Law Of Karma

First of all, defining KARMA: It is any activity which results in a MATERIAL gain or loss to the PHYSICAL BODY. This means that any action or activity which has a material gain or results in material loss, or basically any activity which gets this physical body into material entanglement, is called KARMA.

This law of Karma is not as easy as one expects. Many great saints have experienced downfall, thinking they have mastered the law of Karma, but the Law of Karma spares NO ONE, AND NO ONE AT ALL. Whether one believes in this law or is ignorant of it, THIS LAW SPARES VIRTUALLY NO ONE, not even God Himself in Human Form.

One example cited here is King Dasaratha, father of Lord Rama, who was not spared when he UNKNOWINGLY killed Shravana Kumar. Please take note – he UNKNOWINGLY performed this act. One might think that since he did it unknowingly, or he was the father of God Himself, he could be spared. But NO, the law of Karma does not care who the person is and will act on that person irrespective of who that person is. In fact, King Dasaratha was cursed by the parents of Shravana Kumar that he would die in despair from his son parting from him, and that is what actually happened.

Another very important aspect of the Law of Karma is the common belief that one bad deed can be covered up by five good deeds, resulting in a balance of four good deeds to enjoy. This is a totally wrong notion. The Law of Karma acts as follows: You may have done one bad deed for which you will have to suffer, and for the five good deeds, you will enjoy the fruits of all the five good deeds. There is no accounting system where you can add or subtract good and bad deeds (karma) – AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP.

If the above common belief were true, we would see thousands of people with a balance of good deeds, never encountering misfortune or sadness. But this is not the case. It is very difficult, almost impossible, to find a single person without any difficulties, misfortunes, or sadness. This is all a result of bad deeds done either in this birth or in previous births.

Having said this, we come across another concept: reincarnation. Does a human soul take birth and rebirth? There are many people who believe that there is nothing like reincarnation and what exists is in this life itself. To explain to those with these conceptions, there is an institute in Florida, U.S.A., that has done years and years of research and has finally proven the concept of reincarnation with loads of proof.

These friends of ours would surely accept any other discovery done by American institutes, so they have to now accept and can check for themselves that reincarnation is a proven fact. Our own Guruji always says that this human birth is totally a God’s gift, and who knows what form we will take in our next birth – whether human, dog, snake, tiger, or any of the 84 lakhs of different life forms. He also accepts and preaches that this soul of ours definitely comes again and again in this world in different forms, and it should be our AIM in this human birth to make such a relation (SAMBANDH) with God, so that we can rid ourselves of this cycle of birth and death.

CATEGORIES OF KARMA:

1. GOOD KARMA: This is very easy to understand. Any good deed performed by an individual, whether physically or financially or in any form whatsoever, is Good Karma.
2. BAD KARMA: This is exactly the opposite of the above. Any bad deed which harms fellow beings in any way whatsoever is Bad Karma.
3. INSTANT KARMA: This is not a difficult concept. Basically, this is what we common laymen generally think Karma is, meaning that if you slap a big, burly man, he immediately slaps you back because you performed a deed to which he returned the result. When one is thirsty, he drinks water and quenches his thirst; when one is hungry, he eats to satisfy his hunger. All these are examples of Instant Karma where you enjoy/suffer the fruit of your action IMMEDIATELY.
4. DELAYED KARMA: This is definitely the most important category of Karma. If we can understand this concept, then we actually understand what the Law of Karma truly is. Delayed Karma is a deed performed now, giving fruit after an indefinite period of time. You may do one good deed, but the fruit of that deed may be enjoyed at any time later than when the deed is done. For instance, planting a seed: if a wheat grain is planted, the crop will be ready in 90 days; if millet is planted, the crop is ready after 120 days; if a mango seed is planted, it gives fruit after 5 years; and if jackfruit is planted, it gives fruit after 10 years. The same deed is done, but fruits are borne after different periods of time.

A case to prove the above is King Dhritrashtra, the father of the Kauravas. He once asked Lord Krishna why he had gone through such misfortune in his life. First, he was born blind, and secondly, losing one son in a lifetime is horrible enough, but King Dhritrashtra lost the lives of all his ONE HUNDRED sons in front of him. It was truly a horrible misfortune he experienced, so he begged Lord Krishna to explain why. Lord Krishna answered that ONE HUNDRED LIVES AGO (PLEASE NOTE – ONE HUNDRED LIVES AGO), Dhritrashtra had unknowingly gotten the 100 children of a set of birds killed. While the parents tried to rescue their 100 children, they were blinded, so those set of birds cursed Dhritrashtra that he too would go through the same torture. As a result, 100 lives later, Dhritrashtra had to endure this life of misfortune because the fruit of his bad karma materialized a hundred lives later.

