WHAT IS KARMA ?
Karma is a Sanskrit term. It means action or deed.
Any physical or mental action is Karma. Thinking is mental Karma. Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in the present
life and in the preceding births.
Karma means not only action, but also the result
of an action. There is a hidden power in Karma or action termed 'Adrishta' which brings in fruits of Karmas for the individual.
The consequence of an action is really not a separate thing. It is a part of the action and cannot be divided from it.
Karma, according to Jaimini Rishi, is the performance
of Agnihotra and other Vedic rituals. According to the Gita, any action done with Nishkamya Bhava is Karma. Lord Krishna
says: "Work incessantly. Your duty is to work but not to expect the fruits thereof." The central teaching of the Gita is non-attachment
to work. Breathing, eating, seeing, hearing, thinking, etc., are all Karmas. Thinking is the real Karma. Raga-dvesha (likes
and dislikes) constitute real Karma.
HOW KARMA IS FASHIONED
Man is threefold in his nature. He consists of
Iccha, Jnana and Kriya. Iccha is desire or feeling. Jnana is knowing. Kriya is willing. These three fashion
his Karma. He knows objects like chair, tree. He feels joy and sorrow. He wills - to do this, or not to do that.
Behind the action, there are desire and thought.
A desire for an object arises in the mind. Then you think how to get it. Then you exert to possess it. Desire, thought and
action always go together. They are the three threads, as it were, that are twisted into the cord of Karma.
Desire produces Karma. You work and exert to acquire
the objects of your desire. Karma produces its fruits as pain or pleasure. You will have to take births after births to reap
the fruits of your Karma. This is the Law of Karma.
KINDS OF KARMA
Karma is of three kinds, viz. Sanchita
or the accumulated works, Prarabdha or the fructifying works, and Kriyamana or the current works. Sanchita is
all the accumulated Karmas of the past. Part of it is seen in the character of man, in his tendencies and aptitudes, capacities,
inclinations and desires. Prarabdha is that portion of the part of Karma which is responsible for the present body. It is
ripe for reaping. It cannot be avoided or changed. It is only exhausted by being experienced. You pay your past debts. Kriyamana
is that Karma which is now being made for the future. It is also called Agami or Vartamana.
In Vedantic literature, there is a beautiful analogy.
The bow-man has already sent an arrow; it has left his hands. He cannot recall it. He is about to shoot another arrow. The
bundle of arrow in the quiver on his back is the Sanchita. The arrow he has shot is Prarabdha. And the arrow which he is about
to shoot from his bow is Agami. Of these, he has perfect control over the Sanchita and the Agami, but he must surely work
out his Prarabdha. The past which has begun to take effect he has to experience.
Actions are of three kinds, viz., good, bad and
mixed. Good Karmas make you a god or angel in heaven. Bad Karmas throw you in lower wombs. Mixed actions give you a human
birth.
Every work is a mixture of good and evil. There
can be neither absolute good work nor absolute bad work in this world. This physical universe is a relative plane. If you
do some action, it will do some good in one corner, and some evil in another corner. You must try to do such actions that
can bring the maximum of good and the minimum of evil.
THE LAW OF KARMA
The Doctrine of Karma forms an integral part of
Vedanta. The Law of Karma is one of the fundamental doctrines not only in Hinduism, but also in Buddhism and in Jainism.
As a man sows, so he shall reap. This is the Law
of Karma. It expounds the riddle of life and the riddle of the universe. It brings solace, satisfaction and comfort to one
and all. It is a self-evident truth. Fortunately, the Westerners have also begun now to acknowledge its importance and veracity.
The Americans have now full belief in this doctrine. Every sensible man will have to accept it. There is no other go.
A close study of this law gives encouragement
to the hopeless man, to the desperate and ailing. Destiny is created by man's thoughts, habits and character. There is every
chance for his correction and improvement by changing his thoughts and habits. The scoundrel can become a saint; the prostitute
can become a chaste lady; a beggar can become a king. This mighty law provides for all this.
The Doctrine of Karma only can explain the mysterious
problem of good and evil in this world. The Doctrine of Karma only can bring solace, contentment, peace and strength to the
afflicted and the desperate. It solves our difficulties and problems of life. It gives encouragement to the hopeless and the
forlorn. It pushes a man to right thinking, right speech and right action. It brings a brilliant future for that man who lives
according to this universal law. If all people understand this law correctly and discharge their daily duties carefully, they
would rise to sublime heights in the ladder of spirituality. They will be moral and virtuous and have a happy, peaceful, contented
life. They can bear the burden of Samsara with patience, endurance and strength of mind. There will not be any room for complaint
when they see the inequalities in birth, fortune, intelligence, capacities, etc. There will be heaven on earth. All will rejoice
even in suffering. Greed, jealousy, hatred, anger, passion will vanish. Virtue will reign everywhere. We will have a glorious
Satya Yuga now with peace and plenty everywhere. Blessed is the man who understands and lives in the Law, for he will soon
attain God-consciousness and become one with the Law-giver! Then the Law will no longer operate on him. ......................CONTINUED KARMA YOGA PART II
Our Karma & Laws Of Nature
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