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Karma is one of those topics that many people know a little about, but few understand the intricacies of it.
To start with, Newtons third law of motion is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. On the universal scale, this is the law of karma.
The law of karma basically states that every action has a reaction and whatever you do to others will later return to you.
Furthermore, ignorance of the law is no excuse. We are still accountable for everything we do, regardless of whether we understand it or not. Therefore, the best thing is to learn how it works.
If everyone understood the law of karma, we would all be living a happier life in a brighter world. Why? Because we could know how to adjust our lives so we would not be suffering the constant reactions of what we have done due to the false aims of life.
According to Vedic literatures, karma is the law of cause and effect. For every action there is a cause as well as a reaction.
Karma is produced by performing fruitive activities for bodily or mental development.
- One may perform pious activities that will produce good reactions or good karma for future enjoyment.
- Or one may perform selfish or what some call sinful activities that produce bad karma and future suffering.
This follows a person wherever he or she goes in this life or future lives.
Such karma, as well as the type of consciousness a person develops, establishes reactions that one must experience.
WHAT DOES UPANISHADS EXPLAINS ABOUT THE KARMA ?
The Svetashvatara Upanishad (5.12) explains that,
- The living being, the jiva soul, acquires many gross physical ( स्थूल शरीर ) and subtle bodies ( सूक्ष्म शरीर ) due to the actions he performs, as is motivated by the material qualities to which he obtains.
- These bodies that are acquired by that living being, continue to be a source of illusion as long as he is ignorant of his real identity.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4.45) further clarifies that,
- As the atma or soul in the gross and subtle bodies acts, so thereby, that living being obtains different conditions.
- By acting saintly he becomes a devotee, AND by acting immorally he becomes subject to the karmic consequences.
In this way, a living being accrues saintly OR the burden of his sinful karmic activites accordingly.
Similarly, it is stated that as a man sows, so shall he reap. Therefore, as we live in our present life, we cultivate a particular type of consciousness ( चेतना ) by our thoughts and activities, which may be good or bad. This creates a person’s karma.
This karma will direct us to take the birth in that type of body, that is most appropriate for the reactions that we need to suffer, or the lessons we need to learn.
Thus, the cause of our existence comes from the activities of our previous lives.
Since everything is based on a cause, it is one’s karma that will determine one’s situation, such as,
- Race.
- Color
- Sex.
- Area of the world in which one will appear.
- Whether one is born in a rich or poor family.
- Be healthy or unhealthy, etc.
how our karma affects our next birth ?
When the living beings take the birth again, they get a certain kind of body that is most suitable for the type of consciousness they have developed.
Therefore, according to the Padma Purana,
जलज नव लक्षाणी, स्थावर लक्ष विम्शति, कृमयो रूद्र संख्यकः
पक्षिणाम दश लक्षणं, त्रिन्शल लक्षानी पशवः, चतुर लक्षाणी मानवः पदमपुराण
There are 8,400,000 species of life, each offering a particular class of body for whatever kind of desires and consciousness the living being may have in this world in their present life.
In this way, the living entity is the son of his past and the father of his future in the world.
Thus, he is presently affected by his previous life’s activities and creates his future existence by the actions he performs in this life.
A person will reincarnate ( take a rebirth ) into various forms of bodies that are most suitable for the his consciousness, desires in his lifetime, and for what he deserves. So the living being inevitably continues in this cycle of birth and death and the consequences for his various good or bad karmic activities as long as he is materially motivated.
What creates good or bad karma is also the nature of the intent behind the action. If one uses things selfishly or out of anger, greed, hate, revenge, etc., then the nature of the act is of darkness.
One will incur bad karma from it that will later manifest as reversals in life, painful events, disease or accidents.
While things that are done for the benefit of others, out of kindness and love, with no thought of return, or for worshiping God, are all acts of goodness and piety, which will bring upliftment or good fortune to you.
However, if you do something bad that happens because of an accident or a mistake, without the intent to do any harm to others, the karma is not so heavy. Maybe you were meant to be an instrument in someone else’s karma, which is also yours.
