Gymnosophists etc.

[dmenon at pacific.net.sg]

There is a well known legend about transmigration associated with a historic
figure in India - Adi Sankarachaarya. Perhaps someone more knowledgable can
comment on the storey.

Regards...Devadas

At 11:27 AM 5/10/96 BST, you wrote:
>Luis Arnold Gonzales wrote:
>>
>>The idea that transmigration could have been an ancient Indo European
>>esoteric tradition that later surfaced in different corners of the IE
>>world, but became more important in India, is interesting.  However, what
>>solid evidence do we have that, even in India, it was important at an
>>early stage, before the punar-mRtyu of the BRrhadAraNnyaka UpaniSad?
>>
>
>As far as I remember, when transmigration is introduced in a dialogue
>between Yajnavalkya and another philosopher (I don't remember exactly, but
>possible the Chandogya), it is introduced as a kind of secret teaching.
>This hardly constitutes "hard proof" that transmigration was part of an
>esoteric Indo-European heritage, but I think the possibility should be
>considered.
>
>I will, however, readily admit one thing: Scholars tend to try to explain a
>given problem by means of the intellectual tools with which they are well
>acquainted. People with a love for comparative IE linguistics, like myself,
>would of course go looking for indications of a common heritage, whereas
>others, who do not have the same background, will go looking for other
>explanations more in tune with their own educational profiles. This is why
>I find this discussion so interesting.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Lars Martin Fosse
>
>
>
>Lars Martin Fosse
>Research Fellow
>Department of East European
>and Oriental Studies
>P. O. Box 1030, Blindern
>N-0315 OSLO Norway
>
>Tel: +47 22 85 68 48
>Fax: +47 22 85 41 40
>
>E-mail: l.m.fosse at easteur-orient.uio.no
>
>
>
>