,,vedanta ,,philosophy  ,,five          
,,lectures ,,on ,,reincarnation  ,,by   
,,swami ,,abhedananda  ,author of ,india
 and her ,people1 ,self-,knowledge1 ,how
 to be a ,yogi1 ,divine ,heritage of    
,man1 etc4     ,,contents               
,i4--,,reincarnation   ,,ii4--,,heredity
 ,,and ,,reincarnation                  
,,iii4--,,evolution ,,and               
,,reincarnation   ,,iv4--,,which ,,is   
,,scientific1 ,,resurrection ,,or       
,,reincarnation8    ,v4--,,theory ,,of  
,,transmigration     ,i4 ,,reincarnation
   ,the visible phenomena of the        
universe are bound by the universal law 
of cause and effect4 ,the effect is     
visible or perceptible1 while the cause 
is invisible or imperceptible4 ,the     
falling of an apple from a tree is the  
effect of a certain invisible force     
called gravitation4 ,although the force 
cannot be perceived by the senses1 its  
expression is visible4 ,all perceptible 
phenomena are but the various           
expressions of different forces which   

act as invisible agents upon the subtle 
and imperceptible forms of matter4      
,these invisible agents or forces       
together with the imperceptible         
particles of matter make up the subtle  
states of the phenomenal universe4 ,when
 a subtle force becomes objectified1 it 
appears as a gross object4  ,therefore1 
we can say1 that every gross form is an 
expression of some subtle force acting  
upon the subtle particles of matter4    
,the minute particles of hydrogen and   
oxygen when combined by chemical force1 
appear in the gross form of water4      
,water can never be separated from      
hydrogen and oxygen1 which are its      
subtle component parts4 ,its existence  
depends upon that of its component      
parts1 or in other words1 upon its      
subtle form4 ,if the subtle state       
changes1 the gross manifestation will   
also change4 ,the peculiarity in the    
gross form of a plant depends upon the  
peculiar nature of its subtle form1 the 
seed4 ,the peculiar nature of the gross 

forms in the animal kingdom depends upon
 the subtle forms which manifest        
variously in each of the intermediate   
stages between the microscopic unit of  
living matter and the highest man4 ,the 
gross human body is closely related to  
its subtle body4  ,not only this1 but   
every movement or change in the physical
 form is caused by the activity and     
change of the subtle body4 ,if the      
subtle body be affected or changed a    
little1 the gross body will also be     
affected similarly4 ,the material body  
being the expression of the subtle body1
 its birth1 growth1 decay and death     
depend upon the changes of the subtle   
body4  ,as long as the subtle body      
remains1 it will continue to express    
itself in a corresponding gross form4   
,now let us understand clearly what we  
mean by a subtle body4 ,it is nothing   
but a minute germ of a living substance4
 ,it contains the invisible particles of
 matter which are held together by vital
 force1 and it also possesses mind or   

thought-force in a potential state1 just
 as the seed of a plant contains in it  
the life force and the power of growth4 
,according to ,vedanta1 the subtle body 
consists of ,antahkaranam1 that is1 the 
internal organ or the mind substance    
with its various modifications1 mind1   
intellect1 egoism1 memory1 the five     
instruments of perception3 the powers of
 seeing1 hearing1 smelling1 tasting and 
touching2 the five instruments of       
action1 such as the powers of seizing1  
moving1 speaking1 evacuating1 and       
generating1 and the five ,prnas4 ,prna  
is a ,sanskrit word which means vital   
energy or the life-sustaining power in  
us4 ,although ,prna is one1 it takes    
five different names on account of the  
five different functions it performs4   
,this word ,prna includes the five      
manifestations of the vital force3      
,first1 that power which moves the lungs
 and draws the atmospheric air from     
outside into the system4 ,this is also  
called ,prna4 ,second1 that power which 

throws out of the system such things as 
are not wanted4 ,it is called in        
,sanskrit ,apna4 ,third1 it takes the   
name of ,samna1 as performing digestive 
functions and carrying the extract of   
food to every part of the body4 ,it is  
called ,udna when it is the cause of    
bringing down food from the mouth       
through the alimentary canal to the     
stomach1 and also when it is the cause  
of the power of speech4 ,the fifth power
 of ,prna is that which works in every  
part of the nervous system from head to 
foot1 through every canal1 which keeps  
the shape of the body1 preserves it from
 putrefaction1 and gives health and life
 to every cell and organ4 ,these are the
 various manifestations of the vital    
force or ,prna4 ,these subtle powers    
together with the non-composite elements
 of the gross body1 or the ethereal     
particles of subtle matter1 and also    
with the potentialities of all the      
impressions1 ideas and tendencies which 
each individual gathers in one life1    

make up his subtle body4  ,as a         
resultant of all the different actions  
of mind and body which an individual    
performs in his present life1 will be   
the tendencies and desires in his future
 life2 nothing will be lost4  ,every    
action of body or mind which we do1     
every thought which we think1 becomes   
fine1 and is stored up in the form of a 
,samskra or impression in our minds4 ,it
 remains latent for some time1 and then 
it rises up in the form of a mental wave
 and produces new desires4 ,these       
desires are called in ,vedanta1 ,vsans4 
,vsans or strong desires are the        
manufacturers of new bodies4 ,if ,vsan  
or longing for worldly pleasures and    
objects remains in anybody1 even after  
hundreds of births1 that person will be 
born again4 ,nothing can prevent the    
course of strong desires4 ,desires must 
be fulfilled sooner or later4  ,every   
voluntary or involuntary action of the  
body1 sense or mind must correspond to  
the dormant impressions stored up in the

 subtle body4 ,although growth1 the     
process of nourishment and all the      
changes of the gross physical body take 
place according to the necessarily      
acting causes1 yet the whole series of  
actions1 and consequently every         
individual act1 the condition of the    
body which accomplishes it1 nay1 the    
whole process in and through which the  
body exists1 are nothing but the outward
 expressions of the latent impressions  
stored up in the subtle body4 ,upon     
these rests the perfect suitableness of 
the animal or human body to the animal  
or human nature of one's impressions4   
,the organs of the senses must therefore
 completely correspond to the principal 
desires which are the strongest and most
 ready to manifest4 ,they are the       
visible expressions of these desires4   
,if there be no hunger or desire to eat1
 teeth1 throat and bowels will be of no 
use4 ,if there be no desire for grasping
 and moving1 hands and legs will be     
useless4 ,similarly it can be shown that

 the desire for seeing1 hearing1 etc41  
has produced the eye1 ear1 etc4 ,if ,i  
have no desire to use my hand1 and if ,i
 do not use it at all1 within a few     
months it will wither away and die4 ,in 
,india there are some religious fanatics
 who hold up their arms and do not use  
them at all2 after a few months their   
arms wither and become stiff and dead4  
,a person who lies on his back for six  
months loses the power of walking4      
,there are many such instances which    
prove the injurious effects of the      
disuse of our limbs and organs4  ,as the
 human form1 generally1 corresponds to  
the human will1 generally1 so the       
individual bodily structure corresponds 
to the character1 desires1 will and     
thought of the individual4 ,therefore   
the outer nature is nothing but the     
expression of the inner nature4 ,this   
inner nature of each individual is what 
re-incarnates or expresses itself       
successively in various forms1 one after
 another4 ,when a man dies the          

individual ego or ,jva 7as it is called 
in ,sanskrit71 which means the germ of  
life or the living soul of man1 is not  
destroyed1 but it continues to exist in 
an invisible form4 ,it remains like a   
permanent thread stringing together the 
separate lives by the law of cause and  
effect4 ,the subtle body is like a      
water-globule which sprang in the       
beginningless past from the eternal     
ocean of ,reality2 and it contains the  
reflection of the unchangeable light of 
,intelligence4  ,as a water-globule     
remains sometimes in an invisible vapory
 state in a cloud1 then in rain or snow 
or ice1 and again as steam or in mud1   
but is never destroyed1 so the subtle   
body sometimes remains unmanifested and 
sometimes expresses itself in gross     
forms of animal or human beings1        
according to the desires and tendencies 
that are ready to manifest4 ,it may go  
to heaven1 that is1 to some other       
planet1 or it may be born again on this 
earth4 ,it depends on the nature and    

strength of one's life-long tendency and
 bent of mind4 ,this idea is clearly    
expressed in ,vedanta4 ,the thought1    
will or desire which is extremely strong
 during lifetime1 will become           
predominant at the time of death and    
will mould the inner nature of the dying
 person4 ,the newly moulded inner nature
 will express in a new form4 7,bhagavad 
,gt47 ,the thought1 will or desire which
 moulds the inner nature has the power  
of selecting or attracting such         
conditions or environments as will help 
it in its way of manifestation4 ,this   
process corresponds in some respects to 
the law of natural selection4  ,we shall
 be better able to understand that      
process by studying how the seeds of    
different trees select from the common  
environments different materials1 and   
absorb and assimilate different         
quantities of elements4 ,suppose two    
seeds1 one of an oak and the other of a 
chestnut1 are planted in a pot4 ,the    
power of growth in both the seeds is of 

the same nature4 ,the environments1     
earth1 water1 heat and light are the    
same4 ,but still there is some          
peculiarity in each of the seeds1 which 
will absorb from the common environments
 different quantities of elements and   
other properties which are fit to help  
the growth of the peculiar nature and   
form of the fruit1 flower1 leaves of    
each tree4 ,suppose the chestnut is a   
horse-chestnut4 ,if1 under different    
conditions1 the peculiar nature of the  
horse-chestnut changes into that of a   
sweet chestnut1 then1 along with the    
changes in the seed1 the whole nature of
 the tree1 leaves1 fruits will also be  
changed4 ,it will no more attract1      
absorb or assimilate those substances   
and qualities of the environments which 
it did when it was a horse-chestnut4    
,similarly1 through the law of natural  
selection the newly moulded thought-body
 of the dying person will choose and    
attract such parts from the common      
environments as are helpful to its      

proper expression or manifestation4     
,parents are nothing but the principal  
parts of the environment of the         
re-incarnating individual4 ,the newly   
moulded inner nature or subtle body of  
the individual will by the law of       
natural selection involuntarily choose1 
or be unconsciously drawn to1 as it     
were1 its suitable parents and will be  
born of them4 ,as1 for instance1 if ,i  
have a strong desire to become an       
artist1 and if after a life-long        
struggle ,i do not succeed in being the 
greatest1 after the death of the body ,i
 will be born of such parents and with  
such environments as will help me to    
become the best artist4  ,the whole     
process is expressed in ,eastern        
philosophy by the doctrine of the       
,reincarnation of the individual soul4  
,although this doctrine is commonly     
rejected in the ,west1 it is            
unreservedly accepted by the vast       
majority of mankind of the present day1 
as it was in past centuries4 ,the       

scientific explanation of this theory we
 find nowhere except in the writings of 
the ,hindus2 still we know that from    
very ancient times it was believed by   
the philosophers1 sages and prophets of 
different countries4 ,the ancient       
civilization of ,egypt was built upon a 
crude form of the doctrine of           
,reincarnation4 ,herodotus says3 ,the   
,egyptians propounded the theory that   
the human soul is imperishable1 and that
 where the body of any one dies it      
enters into some other creature that may
 be ready to receive it4 ,pythagoras and
 his disciples spread it through ,greece
 and ,italy4 ,pythagoras says3 ,all has 
soul2 all is soul wandering in the      
organic world1 and obeying eternal will 
or law4  ,in ,dryden's ,ovid we read3-- 
,death has no power the immortal soul to
 slay1   ,that1 when its present body   
turns to clay1   ,seeks a fresh home1   
and with unlessened might   ,inspires   
another frame with life and light4  ,it 
was the keynote of ,plato's philosophy4 

,plato says3 ,soul is older than body4  
,souls are continually born over again  
into this life4 ,the idea of            
,reincarnation was spread widely in     
,greece and ,italy by ,pythagoras1      
,empedocles1 ,plato1 ,virgil and ,ovid4 
,it was known to the ,neo-,platonists1  
,plotinus and ,proclus4 ,plotinus says3 
,the soul leaving the body becomes that 
power which it has most developed4  ,let
 us fly then from here below and rise to
 the intellectual world1 that we may not
 fall into a purely sensible life by    
allowing ourselves to follow sensible   
images4444 ,it was the fundamental      
principle of the religion of the        
,persian ,magi4 ,alexander the ,great   
accepted this idea after coming in      
contact with the ,hindu philosophers4   
,julius ,caesar found that the ,gauls   
had some belief regarding the           
pre-existence of the human soul4 ,the   
,druids of old ,gaul believed that the  
souls of men transmigrate into those    
bodies whose habits and characters they 

most resemble4 ,celts and ,britons were 
impressed with this idea4 ,it was a     
favorite theme of the ,arab philosophers
 and many ,mahomedan ,sufis4 ,the ,jews 
adopted it after the ,babylonian        
captivity4  ,philo of ,alexandria1 who  
was a contemporary of ,christ1 preached 
amongst the ,hebrews the ,platonic idea 
of the pre-existence and rebirth of     
human souls4  ,philo says3 ,the company 
of disembodied souls is distributed in  
various orders4 ,the law of some of them
 is to enter mortal bodies1 and after   
certain prescribed periods be again set 
free4 ,john the ,baptist was according  
to the ,jews a second ,elijah2 ,jesus   
was believed by many to be the          
re-appearance of some other prophet4    
7,see ,matt1 xvi1 #ad1 also xvii1 #ab47 
,solomon says in his ,book of ,wisdom3  
,i was a child of good nature and a good
 soul came to me1 or rather because ,i  
was good ,i came into an undefiled body4
  ,the ,talmud and ,cabala teach the    
same thing4  ,in the ,talmud it is said 

that ,abel's soul passed into the body  
of ,seth1 and then into that of ,moses4 
,along with the spread of the ,cabala   
this doctrine 7which was known as       
,transmigration and ,metempsychosis7    
began to take root in ,judaism and then 
it gained believers even among men who  
were little inclined towards ,mysticism4
 ,juda ben ,asher 7,asheri7 for         
instance1 discussing this doctrine in a 
letter to his father endeavored to place
 it upon a philosophical basis4 7,jewish
 ,encyclopedia1 ,vol4  ,,xii1 p4 #bcb47 
,we also read1 ,the ,cabalists eagerly  
adopted the doctrine on account of the  
vast field it offered to mystic         
speculations4 ,moreover it was almost a 
necessary corollary of their            
psychological system4 ,the absolute     
condition of the soul is1 according to  
them1 its return1 after developing all  
those perfections1 the germs of which   
are eternally implanted in it1 to the   
,infinite ,source from which it         
emanated4 ,another term of life must    

