Pūrvābhyāsa
Pūrvābhyāsa · pūrva-abhyāsa, “practice in former births”
Grammar: masculine noun; pūrva (former) and abhyāsa (practice, repetition): “former practice”.
Meaning: the force of practice in former births: the habits of past lives that follow a person into the next birth, in mind, speech and body.
In the scriptures: Śukrācārya has warned Bali that Vāsudeva is coming to his yajña and that he should give him not even the tip of a blade of grass. Bali answers that he has never turned away an asker, and adds: “It is clearly known that, by the force of former practice, the habits of a former birth stay with one in the next birth too, in mind, speech and body.” At this time of the yajña, he says, he will tell a true account about the power of former practice, and he tells of Niśākara, the son of Kośakāra, who was the son of Mudgala Muni (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 64).
Niśākara remembers his births in order: first as the son of Vṛshākapi in the Bṛndāraka line, learned in all the śāstras, then as a tiger, a white donkey, a parrot and an ox, with long stays in naraka between them, and in every birth he died bound, as in this birth he was shut in a well. He tells his father: “By former practice, together with the knowledge of the śāstras, bondage also came along with me. Good and bad, svādhyāya (Vedic study), śāstra, livelihood, bondage or killing, any of these comes only from the practice of former births. For humans who have memory of their former births, pāpa ceases.” Free of pāpa, he goes to the forest for tapas (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 64).
Bali then applies the account to himself: “By the power of former practice, qualities such as dāna (giving) and adhyayana (study) become habit for humans. Dāna and adhyayana I practised in my former births; they do not leave me.” Dāna, tapas and adhyayana, and also theft, grave pāpa and house-burning, jñāna, dharma, artha, kāma, yaśas and kīrti (fame and glory): all come from deeds done before (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 64).
Related terms: Jātismara · Karma · Dāna · Adhyayana · Tapas
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 64