Tattva Bodha - Post 35

HOW KARMA IS DESTROYED 

Sanchitam karma “Brahma eva aham,” iti

Nishchayaatmaka jnaanena nashyati  api jnaanena nashyati.

Kincha aagaami karmanaam nalinee-dalagata-jalavat,

jnaaninaam sambandhah na asti.

Kincha, ye jnaaninam stuvanti, bhajanti, archayanti,

taan prati jnaani-kritam aagaami punyam gacchhati.

taan prati jnaani-kritam sarvam - aagaami kriyamaanam;

Ye jnaaninam nindanti, dvishanti, duhkha-pradaanam kurvanti, yat avaachyam karma, paapaatmakam tad gacchhati. suhridah punya-krityam, duhridah papa-krityam, grihnanti.

The Sanchita Karma, by holding the thought “I am Brahman alone” with firm, one-pointed knowledge, gets destroyed.

The Agami Karma is also destroyed by knowledge. Of Agama Karma it is said, they are as “a lotus leaf unaffected by water on it.”

The wise man has no relation with it.

Further, those who praise, serve and worship the wise man, to them, out of all the actions being done by the wise man, the good fruits accrue.

On the other hand, those who criticize, hate or cause pain to the wise man-to them, out of all the actions being done by the wise man, those which are not praiseworthy, i.e. the sinful fruits, accrue.

In short, friends take the meritorious results,

whilst enemies take the demeritorious ones.

 

First verse teaches that the single thought “I am Brahman”, also called as the Brahmakara Vritti, burns away all the stock of past sanchita Karmas. 

Next verse teaches us how the Agami Karma is handled by the saint. He is indifferent to them, since he has raised his consciousness above all worldly concerns. These Karmas do not have any effect on him. 

Then what happens to them?  Next verse gives the answer. The actions which the saint does for the welfare of humanity have to generate some Karmas. They are distributed in the manner explained in the verse – the good and the bad Karmas are distributed to those connected with his life in accordance with their assistance or hindrance to his work. 

Here Sankara explains how a person becomes free from the karmas. As we learned earlier, Karma is of three kinds, Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami. 

Sanchitha Karma is that Karma which is already accumulated through crores and crores of our birth, Prarabdha karma is that which is giving fruits in the current birth and agami karma is that which are the results of the actions done in the current birth left for the future birth. 

To perform any action there should be a kartha and the kartha here is the jiva who is ignorant of his own nature of Anandam. Jiva becomes the kartha when he has desires and does action to satisfy his desire. Kartha enjoys the results of the Karma. Thus as long as there is kartha, karma is there. 

Thus we have desire -> action -> result becoming never ending cycle, taking a jiva from birth to birth. The root cause of this Samsaara is avidya or ignorance of ones own nature of Self. 

Atma Ajnaana vanishes by Atma Jnaana that "I am Brahman". When the seeker gets the Atman Jnana that "I am the Sat-Chit-Ananda swarupa", then he realizes that Ananda is not outside, it is his own very nature only. 

Thus desire vanishes and hence the action also vanishes. Action vanishes because there is no kartha to perform the action as the Jivahood which is cause of ajnaana is not there. 

Since there is no karthrutvam (doer-ship) there is no bhogtrutvam or enjoyment as well. Sanchitha karma and agami  karma are only for the Jivas and when a seeker realizes his own nature of Brahman, no karma affect him. His sanchita karmas become ineffective like roasted seeds which cannot germinate and bear any fruit. 

Such a person crosses over the Samsara.

The Prarabdha karma is only for the body and hence it will be there for the Jnani till the fall of the body but the jnani will not be affected by it. Why? because the Jnani knows that he is not the body and the mind, but Brahman. Knowing that "I am Brahman and what exists is Brahman only", the jnani may live in the world just like any other person. 

He might even do all worldly things just like normal people knowing that everything is only illusion, Brahman alone is Real and thus always rejoices in Eternal Bliss.

