Reincarnation QED

By Vimal Sehgal

The author presents a coherent theory and explanation of reincarnation with reasoning, available research and scriptural evidence. The author also describes certain fundamentals of life, the nature of soul, the role of desire and mind in our destiny, proof of reincarnation and the process and significance of reincarnation along with illustrative tales from scriptures.
“As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth and then to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.”
The bodily changes from birth to death can be seen but the movement of the soul into another body after death cannot be perceived. When the soul sheds the physical body at death, he is carried by the subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and false ego into a new body which gradually develops and thus the person takes birth again. The person remains unchanged. The soul is an eternal individual person and the bodily changes do not pertain to him. Under no conditions or circumstances can the living being be annihilated or transformed. Although he may unfortunately be covered by a material body; and then he behaves according to the manifestation of the body. For example we behave as children when we have a child’s body and as our body grows up our behaviour also changes. The contents of the mind, the memory etc. may all change but the owner of the body remains the same person. The owner of the body is different from the body just as the passenger in a car is different from the car in which he rides. The body is like a garment that the soul wears and periodically changes as the body gets worn out or unusable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vimal Sehgal
• Release date: Jun 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458104069

Vimal Sehgal

The author belongs to the Vaishnav Chaitanya Gaudiya spiritual tradition in India. Previously he worked as a systems analyst with Govt. of Canada after graduation in electrical engineering and computer sciences from IIT Delhi and University of Ottawa.

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Reincarnation QED

Vimal Sehgal

B.Tech IIT Delhi

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Vimal Sehgal

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The Meaning of Life – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/12846

Table of contents

Reincarnation

introduction

the role of desire

the process of reincarnation

the significance of reincarnation

evolution

evolution of consciousness : the Vedic paradigm

the story of Maharaj Bharat’s reincarnation

reincarnation explains genius

References

Shrimad Bhagvat Mahapuran ( Srimad Bhagvatam )

Bhagvad Gita

Padam Puran

Garud Puran

Life after life - R. Moody jr.

Life comes from life – by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami

Reincarnation

Introduction

Reincarnation has been a subject of considerable interest to mankind through the ages and though it is well understood by those who have studied the revealed Vedic scriptures such as the Bhagvad Gita and the Puranas, the general mass of people hold only belief or disbelief regarding reincarnation in the absence of their knowledge of a proper explanation or evidence regarding the phenomena of reincarnation. In the Sanskrit language reincarnation is generally referred to as re-birth (punar-janam). In India people have traditionally known about reincarnation and the learned sages who are well versed in the revealed scriptures have detailed knowledge of it. From his teachings it is clear that Socrates, the great philosopher, was also knowledgeable about reincarnation. The Vedic scriptures are replete with references to reincarnation. Reincarnation i.e. transmigration of the soul according to ones karma into various species of life in successive re-births is an integral part of the Vedic philosophy.

In this book I wish to present to the reader a coherent theory and explanation of reincarnation with reasoning, available research and scriptural evidence. The implications of reincarnation with regard to morality and the meaning of life will also become evident to the reader as he examines this theory with his rationality and intelligence. Rational people want theory, explanation and proof. However some people regard only seeing as proof. They want to limit proof to sight. But proof may also be through other senses such as hearing, touch, smell and taste along with sight. And above the senses such as sight is the mind and intelligence. Proof may consist of observation, logical deduction, knowledge based on experience and scriptural evidence.

The term reincarnation means that the dead person is born in flesh again, with a new body. Reincarnated in his new body he will not be recognised as the person who had died since his new bodily features will be different. He will have a new young body with new features acquired according to his mentality at the time of death. This new body is not necessarily a human body again. In fact the human body is a rarely obtained precious gift from God. The new body in which the person reincarnates i.e. the new body he acquires could be from any species of life such as the beasts, aquatics, plants, birds, insects etc. Reincarnated in a new body he generally forgets what he was in his previous life and it’s happenings except in some special cases.

The term reincarnation would have no meaning unless life i.e. the living being, the person or the self survives death. If death meant the annihilation of the self (the person), then who would reincarnate again. Therefore to understand "reincarnation" we must first understand what life is, and how life is different from matter. So far as the dead body is concerned it will not reincarnate since it is burnt or buried resulting in putrefaction and is lost into dust forever. But life i.e. soul which is the real self is eternal and is not subject to death.

Life is originally pure soul without a material body. The body is subject to birth, growth, decay and death, but the living being is eternal. He is without birth or death. Every person is an individual and the terms person, life, soul, the living being also called the jeev-atma in Sanskrit are synonymous. To the question what is life or soul, the answer is that the