Punarjanman (Sanskrit: पुनर्जन्मन्) in Hinduism is a Sanskrit word that refers to "repeated birth", "transmigration", "re-birth" or "a principle of diachronic ontogeny".[1][2][3][4] According to Y. Krishan, the ultimate goal of the Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and that of the Upanishads, has been based on attainment of moksha, nirvana, and consequently the termination of punarjanman or 'rebirth'.[4]
The concept of punarjanman or rebirth is a foundational belief in Hinduism, emphasizing the soul's eternal and undying nature alongside the importance of karma (actions). Portraying life and death as part of an ongoing cycle until one attains moksha (liberation), which contrasts with other religions that focus on a single life. Death is a transition where the eternal soul seamlessly moves from one body to another. The body is temporary and perishable, and the soul merely adopts new forms over time.[5]
Sage Yajnavalkya is the first recorded speaker of transmigration.[6]
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes the soul as indestructible, unalterable, and timeless, unaffected by physical harm or elemental forces. The Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads explains the process and reasoning behind the soul's transition to new bodies, linking it to the concepts of sanskaras (impressions from past actions) and karma.[5]
Of the six orthodox Hindu schools of thought, the Sankhya and Purva-Mimamsa schools, like the rest, accept transmigration, and that it embodies justice. Unlike the other schools, however, Sankhya and Purva-Mimamsa do not believe that a higher entity is required to govern the process of transmigration and the allocation of the fruits of karma.[7]
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