History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.358
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.358
- Language
- English
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The present author has read either wholly or partially the following modern works, mostly written by Western scholars on Karma and rebirth, that either offer remarks for or against that doctrine. The space at the author's disposal precludes any detailed statement about the objections raised against this doctrine in some of them. But a few important objections will be stated and will be briefly dealt with. The works read or consulted are: "Philosophy of the Upanishads" by Paul Deussen, translated by A. S. Geden (1906) pp. 313-338; *J. R. A S.* for 1906 pp. 586-593 and for 1907 pp. 665-72 on *modifications of the doctrine of Karma* by E. W. Hopkins; 'Transmigration of souls' by Alfred Berthelot, translated by H. J. Chaytor (Harper, London, 1909); 'Karma and redemption' by A. G Hogg (ed. of 1910); 'Religion and immortality' by G. Lowes Dickinson (Dent, 1911); 'Re-incarnation' by E.D. Walker (Rider and Co, London, 1913); this book contains extracts from Western authors (22 in number) on re-incarnation (pp. 63-124); there is also a long chapter (pp. 127-191) of extracts from Western Poetry on the same subject; he also deals with evidences of the doctrine in the Bible and early Christendom and a Bibliography on pp. 329-343; 'Fate and free will' by Ardesar Sorabji N. Wadia (Dent and Sons, London 1915).
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He states the problem to be 'whether fate by itself influences and directs the course of human evolution or freewill by itself or both fate and freewill working conjointly lay down the lines along which human progress must lie'. He states that it must be the one or the other and that it can never be both (p. 180). He himself believes in a fixed and determinist future; 'Immortality' essays on, by B.H. Streeter and others (Macmillan & Co. 1917); pp. 293-317 deal with re-incarnation and Karma by Miss Lily Dougall and pp. 317-341 deal with modern Theosophy which adopts the doctrines of re-incarnation and Karma, 'Religion and philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads' by A. B. Keith, vol. II. pp. 570-584; 'Karma and reincarnation’ by Paul Yevtic (Luzac & Co., London, 1927); L’Ame et le Dogme de la Transmigration dans les Livres Sacres de L’Inde ancienne’ by Eric de Henseler, Paris, 1928; ‘Some dogmas of Religion’ by McTaggart with Introduction by C. D. Broad (London, 1930 pp. 77–111 on ‘Human Immortality’), pp. 112–139 on human pre-existence, pp. 140–185 on Free Will; ‘Vicissitudes of karma doctrine’ by Prof. H. D. Bhattacharya in Malaviya Commemoration Volume (1932) pp. 491–525; ‘Reincarnation for every man’ by Shaw Desmond (Rider & Co., London). This work mentions in chap. VIII European great men that believed in this doctrine; ‘The scales of karma’ by Owen Rutter (London).
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This book contains numerous references to Greek and Roman writers and to modern English and German poets and philosophers from whose works extracts are cited for showing that they believed in Karma and reincarnation such as Shakespeare, Hume, Goethe, Wordsworth; ‘Indian Philosophy’, by Dr S. Radhakrishnan (1941) pp. 244–249, ‘The circle of life’ by Kenneth Walker (Jonathan Cape, London, 1942) chap. VIII and IX pp. 81–104, ‘Karma and re-birth’ by Christmas Humphreys (London, 1944); in chap. VII pp. 62–66 he tries to show that Schopenhauer, Tennyson, Browning, Rossetti and John Masefield, the English Poet Laureate, believe in this doctrine; ‘The problem of re-birth’ by Sri Aurobindo (Pondicherry, 1952); ‘The Brahmasūtras’ by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1959), pp. 194–207 of the Introduction; ‘The dogma of re-incarnation’ by J. E. Sanjana (New Book Co., Bombay, 1954) pp. 1–134 with an Appendix on the rationale of the dogma of rebirth, pp. 137–157. This is one of the largest and latest works on ‘re-incarnation’ that the present author read. Mr. Sanjana writes bitterly and sometimes in offensive language about those from whom he differs. He asserts that he is a true Zoroastrian and that ‘it can be said without any exaggeration and with the most perfect reason and justice that a man who believes in re-incarnation is not a true Zoroastrian’ (p. 125). None need quarrel with his first belief, but the latter part of the sentence invites serious consideration.
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He appears to aver that he has a monopoly of the true doctrines of Zoroastrianism and like the Roman Church and the Popes, that held that the true religion was only in their keeping and that all others (even those who believed in the Bible and Christ) were damned, holds that Zoroastrians believing in re-incarnation are apostates. I shall cite only one or two Parsi scholars who hold just the opposite view. Mr. R. F. Gorvala contributed a paper on the “Immortal Soul, its pre-existence, persistence after death and transmigration" to the Spiegel Commemoration Volume edited by no less a Parsi scholar than Dr. J. J. Modi (Bombay, 1908) pp. 99-124, in which he states (p. 124) 'that the Hindu doctrine of the transmigration of the soul influenced the faith of the ancient Zoroastrians *in all times*. Indeed the struggle between Good and Evil could not end in the triumph of the former if but one brief life was the only time given for the fight.' Vide also 'Philosophy of Zoroastrianism' by Faredun K. Dadachanji (Bombay, Times of India Press, 1941) pp. 108-133, particularly pp. 116 ff. Mr. Sanjana seems to have been much upset by the fact that some Parsis, who were scholars of Avesta and Sanskrit, became Theosophists and admirers of Mrs. Besant and other famous personages in the Theosophist movement. Nearly half the main book of 129 pages is concerned with the criticisms (sometimes extremely offensive) of the doings and writings of Madame Blavatsky (pp. 28-42), Mrs. Besant (pp. 43-51), C.
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W. Leadbeater (pp. 57-59), A. P. Sinnett and others (like Col. Olcott and Mr. K. A. K. Iyer, author of 'Vedanta), W. Q Judge and a Gujarati book of an unnamed scholar (pp. 59-73). On pp. 82-88 he deals with McTaggart, G. L. Dickinson and W. Lutosowski (Polish writer who claims that he remembers his many past lives). Mr. Sanjana returns (pp. 89-103) to the charge against the Theosophists and the storms and eruptions in the Theosophical society and considers some works on Sufism also (pp. 106-115). He emphasises the good points of Zoroastrianism as certified by W. B. Henning, J. W. Waterhouse and Hopkins. He does not devote much thought to the objections, more or less insuperable, against all monotheistic religions with a personal God in such works as Hobhouse's 'Morals in Evolution' part 2, though in the appendix (on p. 140) he has to admit that no satisfactory answer can be given to the question why an omnipotent and omniscient God should allow Evil to exist. He contrasts Zoroaster's religion and philosophy with Hinduism and Buddhism and winds up with an article by Winternitz (pp. 119-121) and then ends on an illuminating personal note in which he confesses (p 126) that he in his youth was particularly attracted by the doctrine of re-incarnation eloquently propounded by Mrs. Besant, but later he became sceptical about what was said by Mrs. Besant. Neophytes generally indulge in opprobrious language for the cult once ardently professed by them and later abjured and Mr.
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Sanjana seems to be no exception to this. I may mention here only one or two instances of his language against Theosophists: