Reincarnation in the Vedas

By Yogi Baba Prem Yogacharya, Veda Visharada

It has become common to hear from followers of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma) and scholars that reincarnation is not found in the Vedas; regrettably this is often due to a great deal of misinformation  as well as an emerging literalist mentality that is attempting to sweep the global community.  While it might be correct to say that the Rig Vedas does not address reincarnation literally with a specific word for reincarnation as a literalist would prefer; the Vedas does contain what could only be viewed as references to reincarnation.  It does this initially through mantras that are considered funerary mantras; some of these are found within the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas.  Within the Rig Veda, there is a lovely funerary mantra that states:

 ?  ta etu mana punah kratve daksh?ya j?vase,

Jyok ca s?ryam drishe.      Rig Veda 10.4.57.4

“May your spirit return again, to perform pure acts for exercising strength, and to live long and to see the sun.”

While reincarnation is not specifically mentioned in this rik (verse), it is quite obvious that as a funerary rite, this would be referring to reincarnation.  Likewise, in theYajur Veda (Shukla) there is a much more direct reference to reincarnation.  This verse states:

savit? te shridebhyah prthivy?m lokamicchatu,

tasmai yujyantAmustriy?h.  Yajur Veda 35.2

“The sun God grants bodies in different births, according to your deeds, providing a happy or unhappy place on this earth.  May radiant beams prove helpful to you.”

Critics of Hinduism look to terms such as ‘Punarjanam’, which is commonly translated to mean reincarnation.  But the Vedas was not heard in this way, and did not include words just for the purpose of future intellectual arguments regarding dogma.  While punarjanam may not appear, the term ‘Punar’ and/or ‘Puna’ does commonly occur in the Vedas; these terms literally mean again or repeatedly.  In the Rig Veda, Punar/Puna commonly means back, return, opposite direction. While commonly used in the Vedas,  certainly these terms would not always be  references to just reincarnation so caution must be used with their application, though one can see in the first quote from above, the term  punah is used in context to reincarnation.  In later Vedic texts such as the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, it states, and I paraphrase:

“…having exhausted whatever works he did in this world, he comes again from that world to this world…” BU 4.4.6

Here is an example of the word ‘Punar’ being associated with returning again.

Even with a brief analysis, it become apparent that reincarnation is present within the Vedas, though it does require a little exploration see the references, as it is not written in such obvious details as one might write today.  Yet with only a little information, one can see that there are numerous indicators that reincarnation was an important part of the ancient Vedic tradition.

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