Yet the greater the intent of doing something wrong, the greater the degree of negative reaction there will be.
So it is all based on the intent behind the action.
what is the most important achievement one can achieve ?
We should understand that, essentially, karma is for correcting ourselves, not for mere retribution of past deeds.
The universe is based on compassion. Everyone has certain lessons and ways in which he must develop, and the law of karma actually directs one in a manner to do that.
Nonetheless, one is not condemned to stay in this cycle of repeated birth and death forever. There is a way out.
In our this human form we can acquire the knowledge of spiritual realization and attain release from karma and further rounds of births and deaths.
This is considered to be the most important achievement one can accomplish in life.
This is why every religious process in the world encourages us, who wants freedom from earthly existence not to hanker for material attachments or sensual enjoyments which bind us to this world, but to work towards what can free us from further cycles of birth and death.
how is everyone bound by the karma in their life ?
Karma cycle is extremely unique and also scary at the same time.
We must have often noticed, Somebody is good at something without even learning about it.
- Have you seen children who are good at dancing without any professional training?
- Have you seen somebody who is good with computers without any formal learning as such?
There are so many scenarios like these.
Normally, People just see the karma of this life but one’s karma is actually an imprint of many lifetimes.
Bhagavad Gita and the Vedic Scriptures talk about it in detail.
It is nothing new but a key subject totally ignored in the Macaulay education system.
We choose our next life according to our actions in this life. That is what we call karma.
Somebody is rich and somebody is poor. Some work hard but their results don’t fructify while some don’t put in efforts but are really successful.
This is nothing but Karma.
Karma cycle bonds us. We already have had millions of births and so many imprints on our consciousness from so many births. As per our karma, we get a different body in 8.4 million species until we cross this cycle of birth of death by taking to the devotional service of the Lord.
there are different types of karmas, which not everyone has the idea of !
Karma is of 4 types:
Sanchit Karma: It is sum total of all the good and bad karma from so many of our past lives. Every moment of our life, we are adding or reducing our sanchit karma depending on our actions. The results of sanchit karma are awaiting to be completed in this life or in further lives. Until this sancit karma is zero, we will have to take birth again and again.
Prarabdha Karma: It is that portion of sanchit karma which is destined to act in this life. This can be seen from one’s horoscope at the time of birth.
Kriyamana Karma: It is the daily and instant karma that we create through our good or bad actions in day-to-day life. This contributes to our sanchit karma. This kriyamana karma can either act in this life or in future lifetimes.
An example: If two people steal, one might get caught immediately and the other might get its punishment in a future birth. This is Kriyamana Karma – the new karma that we create daily with our actions and choices.
Aagami Karma: The karma that we create in our this birth for getting result in future birth is Aagami Karma.
- If there is good karma, then one is given riches, prestige and respect in the society, and most importantly a platform to enquire about spirituality and purpose of life.
- If one has negative karma, they are likely to suffer.
Nobody has ONLY – Good karmas or ONLY Bad karmas. All have a mixture of good karma and bad karma. It is bound to act.
Until one’s karmic account is nil or zero, they would get entangled into this huge web of karma and they have to take birth and death again and again.
The liberation from the cycle of birth and death happens when one’s karmic account is nil. To understand the karmic cycle without taking the shelter of Lord Krishna is impossible. It will bewilder a new seeker to the core!
Then, there is vikarma and akarma.
Vikarma: Vikarma is the wrong actions performed in this life as well as several other past births.
Vikarma is primarily 4 activities of,
- Gambling ( जुआ खेलना )
- Meat-eating ( माँस खाना )
- Intoxication ( शराब या अन्य नशा करना )
- Illicit sex ( परायी स्त्री के साथ सम्बन्ध बनाना )
It adds to the sanchit karma and gives us it’s negative results in this birth or in next birth(s).
If one has a lot of vikarma credits, they are bound to suffer until they realize it and atone for it by taking to Devotional Service of the Lord. It is all very perplexing.
Now comes the most beautiful part.
