Xlinguae, Volume 13 Issue 3, June 2020, ISSN 1337-8384, ISSN 2453-711X 279 Epics and Puranas
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The concept of reincarnation as depicted in Indian tradition and culture Thu Ha Do – Narasingha Charan Pand DOI: 10.18355/XL.2020.13.03.23 Abstract Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being starts a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. It is also called rebirth or transmigration, and it can be said that all the religions and cultures in the world have got a central tenet surrounding this concept. India is a country of different traditional spiritual beliefs and religious faiths. People of India generally bind with the spiritual beliefs and sacred thoughts, since time immemorial. Hence, in India, generally, we have the concept of various avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu or Shiva. The traditional scholars of India believe that the avataras are more in number, and they are duly worshipped by the devotees of Lord Vishnu or Shiva in different ages of the Indian tradition and culture. This is really very interesting to know all about the sacred as well as mysterious incarnations of Lord Vishnu as rightly described in the Vedic texts and other spiritual texts, like epics and Puranas. And not only the ancient times but also recent decades have there been many both theologians and scholars worldwide who have developed an interest in reincarnation and many contemporary works mention it on different religions, especially in Buddhism and Jainism. The paper divides into three parts: 1. The real source of different incarnations (Avartara) in Indian sacred texts; 2. The incarnation of Lord Vishnu in sacred Sanskrit texts and 3. Reincarnation according to Buddhism. Key words: Reincarnation, Hinduism, Buddhism, Indian culture and tradition Introduction The idea of reincarnation is an ancient idea, originating from a traditional Samsara doctrine of cyclical existence (McClelland, 2010: 24). It was first documented in Indian environment over two thousand years ago. Scholars have been debating whether this is primarily a philosophical or religious concept. Most likely, we can and should consider it as both, since in the Indian intellectual environment, philosophy and religion cannot be easily disentangled, especially when referring to ancient beliefs and philosophical convictions. The concept of reincarnation teaches the continuity of being of a higher living organism. This continuity of being can be manifested either in the same or in a completely different life-form after one’s biological death. Thus, most strands of reincarnation teachings refer to this process as the transmigration of a human sould, or spirit. Though there are significant differences and nuances in this doctrine, especially after it had spread to other parts of the ancient world beyond the Indian subcontinent, there are distinct commonly held views and emphases shared by the adherents of this doctrine, whether they are from ancient Greece (Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, etc.) (Wiley, 2009: 640), mystical strands of Judaism, or more modern religious movements, such as Theosophy, Spiritism, tribal societies of South America and Australia or the New Age in the West (Obeyesekere, 2005: 15). India is a country of different traditional spiritual beliefs and religious faiths. People of India generally bind with the spiritual beliefs and sacred thoughts, since time immemorial. Hence, in India, generally, we have the concept of various avataras (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu or Shiva. The traditional scholars of India believe that the avataras are more in number, and they are duly worshipped by the devotees of Lord Vishnu or Shiva in different ages of our Indian tradition and culture. This is really very interesting to know all about the sacred as well as mysterious incarnations of Lord Vishnu as rightly described in the Vedic texts and other spiritual texts, like XLinguae, Volume 13 Issue 3, June 2020, ISSN 1337-8384, ISSN 2453-711X 279 epics and Puranas. This paper will only deal with the different incarnations of Lord Vishnu as described in Indian culture and tradition as well as Buddhist thinking about reincarnation. Ordinarily, we believe and understand that the Sanskrit word avatara means incarnation in English. The incarnation may be of Lord Vishnu or Shiva. But here we will deal about the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as found in Indian tradition and culture. The word Aavatara means to cross over, to attain, to save, with the prefix ava–down; and so, ava+ tª– means to descend in, to appear, to become incarnate) means ‘descending’ and the term is applied to the act of a Divine or Supernatural Being in assuming the form of man or animal, and continuing to live in that form till the purpose for which that form was assumed or carried out. The incarnation of God on the earth is called avatara. So, avatara is an appearance of any deity on earth, or descent from heaven, and it bears a great importance as a religious concept in the