Reincarnation or rebirth can be defined as being born again in a living form after death. The word reincarnation literally means “entering the flesh again.” Punarjanma is the Sanskrit word for reincarnation. Punarjanma literally means rebirth.
What is reincarnation?
According to Hindu scriptures, a soul, which is a part of the Supreme Soul, dwells in every living organism. The term death applies to our body only and not to the soul because the soul is immortal. The soul changes the body after death, as we change our clothes daily. Depending upon our Karma, we get a new body. That is, if you have done good Karma in this birth, you would get the rewards for those in this and/or the next life. If you have done evil Karma, you would get punished for that in this or the next life. The present conditions in our lives are the results of our Karma in this and/or past lives. This cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation continues until we get salvation, i.e., becoming one with the Supreme Soul.
Occurrences of reincarnation:
Many important religions on Earth, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, believe in reincarnation. Many ancient cultures, like Egypt and Greece, also believed in reincarnation. Some sects of Christianity and Islam believe in reincarnation. Many cases of reincarnation have happened not only in religions that believe in rebirth but also in those religions and cultures which do not believe in it. The incidences of reincarnation have happened worldwide in all races, all genders, with almost 100% uniformity. Different scientists and institutes have investigated and marked many cases as authentic. Thousands of books have been written on this topic. The famous scientist Thomas Alva Edison was a Theosophist (Theosophists also believe in reincarnation). In a survey in 2005 in the USA, about 20% of adults showed a belief in reincarnation. The Dalai Lama is considered the most prominent leader of Buddhists. Before death, every Dalai Lama tells his disciples about how and where he will be born again.
Rules of reincarnation:
There are specific rules known to mankind about reincarnation. These rules are told by sages that were revealed to them in the state of deep meditation.
1. Most of the time, a human being is born again as a human being only, but sometimes, he/she might get an animal body.
2. Generally, after getting three births of the same sex, we get the subsequent birth of a different sex, but there is no thumb rule.
3. Doing good Karma does not eradicate evil Karma. You have to endure suffering for bad Karma and get happiness for good Karma.
4. If a person dies suddenly with strong wills unfulfilled, he/she might become a ghost and remain there until favorable conditions are available for the next birth.
5. After death, we do not get the next birth immediately. In the meantime, our soul is in one of the seven levels. Once the proper conditions are created according to our karma, we are born again.
6. The soul is constantly learning from its experiences. In its initial births, it gets attracted to physical things more, but as it grows in knowledge, it becomes more spiritual.
7. All our good and bad Karmas are recorded in our body; when we are dead, those memories also enter a new body with our soul. When the soul becomes fully knowledgeable, it attains salvation.
8. Some sages believe that everything since the time of the Big Bang is stored in our body, but only a few people are able to recall those memories.
9. Only human beings can attain salvation. We get a human body after our soul travels through 8,400,000 species. Hence, salvation should be the final aim of our life.
Rebirth in the Vedas:
1. May we get a healthy sense and work organs in the next life as well. May I am full of vitality. May I have spiritual wealth and knowledge of Ishwar and Vedic concepts again and again. May we be selfless for the welfare of the world in our next lives again and again. May our deeds be noble so that we get human life and always get purity of mind and actions so that we can worship you and achieve salvation. (Atharva Veda 7.67.1)
2. One who conducts noble actions obtains noble lives in the next births with a strong body and sharp intellect. Those who conduct bad deeds get birth in lower species. To experience the fruits of past actions is a natural trait of the soul. After death, the soul resides in Vayu, Jala, Aushadhi, etc., and again enters the womb to take the next birth. (Atharva Veda 5.1.2)
3. Whenever we take birth, may our deeds be such that we get a pure mind, long life, good health, vitality, intellect, strong sense organs, and a powerful body. In the next life also, keep us away from bad deeds and indulge us in noble actions. (Yajurved 4.15)
Reincarnation in Bollywood movies:
The concept of reincarnation has been used in many Bollywood movies, and some of them are great hits like Karz, Karan Arjun, Madhumati, Milan, etc. Recently, this concept has not been used very much by Bollywood filmmakers, as many movies have been made on this topic.
Reincarnation in Hollywood movies:
Hollywood has also used the concept of reincarnation many times. The movies like Reincarnation of Peter Proud, Dead Again, Kundun, Fluke, What Dreams May Come, and Birth are based on reincarnation.
Books on reincarnation:
So far, many well-known personalities worldwide have written thousands of books on this topic. Here is a brief list of those books.
Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss
Life after Life by Raymond Moody
Reincarnation by Carry Williams and Sylvia Cranston
Claims of Reincarnation by Dr. Satwant Pasricha
Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation by Dr. Ian Stevenson
Is it possible to predict your next birth?
It is possible, but this can only be done by a sage with the power to see the future, not by the websites or software. Many websites claim that they can predict your next birth, but these are just frauds. So, do not run after them or take them seriously because your next birth depends upon your Karma, and the software cannot predict your Karma.
Reincarnation is not a miracle but a scientific phenomenon, which modern science has not yet understood.
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