therefore be vouchsafed to those souls  
which have not fulfilled their destiny  
here below1 and have not been           
sufficiently purified for the state of  
union with the ,primordial ,cause4      
,hence if the soul1 on its first        
assumption of a human body and sojourn  
on earth1 fails to acquire that         
experience for which it descended from  
heaven and becomes contaminated by that 
which is polluting1 it must reinhabit a 
body till it is able to ascend in a     
purified state through repeated trials4 
,this is the theory of the ,zohar1 which
 says3 ,all souls are subject to        
transmigration2 and men do not know the 
ways of the ,holy ,one1 blessed be ,he6 
,they do not know that they are brought 
before the tribunal both before they    
enter into this world and after they    
leave it2 they are ignorant of the many 
transmigrations and secret probations   
which they have to undergo1 and of the  
number of souls and spirits which enter 
into this world and which do not return 

to the palace of the ,heavenly ,king4   
,men do not know how the souls revolve  
like a stone which is thrown from a     
sling4 ,but the time is at hand when    
these mysteries will be disclosed4      
7,zohar1 ,,ii1 #ii b47  ,like many of   
the ,church ,fathers the ,cabalists used
 as their main argument in favor of the 
doctrine of metempsychosis the justice  
of ,god4 ,but for the belief in         
metempsychosis1 they maintained1 the    
question why ,god often permits the     
wicked to lead a happy life while many  
righteous are miserable would be        
unanswerable4 ,then too the infliction  
of pain upon children would be an act of
 cruelty unless it is imposed in        
punishment of sin committed by the soul 
in a previous state4 ,isaac ,abravanel  
sees in the commandment of the ,levirate
 a proof of the doctrine of             
metempsychosis for which he gives the   
following reasons3 7#a7 ,god in ,his    
mercy willed that another trial should  
be given to the soul1 which having      

yielded to the sanguine temperament of  
the body had committed a capital sin1   
such as murder1 adultery1 etc42 7#b7 it 
is only just that when a man dies young 
a chance should be given to his soul to 
execute in another body the good deeds  
which it had not time to perform in the 
first body2 7#c7 the soul of the wicked 
sometimes passes into another body in   
order to receive its deserved punishment
 here below instead of in the other     
world where it would be much more       
severe4 7,commentary on ,deuteronomy1   
,,xxv1 #e47  ,christianity is not exempt
 from this idea4 ,origen and other      
,church ,fathers believed in it4 ,origen
 says3 ,for ,god1 justly disposing of   
his creatures according to their desert1
 united the diversities of minds in one 
congruous world1 that he might1 as it   
were1 adorn his mansion 7in which ought 
to be not only vases of gold and silver1
 but of wood also and clay1 and some to 
honor and some to dishonor7 with these  
diverse vases1 minds or souls4 ,to these

 causes the world owes its diversity1   
while ,divine ,providence disposes each 
according to his tendency1 mind and     
disposition4 ,he also says3 ,i think    
this is a question how it happens that  
the human mind is influenced now by the 
good1 now by the evil4 ,the causes of   
this ,i suspect to be more ancient than 
this corporeal birth4 ,the idea of      
,reincarnation spread so fast amongst   
the early ,christians that ,justinian   
was obliged to suppress it by passing a 
law in the ,council of ,constantinople  
in #ech ,a4,d4 ,the law was this3       
,whoever shall support the mythical     
presentation of the pre-existence of the
 soul1 and the consequently wonderful   
opinion of its return1 let him be       
,anathema4 ,the ,gnostics and           
,manichaeans propagated the tenets of   
,reincarnation amongst the mediaeval    
sects such as the ,bogomiles and        
,paulicians4 ,some of the followers of  
this so-called erroneous belief were    
cruelly persecuted in #che ,a4,d4  ,in  

the seventeenth century some of the     
,cambridge ,platonists1 as ,dr4 ,henry  
,more and others1 accepted the idea of  
rebirth4 ,most of the ,german           
philosophers of the middle ages and of  
recent days have advocated and upheld   
this doctrine4 ,many quotations can be  
given from the writings of great        
thinkers1 like ,kant1 ,scotus1          
,schelling1 ,fichte1 ,leibnitz1         
,schopenhauer1 ,giardano ,bruno1        
,goethe1 ,lessing1 ,herder and a host of
 others4 ,the great skeptic ,hume says  
in his posthumous essay on ,the         
,immortality of the ,soul1 ,the         
metempsychosis is therefore the only    
system of this kind that philosophy can 
hearken to4 ,scientists like ,flammarion
 and ,huxley have supported this        
doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,professor  
,huxley says3 ,none but hasty thinkers  
will reject it on the ground of inherent
 absurdity4 ,like the doctrine of       
evolution itself1 that of transmigration
 has its roots in the world of reality4 

7,evolution and ,ethics1 p4 #fa47  ,some
 of the theological leaders have        
preached it4 ,the eminent ,german       
theologian ,dr4 ,julius ,mller supports 
this theory in his work on ,the         
,christian ,doctrine of ,sin4 ,prominent
 theologians1 such as ,dr4 ,dorner1     
,ernesti1 ,rckert1 ,edward ,beecher1    
,henry ,ward ,beecher1 ,phillips        
,brooks1 preached many a time touching  
the question of the pre-existence and   
rebirth of the individual soul4         
,swedenborg and ,emerson maintained it4 
,emerson says in his essay on           
,experience1 ,we wake and find ourselves
 on a stair4 ,there are stairs below us 
which we seem to have ascended2 there   
are stairs above us1 many a one1 which  
go upward and out of sight4  ,almost all
 of the poets1 ancient or modern1       
profess it4 ,william ,wordsworth says in
 ,intimations of ,immortality3--    ,the
 soul that rises with us1 our life's    
star1     ,hath had elsewhere its       
setting1   ,and cometh from afar4       

,tennyson writes in the ,two ,voices2   
,or1 if through lower lives ,i came--   
,tho' all experience past became1       
,consolidate in mind and frame--   ,i   
might forget my weaker lot2   ,for is   
not our first year forgot8   ,the haunts
 of memory echo not4  ,walt ,whitman    
says in ,leaves of ,grass3    ,as to    
you1 ,life1 ,i reckon you are the       
leavings of many deaths1   ,no doubt ,i 
have died myself ten thousand times     
before4  ,similar passages can be quoted
 from almost all the poets of different 
countries4 ,even amongst the aboriginal 
tribes of ,africa1 ,asia1 ,north and    
,south ,america1 traces of this belief  
in the rebirth of souls is to be found4 
,nearly three-fourths of the population 
of ,asia believe in the doctrine of     
,reincarnation1 and through it they find
 a satisfactory explanation of the      
problem of life4 ,there is no religion  
which denies the continuity of the      
individual soul after death4  ,those who
 do not believe in ,reincarnation try to

 explain the world of inequalities and  
diversities either by the one-birth     
theory or by the theory of hereditary   
transmission4 ,neither of these         
theories1 however1 is sufficient to     
explain the inequalities that we meet   
with in our everyday life4 ,those who   
believe in the one-birth theory1 that we
 have come here for the first and last  
time1 do not understand that the        
acquirement of wisdom and experience is 
the purpose of human life2 nor can they 
explain why children who die young      
should come into existence and pass away
 without getting the opportunity to     
learn anything or what purpose is served
 by their coming thus for a few days1   
remaining in utter ignorance and then   
passing away without gaining anything   
whatever4 ,the ,christian dogma1 based  
on the one-birth theory1 tells us that  
the child which dies soon after its     
birth is sure to be saved and will enjoy
 eternal life and everlasting happiness 
in heaven4 ,the ,christians who really  

believe in this dogma ought to pray to  
their heavenly ,father for the death of 
their children immediately after their  
birth and ought to thank the merciful   
,father when the grave closes over their
 little forms4 ,thus the one-birth      
theory of ,christian theology does not  
remove any difficulty4  ,two great      
religions1 ,judaism with its two        
offspring--,christianity and            
,mahomedanism--and ,zoroastrianism1     
still uphold the one-birth theory4  ,the
 followers of these1 shutting their eyes
 to the absurdity and unreasonableness  
of such a theory1 believe that human    
souls are created out of nothing at the 
time of the birth of their bodies and   
that they continue to exist throughout  
eternity either to suffer or to enjoy   
because of the deeds performed during   
the short period of their earthly       
existence4 ,here the question arises why
 should a man be held responsible       
throughout eternity for the works which 
he was forced or predestined to perform 

by the will of the ,lord of the         
universe8 ,the theory of predestination 
and grace1 instead of explaining the    
difficulty1 makes ,god partial and      
unjust4 ,if the omnipotent personal ,god
 created human souls out of nothing1    
could ,he not make all souls equally    
good and happy8 ,why does ,he make one  
to enjoy all the blessings of life and  
another to suffer all miseries          
throughout eternity8 ,why is one born   
with good tendencies and another with   
evil ones8 ,why is one man virtuous     
throughout his life and another bestial8
 ,why is one born intelligent and       
another idiotic8 ,if ,god out of ,his   
own will made all these inequalities1   
or1 in other words1 if ,god created one 
man to suffer and another to enjoy1 then
 how partial and unjust must ,he be6 ,he
 must be worse than a tyrant4 ,how can  
we worship ,him1 how call ,him just and 
merciful8  ,some people try to save ,god
 from this charge of partiality and     
injustice by saying that all good things

 of this universe are the work of ,god1 
and all evil things are the work of a   
demon or ,satan4 ,god created everything
 good1 but it was ,satan who brought    
evil into this world and made everything
 bad4 ,now let us see how far such a    
statement is logically correct4 ,good   
and evil are two relative terms2 the    
existence of one depends upon that of   
the other4 ,good cannot exist without   
evil1 and evil cannot exist without     
being related to good4 ,when ,god       
created what we call good1 ,he must have
 created evil at the same time1         
otherwise ,he could not create good     
alone4 ,if the creator of evil1 call him
 by whatever name you like1 had brought 
evil into this world1 he must have      
created it simultaneously with ,god2    
otherwise it would have been impossible 
for ,god to create good1 which can exist
 only as related to evil4 ,as such they 
will have to admit that the ,creators of
 good and evil sat together at the same 
time to create this world1 which is a   

mixture of good and evil4 ,consequently1
 both of them are equally powerful1 and 
limited by each other4 ,therefore       
neither of them is infinite in powers or
 omnipotent4 ,so we cannot say that the 
,almighty ,god of the universe created  
good alone and not the evil4  ,another  
argument which the ,vedantists advance  
in support of the theory of             
,reincarnation is that ,nothing is      
destroyed in the universe4 ,destruction 
in the sense of the annihilation of a   
thing is unknown to the ,vedantic       
philosophers1 just as it is unknown to  
the modern scientists4 ,they say        
non-existence can never become existence
 and existence can never become         
non-existence2 or1 in other words1 that 
which did not exist can never exist1 and
 conversely that which exists in any    
form can never become non-existent4     
,this is the law of nature4 ,as such1   
the impressions or ideas which we now   
have1 together with the powers which we 
possess1 will not be destroyed but will 

remain with us in some form or other4   
,our bodies may change1 but the powers1 
,karma1 ,samskaras or impressions and   
the materials which manufactured our    
bodies must remain in us in an          
unmanifested form4 ,they will never be  
destroyed4 ,again science tells us that 
that which remains in an unmanifested or
 potential state must at some time or   
other be manifested in a kinetic or     
actual form4 ,therefore we shall get    
other bodies1 sooner or later4 ,it is   
for this reason said in the ,bhagavad   
,gt3 ,birth must be followed by death   
and death must be followed by birth4    
,such a continuously recurring series of
 births and deaths each germ of life    
must go through4 ,another consideration 
is that the beginning1 ending and       
continuing are conceptions of the human 
mind2 their significance depends        
entirely upon our conception of time4   
,but we all know that time has no       
absolute existence4 ,it is merely a form
 of our knowledge of our own existence  

in relation to that of nature4  ,the    
conception of time vanishes at the sleep
 of death1 just as it does every night  
when we are in sound sleep4 ,death      
resembles the state of our sound sleep4 
,the soul wakes up from the sleep of    
death just in the same manner as the    
insects awake in spring after sleeping  
the long and rigid winter-sleep1 as a   
chrysalis in the bed of a cocoon spun by
 itself in autumn4 ,nature teaches us   
the great lesson of rebirth and the     
similarity between sleep and death by   
the rejuvenation of the chrysalis in the
 spring4 ,after death the soul wakes up 
and puts on or manufactures the garment 
of a new body1 just in the same manner  
as we put on new clothes after throwing 
away the old and worn-out ones4 ,thus   
the soul continues to manifest itself   
over and over again either on the human 
or any other plane of existence1 being  
bound by the ,law of ,karma or of ,cause
 and ,sequence4    ,death1 so called1 is
 but older matter dressed   ,in some new

 form4 ,and in a varied vest1   ,from   
tenement to tenement though tossed1     
,the soul is still the same1 the figure 
only lost4    ,poem on ,pythagoras1     
,dryden's ,ovid4  ,here it may be asked1
 if we existed before our birth why do  
we not remember8 ,this is one of the    
strongest objections often raised       
against the belief in pre-existence4    
,some people deny the existence of the  
soul in the past simply because they    
cannot remember the events of their     
past4 ,others1 again1 who hold memory as
 the standard of existence1 say1 if our 
memory of the present ceases to exist at
 the time of death1 with it we shall    
also cease to be2 we cannot be immortal2
 because they hold that memory is the   
standard of life1 and if we do not      
remember then we are not the same       
beings4  ,vedanta answers these         
questions by saying that it is possible 
for us to remember our previous         
existences4  ,those who have read ,raja 
,yoga will recall that in the #ahth     

aphorism of the third chapter it is     
said3 ,by perceiving the ,samskras one  
acquires the knowledge of past lives4   
,here the ,samskras mean the impressions
 of the past experience which lie       
dormant in our subliminal self1 and are 
never lost4 ,memory is nothing but the  
awakening and rising of latent          
impressions above the threshold of      
consciousness4 ,a ,raja ,yogi1 through  
powerful concentration upon these       
dormant impressions of the subconscious 
mind1 can remember all the events of his
 past lives4 ,there have been many      
instances in ,india of ,yogis who could 
know not only their own past lives but  
correctly tell those of others4 ,it is  
said that ,buddha remembered five       
hundred of his previous births4  ,our   
subliminal self1 or the subconscious    
mind1 is the storehouse of all the      
impressions that we gather through our  
experiences during our lifetime4 ,they  
are stored up1 pigeon-holed there1 in   
the ,chitta1 as it is called in         

