▁Indian ▁religious ▁trad itions . ▁ ▁E sch at ological ▁ideas ▁evol ved ▁in ▁H indu ism . ▁In ▁earliest ▁V edic ▁literature , ▁heaven ▁and ▁hell ▁su ffic ed ▁s ot eri ological ▁curios ities . ▁Over ▁time , ▁the ▁ancient ▁sch ol ars ▁observed ▁that ▁people ▁vary ▁in ▁the ▁quality ▁of ▁virt uous ▁or ▁sin ful ▁life ▁they ▁lead , ▁and ▁began ▁question ing ▁how ▁differences ▁in ▁each ▁person ' s ▁pu ṇ ya ▁( mer it , ▁good ▁de eds ) ▁or ▁p ā p ▁( de mer it , ▁sin ) ▁as ▁human ▁be ings ▁affected ▁their ▁after life . ▁This ▁question ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁conception ▁of ▁an ▁after life ▁where ▁the ▁person ▁stayed ▁in ▁heaven ▁or ▁hell , ▁in ▁proportion ▁to ▁their ▁mer it ▁or ▁de mer it , ▁then ▁returned ▁to ▁earth ▁and ▁were ▁re born , ▁the ▁cycle ▁continu ing ▁in def initely . ▁The ▁reb irth ▁idea ▁ultimately ▁flow ered ▁into ▁the ▁ideas ▁of ▁sa ṃ s ā ra , ▁or ▁transm igration ▁- ▁where ▁one ' s ▁balance ▁sheet ▁of ▁kar ma ▁determined ▁one ' s ▁reb irth . ▁Al ong ▁with ▁this ▁idea ▁of ▁sa ṃ s ā ra , ▁the ▁ancient ▁sch ol ars ▁developed ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁m ok sha , ▁as ▁a ▁state ▁that ▁released ▁a ▁person ▁from ▁the ▁sa ṃ s ā ra ▁cycle . ▁M ok sha ▁release ▁in ▁es chat ological ▁sense ▁in ▁these ▁ancient ▁literature ▁of ▁H indu ism , ▁suggests ▁van ▁B uit enen ,