We continue our journey through the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, seeking small but powerful insights to carry into our daily lives. In our last discussion, we explored Sūtra 2.9, which introduced the concept of abhiniveśa (अभिनिवेशः)—the deeply ingrained fear of death. Unlike rāga (रागः) and dveśa (द्वेषः), which arise from our personal experiences and memories of pleasure and pain, abhiniveśa assumes some inherent memory of death itself. Many commentators argue that this suggests evidence for reincarnation.
This leads us naturally into a broader discussion of karma (कर्म) and reincarnation (punarjanma पुनर्जन्म). In a previous episode, we touched on the four types of karma:
- Sanchita Karma (संचित कर्म) – The accumulated karma from past lives.
- Prarabdha Karma (प्रारब्ध कर्म) – The portion of past karma that is currently being experienced.
- Kriyamana Karma (क्रियमाण कर्म) – The karma we are creating in this moment through our actions.
- Agami Karma (आगामि कर्म) – The karma that will affect future lives.
Karma is deeply intertwined with reincarnation. The general belief is that good karma leads to a better rebirth, while bad karma leads to a more challenging one—maybe even returning as a frog! 🐸 (Who knows?) Alongside karma, we encounter the concept of samsāra (संसार)—the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. After death, the soul transmigrates, carrying forward the impressions and consequences of past actions.
The spiritual teachers Christopher Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda address how difficult this idea can be for many people. Reincarnation and karma imply total personal responsibility. If we accept that our present situation is the result of our past actions, we can no longer blame others—our parents, our circumstances, or even fate—for where we are. This is a difficult but liberating truth. They write:
"This doctrine of reincarnation, which at first seems so grim and heartless, actually implies a profoundly optimistic belief in the justice and order of the Universe. If it is we, and not God, our parents, or our fellow men, who have made our present predicament, then it is we who can change it. We have no excuse for self-pity, no reason for despair. We are not helplessly doomed, we are under no mysterious pre-natal curse. 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars...'"
At the end of the day, the message is simple. Swami Sivananda, a great yogi from Northern India, sums it up perfectly:
"Do good, be good."
Om, Peace, Out! 🙏