By Jayaram
The concept of Karma is India's unique contribution to the
world. Hinduism, Buddhism
and Jainism, the major religions of the world which originated
in India, all acknowledge the universality of the law of karma
in their own individual ways. According to Jainism, karma is
not just a metaphysical law, but a real substance which flows
into people and attaches itself to them like an impurity as
they engage in various actions. People are born again and again
till they rid themselves of the karmic substance. According to
Buddhism, Karma is an eternal law, which is responsible for the
births and deaths and the suffering of beings in the causative
world or samsara. While no one can really be free from the law
of karma, people can minimize its negative impact by leading a
righteous life, following the Eightfold Path. According to the
three religions, the law of karma is applicable not only to
humans but all beings, including plants, animals and
microorganisms. The early Vedic people were not familiar with
the concept of karma. However they had an ethical sense and
awareness of dharma (divine justice) and righteous actions.
They believed that by pleasing the divinities and performing
ritual acts in a prescribed manner, men could enter the higher
worlds, by the path of the moon or that of the sun according to
their deeds. It is difficult to say whether they believed in
the rebirth or reincarnation of souls. Probably they did not.
The Origin and Development Of The Concept Of Karma
The concept of karma entered Hinduism through ancient
non-vedic sects such as Saivism and Bhagavatism and the old
Samkhya school. Saivism recognized karma as one of the three
impurities1
responsible for the bondage of individual souls. It emphasized
that only by the grace of Siva or a guru who had realized Him,
individual souls could free themselves from the impurities and
attain liberation. For a considerable period of time, ancient
religious sects of India debated on the question of
whether it was fate or free will which shaped the lives of
people upon earth. Those who believed in fatalism, such as the
followers of Ajivikas, argued that everything in the world was
predetermined and that there was nothing an individual could do
other than accepting his lot passively and following the order
of things (niyati) as they were. Those who believed in karma
argued that man was endowed with free will and that he could
change the course of his life, if he wanted, through his
actions. They believed that desire ridden and egoistic thoughts
and actions were responsible for the suffering of individual
souls and their corporeal existence. According to them fate was
a product of one's own actions and what might look like the
intervention of chance in case of some individuals was actually
a result of their previous actions done either in their present
lives or in their previous ones.
It was the latter opinion that gained ground through the
popularity of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Even Sikhism,
which is the most recent of all Indian religions, accepts karma
as an inseparable reality of earthly life. Today if there is
one concept that is deeply ingrained in the consciousness of
Hindus, and for that matter a vast number of Indians, and
influences their thinking and actions so deeply, it is
undoubtedly the concept of Karma. They may not think of it
constantly while they perform their daily chores, but it is
there, deep in their subconscious minds, like a self-regulating
mechanism, influencing their lives and actions. Hindus believe
in the inviolable law of karma and its binding nature. Whether
they are literate or illiterate, they honor it and respect it.
It makes them feel responsible for their lives and accept their
lot rather poignantly.
The Meaning And Purpose Of Karma
Generally speaking, karma means any action. "Kar" means
organs of action and "ma" means producing or creating2.
So literally speaking, karma is that which is created or
produced by one's physical organs. However karma does not mean
only physical actions. Mental actions also constitute karma.
Hindus believe that thought has the power to create things and
impact others. Harmful thoughts directed at others have the
ability to hurt not only others but also the person who has
unleashed them. Since ancient Hindus used mantras for
everything and the mantras had great power and potency to make
or break things, the practice of yoga became necessary to
stabilize the minds and the thoughts of those who had the
knowledge of the mantras and the ability to use them
effectively. Ancient rishis had the power to materialize things
through their thought power. Their blessing were as potent as
their curses. When they cursed others, they lost a good part of
their spiritual powers and had to spend a great deal of time to
regain them by performing severe austerities and penances
(tapas).
