Talk:Proofs of Rebirth upon Death
Texts from the Hindu tradition give numerous proofs of rebirth. The lay Hindu never questions this belief in rebirth as it is considered an axiomatic and generally accepted truth. All four Dharmic traditions (Hindu, Sikh, Bauddha, and Jaina Dharmas) thriving today, and even ancient atheistic (e.g. Ājīvaka) traditions that have been extinct in the Indian subcontinent for centuries believed in rebirth upon death. The Indian medical text Charaka Samhita enumerates four means of knowing (Valid Testimony, Direct Perception, Inference, and Logical Reasoning) and then lists the proofs of rebirth under each of these categories:
Scriptural testimony is based on the Vedas or other scriptural material in agreement with the Vedas, which is enunciated by the experts, approved by the virtuous, and initiated to bring about happiness to mankind. The scriptural testimony, as a source of knowledge, is derived from the words of authorities. It has been stated that charity, penance, sacred rituals, truthfulness, non-violence, and brahmacharya are supposed to provide heaven and help in liberation. (This establishes the theory of the continuation of the soul after death and thus of rebirth). Charaka Samhita Sūtrasthāna 11.27
Ancient Rishis, devoid of all human weaknesses, has clearly stated in the religious scriptures that those who have not been able to conquer their mental defects are not eligible for Moksha. (This shows that such persons are liable to be reborn). Charaka Samhita Sūtrasthāna 11.28
The theory of rebirth has been enunciated after careful observation by ancient sages endowed with divine faculty. These sages were devoted to the path of virtue; they were devoid of fear, attachment, hatred, greed, delusion, and pride; they were devoted to Brahman; they were reliable par excellence and were conversant with the principles of ‘Karman’ or action; their mental and intellectual faculties were never tarnished. So no one should doubt this theory. Charaka Samhita Sūtrasthāna 11.29
The doctrine of rebirth is established even by direct perception. For instance, children born differently from their parents; parentage and other characteristics being the same but different in terms of complexion, voice, shape, mind, intellect, and fate; birth in a family from a different socioeconomic background; labor and sovereignty; happy and unhappy lives; variations in life expectancy; enjoyment of outcomes without the corresponding action in this life; expression, even in the absence of teaching, of behaviors such as sobbing, sucking, laughing, terror, etc. (discovered in newborns) emergence of marks on the body that signifies good and bad luck; the action is similar, but the outcomes differ; Some people have an innate interest in particular kinds of works, whereas others do not; preservation in some people's memories of a prior life; the appearance of persons being the same, their amicability and the like. Charaka Samhita Sūtrasthāna 11.30
Inference too leads to an acceptance of the theory or rebirth as follows – the action performed in a previous life which is unavoidable, eternal, and having continuity is known as fate. Its results are enjoyable in this life. Action performed in this life will bring about its results in its future life. The seed is from the fruit and the fruit is from the seed. Charaka Samhita Sūtrasthāna 11.31
Reasoning also supports this view. The embryo is formed out of a combination of six dhātus (five elements and the ātmā). Actions are manifested out of the combination of the agent (kartṛ) and the instrument (karaṇa); the results come out of the action performed. There can be no germination without a seed. The result is always corresponding to the action. A seed cannot bring out heterogeneous products. This is the logical reasoning. Charaka Samhita Sūtrasthāna 11.32