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 about action as ‘ good or bad’.
Thus good karma produces good effect on the doer, while bad karma produces bad 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 in 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 sufferings of mankind 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. Good karma is considered 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 the 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 like 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, thereby resulting in sufferings, 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 a 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 is the result of 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 one.
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 without any desire or expecting any result for yourself. Then this karma would not be considered as a sin. Pick up your weapons because this is your dharma or responsibilities. 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 without any desire for personal benefit and only for the service of others) should be done in abundance so that 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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