The karma incurred by a person through his actions
determines the course of his life upon earth and his
progression into the higher worlds. Since karma is a correcting
and regulating mechanism, our actions have the potential to
mitigate our suffering or intensify it. Karma is meant to teach
us lessons. If we learn quickly, we will make progress towards
perfection. If not we will be presented with much harder
options till we realize our mistakes and correct them. Good
deeds result in inner peace and happiness while bad deeds
result in negative consequences for ourselves and our dependent
souls.
Is Inaction Also Karma ?
Since both action and inaction have consequences, the law of
Karma is equally reticent about what we do or do not do in our
lives intentionally. We all are aware of the importance of
inaction or non-performance of certain actions in our lives.
What we do in this life intentionally is as important for our
future as what we do not do intentionally. Both produced
positive and negative consequences according to the choices we
make. If we shun evil actions, we earn good karma. But if we
shun good actions also or if we do not respond righteously or
adequately to evil in our lives and environment for some
personal or selfish reasons, we may suffer from the
consequences of our passive complicity and cowardice. We have
to be therefore very careful about our intentions and sincerity
behind our actions and inaction. The Bhagavadgita touches upon
this subject in the following verse (Ch 4:17 & 18).
"Certainly one should have a clear knowledge of what is
action, what is inaction and what is wrong action, for
mysterious are the ways of action.
"He who sees action in inaction and inaction in action,
is wise among all men. He is the accomplished yogi who has
succeeded in performing actions.
References To Karma In The Hindu Scriptures
References to the concept of karma is found copiously in the
scriptures of Hinduism. Almost all of them identify desires as
the root cause of our suffering and caution us against actions
that are motivated by desires. The scriptures leave no doubt
that every living being, including gods and celestial beings
are bound by the law of karma.
Upanishads
Although the Upanishads focus mainly on transcendental
reality and the nature of Atman and Brahman, some of the early
text do contain some references to the concept of karma and the
importance of doing good deeds. The following passage found in
the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is perhaps one of the earliest
references to the subject of karma in the Hindu scriptures.
" Accordingly as one behaves so does he become. The doer
of good becomes good, the doer of evil becomes evil. One
becomes virtuous by virtuous actions. Others become bad by bad
actions." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Chapter 4, Brahmana 4,
Verse 5)
The next passage in the same verse identifies desire
as the root cause of all human activity.
"Others however say that a person consists of desires. As
is his desire, so is his will. As is his will so is the deed he
does. Whatever deed he does that he attains."
The following verse in the same Upanishad deals with the
consequences of actions performed by people out of desire.
According to it, deeds attach themselves to the soul and go to
the other world upon its departure, where they determine its
further existence.
The object to which the mind is attached, the subtle
self goes together with the deed, being attached to it alone.
Exhausting the results of whatever works he did in the world
he comes again from that world to this world for (fresh)
work. This is for him who desires. But he who does not
desire...his breaths do not depart. Being Brahman he goes to
Brahman."
In the Svetasvatara Upanishad there are many passages that
deal with the subject of karma such as the following, which
declares that the embodied self wanders in this world and
assumes many forms and lives according to its karma.
"Because of thoughts, touch, sight and passions, and
because of the availability of food and drink there are the
birth and growth for the individual soul. The embodied soul
assumes various forms in various places according to the nature
of his deeds.. (Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 5 and Verse 11)
The Bhagavadgita
In the Bhagavadgita there is an entire chapter dealing with
the subject of karma yoga or the yoga of action. The scripture
repeatedly emphasizes the binding nature of desire ridden
actions and how we can free ourselves from the consequences of
such actions. It affirms God as the real Doer. In the
scripture, Lord Krishna informs Arjuna, His disciple, that our
actions arise from our desires, which in turn are caused by the
triple gunas or qualities that are inherent in us and in the
entire creation, namely sattva, rajas and tamas. Karma binds
each soul to the cycle of births and deaths till it manages to
find a way out by surrendering itself to God completely and
unconditionally and by performing actions without desire and
without any expectation.