Dhritrashtra then asked why he did not suffer the misfortunes immediately or within 1 or 2 lives after, but instead after a huge gap of 100 lives. Lord Krishna explained that to get one son is also a fruit of some good deeds. Therefore, Dhritrashtra’s good deeds from the last 100 lives had to be accumulated. After 100 lives, when God saw that he had enough good deeds to have 100 sons, He gave him the birth of Dhritrashtra, but in a blind form, and made him suffer for his wrongdoings. This is a great example of DELAYED KARMA.

There may be a question about why we have to bear the consequences of an act we do not even remember doing, as it could have been done many births ago. However, dear devotees, it is a blessing in disguise that we cannot remember our past births. In this very birth, one goes through so many miseries that they prefer to forget those incidents in this life itself. So just imagine if we were to remember all the miserable incidents of our previous innumerable births – we would probably go mad.

Therefore, we must never consider the judgment of God as wrong or unjust. God is ALL PERFECT, and His decisions towards the universe can never be wrong. We may or may not understand His judgment, but He can never be wrong. In fact, if something bad happens to us, we must actually celebrate that day, as we have gone through the suffering of some bad deed done maybe many births ago. Similarly, if some good fortune befalls you, you should actually be sad that you have used up some good deeds you had done maybe a few years ago, or in the last birth, or perhaps even a few births ago.

CATEGORIES OF KARMA: MANIFEST KARMA: This is also known as “PRAARABDHA.” In other words, these are the karmas that have already manifested. For example, if you are the child of a certain set of parents, you cannot change it no matter what you do. The basic fact remains that you are a child of that particular set of parents. Similarly, if you are born a male, that is final, you cannot change this. This means you had done some deeds as a result of which you are born as either a male or female and to a particular family and community. So, some earlier karma of yours has manifested or taken form now. This is Manifest Karma.

Another simple example to understand this is if ‘A’ plants a mango seed and ‘B’ plants a lime seed. After 5 years or so, A gets mango fruits on his plantation, and B gets lime. B can do what he wants, but his lime will never turn as sweet as A’s mango fruit. So this is B’s PRAARABDHA. Similarly, in life, we are all doing some action at any given time, which can be compared to the seeds planted by A and B. What fruit it bears depends on the seeds you are planting, and when it bears fruit, it is called Praarabdha or manifest Karma.

MASS KARMA: By creating this Law of Karma, God shows what excellent managerial skills He has. Mass Karma means that when God sees that a particular number of souls have reached the same level of karmas (whether good or bad), He addresses it all in one effect. For instance, a certain number of souls may be on a similar level of good karmas, and now it is time for them to enjoy. So He will make them countrymen of a country enjoying huge prosperity, happiness, and wealth. Similarly, if a number of souls have done enough bad karma and it is time for that set of souls to suffer, He creates disasters like famine, floods, plane crashes, or earthquakes. Here we clearly see that in any of the mentioned events, nature does not see age or quality of a soul. It just affects a huge number of souls, whether they are rich or poor, newborns, or at the end of their old age. There is no distinction.

Very often, we read of natural calamities and wonder what wrong the small, tender, and innocent children could have done to deserve such suffering. Well, this is the effect of Mass Karma for what they have done in their previous births.

War is another example of Mass Karma. Sometimes it is connected with meat eating. Probably a huge number of people have crossed the limit of killing animals for the pleasure of their tongues. So God probably creates them in a country facing war and bloodshed and the death of hundreds and thousands of so-called “innocent” people.

Sometimes, people try to use their smartness or science, thinking they can change the results of their karmas or change their “kismat” or “bhaagya.” Here is a very heartbreaking story. There was a doctor who had two daughters and wanted to have a third child. When his wife was expecting, he planned to use all his contacts, the best gynecologists, and the best equipment to test the sex of the baby. If they found out it was a female, they would abort the child.

So when the doctor’s wife was expecting their third baby, this doctor carried out various tests and confirmed that the third child in the making was FEMALE. The doctor, as he had decided, had that child ABORTED. When the process was carried out and the dead child was removed from the womb, the doctor, who was also present, saw that it was a MALE child!! The doctor had KILLED HIS OWN SON!!

Dear Devotees, let us learn from this incident that whatever is happening to us in our lives, whether good or bad, is all a result of our previous karmas. No matter what we do, we have to go through the enjoyments or sufferings of our karmas. While suffering or enjoying, we are undergoing more karmas.

SO HOW DO WE GET OUT OF THIS?

Very simple – TOTAL SURRENDER AT THE FEET OF OUR SADGURU. Once this is achieved, all karmas performed would be surrendered wholly to our Sadguru, and it is He who will take all our responsibilities and see to it that we are freed from this cycle. The point to remember here is TOTAL surrender – not just surrender (POORN SHARANAAGATI).

There was an Indian man in the U.S.A. He was drunk, driving, and speeding. A policeman spotted him and chased him. The drunk man, afraid, sped even faster and pushed the police vehicle off the road. Messages were sent, and there came a stage where 5-7 policemen were standing on the road with guns pointed at the drunk man, who was finally forced to stop, arrested, and put into prison.