Akarma: Akarma is devotional service. It’s Bhakti!
When one takes to the spiritual path, they are no more under good or bad karma. This is called akarma. This means that there is no karma but rather it is spiritual credits.
When one prays to Lord, chants holy names, and offers loving devotion service to Lord Sri Krishna, then that is counted as akarma.
Akarma helps the living entity, cross the cycle of birth and death and gets him released from the entanglements of all the types of karmas.
when does the law of karma begins to act upon us ?
The law of karma begins to act upon us when we desire to enjoy separately from the Supreme Being Lord Sri Krishna, and it locks us into an endless cycle of it.
Each action begets a reaction that begets another action and the other action begets another reaction every day, every minute, every second of our life, it goes on and on and on.
Whether the reactions are good or bad, we must repeatedly accept new bodies ( in the future births ) in order for the karmic reactions to play out.
And each lifetime taking the birth in a material body means we have to suffer from, Unavoidable miseries, such as,
- Birth ( Suffering In The Womb )
- Disease.
- Old age, and
- Death.
While the Vedas & Puranas gives directions for assuring good reactions, they tell us that the only truly beneficial course of action is to perform spiritual acts that can gain us freedom from the bonds of karma.
Spiritual acts are acts for the service of Sri Krishna and are the essence of Bhakti yoga.
They awaken our innate love for Lord Sri Krishna, destroying our desire to enjoy separately from Him, which is the root of our karmic bondage.
how can i get myself free from the web of karmas ?
There are exceptions to the law of karma.
Transcendentalists, devotees or yogis who follow the path of pure devotional service to God, are exempted from its influence. Lord Krishna describes them in the Bhagavad Gita:
मामुपेत्य पुनर्जन्म दु:खालयमशाश्वतम् ।
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मान: संसिद्धिं परमां गता: ॥ १५ ॥
Translation:
Sri Krishna says, After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. ( Bhagavad Gita – 8.15 )
Lord Krishna also explains the following in the Bhagavad Gita,
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुच: ॥ ६६ ॥
Translation:
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
Which karma now should we fear of?
Devotees of Lord Krishna, who serve Sri Krishna in this material world “yogis in devotion,” are not under the influence of the law of karma, because they perform Krsna-karma.
Rather than working for their personal aggrandizement and own sense pleasure, they work with the sole aim of pleasing Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now be it, if its our office work, job work, businesses work or any work one do, it all MUST be done, with the ” bhaava ” ( sentiments ) as a service for Sri Krishna and not for our own sensual pleasures motive.
[ NOTE: Bhaava plays a most important role in the spiritual life that no one can even think of, and one is able to develop a strong bhaava only with the practice of devotional service in their life ]
Krsna-karma is the best type of action, because it purifies the consciousness of the conditioned soul. Thus one gradually becomes free from ignorance and from entanglement of the karma chains, otherwise endless chain of karmic reactions, never gets finished even in millions of births / lifetimes.
The simplest way is to chant the Naama such as ” Hare Krishna Maha Mantra ( on the neem / wood beads if available ) ,Or Shri Radha Naam chanting or Shri Ram or Shri Hari Naam chanting, On a regular basis ( preferably morning time ).
These names of God, like God Himself, are transcendental and absolute.
Chanting the Naama / Mantra destroys the previous karmic reactions. Chanting the Naama has so much power that no one in the entire universe can have an idea of how much powerful it is for clearing the bad stock of karmas, and help one proceed towards Moksha / Liberation!
Sincere chanting of the Naama / Mantra gradually dismantles the illusion built up around the embodied soul, and we come to realize directly our eternal, spiritual relationship with the Personality of Godhead.
A sincere and dutiful chanter ultimately develops his dormant love for God and returns to Lord Krishna’s spiritual abode, where the law of karma has no influence. There we should spontaneously serve Sri Krishna out of pure love for Him, without any other motive.
Attainment of this perfection through krsna-karma is the only guarantee that one will never go to the hogs body in a future life ( births ).
AUDIO EXPLANATIONS
ABOUT KARMA