,vedanta4 ,chitta means the same        
subconscious mind or subliminal self    
which is the storehouse of all          
impressions and experiences4 ,and these 
impressions remain latent until         
favorable conditions rouse them and     
bring them out on the plane of          
consciousness4 ,here let us take an     
illustration3 ,in a dark room pictures  
are thrown on a screen by               
lantern-slides4 ,the room is absolutely 
dark4 ,we are looking at the pictures4  
,suppose we open a window and allow the 
rays of the midday sun to fall upon the 
screen4 ,would we be able to see those  
pictures8 ,no4 ,why8 ,because the more  
powerful flood of light will subdue the 
light of the lantern and the pictures4  
,but although they are invisible to our 
eyes we cannot deny their existence on  
the screen4 ,similarly1 the pictures of 
the events of our previous lives upon   
the screen of the subliminal self may be
 invisible to us at present1 but they   
exist there4 ,why are they invisible to 

us now8 ,because the more powerful light
 of sense-consciousness has subdued     
them4 ,if we close the windows and doors
 of our senses from outside contact and 
darken the inner chamber of our self1   
then by focusing the light of           
consciousness and concentrating the     
mental rays we shall be able to know and
 remember our past lives1 and all the   
events and experiences thereof4 ,those  
who wish therefore to develop their     
memory and remember their past should   
practice ,raja ,yoga and learn the      
method of acquiring the power of        
concentration by shutting the doors and 
windows of their senses4 ,and that power
 of concentration must be helped by the 
power of self-control4 ,that is1 by     
controlling the doors and windows of our
 own senses4  ,these dormant            
impressions1 whether we remember them or
 not1 are the chief factors in moulding 
our individual characters with which we 
are born1 and they are the causes of the
 inequalities and diversities which we  

find around us4 ,when we study the      
characters and powers of geniuses and   
prodigies we cannot deny the            
pre-existence of the soul4 ,whatever the
 soul has mastered in a previous life   
manifests in the present4 ,the memory of
 particular events is not so important4 
,if we possess the wisdom and knowledge 
which we gathered in our previous lives1
 then it matters very little whether or 
not we remember the particular events1  
or the struggles which we went through  
in order to gain that knowledge4 ,those 
particular things may not come to us in 
our memory1 but we have not lost the    
wisdom4 ,now1 study your own present    
life and you will see that in this life 
you have gained some experience4 ,the   
particular events and the struggles     
which you went through are passing out  
of your memory1 but the experience1 the 
knowledge which you have gained through 
that experience1 has moulded your       
character1 has shaped you in a different
 manner4 ,you will not have to go       

through those different events again to 
remember2 how you acquired that         
experience is not necessary2 the wisdom 
gained is quite enough4  ,then1 again1  
we find among ourselves persons who are 
born with some wonderful powers4 ,take1 
for instance1 the power of self-control4
 ,one is born with the power of         
self-control highly developed1 and that 
self-control may not be acquired by     
another after years of hard struggle4   
,why is there this difference8 ,bhagavan
 ,sri ,ramakrishna was born with        
,god-consciousness1 and he went into the
 highest state of ,samdhi when he was   
four years old2 but this state is very  
difficult for other ,yogis to acquire4  
,there was a ,yogi who came to see      
,ramakrishna4 ,he was an old man and    
possessed wonderful powers1 and he said3
 ,i have struggled for forty years to   
acquire that state which is natural with
 you4 ,there are many such instances    
which show that pre-existence is a fact1
 and that these latent or dormant       

impressions of previous lives are the   
chief factors in moulding the individual
 character without depending upon the   
memory of the past4 ,because we cannot  
remember our past1 because of the loss  
of memory of the particular events1 the 
soul's progress is not arrested4 ,the   
soul will continue to progress further  
and further1 even though the memory may 
be weak4  ,each individual soul         
possesses this storehouse of previous   
experiences in the background1 in the   
subconscious mind4 ,take the instance of
 two lovers4 ,what is love8 ,it is the  
attraction between two souls4 ,this love
 does not die with the death of the     
body4 ,true love survives death and     
continues to grow1 to become stronger   
and stronger4 ,eventually it brings the 
two souls together and makes them one4  
,the theory of pre-existence alone can  
explain why two souls at first sight    
know each other and become attached to  
each other by the tie of friendship4    
,this mutual love will continue to grow 

and will become stronger1 and in the end
 will bring these lovers together1 no   
matter where they go4 ,therefore1       
,vedanta does not say that the death of 
the body will end the attraction or the 
attachment of two souls2 but as the     
souls are immortal so their relation    
will continue forever4  ,the ,yogis know
 how to develop memory and how to read  
past lives4 ,they say1 time and space   
exist in relation to our present mental 
condition2 if we can rise above this    
plane1 our higher mind sees the past and
 future just as we see things before our
 eyes4 ,those who wish to satisfy the   
idle curiosity of their minds may spend 
their energy by trying to recollect     
their past lives4 ,but ,i think it will 
be much more helpful to us if we devote 
our time and energy in moulding our     
future and in trying to be better than  
we are now1 because the recollection of 
our former condition would only force us
 to make a bad use of the present4 ,how 
unhappy he must be who knows that the   

wicked deeds of his past life will      
surely react on him and will bring      
distress1 misery1 unhappiness or        
suffering within a few days or a few    
months4 ,such a man would be so restless
 and unhappy that he would not be able  
to do any work properly2 he would       
constantly think in what form misery    
would appear to him4 ,he would not be   
able to eat or even sleep4 ,he would be 
most miserable4 ,therefore we ought to  
regard it as a great blessing that we do
 not recollect our past lives and past  
deeds4 ,vedanta says1 do not waste your 
valuable time in thinking of your past  
lives1 do not look backward during the  
tiresome journey through the different  
stages of evolution1 always look forward
 and try first to attain to the highest 
point of spiritual development2 then if 
you want to know your past lives you    
will recollect them all4 ,nothing will  
remain unknown to you1 the ,knower of   
the universe4 ,when the all-knowing     
,divine ,self will manifest through you1

 time and space will vanish and past and
 future will be changed into the eternal
 present4 ,then you will say as ,sri    
,krishna said to ,arjuna1 in the        
,bhagavad ,gita3 ,both you and ,i have  
passed through many lives2 you do not   
recollect any1 but ,i know them all4    
7,ch4 iv41 #e47    ,,ii4 ,,heredity     
,,and ,,reincarnation4   ,those who     
accept the theory of heredity deny the  
existence of the human soul as an entity
 separable from the gross physical      
organism4 ,consequently they do not     
discuss the question whether the        
individual soul existed in the past or  
will continue to exist after the death  
of the body4 ,this kind of question does
 not disturb their minds4 ,they         
generally maintain that the individual  
soul is inseparable from the body or the
 brain or nervous system2 consequently  
what we call soul or the conscious      
entity or the thinker is produced along 
with the birth of the organism or brain1
 lasts as long as the body lasts and    

dies when the organism is dissolved into
 its elements4  ,but those1 on the other
 hand1 who accept the theory of         
,reincarnation admit the existence of   
soul as a conscious entity which is     
independent of the physical organism1   
that it continues to live after death   
and that it existed before the birth of 
the body4 ,the theory of heredity has   
always been supported by the            
materialistic scientists1 atheists and  
agnostics of all ages and also by those 
who believe in the special creation of  
the first man and woman at a certain    
definite time and that their qualities1 
character1 life and soul have been      
transmitted to all humanity through     
successive generations4 ,the commonly   
accepted meaning of the theory of       
heredity is that all the well-marked    
peculiarities1 both physical and mental1
 in the parents are handed on to the    
children2 or1 in other words1 heredity  
is that property of an organism by which
 its peculiar nature is transmitted to  

its descendants4  ,in the whole history 
of humanity there has never been a time 
when this question of heredity has been 
discussed so minutely and in so many    
different ways as it has been in the    
present century4 ,although this theory  
was known in the ,east by the ancient   
,vedanta philosophers1 by the ,buddhists
 of the pre-,christian era and by the   
,greek philosophers in the ,west1 still 
it has received a new impetus and has   
grown with new strength since the       
introduction of the ,darwinian theory of
 the evolution of species4  ,along with 
the latest discoveries in physiology1   
biology1 embryology and other branches  
of modern science1 the popular simple   
meaning of heredity--that the offspring 
not only resemble their parents among   
animals as well as among men1 but       
inherit all the individual              
peculiarities1 life and character of    
their parents--has taken the shape of   
the most complicated and difficult      
problem which it is almost impossible to

 solve4 ,our minds are no longer        
satisfied with ,haeckel's definition    
that heredity is simply an overgrowth of
 the individual1 a simple continuity of 
growth2 but we want to know the         
particular method by which hereditary   
transmission takes place4  ,we ask1 how 
can a single cell reproduce the whole   
body of the offspring1 its mind1        
character and all the peculiarities of  
an organism8 ,out of the myriads of     
cells of which a body is composed1 what 
kind of cell is that which possesses the
 power of reproducing the peculiarities1
 both mental and physical1 which are to 
be found in the form of the new-born    
babe8  ,this is the most puzzling of all
 the problems which the scientific mind 
has ever encountered4 ,the fundamental  
question connected with the theory of   
heredity is3 ,how can a single cell of  
the body contain within itself all the  
hereditary tendencies of the hypothesis 
of the continuity of the germ-plasm     
gives an identical starting-point to    

each successive generation1 and thus    
explains how it is that an identical    
product arises from all of them4 ,in    
other words1 the hypothesis explains    
heredity as part of the underlying      
problems of assimilation and of the     
causes which act directly during        
ontogeny4 7,vol4 ,i1 p4 #agj47          
,according to ,weismann1 all the        
peculiarities which we find in an       
organism are not inherited by the       
organism from that of the parents1 but  
he says3 ,nothing can arise in an       
organism unless the predisposition to it
 is pre-existent1 for every acquired    
character is simply the reaction of the 
organism upon a certain stimulus4 7,vol4
 ,i1 p4 #agb47 ,therefore the germ-cells
 do not inherit all the peculiarities of
 the parents1 but possess the           
predisposition or a potentiality of the 
tendencies which gradually develop into 
individual characters4  ,we will be able
 to understand his theory better from   
the following quotations1 which give his

 own words4 ,he says3 ,i have called    
this substance 'germ-plasm1' and have   
assumed that it possesses a highly      
complex structure1 conferring upon it   
the power of developing into a complex  
organism4  7,heredity1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4     
#agj47 ,again he says3 ,there is1       
therefore1 continuity of the germ-plasm 
from one generation to another4 ,one    
might represent the germ-plasm by the   
metaphor of a long1 creeping rootstock  
from which plants arise at intervals1   
these latter representing the           
individuals of successive generations4  
,hence it follows that the transmission 
of acquired characters is an            
impossibility1 for if the germ-plasm is 
not formed anew in each individual1 but 
is derived from that which preceded it1 
its structure1 and1 above all1 its      
molecular constitution1 cannot depend   
upon the individual in which it happens 
to occur1 but such an individual only   
forms1 as it were1 the nutritive soil at
 the expense of which the germ-plasm    

grows1 while the latter possessed its   
characteristic structure from the       
beginning1 viz41 before the commencement
 of growth4 ,but the tendencies of      
heredity1 of which the germ-plasm is the
 bearer1 depend upon this very molecular
 structure1 and hence only those        
characters can be transmitted through   
successive generations which have been  
previously inherited1 viz41 those       
characters which were potentially       
contained in the structure of the       
germ-plasm4 ,it also follows that those 
other characters which have been        
acquired by the influence of special    
external conditions1 during the lifetime
 of the parent1 cannot be transmitted at
 all4  7,vol4 ,i1 p4 #bgc47 ,in         
conclusion1 ,weismann writes3 ,but at   
all events we have gained this much1    
that the only facts which appear to     
directly prove a transmission of        
acquired characters have been refuted1  
and that the only firm foundation on    
which this hypothesis has been hitherto 

based has been destroyed47,vol4 ,i1 p4  
#dfa47  ,thus we see how far the theory 
of heredity has been pushed by the great
 scientific investigators of the present
 age4 ,we have no longer any right to   
believe in the old oft-refuted          
hypothesis which assumes that each      
individual organism produces germ-cells 
afresh again and again and transmits all
 its powers developed and acquired by   
the parents2 but1 on the contrary1 we   
have come to know to-day that parents   
are nothing but mere channels through   
which these germ-plasms or germ-cells   
manifest their peculiar tendencies and  
powers which existed in them from the   
very beginning4 ,the main point is that 
the germs are not created by the        
parents1 but that they existed in       
previous generations4  ,now1 what are   
those germs like8 ,wherefrom do they    
acquire these tendencies1 these         
peculiarities8  ,that is another very   
difficult problem4 ,dr4 ,weismann and   
his followers say that these            

peculiarities are gained or inherited   
from the common stock1 but what that    
common stock is they do not explain4    
,where is that common stock and why will
 certain germs acquire certain          
tendencies and other germs retain other 
peculiarities8 ,what regulates them8    
,these questions are not solved4 ,so far
 we have gathered from ,dr4 ,weismann's 
explanation that the parents are not the
 creators of the germs but1 on the      
contrary1 that the germs existed before 
the birth of the body1 before the growth
 of the body1 in previous generations1  
or in the common stock of the universe4 
,the previous generations are dead and  
gone1 so we may say that they existed in
 the universe4 ,we cannot now believe   
the old1 crude1 often-refuted idea that 
,god creates the germ at the time of    
birth and puts into it all the powers   
and peculiarities of the parents4 ,this 
theory makes ,god unjust and partial1 so
 it does not appeal to us any more4 ,we 
need better and more rational           

