prasad1
Active member
Accordingly, it is really a waste of time to worry about if, why and how, the unenlightened jIva navigates through saMsAra.
But there is a whole section in the Brahma Sutra dealing with this somewhat abstruse, and seemingly ultimately irrelevant topic. It has some interest, and raises a few questions. So, for those who feel that they are doomed to return for at least another lifetime, here are some details about what the scriptures say is involved.
A rudimentary, ‘minute body’ is actually allocated at the time of the death of the previous body (according to the scriptures). This new gross body, along with the subtle and causal bodies, life forces (prANa-s), mind, sense organs and organs of action (j~nAnendriya-s and karmendriya-s), together with the accumulated saMskAra, then ‘travel’ (gati) to the next birth. Consciousness or chit does not travel, of course, since it already exists everywhere!
The process that the jIva has to go through in between lifetimes is described in the Chandogya Upanishad V.3 – V.10 and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad VI.2 and is referred to as the ‘five (mystic or sacred) fires’ (pa~nchAgni). The idea here is that this ‘minute body’ is in a very preliminary state only. You might imagine it as being like a figurine made out of clay and it has to go through various stages of priming and baking before it is ready to be born as a new human being. It should be noted, however, that ‘fire’ should not be taken literally here – this refers rather to the ‘sacrifice’ performed metaphorically as part of a traditional ritual or contemplation. But it is appropriate to imagine that heat is required for the ‘ripening’ process, just as fruit requires heat or a baby requires the warmth of a womb or an incubator. In fact, the word agni could be translated as ‘location’. As Swami Paramarthananda puts it, the overall process can be thought of as an assembly line along which the jIva passes, having bits added at each stage until it finally emerges from the mother’s womb as a completed, physical body.
The relevant section of the Chandogya Upanishad begins with the student, Svetaketu, who has supposedly been extremely well educated by his father, the Sage Uddalaka (referred to as Gautama, son of Aruna in the Brihadaranyaka version). He visits the King, Jaivalli, who assumes that he knows everything and asks him some questions about what happens after death, in particular where people go when they die and where they come from when they are born. Svetaketu returns to his father and complains that this was omitted from his schooling and the father confesses that he does not know the answers either and goes himself to the King to find out. And eventually the King, who belongs to the warrior class (kShatriya) agrees to transmit this secret teaching to Uddalaka, who is a Brahmin.
www.advaita-vision.org
But there is a whole section in the Brahma Sutra dealing with this somewhat abstruse, and seemingly ultimately irrelevant topic. It has some interest, and raises a few questions. So, for those who feel that they are doomed to return for at least another lifetime, here are some details about what the scriptures say is involved.
A rudimentary, ‘minute body’ is actually allocated at the time of the death of the previous body (according to the scriptures). This new gross body, along with the subtle and causal bodies, life forces (prANa-s), mind, sense organs and organs of action (j~nAnendriya-s and karmendriya-s), together with the accumulated saMskAra, then ‘travel’ (gati) to the next birth. Consciousness or chit does not travel, of course, since it already exists everywhere!
The process that the jIva has to go through in between lifetimes is described in the Chandogya Upanishad V.3 – V.10 and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad VI.2 and is referred to as the ‘five (mystic or sacred) fires’ (pa~nchAgni). The idea here is that this ‘minute body’ is in a very preliminary state only. You might imagine it as being like a figurine made out of clay and it has to go through various stages of priming and baking before it is ready to be born as a new human being. It should be noted, however, that ‘fire’ should not be taken literally here – this refers rather to the ‘sacrifice’ performed metaphorically as part of a traditional ritual or contemplation. But it is appropriate to imagine that heat is required for the ‘ripening’ process, just as fruit requires heat or a baby requires the warmth of a womb or an incubator. In fact, the word agni could be translated as ‘location’. As Swami Paramarthananda puts it, the overall process can be thought of as an assembly line along which the jIva passes, having bits added at each stage until it finally emerges from the mother’s womb as a completed, physical body.
The relevant section of the Chandogya Upanishad begins with the student, Svetaketu, who has supposedly been extremely well educated by his father, the Sage Uddalaka (referred to as Gautama, son of Aruna in the Brihadaranyaka version). He visits the King, Jaivalli, who assumes that he knows everything and asks him some questions about what happens after death, in particular where people go when they die and where they come from when they are born. Svetaketu returns to his father and complains that this was omitted from his schooling and the father confesses that he does not know the answers either and goes himself to the King to find out. And eventually the King, who belongs to the warrior class (kShatriya) agrees to transmit this secret teaching to Uddalaka, who is a Brahmin.
Between Lives | Advaita Vision
An initial look at the 'stages' through which a jIva is supposed to go after death and prior to rebirth - the pa~nchAgni vidyA.
www.advaita-vision.org
