Mechanical and organic

[Guest guest]

Dear Shri Vaibhav,

You have said:--

This is good so far, but the question is, how dies a mind/antahkarana

migrate from one place to other. Just like there is need for any other

object to move/act, there has to be an impetus/force for the change in the

location/state in which the antahkarana is in.. In addition, assuming one's

karma is stored in the antahkarana (either in the form of tanmatras or in

some other form), how is it kept intact during transmigration? I wasnt able

to find answers to these question in the Sutra Bhasya as quoted by

Paramhamsaji as well.

 

It would be really helpful if you and other members could shed more light on

these questions. If I have misunderstood any point, or said something wrong,

please point it out too.

 

Thanks again, Hari OM!

~Vaibhav.

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There is a lot of subtle discussion going on on this point with some

scientific terms thrown in which I am not able to understand, having

forgotten whatever science I studied in college, which in any case is

totally out-of-date. But I thought I would point out to you what the

chandogya upanishad says on this point. If this is not what you are looking

for, you may ignore this.

What goes out of the gross body on death is the subtle body which

consists of the antahkaraNa and the subtle forms of the organs of sense and

the organs of action. The br. up, 4.4.2. says that when the subtle body

leaves the gross body it takes with it the knowledge acquired in this

birth, the accumulated karmaphala and the vAsanas present at that time.

Since these form part of the subtle body, there is no problem in their

remaining intact during transmigration.

On death only the physical body becomes insentient. The subtle body has

the reflection of consciousness in it and so it is sentient and can move on

its own without the need of any other force to move it..

 

The chanogya upanishad describes how the subtle body goes from one deity to

another.

Before descrbingwhat ch. up. says on this point, one may be tempted to

ask why the upanishad talks about such things when its object is to impart

knowledge of brahman. Sankara himself puts this question and answers it. He

says that all this is described only to create detachment in us.By pointing

out that we will go on endlessly in this samsAra unless we attain

Self-knowledge, the upanishad seeks to turn our attention away from worldly

pleasures which are transitory and accompanied by sorrow.

ch. up. 5. 10. describes the course of the subtle body after

death.Thesubtle bodies fall into two categories: one category goes to

brahmaloka

because the person had practised meditation along with performance of

prescribed karma. This subtle body may attain knowledge in brahmaloka and

become liberated, or it will be born again on the earth, but only in the

next manvantara. Such bodies first reach the deity of flame; then they reach

the deity of the day, then the deity of the bright fortnight, then the deity

of uttarAyaNa, then the deity of the year, then the deity of the sun (not

the sun which we see, but some higher world), then the deity of the moon,

then the deity of lightning. From there a superhuman Being takes it to

brahmaloka.

 

The second category is those who have performed only vaidik karma and are

fit to go to chandraloka (which is the same as heaven),only to come back to

be born on the earth again in a new gross body. They are also go to some

other deities one by one and reach chandraloka where thaey stay till their

puNya which entitled them to stay in heaven is exhausted. Their return path

is also described int his upanishad. Please see ch. 5.10 of ch. up. if you

want those details. It is difficult for me to type out all the details.

All this may look like superstition, but these are in the upanishad itself.

 

S.N.Sastri