explanations4 ,the one-birth theory1    
which has been preached by ,christian   
ministers and other religionists for so 
many years1 does not remove the         
difficulties1 does not explain the cause
 of the inequalities and diversities1   
does not answer the question whether we 
acquire all the tendencies and          
peculiarities of the parents or whether 
acquired characters cannot be           
transmitted4 ,we have already seen that 
these questions are left unsolved by the
 one-birth theory of ,christianity and  
of ,judaism4 ,but this theory of        
continuity of the germ-plasm pushes the 
question of heredity to the door of     
,reincarnation4 ,if modern science can  
explain what that common stock is and   
why and how these germs retain those    
peculiarities and tendencies1 then the  
answer will be complete and not until   
then4 ,the ,vedanta philosophy1 however1
 has already explained the cause of the 
potentiality in the germ of life or     
germ-plasm or germ-cell4  ,vedanta      

solves this difficulty by saying that   
each of these germ-plasms or germ-cells 
is nothing but the subtle form of a     
reincarnating individual1 containing    
potentially all the experiences1        
characters1 tendencies1 and desires     
which one had in one's previous life4   
,it existed before the birth of the body
 and it will continue after the death of
 the body4 ,this germ or subtle body is 
not the same as the astral body of the  
,theosophists1 or the double of the     
metaphysical thinkers or the disembodied
 spirit of the ,spiritualists2 but it is
 an ethereal center of                  
activity-physical1 mental and organic4  
,it is a center which possesses the     
tendency to manifest these powers on    
different planes of existence4 ,it      
contains the minute particles of matter 
or ethereal substance and the life      
principle or vital energy by which we   
live and move4 ,it also possesses the   
mental powers and sense powers2 but all 
these remain latent1 just as in a seed  

we see that the powers of growth1 of    
assimilation and of producing flowers   
and fruits are latent4  ,at the time of 
death the individual soul contracts and 
remains in the form of a germ of life4  
,it is for this reason1 ,vedanta        
teaches1 that it is neither the will of 
,god nor the fault of the parents that  
forms the characters of children1 but   
each child is responsible for its       
tendencies1 capacities1 powers and      
character4 ,it is its own ,karma or past
 actions that make a child a murderer or
 a saint1 virtuous or sinful4 ,the      
stored-up potentialities in a subtle    
body manifest in the character of an    
individual4  ,the argument advanced by  
the supporters of the theory of         
hereditary transmission does not furnish
 a satisfactory explanation of the cause
 of the inequalities and diversities of 
the universe4 ,why is it that the       
children of the same parents show a     
marked dissimilarity to their parents   
and to each other8  ,why do twins       

develop into dissimilar characters and  
possess opposite qualities1 although    
they are born of the same parents at the
 same time and brought up under similar 
conditions and environments8 ,how can   
heredity explain such cases8 ,suppose a 
man has five children2 one is honest and
 saintly1 another is an idiot1 the third
 becomes a murderer1 the fourth a genius
 or prodigy1 and the fifth a cripple and
 diseased4 ,who made these              
dissimilarities8 ,they cannot be        
accidents4 ,there is no such thing as an
 accident4 ,every event of the universe 
is bound by the law of cause and effect4
 ,there must be some cause of these     
inequalities4 ,who made one honest and  
saintly1 another an idiot1 and so forth8
 ,parents8 ,that cannot be4 ,they never 
dreamed that they would beget a murderer
 or a villain or an idiot4 ,on the      
contrary1 all parents wish their        
children to be the best and happiest4   
,but in spite of such desires they get  
such children4 ,why8 ,what is the cause8

 ,does the theory of heredity explain   
it8 ,no1 not at all4 ,suppose a man1    
twenty-four years old1 who has certain  
traits1 like musical or artistic        
talents1 such as painting and so on1 has
 a crooked nose and other peculiarities1
 like cross-eyes1 which resemble those  
of his grandfather4 ,suppose his        
grandfather died six years before he was
 born4 ,now1 those who believe in the   
theory of heredity will say that this   
young man inherited all these           
peculiarities from his grandfather4     
,when did he inherit8 ,his grandfather  
had died six years before he was born4  
,he inherited1 of course1 in the form of
 that germ4 ,what is that germ like8 ,a 
minute protoplasm1 a jelly-like         
substance1 and if you examine it with a 
powerful microscope you will hardly find
 any difference between it and the      
proto-plasmic germ of a dog1 or of a    
cat1 or of a tree4 ,it is smaller than a
 pin's head4 ,and in that state this    
young man inherited all these           

peculiarities from his grandfather2 or1 
in other words1 before he had a nose1 he
 got a crooked nose2 before he had eyes1
 he inherited cross-eyes1 and before he 
had any brain1 he inherited all the     
wonderful powers-his musical and        
artistic talents4 ,does it not seem     
absurd to you8 ,even if we admit this   
theory of heredity1 then what do we     
understand8 ,that the whole of this     
young man existed in the form of a      
protoplasm before he was born4 ,his     
cross-eyes1 his crooked nose1 his       
artistic talents--all these pre-existed 
in the form of a protoplasmic cell4     
,this leads up to the same thing which  
is taught by the theory of              
,reincarnation1 or1 in other words1 if  
it be possible for this young man to    
remain in the form of a protoplasm and  
inherit all these things before his     
birth1 why cannot we believe that the   
soul or the subtle body of this young   
man possessed them from the very        
beginning8 ,according to ,vedanta this  

young man was not the creature of his   
grandfather1 but he had his own         
independent existence2 only by coming   
through the channel of his parents he   
had received certain characteristic     
impressions1 just as a tree in its      
process of growth will receive from the 
environments certain peculiarities when 
it assimilates those properties4  ,the  
doctrine of ,reincarnation alone can    
explain satisfactorily and rationally   
the diversities among children and the  
reason of the many instances of uncommon
 powers and genius displayed in         
childhood4 ,the theory of heredity has  
up to this time failed to give any good 
reason for them4 ,why is it that        
,pascal1 when twelve years old1         
succeeded in discovering for himself the
 greater part of plane geometry4 ,how   
could the shepherd ,mangiamelo1 when    
five years old1 calculate like an       
arithmetical machine4 ,think of the     
child ,zerah ,colburn3 when he was under
 eight years of age he could solve the  

most tremendous mathematical problems   
instantly and without using any figures4
 ,in one instance he took the number #h 
and raised it up progressively to the   
sixteenth power and instantly mentioned 
the result which contained #ae          
figures--#bhl1#dgd1igf1gaj1fef4 ,of     
course he was right in every figure4    
,when asked the square root of numbers  
consisting of six figures1 he would     
state the result instantly with perfect 
accuracy4 ,he used to give the cube root
 of numbers in the hundreds of millions 
the very moment when it was asked4      
,somebody asked him once how many       
minutes there were in #dh years1 he     
answered1 #be1bhh1hjj4  ,mozart1 the    
great musician1 wrote a sonata when he  
was four years old and an opera in his  
eighth year4 ,theresa ,milanolla played 
the violin with such skill that many    
people thought that she must have played
 before her birth4 ,there are many such 
instances of wonderful powers exhibited 
by artists and painters when they were  

quite young4 ,sankarcharya1 the great   
commentator of the ,vedanta philosophy1 
finished his commentary when he was     
twelve years old4 ,how can such cases be
 explained by the theory of hereditary  
transmission8 ,many of you have heard of
 the wonderful musical talents of ,blind
 ,tom4 ,this blind negro slave was born 
on his master's plantation and was      
brought up as a typical negro4  ,he     
received no training in music or in any 
other line4 ,one day when his master's  
family were at dinner he happened to    
come into his master's parlor and       
displayed his marvelous musical power   
for the first time by playing on his    
master's piano4 ,afterwards he was      
exhibited in different states of this   
country4 ,physically he was nothing but 
a typical negro4 ,his intellect was very
 poor1 but in music he was a master4    
,his musical talents were so great that 
he composed music for himself and played
 his own compositions4 ,sometimes after 
hearing a new piece of rapid music once1

 he could reproduce it note for note4   
,where did he get all these powers8     
,from whom did he inherit them8 ,his    
parents perhaps never heard of a piano4 
,he never had a lesson in his life1 and 
he could not have understood even if he 
had had any4 ,not long ago ,i saw a girl
 of about six years1 who played the     
piano most beautifully and who could    
reproduce the most difficult music after
 hearing it once4 ,it seems to me that  
she must have played the piano in her   
previous incarnation4 ,this is the only 
explanation that we can give4  ,does    
heredity explain such cases8 ,no4 ,these
 illustrations are sufficient to        
disprove the theory of cumulative       
heredity4 ,cumulative means gradualness4
  ,the believers in this theory say that
 a genius is the result of cumulative   
heredity1 that is1 it presents itself by
 degrees from less genius to greater and
 still greater and so on4 ,in the whole 
history of the genealogy of geniuses1   
like ,homer1 ,plato1 ,shakespeare1      

,goethe1 ,raphael1 there never was in   
their families almost ,plato1 almost    
,shakespeare1 or almost ,goethe4        
,neither is it possible to trace the    
extraordinary powers of any of these    
back to any member of their ancestral   
line4 ,therefore we can say that no     
other theory than that of ,reincarnation
 can explain satisfactorily the causes  
which produce geniuses and prodigies in 
this world4  ,those who accept the truth
 of ,reincarnation do not blame their   
parents for their poor talents1 or for  
not possessing extraordinary powers1 but
 they remain content with their own lot1
 knowing that they have made themselves 
as they are to-day by their own thoughts
 and deeds in their previous            
incarnations4 ,they understand the      
meaning of the saying what thou sowest  
thou must reap1 and always endeavor to  
mould their future by better thoughts   
and better deeds4 ,they explain all the 
inequalities and diversities of life and
 character by the law of ,karma1 which  

governs the process of ,reincarnation as
 well as the gradual evolution of the   
germs of life from lower to higher      
stages of existence4    ,,iii4          
,,evolution ,,and ,,reincarnation4      
,the amazing achievements of modern     
science have been opening every day new 
gates of wisdom and slowly bringing     
human minds nearer and nearer to the    
ultimate reality of the universe4 ,the  
fire of knowledge kindled by science has
 already burnt down many dogmas and     
beliefs1 held sacred by the superstition
 of the past1 which stood in the way of 
truth-seeking minds4 ,in the first place
 science has disproved the theory of the
 creation of the universe out of nothing
 by the action of some supernatural     
power4 ,it has shown that the universe  
did not appear in its present form or   
come into existence all of a sudden only
 a few thousand years ago1 but that it  
has taken ages to pass through different
 stages before it could reach its       
present condition4  ,each of these      

stages was directly related to a        
previous stage by the law of causation1 
which always operates in accordance with
 definite rules4 ,the phenomena of the  
universe1 according to science1 are     
subject to evolution1 or gradual change 
and progressive development from a      
relatively uniform condition to a       
relative complexity4 ,from the greatest 
solar system down to the smallest blade 
of grass1 everything in the universe has
 taken its present shape and form       
through this cosmic process of          
evolution4 ,our planet earth has        
gradually evolved1 perhaps out of a     
nebulous mass which existed at first in 
a gaseous state4 ,the sun1 moon1 stars1 
satellites and other planets have come  
into existence by going through         
innumerable changes produced by the     
evolutionary process of the ,cosmos4    
,through the same process plants1       
insects1 fishes1 reptiles1 birds1       
animals1 man1 and all living matter that
 inhabit this earth have evolved from   

minute germs of life into their present 
forms4 ,the theory of ,evolution says   
that man did not come into existence all
 of a sudden1 but is related to lower   
animals and to plants1 either directly  
or indirectly4 ,the germ of life had    
passed through various stages of        
physical form before it could appear as 
a man4 ,that branch of science which is 
called ,embryology has proved the fact  
that man is the epitome of the whole    
creation4 ,it tells that the human body 
before its birth passes through all the 
different stages of the animal          
kingdom--such as the polyp1 fish1       
reptile1 dog1 ape1 and at last1 man4 ,if
 we remember that nature is always      
consistent1 that her laws are uniform   
and that whatever exists in the         
microcosm exists also in the macrocosm1 
and then study nature1 we shall find    
that all the germs of life which exist  
in the universe are bound to pass       
through stages resembling the embryonic 
types before they can appear in the form

 of man4  ,in explaining the theory of  
,evolution1 science says that there are 
two principal factors in the process of 
evolution2 the first is the tendency to 
vary1 which exists in all living forms  
whether vegetable or animal2 the second 
is the tendency of environment to       
influence that variation1 either        
favorably or unfavorably4 ,without the  
first1 evolution of any kind would be   
absolutely impossible4 ,but the cause of
 that innate tendency to vary is still  
unknown to science4 ,upon the second    
depends the law of natural selection4   
,the variation must be adapted to       
favorable conditions of life2           
consequently either the germ of life    
will select suitable environments or    
vary itself in order to suit the        
surrounding conditions1 if they are     
unfavorable4 ,but the agent of this     
selective process is the struggle for   
existence1 which is a no less important 
factor4 ,thus ,evolution depends on     
these three laws3 ,tendency to vary1 or 

variation1 natural selection1 and       
struggle for existence4 ,science tries  
to explain through these three laws the 
physical1 mental1 intellectual1 moral   
and spiritual evolution of mankind4 ,but
 the theory of ,evolution will remain   
unintelligible until science can trace  
the cause of that innate tendency to    
vary which exists in every stage of all 
living forms4  ,if we study closely we  
find that man's self consists of two    
natures1 one animal and the other moral 
or spiritual4 ,animal nature includes   
all the animal propensities1 desire for 
sense enjoyments1 love of self1 fear of 
death and struggle for existence4 ,each 
of these is to be found in lower animals
 as well as in human beings1 the        
difference being only in degree and not 
in kind4 ,in a savage tribe the         
expression of this animal nature is     
simple and natural1 while in a highly   
civilized nation it is expressed not in 
a simple and straightforward manner1 but
 in an artful and refined way4 ,in a    

