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Karma is a concept within Hinduism based on the Vedas and Upanishads, and was later adopted by other religions like Buddhism and Jainism. One of the first and most dramatic illustrations of Karma can be found in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The original Hindu concept of karma was later enhanced by several other movements within the religion, most notably Vedanta, Yoga, and Tantra. Karma in Hinduism is used to explain the problem of evil that persists in spite of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent God. In this it is related to theodicy.

Definition

Karma literally means "deed" or "act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life. Karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own destiny. According to the Vedas, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concommitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births.

As ^†Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains it, unkindness yields spoiled fruits, called papa and good deeds bring forth sweet fruits, called punya. He further notes that as one acts, so does he become. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action."

Three Kinds of Karma

There are three types of karma,
1. sanchita karma, the sum total of past karmas yet to be resolved;
2. prarabdha karma, that portion of sanchita karma that is to be experienced in this life; and
3. kriyamana karma, the karma that humans are currently creating and will bear fruit in the future.

The role of God

While the action of karma has often been compared with the Western notions of sin and judgment by God, karma instead has been commonly perceived by Westerners to operate as a law of nature without the intervention of any supernatural Being. That notion is incorrect in Hinduism, and holds true rather for Buddhism and Jainism.

Karma in Hinduism, differs from Buddhism and Jainism as it involves the role of God. Notably, unlike Buddhists, and Jains who believe that karma, as natural law, on its own, joins the soul when it reincarnates and comes to fruition, Hindus, believe in the role of God for linking karma to the person.

Shri K. Thirugnana Sambantha, in the section of karma in his outline of Saivism, explains the concept of karma in Hinduism by distinguishing its concept from that of the Buddhist and Jain religions which do not require an external Being like God as being necessary for it. In their beliefs, he notes that karma, as a natural law, and like a calf, among a large number of cows, goes and finds its mother for obtaining the milk, also finds the related person and comes to fruition. However, he further argues that Hindus, on the other hand, would find flaw with this theory and would criticize it by noting that karma, unlike the calf, is an unintelligent entity. Hence, karma cannot go and find out the related person by itself. Shri Sambantha then concludes by noting that an intelligent Supreme Being with perfect wisdom and power, (e.g., Shiva, in Shaivism, for example.) is necessary to make karma to join the related person. In such sense, God is the Divine Accountant.[1]

Sivananda on karma

Swami Sivananda, an Advaita scholar, in his commentary synthesizing Vedanta views on the Brahma Sutras, also reiterates the same views. In his commentary on Chapter 3, Phaladhikaranam, Topic 8, Sutras 38-41, of Brahma Sutras, Sivananda notes that karma is insentient and short-lived, and ceases to exist as soon as it is done. Hence, he points out that karma cannot therefore bestow the fruits of actions at a future date according to one's merit. Furthermore, Sivananda notes that one cannot argue that karma generates apurva, or punya, which gives fruit. Since apurva is non-sentient, it cannot act unless moved by an intelligent Being, i.e., God. Hence, it cannot independently bestow rewards and punishments.

There's a passage from Swami Sivananda's translation of the Svetasvatara Upanishad (4:6) illustrating this:

Two birds of beautiful plummage who are inseparable friends, dwell upon one and the same tree. Of these two the one eats the sweet fruit while the other looks on without eating.

In his commentary, the two birds represent the individual soul and Brahman or God. The soul is a reflection essentially of Brahman. The tree represents the body and the soul identifies himself with the body and reaps the fruits of his actions and takes rebirths while the Lord alone stands a eternal witness, ever contented, and does not eat for He is the director of both the eater and the eaten.

Swami Sivananda, also notes that God is free from charges of partiality and cruelty which are brought against Him owing to the social inequality, fate of various persons, and universal suffering in the world. According to the Brahma Sutras, a Vedantic text, it is individual souls that are responsible for their fate and God is the dispenser and witness with reference to the merit and demerit of souls.