As Sankara says in Bhaja govindam

"Yogaratova Bhogaratova

Sangaratova Sangaviheenah

yasyath Brahmani ramathe chittam

nandhati nandhati nandhathyeva"

"Let one revel in Yoga or let him revel in enjoyment or let him seek enjoyment in the crowd or let him revel in solitude away from the crowd. He whose mind revels in Brahman, he enjoys, verily he alone enjoys."

Since there is neither Punyam nor Papam for a Jnani,  he does not acquire a new birth. 

Thus Jnani as a result of Jnana enjoys Jīvan Mukti and Videha Mukti. 

Love

PS. Interested readers are requested to go through the following posts in karma to get clarity on the following:

1) Karma- Post no.8     for answers to some very  important questions that can arise in any one's mind after going through Karma theory.

2) Karma Post no. 9  to be clear on how, in all stages of life, one has to pursue the Purushartha (Dharma, Artha, Kama, moksha)  in life.

3) Karma Post no. 7, to get clarity on Free Will Vs. Destiny.

Love.

Tattva Bodha - Post 34

AGAMI KARMA

Arrows in Hand 

  

The arrows in hand are the most important: The arrows that are in our hands today are the ones that we currently have a choice about where to aim and how to shoot. The arrows and choices in our hands today are called "Kriyamana Karma" (also called "Agami Karma" or "Vartamana Karma").

Becoming more aware: To be aware of the nature of wants, wishes, desires, attractions or aversions is very important. By being aware of our motivations, we can consciously shoot the arrows by choice, rather than unconscious habit. 

Pure, colorless arrows: The actions which we take up

with discrimination are the pure color less arrows which can be well aimed, well shot and which will give us the desired results. Such well aimed arrows will result mostly in positive results, with positive impressions of such arrows shot, stored in our quiver as white arrows, which will get us more and more positive character and more and more motivation to shoot such arrows again in our  future births.

Letting the Stray Arrows Fall 

Reducing the In-flight arrows: When we start improving our aim, and thus creating fewer attachments and aversions, we also have to deal with the arrows that are already in flight.

Some of these in-flight arrows are painful, some are pleasurable. Whether bringing pain or pleasure, the consequences of these previously shot arrows continues to come, until those arrows find their final destination and completion. 

A simple process: There is a simple process to reducing the in-flight arrows: 

We allow the arrows to fall where they are headed, accepting that some of them were poorly aimed. Past decisions are bringing current consequences. We accept these consequences and their responsibilities, as we stay focused on the arrows in hand. We allow the old arrows to run their course in such a way that we don't add more negative consequences to come. 

Being kind to ourselves: The solution is to be very kind with ourselves, as we cultivate persistence and patience. We may want spiritual energy, grace, or shakti to come to us, yet one of the first forms of that comes as determination. To have, cultivate, or pray for such determination is an essential practice on the journey to Self-Realization. 

1.    Becoming a good Archer in making useful decisions, developing determination, and practicing patience, form a powerful combination.

2.  Then, the number and intensity of off-course arrows of Karma gradually goes down, as the numbers that are on-target increases. 

3.  Gradually our karmic focus shifts, as we move more and more towards a greater integration of mind, and reduction of samskaras.

4.  Then our meditations and contemplations can progress more smoothly and quickly on the Journey Within. 

Through these new arrows, you are deciding your future karmas: Now comes the most important thing to be learnt, contemplated and taken-in in the entire Karma learning.

Love.

Tattva Bodha - Post 33

PRARABDHA KARMA

Arrows in Flight (Prarabdha Karma)

  

Arrow already shot: The arrows in flight are the Karmas that have already started to play themselves out, either in our inner world or in the external world. These are the arrows that have already been shot. The arrows and our actions still in flight are called "Prarabhda Karma." 

