Tattva Bodha - Post 32

KARMA

“Karmaani kati vidhaani santi?” iti chet,

Aagaami, sanchita, praarabdha;

bhedena trividhaani santi.

Jnaana utpatti anantaram;

jnaani deha kritam;

punya-paapa roopam karma;

yad asti tad aagaami iti abhi-dheeyate.

Sanchitam karma kim?

Ananta-koti-janmanaam, beeja-bhootam sat,

yat karma-jaatam, poorva-arjitam tishthati

tat sanchitam jneyam.

“Prarabdham karma kim?” Iti chet.

Idam shareera utpaadya,

iha loke eva, sukha-duhkha-aadi pradam,

yat karma tat praarabdham;

bhogena nashtam bhavati praarabdha karmanaam ; bhogaat eva kshayah iti.

“How many kinds of Karmas are there?” – if thus asked, (the answer given is):

these are the three different kinds.

Agami, Sanchita and Prarabdha Karmas

After the dawn of knowledge and performed by the body of a realized soul, such Karmas, whether good or bad, of whatever kind they may be, are known as Agami Karmas.

What are Sanchita Karmas?

Having arisen in endless crores of births, and remaining in seed form,

those results of actions gained from the past, which still remains –

that should be known as Sanchita Karma.

“What is Prarabdha Karma?”

If asked this, here is the reply:

Having given birth to this body, then,

in this very world,

resulting in happiness or sorrow, and so on,

those results of actions are called Prarabdha.

Destroyable only by being enjoyed, are such Prarabdha Karmas. Enjoyment alone exhausts them.

In the above section, three types of Karmas are detailed. They are Sanchita, Agami and Prarabdha. Only their general definitions have been given. 

All these have been elaborately covered in the blog posts under the theme “Karma”.

We will again refresh ourselves with the relevant portions from Karma theme posts related to these 3 karma.

All the three karmas are dealt with the example of quiver and arrow.

Arrows in the Quiver (Sanchita karma)

Accumulated impressions: Imagine, similar to the example given by Swami where He says, you bring along with you, a kanta mala, which is the effect of all your past, we bring along with us, when we are born, a sanchi or a bag in which we are carrying few karma arrows.

The karmas in the quiver are the accumulated deep impressions (Samskaras) that have been collected over our entire history. Some arrows have been added to the quiver (new Karmas) and others have already been shot (old Karmas), and are no longer in the quiver. 

Red and White arrows: There is a combination of red or tainted arrows and white or pure arrows. The red ones, let us take as the arrows pertaining to the wrong deeds of past as Red arrows and the arrows pertaining to our pure/ noble action as White or pure arrows.

The formula of karma: The total of the arrows (Samskaras) in our quiver today is the net of the new arrows added, minus the old ones that have been shot. These arrows and deep driving habits in the quiver are called "Sanchita Karma." 

It takes time: Because of the process of playing out old Samskaras while new, more useful ones are added, it takes time for one's balance of karma to improve. In other words, it doesn't happen overnight (recognizing that God, grace, or Guru might help).

Taking example from Ramayan, Dasaratha (father of Rama) in his young age killed one innocent Brahmin boy named Sravana and hence his old blind parents cursed Dasaratha that he shall also have to die due to the separation of his son.

At the time of this curse, Dasaratha was not married and hence that curse could not be effective immediately.

His action (Karma) was therefore kept in abeyance pending as Sanchita Karma waiting for the opportune time to come. Subsequently, in due course of time, when Dasaratha got married, also got Rama as his son and then precisely just on the auspicious coronation day of Rama, the unholy sinful past action of King Dasaratha immediately cropped up and he had to die because of the curse compelling the separation of his son Rama. And curiously enough, even Sri Rama (the omnipotent God incarnate), in due respect to the immutable law of Karma, chose not to interfere by showing any favoritism to His own father in giving him extension for at least 14 years till He would return from the forest.

Taking one more example from the epic Mahabharata, King Dhritarashtra, when he lost all his 100 sons in the battle field,

inquired of Lord Krishna as to why he met with such a disastrous loss even though he did not remember to have committed any such horrible sin during his present lifetime. Lord Krishna, out of respect and sympathy for him gracefully bestowed upon him divine vision so that he could visualize for himself the heinous act perpetrated by him in any of his previous births which was responsible for his current misery.

Thus aided, Dhritarashtra discovered that fifty births back when he was a hunter of birds he once threw his burning net on a tree causing hundred small baby birds to be entrapped and burnt to ashes, while the remaining big birds flew away but they became blind due to the scorching heat of the burning net.

The effect of this horrible sinful deed was that Sri Dhritarashtra became and remained blind all throughout his present life and also lost his 100 sons. Sri Dhritarashtra wondered and further inquired from Lord Krishna as to why that wanton and sinful act did not immediately rebound on him to punish him in the same birth or even during his immediately next birth, and why it remained dormant as Sanchita Karma for such a long period of fifty lifetimes.

Lord Krishna smiled and replied that his past sinful deed had to wait for an opportune time up to 50 births during which time he could earn and accumulate enough pious deeds to merit him to be eligible to get a hundred sons in one lifetime so that his previous sinful Sanchita Karma could instantaneously confront him with the effects of his evil action.

Love.