In his commentary on Chapter 2, Adhikarana XII, Sutras 34-36 from his translation and commentary of Brahma Sutras, Sivananda further notes that the position of God with respect to karma can be analogized to rain. He notes that although rain can be said to be a common cause of rice, barley and other plants, the differences in various species is due to the diverse potentalities lying hidden in the respective seeds. Thus, Sivananda further explains that the differences between classes of beings are due to different merits belonging to individual souls. He concludes that God metes rewards and punishments only in consideration of the specific actions of beings.

Hindu scriptures on mitigation of karma by God

Some non-Hindu theologians have interpreted the concept of the relationship between God and karma to indicate that God is neutral and detached towards all, and thus He has no power in controlling karma. However, it is admitted that God is at once free of cruelty and is hence not partial to anyone. But its is also held that those who seek Him will find His grace. God is all-merciful and His grace can overcome or mitigate the karma of man in many cases. It is still important to remember that man has free will and has to seek Him. The nature of God is explained in the Brahma Sutras.

Two examples from the Puranas

The story of Markandeya, who was saved from death by Lord Shiva, illustrates that God's grace can overcome karma and death for His beloved devotee.[2]

The story of Ajamila, who in the Bhagavata Purana, [3],[4] had done a lot of bad deeds during his life such as stealing, abandoning his wife and children, and marrying a prostitute, at the moment of death, involuntarily chanted the name of Narayana, and recieved moksha or union with God and was saved from the messengers of Yama. Ajamila, at the moment of his death, actually was thinking the name of his youngest son. But the name of God has powerful effects and he was forgiven for his great sins, and attained salvation, despite his bad karma.

A Vaishnavite interpretation on karma

Ramanuja attempts to fashion a solution to the problem of evil by attributing all evil or bad things in life to the accumulation of evil karma of jivas or human souls and maintains that God is amala or without any stain of evil.

Madhva, the founder of the Dvaita school, on the other hand, believes that there must be a root cause for variations in karma even if karma is accepted as beginningless and is the cause of the problem of evil. Since the jivas have different kinds of karma, from good to bad, then all must not have started with same type of karma from the beginning of time. Thus, Madhva concludes that the jivas are not God's creation as in the Christian doctrine, but are rather entities co-existent with Vishnu or God, although under His absolute control. The souls, are thus dependent on Him in their pristine nature and in all transformation that they may undergo.

According to Madhva, God, although he has control, does not interfere with man's free will and although He is omnipotent, that does not mean that he should engage in extraordinary feats. Rather, God must enforce a rule of law and in accordance with the just deserts of the Jivas give them full freedom to follow their own nature. Thus, God functions as the sanctioner or as the divine accountant, and accordingly, the jivas are free to work according to their innate nature and their accumulated karma, good and bad. Since God acts as the sanctioner, the ultimate power for everything comes from God only and the jiva only utilizes that power, according to his innate nature.

Swami Tapasyananda, further explains the Madhva view in his book, Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, by illustrating the doctrine in an imperfect analogy, stating that the power in a factory comes from the powerhouse, ("God") but the various cogs ("jivas") move in a direction in which they are set. Thus he concludes that no charge of partiality and cruelty can therefore be brought against God. The jiva is an actor and also the enjoyer of the fruits of his own actions.

Additionally, Madhva, with his explanation of variations in karma, differed significantly from traditional Hindu beliefs in his concept of eternal damnation. For example, he divides souls into three classes, one class which qualify for liberation, Mukti-yogyas, another subject to eternal rebirth or eternally transmigrating due to samsara, Nitya-samsarins, and significantly, a class that is eventually condemned to eternal hell or Andhatamas, known as Tamo-yogyas. No other Hindu philosopher or group of Hinduism holds such beliefs. By contrast, most Hindus believe in universal salvation, that all souls will eventually obtain moksha, even if it be after millions of rebirths.

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami explains in the lexicon section of his book, Dancing with Siva, that karma literally means "deed or act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life." As he explains it, karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own destiny. The Vedas tell us, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami further notes that karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births.

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