"He who is free from attachment, who is liberated, whose
mind is established in knowledge, whose actions are but
actions of sacrifice only, his actions are completely
dissolved.
"His offering is Brahman, his oblation is Brahman,
his sacrificial fire is Brahman, the sacrificer is Brahman. He
certainly attains Brahman who finds Brahman situated in all
activities. (Bhagavadgita Ch 4: Verse 23 and 24)
The Puranas
We cannot fail to notice the symbolic representation of
desire in the Hindu Puranas and Hindu mythology and how it
motivates people and gods alike in
performing various kinds of actions. Desire was the great
serpent Vrata that Indra slew. Desire was the dark serpent Kali
whom Krishna tamed after a bitter fight and on whose head He
danced, symbolizing His complete mastery. Desire was the
mischievous god of lust whom Siva reduced to ashes with His
third eye. Desire again was the reason why Kaikeyi decided to
insist upon Lord Rama going to the forest. Desire and ambition
made Dhritarashtra, the father of the Kauravas, to remain
passive while his sons indulged in evil actions to usurp the
throne from their cousins, the Pandavas. Desire ruined the life
of Ahalya and the wives of Rishis when they succumbed to the
temptations of gods. Desire made Varudhini seduce Pravarakhya,
her father's sincere disciple. So it was in case of Yami who
approached her her own brother Yama with lustful intentions.
Even Brahma, the creator, was overcome with desire to marry
Saraswathi, the goddess of learning, who was his own creation.
It was because of the desire to outdo each other, the gods and
demons fought with each other several times. It was out of the
desire to achieve immortality the gods and demons churned the
ocean and extracted amrita or the elixir of life. Desire is the
multi-headed Adishesha on which Lord Vishnu rests, while the
Goddess of wealth, whom every one covets, sits at His feet.
True to the tradition, it was desire which Lord Buddha,
Mahavira and later Guru Nanak identified as the root cause of
all human suffering.
Which Karma is Binding?
According to the tenets of Hinduism, actions performed out
of desires bind man. Actions that are rooted in ignorance also
bind us. Even the most natural acts like breathing and sleeping
are part of our karma. Our minds and bodies are made of the
various principles or tattvas of Nature. Actions arising out of
our inborn qualities3
are also binding.
"But he who has qualities and is the doer of deeds that
bear fruit, he is the enjoyer, surely of the consequences of
whatever he has done. Assuming all forms characterized by the
qualities, treading the three paths he, the ruler of the vital
breaths wanders about according to his deeds. "(Svetavatara
Upanishad V.7).
In the Bhagavadgita we see a more detailed description of
the nature and manner in which our actions arise and impact our
lives individually and collectively. According to the
scripture, contact with the sense objects results in
attachment. Our attachment is responsible for our
desires. From desire comes anger. Out of anger comes delusion.
Delusion leads to confusion of memory and confusion of memory
in turn leads to the loss of buddhi or discrimination. With the
loss of buddhi man perishes. (Bhagavadgita, Chapter II).
Non-Action Is No Solution
If our actions are responsible for our karmic consequences,
it follows logically that by inaction we can resolve the
problem of karma and break the chain of cause and effect.
However it is not true. Non-action is not a solution to the
problem of karma because firstly it is practically
impossible to live without doing something even for a moment.
Even when we are seemingly inactive, there are still some
activities that take place in us like breathing, thinking,
blood circulation, digestion and so on. Secondly as we
discussed in the previous paragraphs, deliberate inaction may
sometime produce negative and harmful consequences.
Renunciation of Desire
Actions by themselves do not cause bondage. It is the
attitude with which we perform our actions that is more
important. Good actions does not necessarily always produced
good consequences. Our morals and values are relative. Killing
a person in the battle field is valor. But killing him on the
street is a mortal sin. So the context and the intention with
which we perform our actions are important. Equally
important is the reason why do them. Work done with an egoistic
attitude, with a desire to enjoy its fruit, results in our
suffering and bondage to the cycle of births and deaths. The
Bhagavadgita makes this point very clear in the following
verse.
