Moment to Speak

The concept of birth and death in Sanatan Dharma (eternal order or righteousness) is related to the transmigration or reincarnation of the Ā tman (inner self, inner spirit, or soul). The Ātman , within every being, has no birth or death; it is eternal. Birth and death are stages in the life process. The essence of the life process is the self, the immortal Ā tman . Self is the atman within every being and not the objects outside. The purpose of the perceiver is to perceive the Ā tman . The doctrine of reincarnation and transmigration of the soul goes beyond the conception of believing we are our physical bodies. That way of subjecting oneself to the perpetual revolving in the ocean of material existence known as life and death. In the Greek philosophical tradition, particularly among the Pythagoreans ,  the doctrine of transmigration of soul is based on the belief that the soul is immortal and that it migrates from one living body to another upon its death. It asserts tha...

The Self is the Ātman  (inner self or inner spirit) within every being and not the objects outside. The purpose of the perceiver is to perceive the Ā tman . The inner spirit is eternal, invisible, imperishable, and unchanging. It exists beyond the grasp of our ordinary senses and can only be perceived by a true perceiver. Self-realised beings, with their senses turned away from sense objects, see the  Ā tman within. They are not obligated to fulfil their social responsibilities, as they are situated in knowledge of the self and execute higher responsibilities of the soul. Even if they are not obligated to do so, they still discharge their social responsibilities, as inaction is more dangerous than action taken in good faith. The Katha Upanishad (a conversation between the sage Naciketas and Yama (god of death) highlights on the need for perception by the true perceiver. parāñci khāni vyatṛṇatsvayambhūstasmātparāṅpaśyati nāntarātman | kaściddhīraḥ pratyagātmānamaikṣad...

  Kāla (Time) , in the  Sanatana Dharma  (eternal order or righteousness), is perceived as eternal, cyclical, degenerative as well as regenerative, and is closely related to the concept of atman  ( nner self, or inner spirit). Kāla (Time) is a powerful force of the Supreme Being, so says the Srimad Bhagavad Gita , that creates, sustains, destroys, and recreates everything in this material world. kālo ’smi loka-kṣhaya-kṛit pravṛiddho lokān samāhartum iha pravṛittaḥ ṛite ’pi tvāṁ na bhaviṣhyanti sarve ye ’vasthitāḥ pratyanīkeṣhu yodhāḥ Sri Krishna says I am mighty kāla (Time), the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds. Even without your participation, the warriors arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to exist. In response to Arjun’s question regarding who he is, Sri Krishna reveals his nature as all-powerful Time, the destroyer of the universe. The word kāla is derived from kalayati , which is synonymous with gaṇayati , meaning "to...