Hindu Concept of Life and Death

Death is inevitable and something that cannot be avoided. It shows that man is mortal and has a specified life span and beyond a certain number of years a man or woman must leave this world. Most religions have their own connotation of death and its meaning. In Hinduism however the concept of death is slightly different . None of the western religions including Islam recognize the theory of reincarnation. But this is the bedrock of Hindu philosophy and Hinduism is not complete without the cycle of rebirth and transmigration of soul. Even Guru Gobind Singh in his Dasam Granth has written that in his previous birth he was a yogi in the Himalayas.

To understand the Hindu concept of death one must first understand two basic concepts. These are a) transmigration of soul b) cycle of rebirth. Overriding these concepts is the immortality of the soul. Lord Krishna in his sermon to the warrior Arjuna on the eve of the Mahabharta battle has explained at length these concepts in his song divine or the Bhagwad Gita. The Gita is the repositery of all wisdom and the lord says that the soul is immortal and can never be destroyed. He also says that soul is in a body, which after death is discarded by it. It may take rebirth in another body or become one with the almighty. Thus the principle of rebirth and transmigration of the soul are fundamental to Hinduism.

Most western religions do not accept the Hindu theory of rebirth and transmigration of soul. But now there are hundreds of cases that point to the truth of Lord Krishna's sermon to Arjuna. Even there were cases of rebirth in Beirut, which were suppressed by orthodox Islamic mullahs. Some Catholics have also condemned the Hindu theory of rebirth as Satanic, but the Lord in the Bhagwad Gita is clear on this subject. Along with Hinduism, the eastern philosophies of Buddhism and Sikhism also accept the Hindu concept of rebirth and trans migration of soul. In fact in the Jataka tales the previous births of Gautama Buddha are recounted when he was a Bodhsitatva.

One cannot say that the Hindu theory of rebirth and transmigration of soul is superior to western thought, but it is more plausable and recent cases studied by scientists does point to the truth of the sermon by Lord Krishna. Many Christians now accept this concept