[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Reference works](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference) › [Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975) › c8.2710 # Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.2710 Purāṇic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Purāṇic Literature c8.2710 - **Language:** English ### [c8.2710](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975.c8.2710) PUNARJANMA. It is the theory that the soul of a man is born again after his death. The Purāṇas and Vedas contain many statements regarding this of which the following are a few : 1) What is Death? When the Jīvātmā (soul) of an individual leaves his body with all its upādhis (attributes and adjuncts) it is called Death. By upādhis are meant the following four things. (i) Mind and the senses. (ii) The five Prāṇas namely Prāṇa, Apāna, Udāna, Vyāna and Samāna. (iii) The Sūkṣmaśarīra, that is, the Prāṇa-manovijñānakośa saṅghāta (the subtle body that is invisible with the grosser elements). (iv) Karman (action). All these four follow the soul even after his death. Only when the soul attains mokṣa (salvation) do the upādhis leave it. It is the life breath Udāna that guides the soul out of the body. It is the Sūkṣmaśarīra that gives heat to the body while there is life and that is why when the soul leaves the body with the upādhis the body becomes cold. 2) After death. When the soul leaves the body with the upādhis it becomes active again and its activities and movements depend upon the actions of the soul while living. The spiritual actions of the individual are classified into three. (i) Aparabrahmapāsana. He who has done all his deeds according to scriptural injunctions is said to be one who has done upāsana of aparabrahma. When such an individual dies his soul with all the upādhis attains Candra. He goes to Candra through dhūma (smoke), rātri (night), Kṛṣṇapakṣa (the dark fortnight), dakṣiṇāyanakāla (the sun’s passage south of the equator), pitṛloka (world of the manes) and Ākāśa (ether). He enjoys the rewards of the deeds done on earth there and reserving some to be enjoyed or suffered in his next birth the soul with the upādhis comes back to earth to enter another body. The soul comes back to earth through ether, vāyu, dhūma, megha, varṣa, vrīhi, yava, auṣadhi, vṛkṣa, Tila, Puruṣabīja and strīgarbha. When the Jīvātmā goes to Candra its padārthatva (attribute) diminishes and when it comes back to earth it increases gradually. Thus the jīvātmā takes thousands of births going to and from the moon. The jīvātmā coming back from the moon evolves from a plant to man. Plants are the food of man and the soul entering the plant enters the puruṣabīja (semen virile) through food. The souls coming out as rebirths do accept wombs according to a definite principle. In the order of the merit of their good deeds on earth they are born in Brahmin, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya or Śūdra wombs. The souls with great sins are born as worms and insects. This passage of the soul from earth to Candra and vice versa is called Pitṛyāna. - [Previous: c8.2709](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975.c8.2709) - [Next: c8.2711](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975.c8.2711) - [Up: c8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975.c8) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975.c8.2710](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.reference.mani-1975.c8.2710) · Pramāṇa