Certainly one should have a clear knowledge of what is
action, what is inaction and what is wrong action, for
mysterious are the ways of action. (Bhagavadgita Ch4:17)
Then what is the solution? Again we find a clear answer in
the scripture:
"He whose all undertakings are devoid of desires, whose
actions are burnt in the fire of knowledge, he is declared as
a scholar by the wise.
"Renouncing all attachment to the fruits of his actions,
ever satisfied, without seeking shelter or protection,
depending upon nothing, he certainly does nothing though he is
engaged in actions. (Bhagavadgita Ch4:19-20)
We have to realize that actions by themselves do not bind
us. God Himself is a dynamic and active Principle. Our world is
a world of movements and living within it we cannot remain
inactive. We cannot control the world or its myriad things. But
we can control our actions and our thoughts and desires behind
them. We can change the way we think about ourselves or the way
we look for security through material things. We can also
relinquish our doer-ship, acknowledging sincerely that we are
mere instruments in the hands of the divine and that He is the
real Doer.
Accepting God As The Doer
The law of karma does not apply to God because He is
complete in Himself and there is nothing that He desires or
does not have. He is all, is in all and around all. Actions do
not bind Him as He performs all His actions without desire and
without attachment. As the Indweller of everything, He is at
the center of all our actions and inaction. His will reigns
supreme. All that is here and and whatever we have moves
according to His inviolable Will. He is also as the true
enjoyer (bhogi) of the results of our actions. The whole
creation exists for His enjoyment. He is the Creator and also
the created. He makes the offering, is the offering and also
the recipient of the offering. He is the priest who performs
the rituals, the things that are offered in the rituals, the
divinities who receive the offerings, the people who
participate in it and also the mysterious and silent witness
watching all these things simultaneously. So the first and most
important step in freeing ourselves form the consequences of
our actions is to acknowledge the supreme Will of God and
surrender to Him unconditionally.
Make Your Life A Sacrificial Offering To God
Renunciation, detachment and sacrifice go hand in hand with
the true virtues of self-surrender, faith and selflessness. The
best way to renounce the fruit of our actions is to make an
offering of it to God with humility, devotion and detachment.
In the very first verse of the Isa Upanishad, we come to know
why we should live in this world with a sense of sacrifice.
All this is inhabited by God, whatever that moves here
in this moving universe. Therefore by renunciation alone enjoy
all things. Do not covet what belongs to others. (Isa 1.1)
When the whole universe is inhabited by God and everything
belongs to Him, what else is there that we can call as our own?
Can we hope to own something that is not ours? True enjoyment,
according to the Upanishad, is possible only when we free
ourselves from the burden of ownership and egoism and transfer
our problems and responsibilities to God, surrendering
ourselves unconditionally to Him. When we detach ourselves from
all the bonds, we become free from the compulsion of carrying
our burdens entirely upon our shoulders and in that freedom we
begin to enjoy our earthly existence.
True Renunciation Is An Attitude
Renunciation does not mean that one should leave behind
everything physically and live a reclusive and depressed life
of self-negation and self-denial. Mental renunciation of things
and ownership is much more important than the outward and
superficial renunciation. One has to be inwardly free from the
encumbrances and burdens of life, without feeling oppressed or
intimated by the suffering that is part of our existence. It
means that one should live with the spirit of renunciation and
inner detachment and enjoy life as it comes, without any
preferences, expectations and the need to own and possess or
promote oneself. We find this theme in the next verse of the
same Upanishad.
Always performing works here (with the spirit of
renunciation) one should wish to live a hundred years. There
is no other way by which karma would not adhere to you." (Isa
I.2).
A similar idea is echoed by Lord Krishna in the
Bhagavadgita, when He suggests that it is not renunciation of
action but renunciation of the fruit of action which is the key
to liberation.