civilized community the same nature     
working through varied device1 policy   
and plan brings the same results in a   
more polished form4 ,in the struggle for
 existence amongst lower animals and    
savage tribes1 those who are physically 
strong survive and gain advantage over  
those who are physically weak2 while in 
the civilized world the same result is  
obtained1 not by displaying physical    
force1 but by art1 diplomacy1 policy1   
strategy and skill4 ,various kinds of   
defensive and offensive weapons have    
been invented to conquer those who are  
less skillful in using them1 although   
they may be physically stronger4 ,the   
simple expression of animal nature which
 we notice in savages and lower animals1
 by the natural process of evolution has
 gradually become more and more complex1
 as we find in the civilized nations of 
the world4 ,the energy of the lower     
human nature is spent chiefly in the    
struggle for material existence4  ,but  
there is another nature in man which is 

higher than this4 ,it expresses itself  
in various ways1 but on a higher plane4 
,love of truth1 mastery over passion1   
control of the senses1 disinterested    
self-sacrifice1 mercy and kindness to   
all creatures1 desire to help the       
distressed1 forgiveness1 faith in a     
,supreme ,being and devotion2 all these 
are the expressions of that higher moral
 and spiritual nature4 ,they cannot be  
explained as developed from animal      
nature by means of the struggle for     
material existence4 ,for these qualities
 are not to be found in lower animals1  
although the struggle for existence is  
there4 ,the moral and spiritual nature  
of human beings cannot be traced as the 
outgrowth or gradual development of the 
animal nature4 ,there is a dispute among
 the ,evolutionists as to the method of 
explaining their cause4 ,some say that  
these higher faculties have evolved out 
of the lower ones and have developed by 
variation and natural selection2 while  
others hold that some other higher      

influence1 law or agency is required to 
account for them4  ,professor ,huxley   
says3 ,as ,i have already urged1 the    
practice of that which is ethically     
best--what we call goodness or          
virtue--involves a course of conduct    
which in all respects is opposed to that
 which leads to success in the cosmic   
struggle for existence4 ,in place of    
ruthless self-assertion1 it demands     
self-restraint2 in place of thrusting   
aside or treading down all competitors1 
it requires that the individual shall   
not merely respect1 but shall help his  
fellows2 its influence is directed not  
so much to the survival of the fittest  
as to the fitting of as many as possible
 to survive4 ,it repudiates the         
gladiatorial theory of existence4 ,it   
demands that each man who enters into   
the enjoyment of the advantages of a    
polity shall be mindful of his debt to  
those who have laboriously constructed  
it1 and shall take heed that no act of  
his weakens the fabric in which he has  

been permitted to live4 ,laws and moral 
precepts are directed to the end of     
curbing the cosmic process1 and         
reminding the individual of his duty to 
the community1 to the protection and    
influence of which he owes1 if not      
existence itself1 at least the life of  
something better than a brutal savage4  
7,evolution and ,ethics1 pp4 #ha-hb47   
,prof4 ,calderwood says3 ,so far as     
human organism is concerned1 there seem 
no overwhelming obstacles to be         
encountered by an evolution theory1 but 
it seems impossible under such a theory 
to account for the appearance of the    
thinking1 self-regulating life          
distinctly human4 ,thus1 according to   
some of the best thinkers1 the          
explanation of the moral and spiritual  
nature of man as a development of the   
animal nature1 is quite insufficient and
 unsatisfactory4  ,the theory of natural
 selection in the struggle for existence
 cannot explain the cause of the higher 
nature of man4 ,we cannot say that a    

theory is complete because it explains  
many facts4  ,on the contrary1 if it    
fails to explain a single fact1 then it 
is proved to be incomplete4 ,as such1   
the theory that cannot explain          
satisfactorily the cause of the moral   
and spiritual nature of man cannot be   
accepted as a complete theory4 ,that    
explanation will be considered as       
complete which will explain most        
satisfactorily all the various          
manifestations of the animal1 moral and 
spiritual nature4  ,moreover1 supposing 
the tendency to vary has evolved into   
the moral and spiritual nature of man1  
science does not explain the cause of   
that tendency to vary1 nor how animal   
nature can be transformed into moral and
 spiritual nature4 ,is that tendency to 
vary indefinite1 or is it limited by any
 definite law8 ,science does not say    
anything about it4  ,the explanation of 
the theologians1 that the spiritual     
nature has been superadded to the animal
 nature by some extra-cosmic spiritual  

agency is not scientific1 nor does it   
appeal to our reason4 ,now let us see   
what ,vedanta has to say on this point4 
,vedanta accepts evolution and admits   
the laws of variation and natural       
selection1 but goes a step beyond modern
 science by explaining the cause of that
 tendency to vary4 ,it says1 there is   
nothing in the end which was not also in
 the beginning4 ,it is a law which      
governs the process of evolution as well
 as the law of causation4 ,if we admit  
this grand truth of nature1 then it will
 not be difficult to explain by the     
theory of ,evolution the gradual        
manifestation of the higher nature of   
man4  ,the tendency of scientific monism
 is towards that end4  ,some of the     
modern scientists who hold the monistic 
position have found out the same truth  
which was discovered long ago by the    
,vedantic philosophers in ,india4 ,j4   
,arthur ,thomson1 an eminent ,english   
scientist of the present day1 in his    
book on ,the ,study of ,animal ,life1   

says3 ,the world is one1 not two-fold-1 
the spiritual influx is the primal      
reality and there is nothing in the end 
which was not also in the beginning4    
,but the evolutionists do not accept    
this truth4 ,let us understand it       
clearly4 ,it means that that which      
existed potentially at the time of the  
beginning of evolution has gradually    
manifested in the various stages and    
grades of evolution4 ,if we admit that a
 unicellular germ of life or a bioplasm1
 after passing through various stages of
 evolution1 has ultimately manifested in
 the form of a highly developed human   
being1 then we shall have to admit the  
potentiality of all the manifested      
powers in that germ or bioplasm1 because
 the law is that which exists in the end
 existed also in the beginning4  ,the   
animal nature1 higher nature1 mind1     
intellect1 spirit1 all these exist      
potentially in the germ of life4  ,if we
 do not admit this law then the problem 
will arise3 ,how can non-existence      

become existent8  ,how can something    
come out of nothing8 ,how can that come 
into existence which did not exist      
before8 ,each germ of life1 according to
 ,vedanta1 possesses infinite           
potentialities and infinite             
possibilities4  ,the powers that remain 
latent have the natural tendency to     
manifest perfectly and to become actual4
 ,in their attempt they vary according  
to the surrounding environments1        
selecting suitable conditions or        
remaining latent as long as             
circumstances do not favor them4        
,therefore variation1 according to      
,vedanta1 is caused by this attempt of  
the potential powers to become actual4  
,when life and mind began to evolve1 the
 possibilities of action and reaction   
hitherto latent in the germ of life     
became real and all things became1 in a 
sense1 new4 ,nobody can imagine the     
amount of latent power which a minute   
germ of life possesses until it         
expresses in gross form on the physical 

plane4 ,by seeing the seed of a ,banyan 
tree1 one who has never seen the tree   
cannot imagine what powers lie dormant  
in it4 ,when a baby is born we cannot   
tell whether he will be a great saint1  
or a wonderful artist1 or a philosopher1
 or an idiot1 or a villain of the worst 
type4 ,parents know nothing about his   
future4 ,along with his growth certain  
latent powers gradually begin to        
manifest4 ,those which are the strongest
 and most powerful will overcome others 
and check their course for some time2   
but when the powers that remain subdued 
by stronger ones get favorable          
conditions they will appear in          
manifested forms4 ,as1 for instance1    
chemical forces may slumber in matter   
for a thousand years1 but when the      
contact with the re-agents sets them    
free1 they appear again and produce     
certain results4 ,for thousands of years
 galvanism slumbered in copper and zinc1
 which lay quietly beside silver4 ,as   
soon as all three are brought together  

under the required conditions silver is 
consumed in flame4 ,a dry seed of a     
plant may preserve the slumbering power 
of growth through two or three thousand 
years and then reappear under favorable 
conditions4 ,sir ,g4 ,wilkinson1 the    
great archaeologist1 found some grains  
of wheat in a hermetically sealed vase  
in a grave at ,thebes1 which must have  
lain there for three thousand years4    
,when ,mr4 ,pettigrew sowed them they   
grew into plants4 ,some vegetable roots 
found in the hands of an ,egyptian      
mummy1 which must have been at least two
 thousand years old1 were planted in a  
flower-pot1 and they grew and           
flourished4 ,thus1 whenever the latent  
powers get favorable conditions1 they   
manifest according to their nature1 even
 after thousands of years4  ,similarly1 
there are many instances of slumbering  
mental powers4 ,after remaining dormant 
for a long period in our normal         
condition1 they may1 in certain abnormal
 states--such as madness1 delirium1     

catalepsy1 hypnotic sleep and so        
forth-flash out into luminous           
consciousness and throw into absolute   
oblivion the powers that are manifesting
 in the normal state4 ,talents for      
eloquence1 music1 painting1 and uncommon
 ingenuity in several mechanical arts1  
traces of which were never found in the 
ordinary normal condition1 are often    
evolved in the state of madness4        
,somnambulists in deep sleep have solved
 most difficult mathematical problems   
and performed various acts with results 
which have surprised them in their      
normal waking states4 ,thus we can      
understand that each individual mind is 
the storehouse of many powers1 various  
impressions and ideas1 some of which    
manifest in our normal state1 while     
others remain latent4 ,our present      
condition of mind and body is nothing   
but the manifested form of certain      
dormant powers that exist in ourselves4 
,if new powers are roused up and begin  
to manifest the whole nature will be    

changed into a new form4 ,the           
manifestation of latent powers is at the
 bottom of the evolution of one species 
into another4 ,this idea has been       
expressed in a few words by ,patanjali1 
the great ,hindu evolutionist who lived 
long before the ,christian era4         
,footnote3 ,the reader ought to know    
that the doctrine of ,evolution was     
known in ,india long before the         
,christian era4 ,about the seventh      
century1 ,b4 ,c41 ,kapila1 the father of
 ,hindu ,evolutionists1 explained this  
theory for the first time through logic 
and science4 ,sir ,monier ,monier       
,williams says3 ,indeed if ,i may be    
allowed the anachronism1 the ,hindus    
were ,spinozites more than #b1jjj years 
before the existence of ,spinoza2 and   
,darwinians many centuries before       
,darwin2 and ,evolutionists many        
centuries before the doctrine of        
,evolution had been accepted by the     
scientists of our time and before any   
word like ,evolution existed in any     

language of the world4 7,p4 #ab1        
,hinduism and ,brahminism47 ,prof4      
,huxley says3 ,to say nothing of ,indian
 ,sages to whom ,evolution was a        
familiar notion ages before ,paul of    
,tarsus was born4 7,p4 #aej1 ,science   
and ,hebrew ,tradition47 ,in the second 
aphorism of the fourth chapter 7see     
,raja ,yoga1 by ,swami ,vivekananda1 p4 
#baj7 it is said1 ,the ,evolution into  
another species is caused by the        
in-filling of nature4  ,the nature is   
filled not from without but from within4
  ,nothing is superadded to the         
individual soul from outside4 ,the germs
 are already there1 but their           
development depends upon their coming in
 contact with the necessary conditions  
requisite for proper manifestation4 ,we 
sometimes see a wicked man suddenly     
become saintlike4 ,there are instances  
of murderers and robbers becoming       
saints4 ,a religionist will explain the 
cause of their sudden change1 by saying 
that the grace of the ,almighty has     

fallen upon them and transformed their  
whole nature4  ,but ,vedanta says that  
the moral and spiritual powers that     
remained latent in them have been roused
 up1 and the result is the sudden       
transformation4 ,none can tell when or  
how the slumbering powers will wake up  
and begin to manifest4 ,the germ of     
life1 or the individual soul as it is   
ordinarily called1 possesses infinite   
possibilities4 ,each germ of life is    
studying1 as it were1 the book of its   
own nature by unfolding one page after  
another4 ,when it has gone through all  
the pages1 or1 in other words1 all the  
stages of evolution1 perfect knowledge  
is acquired1 and its course is finished4
 ,we have read our lower nature by      
turning each page1 or1 in other words1  
by passing through each stage of animal 
life from the minutest bioplasm up to   
the present stage of existence4 ,now we 
are studying the pages which deal with  
moral and spiritual laws4 ,if any one   
wants to read any page over again he    

will do it4 ,just as in reading a book1 
if anybody feels particularly interested
 in any page or chapter he will read it 
over and over again and will not open a 
new page or a new chapter until he is   
perfectly satisfied with it4 ,similarly1
 in reading the book of life1 if the    
individual soul likes any particular    
stage1 he will stay there until he is   
perfectly satisfied with it2 after that 
he will go forward and study other      
pages4 ,one may read very slowly1 and   
another very fast2 but whether we read  
slowly or rapidly each one of us is     
bound to read the whole book of nature  
and attain to perfection sooner or      
later4  ,according to ,vedanta1 the end 
and aim of ,evolution is the attainment 
of perfection4 ,physical evolution of   
animal life reached its perfection in   
human form4 ,there cannot be any other  
form higher than human on this earth    
under present conditions4 ,it is the    
perfection of animal form4 ,from this we
 can infer that the tendency of the law 

of ,evolution is to reach perfection4   
,when it is attained to1 the whole      
purpose is served4 ,do we see in nature 
any other higher form evolved out of the
 human body8 ,no4  ,shall we not be     
justified if we say that the end of     
physical evolution is the attainment of 
the perfection of animal form8 ,again as
 the purpose and method of natural laws 
are uniform throughout the universe1 the
 end of intellectual1 moral and         
spiritual evolution will be attained    
when intellectual1 moral and spiritual  
perfection are acquired4 ,intellectual  
perfection means perfection of          
intellect2 and intellect is perfect when
 we understand the true nature of things
 and never mistake the unreal for the   
real1 matter for spirit1 non-eternal for
 eternal1 or vice versa4 ,moral         
perfection consists in the destruction  
of selfishness2 and spiritual perfection
 is the manifestation of the true nature
 of spirit which is immortal1 free1     
divine and one with the ,universal      

