Sūtra 4.9

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 4.9:

जातिदेशकालव्यवहितानामप्यानन्तर्यं स्मृतिसंस्कारयोरेकरूपत्वात् ॥ ४.९ ॥

jātideśakālavyavahitānāmapyānantaryaṃ smṛtisaṃskārayorekarūpatvāt || 4.9 ||

(9) On account of similarity between memory and corresponding latent impressions,the subconscious impression of feeling appear simultaneously even if they are separated by birth, space and time.

Ancient and Modern interpretation:

[Read sūtras 2.12-17 first]

[Read sūtras 4.7-12—Karmasiddhānta now]

[Read sūtra 4.9 above]

Vyāsa gives,^[1] beautiful example to explain this.If a man, on account of evil deeds done is born as animal a hundred times and is born again as man.Now in spite of intermediate 100 animal births, he will carry the human vāsanā when born as a man again.

Osho explains,^[2]

“Because memories and impressions retain the same form,the relationship of cause and effect continues even though they are separated by class,locality and time.”

The ordinary death is death of a body,but Samādhi is death of mind.Then there is no seed to come back.

Karambelkar opines,^[3] due to this carry over of saṃskara over last so many births, many people remember their past life even if they are born in some other parts of world.

Recently modern science has also started accepting pre-natal experiences consciously undergone by mother alone, are imprinted in the mind of offspring in the fetus state. This theory was to be accepted due to origin of certain complexes could not be explained.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Araṇya, op.cit,p.359

[2]:

Osho, op.cit,p. 47

[3]:

Karambelkar, op.cit.,p.524