Panchagni Vidya
पञ्चाग्निविद्या pañcāgni-vidyā'The knowledge of the five fires,' a teaching in the Chandogya Upanishad (5.3-10) that describes the journey of the self through a cosmic cycle and sets out the two afterlife paths, the devayana and the pitryana. One of the oldest detailed accounts of rebirth in Hindu scripture.
Where this term appears
- What happens after death in Hinduism? Essentials
In the Chandogya Upanishad , in the teaching called the Panchagni Vidya , the "knowledge of the five fires," the sage describes the journey of the self through a cosmic cycle and then sets out two great roads t…
- Why do Hindus cremate their dead? Essentials
In the Chandogya Upanishad , the doctrine called the Panchagni Vidya , the "knowledge of the five fires," maps the whole cosmos as a series of five sacrificial fires into which the gods pour offerings, and the …
- The vehicle Treatise
In the fifth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad , and again in the sixth chapter of the Brihadaranyaka , there is a teaching the tradition calls the panchagni vidya , the doctrine of the five fires.