They have to run their course: An arrow in flight cannot be called back. It must complete its journey.  Thoughts, speech, and actions that have been set in motion cannot be called back. They too will run their course, bringing consequences or fruits. (Some say that this Karma can be altered by grace.)

Experiencing Joy/Sorrow out of White/Red arrows: The white and red arrows were explained in sanchita karma. It is easy to understand that when the red arrows are in flight and are discharged, those arrows, tainted in red with our past sins, are bound to give us experience of Sorrow/ pain.

On the other hand, the discharge of white arrows gain us experience of peace and joy.

It is to be noted that the discharge of both these arrows are not in our control as we have brought them along with us and they are shot by us to fetch us experience accordingly.

One important thing to be understood here. Unlike the Profit and loss account of a business where the debit figures are subtracted from the credit figures and the net result is profit if it is positive and negative if it is minus, in life, such a thing does not hold true.

Suppose we brought 2000 arrows with us for shooting in this life to fetch us the result of our past deeds and out of the 2000, 1200 were white arrows and 800 were red ones, it is not that the 800 would be deducted from 1200 and we would enjoy pleasure due to the discharge of net 400 arrows.

In the theory of karma, one must suffer for 800 arrows and one must enjoy for the 1200 arrows and there is no netting off business.

This can be validated in our own life when we look back and realize that after all our life was neither a bed of roses nor the bed of arrows giving us blood. We have always had good moments and bad moments in our life and most often, we have been suffering as well as getting some good things in our life, side by side.

There are heaps and heaps of lofty mountain full of unripe Sanchita Karmas piled up amounting to billions and billions of millions i.e. innumerable Sanchita Karmas deposited in balance at the credit of each and every person, earned and accumulated by him during his past innumerable births since time immemorial. They do not become ripe to give fruits all at a time in one birth.

Only a very few of them out of this whole tremendous stock become ripe and ready to give fruits during one lifetime. They are called Prarabdha Karmas (readily destined to give fruits commonly known as fate, luck, fortune, destiny etc.).

Strictly according to these Prarabdha Karmas, a person gets a particular type of body, parents, wife, children, wealth, caste, creed, race, sex, environment, etc. just appropriate to enjoy, suffer and exhaust his Prarabdha Karmas destined during his present lifetime.

He cannot leave his present body till he has fully enjoyed, suffered and exhausted all these Prarabdha Karmas during his present life even though he is totally bed-ridden or suffering due to paralysis and other diseases and desperately craving for freedom from his crippled body and again gets a new body to enjoy other new Prarabdha Karmas, say about 20,000 which have become ripe by that time to give him fruits.

Unfortunately, while exhausting his predestined Prarabdha

Karmas during one lifetime, he creates and accumulates much more new Karma during the same lifetimes which are again deposited in the stock of his previous Sanchita Karmas and this situation is repeated in every birth.

Thus the vicious cycle goes on uninterruptedly increasing, instead of decreasing, the total balance of Sanchita Karmas at the end of each birth. The stock of Sanchita Karmas is increasing by leaps and bounds as the new accumulation is much more than the expenditure during each birth and there is no end to this process. Therefore, the cycle of birth and death goes on indefinitely and there does not appear to be any hope of chance for liberation of emancipation.

Due to the experience one gets when the sanchita karmas get converted to prarabdha karmas, it is often that one feels helpless as he sees that things are not in his control at all.

Accidents causing death, sudden diseases, the cause for which is not explained even by doctors, loss in career, in business due to reasons not in one’s control, not able to get child although doctors confirm that there is no deficiency in the couple, there is no disease which is the reason for the woman not able to conceive..., like this there are many such things which are experienced by human beings in the society/in their circle.

These are not caused by one’s own Body, Mind, Intellect, not due to carelessness on one’s part, not due to negligence, not due to deliberate measures, not even due to changing minds.

Only the past deeds, brought in present life, fetching experience either joyous or painful can provide any explanation to such things which happen in our life.

Love.