Indian tradition and culture. Exploring the roots and etymological foundations of the Concept of Reincarnation The Latin term of reincarnation – “reincarnatio,” means literally to “enter into the flesh again (or: anew).” This idea was directly connected with the concept of the transmigration of the human sould from one physical (biological) body into another one. The sould tended to forget its prior life in this process. However, sophisticated religious rituals and/or meditation could, if done well, help the sould recollect its past lives. The Greek term metempsychosis (μετεμψύχωσις) has a different connotation. It can be translated as “changing the state of one’s soul” (Harper, 2015). Some scholars (Huffman, 2005: 4) attribute this term to the ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras. But the semantic, conceptual idea of transmigration can also be found in Pythagoras and other philosophers of his time and in the subsequent centuries (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). Another Greek term that is sometimes used, though less frequently, is palingenesis – which, like its Latin counterpart, means “being born again” or “being re-generated” into being. As the etymology of the concept suggests, reincarnation is the belief that there is something stable and continues in the human being that does not die with his/her physical body. Some cultural traditions hold the conviction that the process of reincarnation applies not only to humans but to other living beings as well (Chapple, 1986: 38-39). Thus, the circle of life is extended to animal and even plant life. The common misconception holds that this term is (and should be) reserved onle to the ancient and myths, religions, and mystical philosophies. This is far from being true, however. Western philosophers such as Karl Sigmund, Kurt Godel, and others have used this term in their philosophical theories. Though the use of the reincarnation terminology and semantics in the West and around the globe has been well documented by philosophers, philolologists, as well as religious scholars, it is in Indian religions where this concept finds its original birth place and, arguably, the most fertile soil in Jainism, Buddhism as well as Hinduism. Like elsewhere around the world, the concept is identified and described in different terms. The famous 19th century scholar, Monier-Williams (1872: 582), identified several key terms in the Sanskrit texts, namely “Punarjanman” (rebirth, transmigration),” but also “punarāvṛtti, punarājāti, punarjīvātu, punarbhava, āgati- gati, common in Buddhist Pali text.” (Monier-Williams, 1872: 582). Behind these ideas is the belief in the endless cycle of Samsara, which can be conceived of as a purification and maturation path of each sancient being towards spiritual maturity and liberation. (Juergensmeyer - Roof, 2011). Even though the term “samsara does not appear in the Vedas,” as Keown righly points out, “the notion of cyclic birth and death is an ancient one and dates to around 800 BCE” (Keown, 2003: 248). Thus, the concept of a cyclical rebirth with the aim of one’s purification and spirital maturation 280 has existed for almost three thousand years. Each human being is inevitably, i.e., by his/her own birth, part of this cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Unlike the Western concept, however, the rebirth is not considered a gift but rather a burden, a curse from which the human being must liberate himself. This tedious “cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence,” (Roof, 2011: 44) must be broken by living an exemplary life, which can be understood primarily in ethical or, more often, also in mystical, spiritual sense. Rituals, ethical practices and virtues, as well as spiritual meditation (e.g. yoga) are essential parts of this process. The liberation from the cycle of rebirths (reincarnations) is called kaivalya, nirvana, or moksha. (Flood, 2010; Juergensmeyer - Roof, 2011). Real Source of different Incarnations (Avatara) in India The term avatara is relatively late, and an older word for the phenomenon is ‘manifestation’ (Ávirbhava & pradurbhava). Tasya taccataso devaï stutimithaï prakurvataí / Ávirbabhuva bhagavan pitambarodharo harih/ (Vishnu Purana, I. 20. 14) The word avatara does not occur in the classical Upanishads, though there are a few references in later Upanishads. It is listed in Panini’s Astadhayi (ave trstrorghañ, Astadhyayi, III.3.120) and also occurs in many standard works after the Epic literature. But there are faint glimmerings of the theory of avataras and of these forms even in the earliest Vedic literature (Upadhyaya) (Baladev, 2015: p.170). In the Rgveda it is said that Indra was the grandson of the sage Srngavrsa. This may be interpreted as meaning that Indra was supposed to have descended on the earth in a human form. Niruklta, VIII. 2 explain that “Sayna, the great commentator takes ‘napat’ to mean ‘putra’ here. Yaste Srngavrso napat pranapatkundapayyah/ nyasmindadhra a manah// (Rgveda, VIII.17.13) Again, in the Rgveda the sage Vamadeva explains “I was Manu and I was also the Sun”.