History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.192

v7.c95.192

This whole passage (Br. Up. IV. 4 5-7) is the leading, the oldest and the clearest passage on the doctrine of transmigration in the Upanisads. There are several others of similar import. At the end of the story about Yājñavalkya and Ārtabhāga referred to above (where Yājñavalkya discussed with Āratbhāga alone in private the question as to what happens to a man when the body dies) the Upaniṣad states 'what they said was Karma alone, what they praised was Karma alone viz.²⁵¹⁰ that a man becomes good by good works and evil by evil works.' These two are the fundamental passages which express the reason and motive that lie at the basis of the doctrine of transmigration.