Charak Samhita

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अथ तृतीयां परलोकैषणामापद्येत| संशयश्चात्र, कथं? भविष्याम इतश्च्युता न वेति; कुतः पुनः संशय इति, उच्यते- सन्ति ह्येके प्रत्यक्षपराः परोक्षत्वात् पुनर्भवस्यनास्तिक्यमाश्रिताः, सन्ति चागमप्रत्ययादेव पुनर्भवमिच्छन्ति; श्रुतिभेदाच्च- ‘मातरं पितरं चैके मन्यन्ते जन्मकारणम् | स्वभावं परनिर्माणं यदृच्छां चापरे जनाः’ || इति | अतः संशयः- किं नु खल्वस्ति पुनर्भवो न वेति ||६||

sanskrit

[Desire of other world after death] The third desire is the aspiration for a virtuous life in the other world (life after death. There is some skepticism regarding this desire). What happens after death? Does rebirth occur? Why are there doubts regarding reincarnation? Lord Atreya says that there are people who believe in perceptible things and do not believe in imperceptible things. Acharyas (teachers) who have faith in the shastras believe in the theory of reincarnation even when they have not perceived or experienced it. But there is skepticism because of differences in opinion. Among the “believing” acharyas, some attribute the role of ‘parents or ancestors’, some on swabhava(personality or nature of the individual), some on the role of the paranirman (impersonal soul), while some on yadruchha ( free will or external powers responsible for sudden occurrences of events in the universe) in the process of reincarnation. Because of so many opinions and schools of thought, there is skepticism with regards to the theory of reincarnation, whether it exists or not.

english translation

atha tRtIyAM paralokaiSaNAmApadyeta| saMzayazcAtra, kathaM? bhaviSyAma itazcyutA na veti; kutaH punaH saMzaya iti, ucyate- santi hyeke pratyakSaparAH parokSatvAt punarbhavasyanAstikyamAzritAH, santi cAgamapratyayAdeva punarbhavamicchanti; zrutibhedAcca- ‘mAtaraM pitaraM caike manyante janmakAraNam | svabhAvaM paranirmANaM yadRcchAM cApare janAH’ || iti | ataH saMzayaH- kiM nu khalvasti punarbhavo na veti ||6||

hk transliteration

तत्र बुद्धिमान्नास्तिक्यबुद्धिं जह्याद्विचिकित्सां च| कस्मात्? प्रत्यक्षं ह्यल्पम्; अनल्पमप्रत्यक्षमस्ति, यदागमानुमानयुक्तिभिरुपलभ्यते; यैरेव तावदिन्द्रियैः प्रत्यक्षमुपलभ्यते,तान्येव सन्ति चाप्रत्यक्षाणि ||७||

sanskrit

[Pratyaksha (Direct perception) and Apratyaksha(Unknown)] It is for intellectuals to discard the heterodox view pertaining reincarnation, and quell any doubts associated with it. Knowledge regarding this theory can only be acquired through the scriptures, inference and reasoning, because the scope of perception is very limited (and our sense organs have limited powers to perceive) and there is a vast, uncharted area of knowledge.

english translation

tatra buddhimAnnAstikyabuddhiM jahyAdvicikitsAM ca| kasmAt? pratyakSaM hyalpam; analpamapratyakSamasti, yadAgamAnumAnayuktibhirupalabhyate; yaireva tAvadindriyaiH pratyakSamupalabhyate,tAnyeva santi cApratyakSANi ||7||

hk transliteration

सतां च रूपाणामतिसन्निकर्षादतिविप्रकर्षादावरणात् करणदौर्बल्यान्मनो|नवस्थानात् समानाभिहारादभिभवादतिसौक्ष्म्याच्चप्रत्यक्षानुपलब्धिः; तस्मादपरीक्षितमेतदुच्यते- प्रत्यक्षमेवास्ति, नान्यदस्तीति ||८||

sanskrit

[Hindrances in direct perception] Various types of objects are not visible to the naked eye if they are too close or too far, or there is any hindrance, or the sense organs are not functioning properly, or there is a lack of concentration of mind, or similar objects are placed near it, or if it has been over-shadowed, or if the items are microscopic. In all these cases, direct knowledge cannot be obtained by the sense organs. That is why it is not fair to assume that an object does not exist just because our sense organs are unable to perceive it.

english translation

satAM ca rUpANAmatisannikarSAdativiprakarSAdAvaraNAt karaNadaurbalyAnmano|navasthAnAt samAnAbhihArAdabhibhavAdatisaukSmyAccapratyakSAnupalabdhiH; tasmAdaparIkSitametaducyate- pratyakSamevAsti, nAnyadastIti ||8||

hk transliteration

श्रुतयश्चैता न कारणं, युक्तिविरोधात्| आत्मा मातुः पितुर्वा यः सोऽपत्यं यदि सञ्चरेत्| द्विविधं सञ्चरेदात्मा सर्वोवाऽवयवेन वा ||९||

sanskrit

Shrutis (scriptures) are not very clear about the idea of reincarnation since there are various differences in opinion regarding it. For instance, there is a view that if the soul of either the mother or the father is transferred into the child, then does the child embodies the soul of the parent completely or is it only part of the parent’s soul?

english translation

zrutayazcaitA na kAraNaM, yuktivirodhAt| AtmA mAtuH piturvA yaH so'patyaM yadi saJcaret| dvividhaM saJcaredAtmA sarvovA'vayavena vA ||9||

hk transliteration

सर्वश्चेत् सञ्चरेन्मातुः पितुर्वा मरणं भवेत्| निरन्तरं, नावयवः कश्चित्सूक्ष्मस्य चात्मनः ||१०||

sanskrit

If the soul of the mother or the father is present in body of child then if either of them should die, partial transformation of soul is not possible. Because the soul does not have any structure and it is very subtle.

english translation

sarvazcet saJcarenmAtuH piturvA maraNaM bhavet| nirantaraM, nAvayavaH kazcitsUkSmasya cAtmanaH ||10||

hk transliteration