallels to antarabhava (R. KRITZER) resemblances among which have not, to my knowledge , thus far attracted attention, strongly suggests at least some kind of common source. Furthermore, I suggest that the suspicious similarity of the passages is what prompted Vasubandhu to assert that his theory of transmigrating skandhas in no way implies atmavada. Caraka Samhita 4.2.31-36+41 The passage from the Caraka Samhita is from the second chapter of the Sarlrastha- na, in which the development of the fetus is explained. In verse 28 the question is asked : how does the atman transmigrate? In the answer to this question, the text moves from physiology to philosophy or religious doctrine, and in the half dozen verses that explain how the atman moves from one body to the next I find a number of parallels to the abhidharma descriptions of the antarabhava. 1. In verse 31, the atman, as it travels from one body to another, is said to be ac- companied by four subtle elements, namely air, fire, water, and earth. In other words, what transmigrates always has a material component, however attenuated it may be. In the Abhidharmakosabhasya, as well, antarabhava includes material factors ; it is described as possessing all the indriyas (AKBh : 125.7-8 ; see also Vbh : 361c 12-21 ; YBh:19.3), which by definition are a very subtle form of rupa called bhautika, distinct from tangible matter (AK I 35ab ; AKBh : 13.19-23). Elsewhere Vasubandhu describes the body of the antarabhava as transparent or pure (AKBh:125.1-2). In these contexts, the word accha is translated into Chinese as 極細 (or 最 細), which is also used to translate suksma. The Caraka Samhlta does not explicitly equate the subtle elements with the sense faculties. However, the first chapter of the Sarlrasthana mentions that the sense fac- ulties are comprised of the elements, with a different element predominating in each sense (CS4.1.24; CS cty: 694.32-34). Therefore, it may not be too farfetched to see a similarity between the transmigratingrilpa in the two texts. 2. Caraka Samhlta 31 ab also describesthe transmigrating atman as manojava,"pos- sessing the speed of mind" Vasubandhu, too, attributesto the antarabhava a magical power of speed, which is produced by karma and which enables the antarabhava to travel through space (AKBh: 125.3-5; Seealso Vbh: 364a23-b7; YBh: 19.9-10). 505 An atman by Any Other Name : Two.Non-Buddhist Parallels to antarabhava (R. KRITZER)( 7 ) 3. Caraka Samhita 4.2.31 cd says that, due to the fact that it consists of karma, its rupa is only visible to heavenly vision. Whether rupa means "form" or, more tech- nically, "matter," as in Buddhist texts, the meaning of the verse is the same : the subtle elements of the transmigrating atman are invisible to ordinary people. Similarly, the antarabhava can only be seen by other intermediate beings of the same class or by beings who have obtained the heavenly eye through practice (AKBh: 124.25-125.1; See also Vbh : 364bl0-c4 ; YBh : 19.5-6). 4. According to Caraka Samhita 4.2.33ab, the body contains sixteen bhutas, four each arising from the uterine nutrients, the transmigrating atman, the mother, and the father.Verse 33cd states that four are inherent in the atman,and that the atman is situ- ated in these four. Which four is not completely clear ; for example, Yamashita un- derstands atman here to be the atman of the fetus and the number four to refer to the above-mentioned four groups of bhutas (1998: 166). But I think that this line refers to the atman before it enters the fetus, and that what is being described is a mechan- ism of mutual dependence, like that of namarupa and vijnana in Buddhism, by which the subtle elements of the atman continue to exist between the death of one body and the birth of a new one. Verse 34 provides further information about the elements coming from the parents: they are the semen (of the father) and the blood (of the mother), and they are made to grow by the elements that arise from the maternal nutrients. Verse 35ab states clearly what happens to the elements at the moment of concep- tion : the four elements that adhere to the atman and are produced by karma enter the fetus. Verse 35cd is not so clear, but I shall attempt a translation : "When the atman goes, that [continuous series of the four elements adhering to the atman (CS cty. : 733.14)], which has the nature of being a seed, goes [with it] to the various different bodies" (CS4.2.35cd). Finally, the Caraka Samhita takes stock of the new being:"It is well known that the production of the rupa is due to the rupa of the [four elements] consisting of karma, while [that of] manas is due to the manas. The cause of whatever differences in form and intellect exist is rajas, tamas, and karma" (CS4.2.36). The Abhidharmakosabhasya, on the other hand, explains how the antarabhava ar- rives at the location of the new birth and then describes how it becomes sexually ex- 504 ( 8 ) An atman by Any Other Name:Two Non-Buddhist Parallels to antarabhava (R. KRITZER) cited by the scene of intercourse. According to Vasubandhu, the antarabhava enters the mixture of the semen and blood, then thickens and perishes, and the being is con- ceived (AKBh :126.25-27; See also Vbh : 363b20-27 ; YBh : 24.1-10). Shortly thereafter Vasubandhu raises the question of whether the mahabhutas themselves of the semen and blood through the force of karma become the basis for the indriyas of the new being, or whether other mahabhutas, supported by these [mahabhutas of semen and blood], arise as a result of actions (AKBh:127.3-5). According to the first alternative, which represents Vasubandhu's own opinion, the semen and blood, which lack facul- ties perish together with the antarabhava. Immediately thereafter, the kalala, which possesses faculties, appears in the way that a sprout arises after the destruction of the seed (AKBh : 127.5-7 ; see also YBh : 24.4-10). I shall not discuss this very complicated passage at length here, as I have already done so elsewhere (Kritzer 1998). However, I want to point out the similarity between this passage and the Caraka Samhita passage regarding the disposition of the material aspects of the transmigrating being: in each case, material elements that are the result of past karma join together with the material contribution of the two parents, and this conglomeration acts like a seed in producing the body of the new being. 5. Finally both Caraka Samhita and the Abhidharmakosabhasya emphasize the beg- inningless (but not endless) nature of the rebirth process. Caraka Samhita 4.2.42 states: "The beginning [of] this continuity of matter and mind is not mentioned; indeed , it does not exist. Their cessation is effected by the highest resolution and mindfulness, and by the highest understanding." As I mentioned at the beginning of this paper, it is, in fact, at the very end of his discussion of antarabhava, and as an introduction to his exposition of pratltyasamutp- ada, that Vasubandhu says of the new being, "The continuity having grown gradually as it was projected, it again goes to another world due to its defilements and karma. Of this nature is the beginningless wheel of existence" (AK 3.19 ; YBh : 25.20-21.5). Mahabharata (Asvamedhikaparvan, Anugita) 14.18.4-7 Another text that describes the transition into the new life is the Anugita of the Mahabharata.
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