The Karma Chameleon

The word karma meaning “action” in the strictest sense has always been a topic of debate and discussion in all parts of the world.

In India, this word has got so much integrated with our thought system that with or without much contemplation, we are instantaneously able to relate this to “As we sow, so we reap” . Hinduism elaborates on the laws that are pertaining to karma and how the entire phenomenon of creation is governed by the laws of karma. We shall come to it later.

Let us begin from the standpoint of a novice. Throughout our lives we see all sorts of diversities and disparities around us. There are always opposites in every aspect of creation ...the rich and the poor ..the able bodied and the disabled...birth and death...joy and sorrow.

What could we possibly attribute these differences to?.

Why are some babies born in affluent families treading upon the path of aggrandisement while a few others are born into families that lead impoverished life?

Can we dismiss all these differences as a random outcome of creation?.

But then as the Vedic exponents have claimed and propagated :

We ourselves are the witnesses of so much of orderliness in the way the elements of nature operate .The sun never fails to rise in the eastern direction and set in the western direction , the earth never takes a break from revolving around the sun or rotating on its own axis. The sea never stops experiencing the continuous evolution and expiry of waves. All these are essential components of this cosmic creation. When all these behave in such a predictable manner as though they are abiding by the laws of creation with utmost obedience and discipline, how could the human beings and the circumstances that determine the quality of their lives alone be a random outcome of creation?.

There needs to be an answer to all this. The only difference between the other elements of creation and the rational human beings are that we are blessed with the faculties of “free-will” and “intellect”. The omnipotent creator of the universe has empowered and authorised us to decide and enact our actions and thoughts in a way WE CHOOSE TO ,while the other elements of creation have been deprived of this faculty.

To be endowed with such a privilege does not come free of cost. The cost we pay for this is to hold the complete responsibility for all our actions and reap the consequences accordingly. Even according to scientific theories, every action triggers a reaction. Hence good actions fructify as positive experiences and bad actions fructify as undesirable experiences in life. This is the law of Karma.

But the next question that crops up in our minds is:

Then all good people should lead a blissful and gratifying life and all wrong doers should be punished intensely in their lives. But sometimes we do see contradicting happenings in our own lives and the ones around us. The answer proposed by Vedas is that we should not confine our assessment- only with regards to our current lives. We have to take into consideration that we are all a part of cyclic and multiple courses of birth and deaths in the cosmos. So the effects of our actions could be felt in either the current life or any one of our reincarnations.

But first and foremost we should have an unshakable faith in the fact that the Superpower that is the cause of all creation is unbiased and just at all times and does not endeavour to inflict unwarranted pain at any point in our lives. Every iota of happiness and sorrow that we experience in our current lives is what we have earned for ourselves because of our past actions. No one else or any other entity in the universe is to be blamed for it.

Strong belief in the above theory has two fold effects. The first one being, it serves as an incentive for us to lead an ethical and moral life so that our current doings would pave way for a good future. If our past actions are responsible for our current life, then drawing a corollary, our current actions should determine the quality of our future life (or lives).

The second effect being we can free ourselves from feeling victimised and getting entangled in the clutches of self-pity. To elaborate on this, if we believe that all the happenings in our lives are just random outcomes of creation, while we immensely enjoy the happy moments, we shall feel victimised when we are subjected to undesirable happenings. We shall wrongly conclude that the sorrow that we are undergoing has been unduly imposed on us. This would further reinforce the feeling of helplessness in us. On the other hand if we realise that only because of our “not-so-good “actions in the past , the current sorrows are inflicted upon us, then we shall reconcile to the fact and start thinking ahead on what needs to be done next to set everything right and do the needful.

The law of karma goes a long way in giving us a mental makeover to take control over our lives and feel the necessity to adhere to the Dharmic laws. It teaches us not to affiliate ourselves with the concept of fatalism. It reinforces the fact that how and what we want to be henceforth is completely in our hands and minds.

To demystify the key concepts of life and get a better insight into the very purpose of all this, lectures on the interpretation of Vedas and Upanishads go a long way.

A living legend is Swami Paramarthananda, a disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswathi. His logically organised lectures and his methodical reasoning out of the various concepts of Vedas makes it very easy for us to comprehend the essence of the great works.

For more details refer to:
http://sastraprakasika.org/Swamijis/Paramartha/c_l_para.asp
http://www.vedantavidyarthisangha.org/