,spirit or ,god4 ,evolution attains to  
the highest fulfilment of its purpose   
when the spirit manifests perfectly4    
,the tendency of nature is to have      
perfect manifestation of all her powers4
 ,when certain powers predominate they  
manifest first while the others remain  
dormant4 ,as we find in the process of  
evolution1 when animal nature manifests 
perfectly the moral and spiritual nature
 remain latent4 ,again when moral and   
spiritual nature manifest fully1 the    
animal is in abeyance4 ,it is for this  
reason we do not find expressions of    
moral and spiritual nature in lower     
animals or in those human beings who    
live like them4 ,man is the only animal 
in whom such perfect expressions of     
moral and spiritual nature are possible4
  ,when the individual soul begins to   
study its spiritual nature1 its lower or
 animal nature is gradually eclipsed4   
,as the higher nature becomes powerful  
the lower nature dwindles into          
insignificance2 its energy is           

transformed into that of the higher     
nature1 and ultimately it disappears    
altogether and rises no more4 ,then the 
soul becomes free from the lower or     
animal nature4 ,there are many stages in
 the higher nature1 as well as in the   
lower4 ,each of these stages binds the  
individual soul so long as it stays     
there4 ,as it rises on a higher plane   
the lower stages disappear and cease to 
bind4 ,but the moment that any          
individual1 after passing through all   
the stages of the spiritual nature1     
reaches the ultimate point of           
perfection1 he realizes his true nature 
which is immortal and divine4 ,then his 
true individuality manifests4 ,for lack 
of true knowledge1 he identified himself
 with each stage successively and       
thought that his individuality was one  
with the powers which were manifested in
 each stage4 ,consequently he thought by
 mistake that he was affected by the    
changes of each stage4 ,but now he      
realizes that his real individuality    

always remained unaffected4  ,he sees   
that his true individuality shines      
always in the same manner1 although the 
limiting adjuncts may vary4 ,as the     
light of a lamp appears of different    
colors1 if it passes through glasses of 
different colors1 so the light of the   
true individual appears as animal or    
human when it passes through the animal 
or human nature of the subtle body4 ,the
 subtle body of an individual changes   
from animal nature through moral and    
spiritual into divine4 ,as this gradual 
growth cannot be expected in one life we
 shall have to admit the truth of       
,reincarnation1 which teaches gradual   
evolution of the germ of life or the    
individual soul through many lives and  
various forms4 ,otherwise the theory of 
,evolution will remain imperfect1       
incomplete and purposeless4 ,the        
doctrine of ,reincarnation differs from 
the accepted theory of ,evolution in    
admitting a gradual but continuous      
evolution of the subtle body through    

many gross forms4 ,the gross body may   
appear or disappear1 but the subtle body
 continues to exist even after the      
dissolution of the gross body and       
re-manifests itself in some other form4 
,the theory of ,reincarnation when      
properly understood will appear as a    
supplement to the theory of ,evolution4 
,without this most important supplement 
the ,evolution theory will never be     
complete and perfect4 ,evolution        
explains the process of life1 while     
,reincarnation explains the purpose of  
life4 ,therefore1 both must go hand in  
hand to make the explanation            
satisfactory in every respect4  ,james  
,freeman ,clarke says3 ,that man has    
come up to his present state of         
development by passing through lower    
forms1 is the popular doctrine of       
science to-day4 ,what is called         
,evolution teaches that we have reached 
our present state by a very long and    
gradual ascent from the lowest animal   
organizations4 ,it is true that the     

,darwinian theory takes no notice of the
 evolution of the soul1 but only of the 
body4 ,but it appears to me that a      
combination of the two views would      
remove many difficulties which still    
attach to the theory of natural         
selection and the survival of the       
fittest4 ,if we are to believe in       
,evolution let us have the assistance of
 the soul itself in this development of 
new species4 ,thus science and          
philosophy will co-operate1 nor will    
poetry hesitate to lend her aid4 7,p4   
#aij1 ,ten ,great ,religions1 ,,ii47    
,evolution of the body depends upon the 
evolution of the germ of life or the    
individual soul4 ,when these two are    
combined the explanation becomes        
perfect4  ,the theory of ,reincarnation 
is a logical necessity for the          
completion of the theory of ,evolution4 
,if we admit a continuous evolution of a
 unit of the germ of life through many  
gross manifestations then we            
unconsciously accept the teachings of   

the doctrine of ,reincarnation4 ,in     
passing through different forms and     
manifestations the unit of life does not
 lose its identity or individuality4 ,as
 an atom does not lose its identity or  
individuality 7if you allow me to       
suppose an atom has a kind of           
individuality7 although it passes from  
the mineral1 through the vegetable1 into
 the animal1 so the germ of life always 
preserves its identity or individuality 
although it passes through the different
 stages of evolution4  ,therefore it is 
said in the ,bhagavad ,gt1 as in our    
ordinary life the individual soul passes
 from a baby body to a young one and    
from a young to an old1 and carries with
 it all the impressions1 ideas and      
experience that it has gathered in its  
former stage of existence and reproduces
 them in proper time1 so when a man dies
 the individual soul passes from an old 
body into a new one1 and takes with it  
the subtle body wherein are stored up   
all that it experienced and gathered    

during its past incarnations4 ,knowing  
this1 wise men are never afraid of      
death4 ,they know that death is nothing 
but a mere change from one body into    
another4 ,therefore1 if any one does not
 succeed in conquering the lower nature 
by the higher1 he will try again in his 
next incarnation1 after starting from   
the point which he reached in his past  
life4 ,he will not begin again from the 
very beginning1 but from the last stage 
at which he arrived4 ,thus we see that  
,reincarnation is the logical sequence  
of evolution4 ,it completes and makes   
perfect that theory and explains the    
cause of the moral and spiritual nature 
of man4    ,,iv4 ,,which ,,is           
,,scientific--,,resurrection ,,or       
,,reincarnation8   ,the students of     
history are interested to know where the
 idea of resurrection first arose and   
how it was adopted by other nations4 ,if
 we read carefully the writings ascribed
 to ,moses and other writers of the ,old
 ,testament we find that the ancient    

,israelites did not believe in the      
,christian heaven or hell1 nor in reward
 or punishment after death4 ,it is      
doubtful whether they had any clear     
conception of the existence of soul     
after the dissolution of the human body4
 ,they had no definite idea of the      
hereafter4  ,they did not believe in the
 resurrection either of the soul or     
body4 ,job longed for death thinking    
that it would end his mental agony4 ,in 
,psalms we read1 ,wilt ,thou shew       
wonders to the dead8  ,shall the dead   
arise and praise ,thee8 7,ps4 lxxxviii1 
#aj47 ,in death there is no remembrance 
of ,thee2 in the grave who shall give   
,thee thanks8 7,ps4 vi1 #e47 ,again     
7,ps4 cxlvi1 #d7 it is said about       
princes and the son of man1--,his breath
 goeth forth1 he returneth to his earth1
 in that very day his thoughts perish4  
,the dead praise not the ,lord1 neither 
any that go down into silence4 7,ps4    
cxv1 #ag47  ,solomon speaks boldly3 ,all
 things come alike to all2 there is one 

event to the righteous and to the       
wicked1 to the good and to the clean and
 to the unclean444 as is the good1 so is
 the sinner4 7,eccl4 ix1 #b47 ,go thy   
way1 eat thy bread with joy1 and drink  
thy wine with a merry heart4444  ,live  
joyfully with thy wife444 for there is  
no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor 
wisdom in the grave1 whither thou goest4
 7,eccl4 ix1 #g1 #i1 #aj47  ,again in   
verse #e it is said3 ,the dead know not 
anything1 neither have they anymore a   
reward1 for the memory of them is       
forgotten4 ,solomon says3 ,for that     
which befalleth the sons of men         
befalleth beasts2 even one thing        
befalleth them2 as the one dieth1 so    
dieth the other2 yea1 they have all one 
breath1 so that a man hath no           
pre-eminence above a beast4 ,all go into
 one place2 all are of the dust and all 
turn to dust again4 ,who knoweth the    
spirit of man that goeth upward and the 
spirit of the beast that goeth downward 
to the earth8 7,eccl4  iii1 #ai-ba47    

,there are many such passages which show
 clearly that before the ,babylonian    
captivity the ,israelites had no belief 
in reward or punishment1 neither in     
heaven nor hell nor in the resurrection 
of the soul4 ,some say that they had a  
belief in a sheol or pit where departed 
souls remained after death1 but were    
never resurrected4 ,but when the ancient
 ,jews were conquered by the ,persians1 
#ecf ,b4,c41 they came in contact with a
 nation which had developed a belief in 
one ,god1 in a heaven and a hell1 in the
 resurrection of the dead1 in reward and
 punishment after death1 and in the last
 day of judgment4 ,under the dominion of
 ,persia1 whose rule began with the     
capture of ,babylon and lasted from     
#ecf-ccc ,b4,c41 the ,jews were greatly 
influenced by the ,persian religion4    
,they gave up their idolatry1 gradually 
developed social organization and had   
considerable liberty4  ,about that time 
the ,jews were divided into two classes1
 the ,pharisees and ,sadducees4 ,those  

who adopted the religious ideas of the  
,parsees were called ,pharisees         
7according to some authorities the word 
,pharisee was the ,hebrew form of       
,parsee71 and those who followed        
strictly the ,jewish ideas1 ceremonies1 
rituals and beliefs were called         
,sadducees4 ,the former were sharply    
opposed to the latter in their doctrinal
 beliefs4 ,they believed in angels and  
spirits1 they expected the resurrection 
of the dead and believed in future      
reward and punishment and also in       
,divine pre-ordination4 ,the ,sadducees 
did not step beyond the bounds of       
ancient ,judaism4  ,they were ,orthodox 
and very conservative in their views4   
,they denied the existence of angels and
 spirits1 the resurrection of the dead1 
and reward and punishment after death4  
,in ,matt1 xxii1 #bc1 we read1 ,the same
 day came to him the ,sadducees which   
say that there is no resurrection4 ,the 
,sadducees were fewer in number than the
 ,pharisees4 ,gradually the latter grew 

very powerful and after the death of    
,jesus their doctrines of the           
resurrection of the dead1 and of reward 
and punishment after death1 and the     
belief in angels and spirits1 became the
 cardinal principles of the new         
,christian sect4 ,thus we see that the  
idea of resurrection first arose in     
,persia and afterwards took a prominent 
place in the writings of the ,new       
,testament1 and since then it has been  
largely accepted by the ,christians of  
the ,western countries4 ,the            
,zoroastrians believed that the soul of 
the dead hovers about the body for three
 nights and does not depart for the     
other world until the dawn after the    
third night4 ,then the righteous go to  
heaven and the wicked to hell4 ,there   
the wicked remain until the time of     
renovation of the universe1 that is1 the
 judgment day4 ,after the renovation1   
when ,ahriman or ,satan is killed1 the  
souls of the wicked will be purified and
 have everlasting progress4 ,footnote3  

,sacred ,books of the ,east1 ,vol4 xvii1
 pp4 #bg1 #cd1 #df4 ,the question was   
asked1 ,how shall they produce          
resurrection8 ,ahura ,mazda says3 ,the  
reply is this1 that the preparation and 
production of the resurrection are an   
achievement connected with miracle1 a   
sublimity1 and afterwards also a        
wondrous appearance unto the creatures  
uninformed4 ,the secrets and affairs of 
the persistent ,creator are like every  
mystery and secret4 ,footnote3 ,ibid41  
p4 #hj4  ,the ,zoroastrians believed in 
the resurrection1 not of the physical   
body1 but of the soul1 and that it was  
an act of miracle4 ,similarly miraculous
 was the resurrection of ,jesus4        
,although ,jesus ,himself never         
mentioned what kind of resurrection1    
whether of body or of soul that ,he     
meant and believed in1 the              
interpretation of the writers of the    
,gospels shows that ,his disciples      
understood ,him to mean bodily          
resurrection and the re-appearance of   

,his physical form4 ,the three days     
remained1 just as the ,zoroastrians     
believed4 ,the miraculous and wondrous  
appearance of ,jesus before ,his        
disciples was preached most vigorously  
by ,paul4 ,in his ,epistle to the       
,corinthians1 ,paul declares            
emphatically that the whole of the      
,christian religion depends upon the    
miraculous resurrection and             
re-appearance of ,jesus4  ,although     
,paul said the spiritual body of the    
risen dead is not the same as flesh and 
blood body 7,i ,cor41 ,,xv71 still that 
important point is generally overlooked1
 and the result is the belief which we  
find amongst some of the ,christian     
sects2 that at the call of the angels1  
the body will rise from the grave and   
the mouldering dust of bones and flesh  
will be put together by the miraculous  
power of the ,almighty ,god4 ,paul says3
 ,but now is ,christ risen from the     
dead1 and become the first fruits of    
them that slept 7,i ,cor41 ,,xv1 #bj74  

