DOCTRINE OF KARMA AND REBIRTH IN AYURVEDA – A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHTS

Sukalyan Ray*, Soumyadip Saha, Sumana Ray Paul

The doctrine of karma and rebirth holds one of the most central positions among all theistic and atheistic philosophical thoughts as well as moral and social traditions of India. Ayurveda also adopted these two doctrines as one of its fundamental metaphysical concepts. The views of Ayurveda regarding these doctrines, especially of Charaka Samhita, are inspired by various philosophical schools, among them Vedanta is the most important one. According to this text, we have to experience the consequence of our every past action which was performed, not for any undone actions; also, every consequence of any action depends on the moral quality of that particular action. Both of these two doctrines are used to explain multiple fundamental queries like the basis of moral conduct, the root cause of our misery, pathophysiology of many idiopathic and hereditary diseases, the process of transmigration of self from one body to another, the eternity of the self and the concept of salvation etc. The doctrine of karma has been used to establish the theory of rebirth, where different epistemological evidences are placed in support of this theory.  Many of the understanding of Charaka Samhita regarding these two doctrines can be reverified by applying the observations made by different ancient philosophers, modern thinkers as well as recent researchers.