After a few months of his term, he was released and returned to India. A very good friend met him and asked, “So how was the prison in the U.S.?” The person replied, “Better than my home in India. There we had 24-hour hot and cold running water, it was fully air-conditioned, had a bigger TV set than the one I have here in India, had many indoor games, a library with more books than anyone in India. It was so comfortable that when my term ended, I left the prison with a feeling of regret.”

Dear Devotees, the comparison we are hinting at here is that this world (this life) is a prison cell, and we are all prisoners. Now, what type of cell we are put in depends on the crime committed or so-called “karmas” of this birth as well as previous births. We may be put in an A-class cell with all the money and facilities of life, a B-class cell corresponding to middle-class families, or a C-class cell corresponding to the poor class.

If we are part of the rich, we are in A-class cells, where we have all the comforts of life and somehow start to love this life, feeling horrible at the time of parting with this life, and can go to any extent to save ourselves from losing our lives. But after all, we must not forget that this is a PRISON CELL, whether A-class or C-class, and our main aim must be to get out of this prison cell.

By trying to make connections with the wardens or jailers, we can only improve our quality of stay in the cell but cannot get out of it. These jailers/wardens are compared to the Devi/Devtaas, whom we can pray to for a better lifestyle and solutions to our problems, but they cannot give us liberation. The only way to achieve liberation is by a Presidential Pardon.

Now, how can a prisoner approach the President for a Pardon? It has to be with the help of a lawyer. A lawyer is a person who can come in and out of the prison, but the prison rules do not apply to him. So the lawyer here corresponds to a Spiritual Leader or a Guru. It is this Lawyer (Guru) who will prepare the application to the President (God) for our pardon so that we can be liberated out of this prison cell (Moksha).

This, in short, clearly explains the importance of a Guru and proves that no one can achieve oneness with God (Moksha) without the help or following of a Guru.

In conclusion, there is one more thing we must never forget, which is often misunderstood: when anything bad happens to us, we think it is due to some bad karma performed in the past. So it is a lesson for us to only try and do good karmas so that nothing bad happens to us. But this is not the correct way of thinking. Actually, when something bad happens to us, it is for us to realize that WE ARE NOT IN THE RIGHT PLACE. This world is not a place for us; it is just a prison cell, and we HAVE to find a way to get out of this place. Once again, the only way to do it is to surrender to your lawyer – in other words, TOTAL SURRENDER AT THE FEET OF OUR GURU and leave it to Him to take you out PERMANENTLY from this cycle of birth and death.

Summary

The article delves into the concept of Karma, explaining it as any action that results in material gain or loss to the physical body. The Law of Karma is described as an immutable force that applies to everyone, regardless of their status or intentions. Even unknowingly committed actions have consequences, as illustrated by the story of King Dasaratha, who faced severe repercussions for an unintentional act. The article also dispels the common misconception that good deeds can negate bad ones; instead, each action’s consequences must be experienced separately.

Different types of Karma are discussed, including Instant Karma, which yields immediate results, and Delayed Karma, where the consequences of actions may manifest after many lifetimes. The concept of Manifest Karma, or Praarabdha, refers to the inevitable outcomes that one must face due to past actions. Mass Karma is explained as the collective experience of a group of souls undergoing similar karmic repercussions, often seen in natural disasters or wars. The article emphasizes that the only way to transcend the cycle of Karma is through total surrender to a Guru, who can guide one towards liberation (Moksha).

Important Points

1. Definition of Karma: Any activity resulting in material gain or loss to the physical body.
2. Law of Karma: Applies to everyone, sparing no one, regardless of intent or status.
3. Misconception: Good deeds do not cancel out bad deeds; each must be experienced separately.
4. Instant Karma: Actions that yield immediate consequences.
5. Delayed Karma: Actions whose consequences may manifest after many lifetimes.
6. Manifest Karma (Praarabdha): Inevitable outcomes due to past actions, such as birth circumstances.
7. Mass Karma: Collective karmic consequences experienced by groups of souls.
8. Example of King Dasaratha: Unintentional actions still have significant karmic consequences.
9. Example of Dhritrashtra: Suffered consequences for actions committed 100 lifetimes earlier.
10. Reincarnation: The soul undergoes birth and rebirth based on accumulated Karma.
11. Karma’s Universality: The law applies to all beings, including God in human form.
12. Role of a Guru: Essential for transcending Karma and attaining liberation (Moksha).
13. Prison Analogy: Life is likened to a prison cell, with the Guru as the lawyer who can secure a “Presidential Pardon” (Moksha).
14. Mass Karma Example: Natural disasters as collective karmic retribution.
15. Total Surrender: The only way to escape the cycle of Karma is through complete surrender to a Guru.