Karma in Sanskrit means ‘action’ or the executed
"deed", "work", "action", or "act", and
it is also the "object", the "intent". Karma contrasts
with another Sanskrit word kriya. The word kriya is
the activity along with the steps and effort in action, while karma is
the executed action as a consequence of that activity. Bhagwad Gita
mentions action as ‘ good or bad’.
Thus good karma
produces a good effect on the doer, while bad karma produces an adverse effect, both resulting
in one's happiness and unhappiness. The effect of karma need not be immediate;
the effect of karma can be later in one's current life, and according to some
it extends to future lives.
Bhagwad
Geeta, a holy book in which Krishna has given His teachings, has all the
answers related to the sufferings of humankind and karma. According
to this holy book, every action has a consequence and we have to suffer or enjoy
the consequences of the same without fail in either this or a future life.
So, Arjun
asked Lord Krishna: “ Hey Madhav, then everybody will feel hesitant to do any
work as he doesn’t know whether the kama he is doing is good or bad and what reaction he will get in the future.”
Lord Krishna smiled and replied:” Not
by merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by
renunciation alone can one attain perfection.” Chapter 3, verse 4 of Bhagwad Gita.
Rebirth
is a fundamental concept of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism in India. Lord
Krishna says “Man dies but his soul is immortal and just as a man changes
clothes and puts on new clothes the soul also leaves this body and takes birth
as a new human being. Hence his karmas- whether good or bad are carried forward
with him in future lives. One has to face his accumulated sins or good deeds in
future lives too.”
Morally good acts will have positive consequences, whereas bad or immoral acts will
produce negative results. We consider good karma as dharma and leads
to 'Punya' (merit), while bad karma is considered adharma and
leads to 'Paap' (demerit, sin). An individual's
present situation is thereby explained by reference to actions in his present
or in previous lifetimes.
Karma is a religious and philosophical concept that says you get what you give or you face the sins or blessings for the sins or good deeds you have performed. We can say this in another way; life turns full circle and gives us what we have given to others. This thought is very well explained in the following law of karma :
“What goes around comes around.” Is it really true that we have to suffer the causes we have created in this birth or previous ones? If we relate this to science, even Newton’s third law states the same.
The law of karma states “as you sow that shall you
reap” (Bhagavad Gita). For all the karma that we have done, not in one
life but in endless past lifetimes, God keeps an account. Twins are born, one
of them is born handicapped whilst the other is perfectly normal, and the handicapped
child questions God.
“O God, what did I do to be born like this? You say that all human beings are your children and you love them all equally. I am also your child then, how can you do this to me? This is gross partiality.”
God gives him a very logical answer and says “My child, it is true that I love all the humans as my children and mean no harm to them, but everyone has to bear the fruits of his/her Karma which is being carried over from past lives. Karmas influence our current as well as future lives. Bad actions result in bad karma, resulting in suffering, and good karmas will yield happiness in the future. You too have got the reaction of the bad karmas you have done in your past lives.”
‘Every time God sends us into the world to continue our journey, he takes one portion from our accumulated karmas and gives this portion to us, that we have to bear in this life. That portion of the accumulated which is tied to us in this life becomes our Prarabhdha (the destiny).’
There is an element of destiny in everybody’s life. We cannot deny that. We did not choose our parents; God chose them and send us down. Though destiny is determined, God gives us free will with which we can make choices. Understand in this way, when you know that the act you are going to indulge in is not fair, you still have a choice whether or not to do it, God allows us to have all this free will and we can choose to do or not do that karma.
Lord Krishna says, “I am only your helper and can guide you into taking fair decisions and doing good karma, but you are the ultimate authority and it is only you who has to take the final decision of your action, whether good or bad. I have no role in your decision making.”
Our destiny is fixed, but we can slowly change the course of our life. We should look inside ourselves for improvement and change rather than blaming God, circumstances or anybody else for the bad things happening to us. As somebody said “when I was a teenager, I dreamt of changing the world, but as I grew into my early 20s, I thought if I can change my country it will be enough, then after marriage I realize that if I can change my family, but in my old age I thought if I had tried to change myself that would have been best”.
Types of Karma According to Bhagwad Gita:
SANCHITA KARMA
Sanchita is a Sanskrit word meaning “piled
up” or “collected,” while karma is from the root kriya, meaning “to
act,” so sanchita karma means “accumulated actions or karmas.”
This results from actions that have been
gathered in this and all other previous lives. These are part of those karmas
that have not borne fruits as yet. It is more or less like arrows in a quiver, as
the good karmas do not cancel the effect of the bad ones.
AAGAMI KARMA
In Sanskrit, the
word, agami, comes from the verb agam, which means “to return,” and
“impending future.”
It is just like an arrow that is out of the
quiver, ready to be launched. This particular karma depends on present actions, and an individual
can produce good outcomes for his/her future. This means that the person has
complete control over his future outcomes. He/she may release the arrow by
choice, which will affect his future Karma.
PRARABHADHA KARMA
Prarabdha is a Sanskrit word meaning “started”
or “begun,” while the word karma comes from the root kri, meaning
“to act,” so prarabdha karma translates as “action that has begun.”
Prarabadha Karma is what we are
experiencing currently because of our past and the effects or experiences you are creating
at present.
This Karma cannot be changed because it is the karma which is the consequence
of the actions we have created in our earlier life or previous lives.
This karma is like an arrow that has already left the bow and is
about to reach the destination. We can also relate to the words that have been
spoken and cannot be taken back at any cost.
KRIYAMAN KARMA
It is a combination of the Sanskrit word, kriya, meaning
“completed action,” and mana, meaning “belief” or “thought.” Karma
is derived from the root word, kri, which means “to act.”
These are the karmas we are doing in the present life and which
affect our future.
NISHKAM
KARMA
According to the Bhagavad
Gita, no human being can escape karma by refraining from action. Instead, one
may practice nishkam karma or action without desire. When Arjuna
was being advised by Krishna to fight in the battle, he asked Krishna :
Arjun: "Isn't
killing people bad and unethical? If so, then why, oh Krishna, are you telling
me to kill the Kauravas? Wouldn't I be sowing the seeds of bad karma, and
sinning, which would then hurt me when they reap?"
To
which Lord Krishna replied:
Lord Krishna: "Hey Arjun, perform nishkam karma,
ie fight in the battle with no desire or expecting any result for yourself.
Then this karma would not be considered a sin. Pick up your weapons because
this is your dharma or responsibility. Do
nishkama karma following your dharma.”
Lord Krishna
further says: “O sinless Arjun, therefore,
without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter
of duty; for by working without attachment, one attains the Supreme.” Chapter
3, verse 19 of Bhagwad Gita.
What we should do :
The very first thing that can be done is to stop
creating bad karmas. However, we cannot get rid of all the karmas as knowingly
or unknowingly you’ll be creating karma all the time which might affect your
fate further.
Furthermore,
akarmas (actions performed with no desire for personal benefit and only for
the service of others) should be done in abundance so we can destroy the effect of the previous karmas.
Karma is not
retribution. As Einstein explained, no action can go without a reaction. And
so, all of our actions — whether they’re physical, verbal, or mental — should
be mindfully chosen and according
to dharma.
So
friends, whether we believe in the spiritual aspect of Karma or the scientific
point of Newton’s law, the key takeaway is to make sure as much as possible
that our actions don’t hurt anyone. The very first thing that can be done is to stop
creating bad karmas.
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