"By renouncing mentally all his actions, the
self-controlled karma yogi lives happily in the city of nine
gates( the body) neither doing anything nor making other do
any thing. (Bhagavadgita Chapter 5:13)
Actions performed without desire do not bind man to the
cycle of births and deaths. Actions performed without any
seeking do not bind.
"He who is free from attachment, who is liberated, whose
mind is established in knowledge, whose actions are but
actions of sacrifice only, his actions are completely
dissolved." (Bhagavadgita Chapter 4:22)
Therefore if one wants to remain free from the consequences of
ones actions, one should perform them with a sense of
detachment, without any desire for their fruit, surrendering
oneself completely to God and offering all His actions to Him,
acknowledging him as the real doer.
The Consequences of Karma
There is no definite time frame in which the karma of an
individual bears fruit. The consequences of one's action may
manifest immediately or after a certain gap. In the latter case
it may happen in this life time or in some future birth. This
mechanism explain clearly reasons for the sudden and
inexplicable ups downs in our lives.
In the course of its long existence, which may stretch over
millions of years, an individual soul carries the burden of its
own karma upon its shoulders, like a baggage from its past.
This is a baggage which no one can just leave behind. It is
something that keeps growing continuously and uninterruptedly
during our existence upon earth as we cannot live here without
doing something each moment of our lives. And as we have seen
earlier, it even follows us in death to the other world.
According to Hindu beliefs, when a person of good deeds
dies, he goes to the next world through the path of light and
enjoys the heavenly pleasures. When his karma is completely
exhausted, he returns to the earth to continue his life again.
A person of evil deeds on the other hand goes to the darker
world through the path of darkness and suffers there till he
exhausts his bad karma and returns to the earth.
In either case karma is a binding factor and has to be
exhausted. It does not liberate man. It offers no greater
rewards except temporary relief. It may provide temporary
distractions for the embodied souls, but keeps them confined to
the illusory world. What leads to their permanent liberation is
the renunciation of the doer-ship and detachment from the
fruits of their actions.
Does Belief In Karma Make One Fatalistic?
The answer is certainly no. If you truly believe in the
theory of karma you will not lead a passive and irresponsible
life. You will live and act with the understanding and the
belief that every event and circumstance in your life is your
own creation. You will take responsibility for your life and
your actions. You will become more sensitive and mindful to
what you are doing and live ethically, staying as far as
possible on the right side of things. You will listen to your
conscience and do things that are good for you and others. You
will not blame others for your problems or expect others to
come and save you. You will not live and act like a victim of
your circumstances. Nor you will try to victimize others as you
know the consequences of it. Most important of all, as you
begin to look for solutions to the problem of your karma,
at some stage in your life you will begin to accept God as the
Doer of all your actions and surrender to Him unconditionally.
A true believer in karma would not blame any one or any
thing for his or her difficulties in life. He knows he creates
each and every moment of his life through his own actions. He
also knows that while there is nothing much he can do about his
past, he can neutralize the effects of his karma and create a
new future for himself through his present actions or by
seeking the grace of God. This makes him feel more optimistic
about his future and more sensitive about his present life. It
also widens his vision and makes him look at himself and his
life in a much larger and vaster timeframe encompassing not
just this life, but countless lives stretching over millions of
years.
Suggested Further Reading
Footnotes
1. The three
impurities are anava or egoism, karma or binding actions and
maya or illusion
2. The word 'amma'
which means mother, is actually a combination of "am" or
"aham" and "ma". Aham means ego and ma
means producing. Thus the word "amma" means that which
produces or creates aham or ego. This is a reference to
a mother as the producer or creator of children or embodied
souls. This is also what the Divine Mother or Shakti does at
the highest level of creation. As the dynamic energy of God,
she creates the world and its individual entities. She brings
forth the individual souls as jivas or embodied souls. She is
the true Mother (amma) of all.
3. The three
qualities are sattva, rajas and tamas. For a more
detailed information on the subject please read the article on
the Gunas.
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