,he preached that ,christ was the first 
born from the dead1 that those who      
believe in ,christ would rise as ,he did
 and that those who would not believe in
 ,him or in ,his resurrection should not
 rise4  ,we have already noticed that   
the ,parsees believed in a miraculous   
resurrection2 that the same miracle     
became more definite in the case of     
,jesus2 and that the ,christian faith   
was afterwards founded upon that        
miraculous event4 ,both the ,parsees and
 the followers of ,christ did not mean  
by resurrection any universal law1 but a
 miracle done by certain supernatural   
powers4 ,they did not give any          
scientific reasons for such a miracle4  
,but modern science denies miracles4 ,it
 teaches that this universe is guided1  
not by miracles as the old thinkers used
 to believe1 but by definite laws which 
are always consistent and universal4    
,there cannot be any exception to those 
laws which are uniform throughout4 ,if  
resurrection be one of those laws1 then 

it must have existed before the birth of
 ,jesus2 as such1 how could ,he be the  
first born from the dead1 as described  
by ,paul4 ,conversely1 if ,jesus was the
 first who rose from the dead1 then     
resurrection cannot be a universal law4 
,scientists would not believe in        
anything which is not based upon        
universal laws4 ,some of the agnostics  
and materialists have gone so far as to 
say that ,jesus did not die on the      
cross1 but his animation was suspended  
when his body was taken down from the   
cross by ,joseph of ,arimathsea4 ,when  
,joseph went to ,pilate and craved the  
body of ,jesus1 ,pilate marvelled if ,he
 were dead 7,mark ,,xv1 #dd71 because it
 was only six hours after the           
crucifixion4 ,some of the modern        
physiologists are of opinion that       
temperate and strong men might live for 
several days on the cross4 ,these       
heretical agnostics and skeptical       
scientists say that the body of ,jesus  
revived after a few hours in the cool1  

rock-cut tomb1 that he walked out of the
 tomb1 went to ,galilee and appeared    
before his disciples4 ,footnote3 ,vide  
,science and ,christian ,tradition1 by  
,prof4 ,huxley1 pp4  #bgi-bhj4 ,whatever
 the facts may be 7nobody can now tell  
exactly what actually happened71 it is  
clear that the scientists are not ready 
to take anything upon authority4 ,they  
do not care to believe in anything      
because it is written in this book or   
that4 ,they must have convincing proofs 
and a rational explanation of every     
phenomenon of nature4 ,they want to     
penetrate into miracles in order to     
discover the universal laws that govern 
them4 ,if they do not find any such     
laws1 they will surely reject every     
event that is supposed to be caused by  
miraculous or supernatural powers4  ,the
 theory of a miraculous resurrection is 
attended with the belief that the       
individual soul does not exist before   
birth4 ,the supporters of this theory   
hold that at the time of birth1 the     

individual1 being created out of        
nothing1 comes fresh into existence4    
,but science tells us that sudden       
creation out of nothing and a total     
destruction of anything are both        
impossible4 ,matter and force are       
indestructible4 ,science teaches        
evolution and not creation1 and denies  
the intervention of any supernatural    
being as the cause of phenomenal        
changes4 ,the theory of ,resurrection   
ignores all these ultimate conclusions  
of modern science4 ,on the contrary1 the
 doctrine of ,reincarnation1 after      
accepting all the truths and laws of    
nature that have been discovered by     
modern science1 carries them to their   
proper logical conclusions4             
,reincarnation is based upon evolution4 
,it means a continuous evolution of an  
individual germ of life1 and a gradual  
re-manifestation of all the powers and  
forces that exist in it potentially4    
,moreover1 the doctrine of              
,reincarnation is founded on the law of 

cause and effect4 ,it teaches that the  
cause is not outside of the effect1 but 
lies in the effect4 ,the cause is the   
potential or unmanifested state of the  
effect1 and effect is the actual or     
manifested cause4  ,there is one current
 of infinite force or power constantly  
flowing in the ocean of reality of the  
universe1 and appearing in the          
innumerable forms of waves4 ,we call one
 set of waves the cause of another set1 
but in fact that which is the cause is  
the potentiality of the future effect   
and the actuality of a previous         
potential cause4 ,the underlying current
 is one and the same throughout4        
,reincarnation denies the idea that the 
soul has come into existence all of a   
sudden or has been created for the first
 time1 but it holds that it has been    
existing from the beginningless past1   
and will exist all through eternity4    
,the individual soul enjoys or suffers  
according to the acts it performs4 ,all 
enjoyment and suffering are but the     

reactions of our actions4 ,actions are  
the causes and the reactions are the    
results4 ,our present life is the result
 of our past actions1 and our future    
will be the result of the present4 ,the 
actions which we are now doing will not 
be lost4 ,do you think that the         
thought-forces of one life-time will end
 suddenly after death8 ,no4 ,they will  
be conserved and remain potentially in  
the center and re-manifest under        
suitable conditions4 ,each human soul is
 nothing but a center of thought-force4 
,this center is called in ,sanskrit     
,skshma ,sarra or the subtle body of an 
individual4 ,the subtle germ of life or1
 in other words1 the invisible center of
 thought-forces1 will manufacture a     
physical vehicle for expressing the     
latent powers that are ready for        
manifestation4  ,this process will      
continue until the germ can express most
 perfectly all the powers that are      
coiled up in its invisible form4 ,as the
 doctrine of ,reincarnation is in       

agreement with all the physical laws1 so
 it is based upon psychical1 moral and  
ethical laws4 ,as on the objective plane
 the law of action and reaction governs 
the objective phenomena1 so on the      
subjective plane of consciousness1 if   
the mental action or thought be good1   
the reaction will be good1 and the      
reaction will be evil if the mental     
action be evil1 because every action    
produces a similar reaction1 ,a good    
reaction is one which makes us happy and
 brings pleasant sensations or peace of 
mind1 while an evil reaction brings     
suffering1 unpleasant sensations1 and   
makes one miserable4 ,thus              
,reincarnation makes us free agents for 
action1 as well as for reaping the      
results or reactions of those actions4  
,in fact1 we mould our own nature1      
according to our desires1 tendencies and
 works4  ,the theory of ,resurrection1  
as commonly understood1 does not explain
 why one man is born with a sinful      
nature and another with a virtuous one4 

,it contents itself with saying as      
,luther said3 ,man is a beast of burden 
who only moves as his rider orders2     
sometimes ,god rides him and sometimes  
,satan4  ,but why ,god should allow     
,satan to ride ,his own creature nobody 
can tell4 ,at any rate1 man must suffer 
eternally for the crimes which he is    
forced by ,satan to commit4 ,moreover   
this theory pre-supposes predestination 
and that the individual soul is         
fore-doomed to go either to heaven or to
 hell4 ,st4  ,augustine first started   
this doctrine of ,predestination and    
,grace to explain why one is born sinful
 and another sinless4 ,according to this
 theory1 ,god1 the merciful1 favors     
somebody with ,his grace at the time of 
his birth and then he comes into this   
world ready to be saved1 but the mass of
 humanity is born sinful and destined   
for eternal damnation4 ,very few indeed 
receive the gift of grace and are       
predestined to be saved4 ,moreover1 this
 doctrine tells us that ,god creates man

 out of nothing1 forbids him something1 
but at the same time ,he does not give  
him the power to obey ,his commands4    
,ultimately ,god punishes him with      
eternal torture on account of his       
weakness4 ,the body and soul will not be
 separated4  ,he will not be set free   
from his body1 because1 if it be so1    
there will be the end of his suffering1 
which ,god does not like4 ,all these    
sufferings and punishments are          
predestined before his birth4 ,thus1    
,st4  ,augustine's dogma of             
,predestination and ,grace instead of   
explaining the difficulty satisfactorily
 brings horror and dread to human minds1
 while the doctrine of ,reincarnation   
teaches gradual progress from lower to  
higher1 through ages until the          
individual reaches perfection4 ,it holds
 that each individual will become       
perfect like ,jesus or ,buddha or like  
the ,father in heaven and manifest      
divinity either in this life or in some 
other4 ,one span of life is too short   

for developing one's powers to          
perfection4  ,if you should try to train
 an idiot to become a great artist or a 
philosopher1 would you ever succeed in  
your attempt to make him so during his  
lifetime8  ,no4 ,and will you punish him
 because he cannot become so8 ,can a man
 who possesses the slightest common     
sense be so unreasonable8 ,similarly    
what would you think if ,god punishes a 
man because he cannot become perfect    
within a lifetime8 ,it is a poor        
argument to say that ,god has given us  
free-will to choose between right and   
wrong1 and we are responsible for our   
choice2 if we choose wrongly we must be 
punished4 ,the advocates of such an     
argument forget that at the same time   
,god has let loose ,his powerful ,satan 
to corrupt ,his creatures4  ,it reminds 
me of an old story4 ,once on a time at a
 certain place a prisoner was released  
and set free through the kindness of a  
tyrant4 ,the tyrant said to the prisoner
 ,look here1 wicked man1 ,i give you    

freedom1 you can go to any place2 but   
there is one condition2 if you are      
attacked by any wild animal you will be 
put in the dungeon and there will be no 
end to your torture4 ,so saying he gave 
him freedom1 but at the same time       
ordered his servants to let loose a     
hungry wolf to chase the man4 ,you can  
imagine what became of the prisoner4    
,can we call this an act of mercy6  ,the
 doctrine of ,reincarnation says that   
each individual soul is potentially     
perfect and is gradually unfolding its  
powers and making them actual through   
the process of ,evolution4 ,at every    
step of that process it is gaining      
different experiences which last only   
for a time4 ,therefore neither ,god nor 
,satan is responsible for our good or   
evil actions4  ,good and evil are like  
the up and down or the crest and hollow 
of a wave in the sea4 ,a wave cannot    
rise without making a hollow somewhere  
in the sea4  ,so in the infinite ocean  
of reality innumerable waves are        

constantly rising4 ,the summit of each  
wave is called good1 while the hollow   
beside it is evil or misery and the     
current of each individual life is      
constantly flowing towards the ultimate 
destination which we call perfection4   
,who can tell how long it will take to  
reach that goal8 ,if anybody can attain 
to perfection in this life1 he is no    
longer bound to reincarnate4 ,if he     
fails he will continue to progress by   
taking some other body4 ,reincarnation  
does not teach1 as many people think1   
that in the next incarnation one will   
begin from the very beginning1 but it   
says that one will start from that point
 which one reaches before death and will
 keep the thread of progress unbroken4  
,it does not teach that we go back to   
animal bodies after death1 but that we  
get our bodies according to our desires1
 tendencies and powers4 ,if any person  
has no desire to come back to this world
 or to any other and does not want to   
enjoy any particular object of pleasure1

 and if he is perfectly free from       
selfishness that person will not have to
 come back4 ,the theory of              
,reincarnation is logical and           
satisfactory4 ,while the theory of      
,resurrection is neither based on       
scientific truths nor can it logically  
explain the cause of life and death1    
,reincarnation solves all the problems  
of life and explains scientifically all 
the questions and doubts that arise in  
the human mind4  ,reincarnation is not  
easily understood by a thoughtless child
 deluded by the delusion of wealth1 name
 or fame4 ,everything ends with death1  
he thinks1 and thus falls again and     
again under the sway of death4    ,v4   
,,theory ,,of ,,transmigration4   ,the  
theory of transmigration is one of the  
oldest theories accepted by the people  
of the ,orient to solve the problems    
concerning life and death as well as to 
explain the continuity of existence     
after death4 ,this theory presupposes   
the existence of the soul as an entity  

which can live even when the gross      
material body is dead or dissolved into 
its elements4  ,those who deny the      
existence of the soul1 of the           
self-conscious thinker and actor1 as an 
entity distinct from the gross material 
body1 necessarily deny this theory of   
transmigration4 ,the materialistic      
thinkers of all ages have refused to    
accept this theory1 because they do not 
admit the existence of a soul or a      
self-conscious thinker and actor as an  
entity1 separate from the gross material
 body4 ,consequently they do not ask or 
discuss whether the soul will exist     
after death or not1 whether it will     
continue to live or not4 ,such          
materialists are not the creatures of   
the twentieth century1 but they have    
lived in all ages1 in all countries4 ,in
 ,india and in other civilized countries
 of ancient times you will find that    
materialistic thinkers prevailed and    
they gave the same arguments which we   
hear now from the agnostics and         

scientists of to-day4 ,their arguments  
are generally one-sided and             
unsatisfactory4 ,they try to deduce the 
soul or self-conscious entity from the  
combination of matter or material       
forces1 but they have not succeeded in  
giving a scientific proof of it4 ,no    
arguments in favor of the existence of a
 soul as an entity will convince them1  
because they deny the existence of      
anything that cannot be perceived by    
sense powers4  ,if we could bring the   
soul down on the sense plane and make it
 visible to these materialistic         
thinkers1 and if they could make        
experiments upon it1 then perhaps they  
would be convinced to a certain extent1 
but not until then4 ,but how can we     
bring the soul down on the sense plane  
when it is ethereal and finer than      
anything that we can perceive with our  
senses8  ,those who try to explain the  
cause of our earthly life by the theory 
of heredity do not believe in the truth 
of transmigration4 ,the modern          

scientists1 agnostics and materialists  
generally accept the theory of heredity 
and endeavor to explain everything by   
it2 but if we examine their arguments   
for the theory of heredity1 we shall    
find that the theory of transmigration  
is much more satisfactory1 much more    
rational than that of heredity4  ,among 
the followers of the great religions of 
the world1 the majority of ,christians1 
,jews1 ,mohammedans and ,parsees deny   
the truth of transmigration4  ,of       
course1 there was a time when the       
,christians believed in this            
transmigration theory4 ,origen and other
 ,church ,fathers accepted it until the 
time of ,justinian1 who anathematized   
all those who believed in ,reincarnation
 or the pre-existence of the soul4      
,among the ,jews we find that in the    
,cabala this idea of transmigration     
plays the most important part4  ,in fact
 the ,cabalists accepted this theory to 
explain all the difficulties that could 
not be explained by any other theory4   

,but those ,jews1 ,christians1          
,mohammedans and ,parsees who do not    
believe in the theory of transmigration 
accept the one-birth theory2 that is1   
that ,god creates the souls at the time 
of birth out of nothing1 and these      
souls1 having come into existence out of
 nothing1 continue to live forever2 that
 this is our first and last birth that  
we receive2 we did not exist before1 we 
are suddenly created by ,god1 and after 
death each one of us will continue to   
live either in heaven or hell to enjoy  
or to suffer throughout eternity4 ,among
 the modern ,spiritualists we find that 
those who are born and brought up with  
this idea of one birth do not accept the
 theory of transmigration4 ,still there 
are millions and millions of people all 
over the world who do believe in        
transmigration and who have found       
comfort and consolation in their lives  
as well as a satisfactory solution of   
the problems of life and death4  ,the   
theory of ,transmigration1 or           

