REINCARNATION, IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, AND SALVATION IN PYTHAGORAS

Abstract

Pythagoras was a renowned Greek philosopher and mathematician who founded the Pythagorean movement and devised a theorem known by his name. He was interested in mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, and music. The term "Pythagorean" is used to refer to esoteric and metaphysical beliefs that Pythagoras embraced.

              The principles of Pythagoras existed earlier, as evidenced by Aristotle, but were known as "symbola." Originally, they were few in number and were primarily literary phenomena rather than being connected to individuals who practiced them directly.

              Pythagoras believed that everything is made of numbers, and that mathematics is the key to understanding the surrounding world. He also believed that some symbols have inner significance, and that society must maintain secrecy. He revered the number ten, which he considered the symbol of perfection, and stated that the universe consists of the harmony between number and melody.

              One of Pythagoras's main beliefs was the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, the idea that the human spirit moves to another body after death, whether human or animal. He believed that the human soul could inhabit an animal body and then transfer back to a human body, with the breath moving between humans and animals without losing its essence, and that the soul remains the same regardless of the different bodies it inhabits. He also believed that the soul is reborn after death, and he told his followers about this.

              Furthermore, he believed that the soul resides in the brain and is immortal. He held that the immortality of the soul is an essential part of the doctrine of reincarnation.

              He also believed in salvation based on certain beliefs about the soul. Since the soul is polluted by being imprisoned within the body, it is compelled to pass through an infinite series of reincarnations—from one animal body to another—until it is purified from this pollution. In this sense, salvation consists of freeing the soul from the cycle of birth and death, and then reincarnation, which is a common cycle shared by all souls. Completing this purification or enlightenment allows the soul to be liberated from the chains of the body and from successive reincarnations, restoring its original perfection and its right to remain eternally with the gods. This is the reward that the Pythagorean doctrine offers to its novice followers. He believed that philosophy defined the purification that ultimately leads to the salvation of the soul.