Dialogue with Guru
Karma and the science of its Result
According to vedas, God and scriptures, it the duty of every person to help the person in grief. It is not an interference in the judicial system of the God to help those persons who are suffering as a result of their evil actions.
Jiva (the soul) is free to perform actions, but somewhat dependent where results of his actions are concerned. The jivatma (soul) cannot lay claim on the results of its every karma (action) as his knowledge and abilities are very limited. Moreover, the jivatma shuns the sorrowful outcome of its evil actions, hence God has reserved the right to dispense the outcome of any action to Himself, as: yatkamaste juhumastanno astu It means: ‘O lord! please fulfill our aspirations as per our actions.’ Not preventing a person from doing evil actions is generally called adharma (unrighteous), but in situations where one has no authority, responsibility, duty, power or where such an action might lead to ugly developments, non-prevention of evil actions is not considered as unrighteous. Our scriptures too endorse the same: Ekah papani kurute phale bhuhkte mahajanah. Bhoktaro vipramucyante kartta dosena lipyate. If the head of a family earns livelihood for himself and his family through lies, theft, sorcery and other unlawful activities, then only the doer (the head of the family) will incur the resultant sins. The outcome for earning wealth through violence and other unlawful means will solely be borne by the doer alone. The other members of the family who are under his security and hence dependent will not suffer the consequences.
Karma (action) has its own independent existence. It is not a mere hypothesis; because karma refers to the specific set of actions done by a person which produce its valid outcome.
Some actions bear fruits immediately in this very life, some take weeks, some others months or even years while some actions accrue results in the next birth.
Good actions produce pleasant outcomes. They generate joy, develop positive values in the doer, which in turn propels him on the path of righteousness and justice and finally he is able to attain the Supreme personality.
Evil actions produce unpleasant results. They bring sorrow, develop negative qualities in the doer which in turn propels him on the path of sin and injustice. It finally culminates with his birth in dreadful lower species and he is plunged into the terrible ocean of great sufferings. Niskama karma (performance of duties without any attachment) is the most sublime form of action, which if followed with devotion, leads a person to become a yogi, a rsi or a maharsi and paves way for the realisation of the Supreme. Akarmanyata (inactivity), on the other hands is the vilest form of action. Inaction leads one to laziness, time-wasting, negligent, incautious and yields nothing more than just grief. The end result of any action is in the form of happiness or sorrows. Karma comprising of 50% holy and 50% unholy actions results in a human birth. When the percentage of holy actions falls below 50, then it result birth in stratum below the human beings. When the soul undergoes the fruits of these unholy actions, then again the birth of human-being is achieved. It means, the percentage of holy and unholy actions needs to be equal in order to achieve birth as human-beings. A complete yogi, theist, true devotee to God, renouncer of infatuation and hatred and samnyasi, who practices severe austerity, alone can perform cent-percent niskama karma. Those who practice cent-percent niskama karma receive the joy of Paramatma in its purest form in the present life itself, i.e, they are bestowed with sublime bliss, serenity, solution, and when they achieve salvation they are filled with the divine love of the Supreme Personality for 31,10, 40,00,00,00,000 years (i.e. for 36000 times of the period between the creation and destruction of the universe).
Having taken birth as a human being, if a person performs more than 50% evil actions, then he assumes the body of the lower descent of animals, birds, insects and other creatures of sea to undergo the results of his evil actions.
When the consequences of these extra evil actions are duly experienced by taking birth as birds or animals, and when the proportion of good and evil actions strike an equal balance, then once again jeevatma is reborn as a human being.
Man cannot sit idle without performing some or the other action even for a moment. Man has to perform certain actions throughout his life. Such good, evil or mixed actions, which are filled with the aspirations of materialistic advancement are called as sakama karam (actions done with desire). Karma, based on its results, is of three kinds: sancita (stored), prarabdha (from previous births) and kriyamana (the present actions). From the perspective of the doer, it is again of three types: krta-karma (actions done personally), karita karma (actions having done through others), and anumodita karma (consented actions). Those actions, whose doer if the person himself are called as krta-karmas. Karita-karmas are those which are done by giving directions to others. The third category of actions are those which are not done by the person himself, nor does he motivates others to do it, but simply supports or approve are called as anumodita karmas.
It is impossible to perform actions without any desire of aspirations (worldly expectations or desire for salvation). Every action is done with desire for either of the two expectations.
It is not whether that had happened in the past, is happening now or that may happen in the future, are all results of God’s wish of His desires or any of His plans, and are not the outcome of man’s actions. A man performs all kinds of evil actions of his own free will and wrong tendencies. God is there in every good action, i.e, when a man wishes to perform a certain action then He motivates and propels him to follow that path.
(Excerpted from the book Divine Transformation: Building Blocks for Englightened Life, Ideal Nation & Peaceful World by Acharya Balakrishna)