,metempsychosis1 as it has been called  
by many philosophers1 originally meant  
the passing of a soul from one body     
after death into another2 or1 in other  
words1 it meant that the soul after     
dwelling in one particular body for a   
certain length of time leaves it at the 
time of death1 and in order to gain     
experience enters into some other body1 
either human1 animal or angelic1 which  
is ready to receive it4 ,it may migrate 
from the human body to an angelic body  
and then come down on the human plane1  
or to the animal plane and be born again
 as an animal4 ,so the original meaning 
of transmigration or metempsychosis was 
the revolution of the soul from body to 
body whether animal1 human1 angelic or  
of the gods4 ,the migrating substance   
being a fixed quantity1 with fixed      
qualities1 chooses its form according to
 its taste1 desire and bent of          
character4 ,this idea prevailed among   
the ancient ,egyptians1 according to    
whom the soul1 after leaving the dead   

body1 would travel from one body to     
another for thousands and thousands of  
years in order to gain experiences in   
each of the different stages of life4   
,among the ,greek philosophers we find  
that ,pythagoras1 ,plato and their      
followers believed in this theory of    
,metempsychosis or ,transmigration of   
souls4  ,pythagoras says3 ,after death  
the rational mind1 having been freed    
from the chains of the body1 assumes an 
ethereal vehicle and passes into the    
region of the dead where it remains till
 it is sent back to this world to       
inhabit some other body human or animal4
 ,after undergoing successive           
purgations1 when it is sufficiently     
purified1 it is received among the gods 
and returns to the eternal source from  
which it first proceeded4 ,plato also   
believed in this theory4 ,of course we  
cannot tell exactly from whence         
,pythagoras and ,plato got these ideas4 
,some say that they learned these       
doctrines from ,egypt2 others believed  

that1 either directly or indirectly1    
they learned the theory of              
transmigration from ,india4 ,plato      
describes in ,phaedrus1 in mythological 
language1 why and how the souls take    
their birth upon this plane1 either as  
human or animal4  ,he says3 ,in the     
heaven ,zeus1 the ,father and ,lord of  
all creatures1 drives his winged car1   
ordering all things and superintending  
them4 ,a host of deities and spirits    
follow him1 each fulfilling his own     
function4  ,whoever will and can follows
 them4 ,after taking this round1 they   
advance by a steep course along the     
inner circumference of the heavenly     
vault and proceed to a banquet4 ,the    
chariots of the gods1 being well        
balanced and well driven1 advance       
easily2 others with difficulty2 for the 
vicious horse1 unless the charioteer has
 thoroughly broken him1 weighs down the 
car by his proclivity towards the earth1
 whereupon the soul is put to the       
extremity of toil and effort4 ,the souls

 of gods reach the summit1 go outside   
and stand upon the surface of heaven1   
and enjoy celestial bliss4 ,such is the 
life of the gods2 other souls which     
follow ,god best and are likest to ,him 
succeed in seeing the vision of truth   
and in entering into the outer world    
with great difficulty4  ,the rest of the
 souls longing after the upper world all
 follow2 but not being strong enough1   
they are carried round in the deep      
below1 plunging1 treading on one        
another1 striving to be first1 and      
there1 in confusion and extremity of    
effort1 many of them are lamed and have 
their wings broken4 ,thus when the soul 
is unable to follow and fails to behold 
the vision of ,truth1 sinks beneath the 
double load of forgetfulness and vice1  
her feathers fall from her and she drops
 to earth and is born again and again as
 human beings or as animals4 ,plato     
says3 ,ten thousand years must elapse   
before the soul can return to the place 
from whence she came1 for she cannot    

grow her wings in less4 ,at the end of  
the first thousand years1 the souls of  
the good and of the evil kind come      
together to draw lots1 and choose their 
bodies according to their tendencies and
 the bent of their characters4 ,they may
 take any they like4  ,instead of       
receiving the natural consequences of   
their deeds and misdeeds of their       
previous lives they are allowed to      
choose their own lot1 according to their
 experience and bent of character4      
,some1 being disgusted with mankind1    
prefer to be born as animals1 such as   
lions and eagles or some other animals4 
,others delight in trying their luck as 
human beings4 ,from this mythological   
description we gather what ,plato meant 
by transmigration4  ,this ,platonic idea
 of transmigration or of successive     
lives of those who inhabit this earth   
has been criticized by various thinkers 
of modern times2 and referring to this  
idea the late ,doctor ,myers1 of the    
,psychical ,research ,society of        

,london1 writes in his second volume of 
,human ,personality3 ,the simple fact   
that such was probably the opinion of   
both ,plato and ,virgil shows that there
 is nothing here which is alien to the  
best reason or to the highest instincts 
of men4 ,nor1 indeed1 is it easy to     
realize any theory of the direct        
creation of spirits at such different   
stages of advancement as those which    
enter upon the earth in the guise of    
mortal man4 ,there must1 one feels1 be  
some kind of continuity--some form of   
spiritual past4 7,p4 #acd47  ,why does  
,he not create all souls equal8 ,why    
will one soul be highly advanced        
spiritually while another is entirely   
ignorant and idiotic8 ,this question    
cannot be answered1 this problem cannot 
be solved by the special creation       
theory1 and therefore ,doctor ,myers    
says that there is no doubt that there  
was some previous continuity or         
spiritual past of each individual soul1 
and therefore he tacitly admits the     

theory of ,transmigration4 ,although    
from a scientific viewpoint he could not
 give any direct proof regarding this   
idea of a pre-existence of the soul1    
still he could not deny it entirely when
 he said3 ,the shaping forces which have
 made our bodies and our minds what they
 are may always have been psychical     
forces--from the first living           
slime-speck to the complex intelligences
 of to-day4 ,the old transmigrationist's
 view would thus possess a share of     
truth and the actual man would be the   
resultant not only of intermingling     
heredities on father's and mother's     
sides1 but of intermingling heredities1 
one of planetary and one of cosmic      
scope4 7,human ,personality1 ,vol4 ,,ii1
 p4 #bfg47  ,but this theory of         
,transmigration1 as described by ,plato1
 is a little different from a similar   
theory which existed in ,india before   
his time4 ,in the ,platonic idea of     
transmigration1 as we have already seen1
 the souls were allowed to choose their 

own lot according to their experience or
 bent of character1 but not to receive  
the natural consequence of their deeds  
and misdeeds4 ,plato did not say        
anything about the law which governs    
souls2 but in ancient ,india the great  
thinkers and philosophers explained that
 each individual soul is bound by the   
inexorable law of nature to receive its 
body as a natural consequence of its    
former deeds and misdeeds1 and not to   
have free choice of its lot according to
 its bent of character4 ,the great      
thinkers and philosophers of ancient    
,india discovered the universal law of  
cause and effect1 of action and         
reaction1 and called it by the ,sanskrit
 term ,karma1 which means the law of    
cause and sequence2 that every cause    
must be followed by an effect of a      
similar nature1 that every action must  
produce similar reaction1 and conversely
 every reaction or effect is the result 
of an action or cause of a similar      
character4 ,thus there is always a      

balance and harmony between cause and   
effect1 between action and reaction4    
,this law of ,karma has now become a    
fundamental verity of modern science4   
,it is called by different names3 the   
scientists call it the law of causation1
 the law of compensation1 the law of    
retribution1 the law of action and      
reaction1 but they all refer to the same
 idea1--that every cause must produce a 
similar result and every action must    
produce a similar reaction4  ,now these 
ancient thinkers of ,india applied this 
law of ,karma to explain the destiny of 
human souls1 and it was upon this law   
they based the theory of                
,transmigration4 ,they maintained that  
human souls are bound by this           
irresistible law and cannot get out of  
it2 their thoughts and deeds are the    
causes which produce results of similar 
nature4 ,so their future birth does not 
depend upon their whimsical1 free       
choice1 but it is limited by the        
thoughts and deeds or misdeeds of their 

previous lives4 ,in the ,platonic idea  
we find that the souls go according to  
their choice4 ,they may not take a human
 form if they prefer an animal form1 but
 in the ,hindu idea of transmigration we
 find that it is not a result of free   
choice1 but1 if our thoughts and deeds  
force us to take a particular form1 then
 we are subject to the law of ,karma1   
which governs our future birth and the  
evolution of our souls4 ,consequently   
the ,hindu theory of ,transmigration    
differs fundamentally from the ,platonic
 as well as from the ,egyptian idea of  
,transmigration4 ,in the ,platonic and  
,egyptian theories we see that the      
souls1 after leaving the body1 enter    
into another body which is waiting to   
receive the migrating soul1 but in the  
,hindu theory of ,transmigration the    
body is not waiting to receive the      
migrating soul1 but on the contrary the 
soul1 being subject to the laws of      
evolution1 manufactures the gross       
material body according to its desires  

and tendencies4 ,just as a germ of life 
will develop a grosser form by cellular 
subdivision1 by growth1 and by          
assimilation of the environmental       
conditions1 so the germ of the human    
soul will manufacture the body by       
obeying the laws which govern the       
physical plane4  ,parents are nothing   
but the channels through which the      
migrating souls receive their material  
forms4  ,parents do not create the      
souls2 they have no power to create4    
,they can only give the suitable        
environments necessary for manufacturing
 a gross physical body4 ,the souls come 
with their tendencies1 with their       
desires1 and they remain as germs of    
life4  ,now these germs of life contain 
vital forces1 sense powers1 psychic     
powers1 and ethereal particles of       
matter4 ,at the time of death the soul  
contracts and withdraws all its powers  
from the sense organs to its innermost  
center1 and in that contracted state it 
leaves the body4 ,but these powers do   

not leave the soul4 ,by the law of      
persistence of force and conservation of
 energy they remain latent in that      
center until environmental conditions   
become favorable for their              
remanifestation4 ,rebirth means the     
manifestation of the latent powers which
 exist in the germ of life or in the    
individual soul4 ,these germs of life   
are called by different names4 ,leibnitz
 called them monads and modern          
scientists call them bioplasms or some  
such name1 but the ,vedanta philosophers
 describe them as subtle bodies4 ,these 
germs or subtle bodies are subject to   
evolution and growth2 they arise from   
lower to higher stages of development1  
from the mineral through the vegetable  
to the animal kingdom and eventually    
they become human beings and then they  
go on progressing4  ,in the ,platonic   
theory the idea of progress1 growth or  
gradual evolution of the soul from the  
lower to higher stages of existence is  
entirely excluded1 because1 as ,i have  

already said1 the migrating substance is
 of a fixed quantity with fixed         
qualities1 that is1 these qualities do  
not change and are not affected by      
either growth or evolution4 ,they are   
constant quantities4  ,in order to      
differentiate these two ideas we should 
call the ,hindu theory of               
,transmigration by the term             
,reincarnation4 ,the ,hindu or ,vedantic
 theory of ,reincarnation1 however1 is  
not the same as the ,buddhistic theory  
of ,rebirth1 for the ,buddhists do not  
believe in the permanence of the soul   
entity4  ,there is another point where  
the ,reincarnation theory differs from  
,platonic transmigration4 ,according to 
this theory of ,reincarnation there is  
growth and evolution of each individual 
soul from the lower to higher stages of 
development4 ,the soul or germ of life1 
after passing through the lower stages1 
comes to the human plane and gains      
experience and knowledge2 and after     
coming to the human plane1 it does not  

retrograde to animal bodies4 ,the       
,platonic theory teaches that human     
souls migrate into animal bodies or     
angelic bodies and return from the      
angelic to the human or the animal1 and 
that some of them prefer to become      
animals2 while the theory of            
,reincarnation1 taking its stand upon   
the scientific truth of gradual         
evolution1 teaches that the human souls 
have already passed through different   
grades of the animal1 nay1 of the       
vegetable kingdom1 by the natural       
process of evolution4 ,after having once
 received the human organism1 why should
 a soul choose to go back to the lesser 
and more imperfect organism of an       
animal8 ,how is it possible for a lesser
 manifestation to hold a greater one8   
,why should a greater manifestation     
choose more limited forms in preference 
to those of others8 ,this question      
arises in the ,platonic theory of       
,transmigration4 ,therefore1 the        
,reincarnation theory1 or the theory of 

,transmigration according to the        
,hindus1 rejects this idea of the going 
back of human souls to animal forms4 ,we
 have already passed in the evolutionary
 process through the lower grade of     
animal organisms4 ,now that we have     
outgrown them why should we go back to  
them8  ,it is true1 however1 that in    
,india there are many uneducated people 
among the ,hindus who believe that human
 souls do migrate into animal bodies    
after death to gain experience and reap 
the results of their wicked deeds1 being
 bound by the law of ,karma2 but in the 
,platonic theory the law of ,karma plays
 no part in the transmigration of souls4
 ,the educated and thoughtful minds of  
,india1 however1 accept the more        
rational and scientific theory of       
,reincarnation4 ,although there are     
passages in the scriptural writings of  
the ,hindus which apparently refer to   
the retrogression of the human soul into
 animal nature1 still such passages do  
not necessarily mean that the souls will

 be obliged to take animal bodies4 ,they
 may live like animals even when they   
have human bodies1 as we may find among 
us many people like cats and dogs and   
snakes in human form and they are often 
more vicious than natural cats1 dogs or 
snakes4 ,they are reaping their own     
,karma and manifesting their animal     
nature1 though physically they look like
 human beings4 ,this kind of            
retrogression is possible for one who   
after reaching the human plane goes     
backward on account of wicked thoughts  
and deeds on the animal plane4 ,such a  
temporary retrogression brings knowledge
 and helps it in its onward progress    
toward the manifestation of higher      
powers on the higher plane of           
consciousness4  ,all the wicked thoughts
 and wicked deeds are nothing but the   
results of our own mistakes4 ,what is   
sin8  ,sin is nothing but a mistake and 
it proceeds from ignorance4 ,for        
instance1 if ,i do not know that fire   
burns1 ,i may put my finger into it and 

get burned4  ,the result of this mistake
 is the burning of the finger and this  
has taught me once for all that fire    
burns2 ,i shall never again put my      
finger into fire4  ,so every mistake is 
a great teacher in the long run4  ,no   
one is born so high and perfect as not  
to commit any mistake or any sin4 ,every
 mistake like this opens our eyes to the
 laws of the universe by bringing to us 
such results as we do not desire4 ,as   
one life is not enough to gain          
experience in all the stages of         
evolution1 we must have to admit the    
doctrine of the ,reincarnation of the   
soul for the fulfillment of the ultimate
 purpose of earthly life4 ,professor    
,huxley says3 ,none but hasty thinkers  
will reject it on the ground of inherent
 absurdity4 ,like the doctrine of       
evolution itself that of transmigration 
has its roots in the world of reality4