Seeing in Eternal Return: Hermeneutical Perspectives on Karma and Rebirth

Abstract

This article is a reflection on a conception of death, that of karma and rebirth, and its value in interpreting one’s life. I have thought about this conception in two ways. The first is that I can see the circumstances of my life as the result of causes of which I was the agent, and the second is that I can see my life and the relationships in my life as part of a much larger narrative that began before this life. Through an examination of Vaishnava and Advaita theology, Nyāya philosophy, and some Puranic and Epic texts, I argue for an interpretation of karma and rebirth as a rational system that allows one to see relationships as involving many layers of complexity.

Keywords

• rebirth
• Rāmānuja
• Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
• eschatology
• karma
• saṃsāra
• hermeneutics
• Indian philosophy
• Uddyotakara (Nyāya)
• pratyābhijña
• Advaita (Sureśvara)