Hi Ven Yuttadhammo,



Another question, though: if the

> "gandharva" is in the womb as well, is it really referring to an
> antarabhava?
>

The gandharva has a broad range of associations in the Vedic;
sometimes it appears as a spirit being, deva, ancestor, etc. In some
of these uses it seems as if it might take a role similar to what
Buddhists regard as the antarabhava, although the Vedic/Upanishadic
idea of death and the afterlife is quite different from the
Buddhist, much more varied, with almost every source seeming to
offer quite different views. As i mentioned above, i think the usage
of the gandhabba in the Majjhima doesn't really prove anything one
way or the other about the antarabhava, although it is suggestive.
That the Rig Veda quote above speaks of the gandharva in the womb
shows that the idea was closely connected with birth, probably
rebirth, and thus connects with the Buddhist usage, although it is
probably not identical.

I'm off on retreat for a few days tomorrow, so no more postings for
a while from me!

in Dhamma

Bhante Sujato