Laws of Karma

THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

What is the law of karma?

Swami Sivananda: All the phenomena of nature are governed by the universal law of causation, which is the law of karma. The seed has its cause in the tree and becomes in turn the cause of a new tree. The father procreates a son, and the son in turn becomes a father. The cause is found in the effect and the effect is found in the cause. The effect is similar to the cause. This is the universal chain of cause and effect, which has no end. This law is inexorable and immutable. A person is bound by a gold chain or an iron chain; similarly, he is bound by his action, be it good or bad.

What is the law of cause and effect?

Swami Sivananda: The phenomena of nature are governed by the universal law of causation, which is an endless chain that maintains the inner harmony and logical order of the universe. A person’s deeds are as much subject to this law as are the events and occurrences on this physical plane. The physical and mental forces in nature obey this grand law of cause and effect. The law and the law–giver are one; nature and her laws are one. The laws of gravitation and adhesion, attraction and repulsion, operate in strict accordance with this law of cause and effect. from the falling of a mango to the powerful willing of a yogi, from the motion of a runner to the transmission of radio waves, from the telegraphic message to telepathic communication, every event is the effect of some invisible force that works in concord and harmony with the law of cause and effect.

How does the law of karma perpetuate?

Swami Satyananda: Everything that happens in life comes under the scheme of karma; it has a reason, a cause, and is not accidental. The doctrine of karma is an absolute truth, based on the law of cause and effect. If one does good karma, one is going to enjoy; if one is compassionate and merciful, one will receive compassion and mercy. On the other hand, if one persecutes others, one is going to be persecuted. Whatever is done in this life will follow one into the next life. Both the cause and the effect are there in the same substance. The cause becomes the effect and the effect becomes the cause, which becomes the effect again, just as the egg is the effect of the hen and becomes the cause of another little chick. Could there be an egg without a hen? Can there be an effect without a cause? Every action contains the cause and effect at the same time.

In the same way, the dispensation of karma is inherent in the karma itself. The presence of karma and the fact that one exists proves that one has a past. I am not the beginning and I am not the end. I am a link in this long chain of events, which has no beginning and no end.

This endless chain of cause and effect controls not only human beings but the entire visible creation and also the invisible fields of energy. Those who have studied science know about the cause and effect. This law is the philosophical basis of karma, migration, transmigration, reincarnation and metamorphosis, wherein matter is not totally obliterated, but transformed. The doctrine of karma is logical; it is not an irrational law. There is a cause and so there is an effect. Whether one is happy or unhappy, rich or poor, healthy or sick, this is the effect. What is the primary cause?

There is a cause for all of one’s sufferings and that cause also has a cause. This is how the chain of cause and effect continues from the past into the future. When one looks back into the past, the cause becomes the effect. When one looks into the future, the effect again becomes a cause. Cause and effect are inherent in one and the same action, in one and the same event. One cannot say that effect is ultimate or that cause is original. There is no original cause and no ultimate effect; there is continuity.

Does everything in existence have a cause?

Swami Sivananda: No event can occur without a definite cause behind it. The breaking out of war, the rise of a comet, the occurrence of an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, thunder, lighting, floods, diseases, fortune, misfortune – all have definite causes behind them. Scientists are carefully observing the phenomena of nature and trying to find out the exact causes of all that takes place. As the astronomer sits in his observatory with a powerful telescope, he watches the heavenly map and studies the stars and planets carefully. He tries to find out the exact causes that bring about the various phenomena.  The reflective philosopher sits in a contemplative mood and tries to find out the cause of birth and death and the pain and misery of samsara, the cycle of birth and death. This law of cause and effect is quite mysterious. That is the reason why Sri Krishna said in Bhagavad Gita ( 4:17):

Gahanaa karmano gatih.

Hard to understand is the path of action.

How can cause and effect be understood?

Swami Niranjanananda : What is in a seed? It is not cause and effect but the inherent potency of the seed which will manifest as cause and effect. Cause and effect are integrated parts of the potency. When the switch is turned on, there is light. When the switch is turned off, there is darkness. Switch on, switch off. The fan comes on, the fan stops. Turning on and turning off is the cause and effect of the inherent potency, which is electrical. But something must come in between to make it work and function. That cause must have an environment for it to manifest.

If a seed is thrown on barren ground, it can lie there for ages and nothing will happen, but it is planted and the right environment is created, the seed will sprout. The fruits will ripen, and inside the fruit another seed with the same potency as the original one will be found. The flowering and manifestation of cause and effect depends on the environment. If the environment is right, the potency will manifest. If the environment is not right, the potency will lie dormant.

In twenty-four hours of the day, there is fifty percent light and fifty percent darkness. This entire cycle from sunlight to darkness is the karmic cycle. This is the general theory, and of course every potent cause has a potent effect. Every impotent cause will have an impotent effect. Cause and effect are always balanced. There cannot be more cause and less effect, or less and more effect; both are equal. A potent cause will create an equally potent effect.

What is the purpose of the law of karma?

Swami Sivananda: Health, wealth, name, fame and prosperity are obtained on account of good karmas done in previous births. Sufferings are due to bad karmas done in previous births. If one develops a carbuncle or fractures a leg or arm, this is obviously due to some bad karma in one’s previous birth. The bad karma was the cause and the carbuncle or fracture is the effect. If one experiences good fortune in this birth, the cause is some good action that one has done in the previous birth.

One takes birth to reap the fruits of one’s karma. This body is the field and the person is the farmer. The seeds sown are virtue or vice, and the harvest reaped is according to the seed sown. If one sows a good thought or deed, one will reap a good harvest of peace and prosperity. The main idea of karma is not one of punishment for past failures, mistakes and crimes, but that one may learn one’s lesson and gain the soul qualities needed as quickly as possible, so that one may fulfil one’s destiny, one’s special place and work in the grand plan.

What is the importance of understanding the law of karma?

Swami Satyananda: The vedic philosophy says that karma is the law of nature and every being is a product of karma. Karma is the theory of cause and effect. In the Uttara Mimamsa philosophy, the doctrine of karma has been analyzed in great detail. The word mimamsa means ‘analysis’. When one analyzes the principle of karma, one understands that every karma definitely creates an effect. As a result one experiences suffering and joy, pain and pleasure and everything else. This means that the present, past and future lives are the outcomes of a chain of events.

The law of cause and effect should therefore be understood in relation to one’s life in order to make certain amendments in the karma to avoid despair and sorrow. Suppose a child is born and shortly after it dies. Why did this happen? Anybody would ask this question. If the child was meant to die, why was it born at all? This can only be understood through the law of cause and effect. This life is an effect, but what was the cause? By discovering this, one can understand the relationship between cause and effect. It is only after the awakening of ajna chakra, however, that the laws of cause and effect become known.

What is the significance of the law of karma?

Swami Sivananda: The law of karma is the basis of Indian culture and gives the proper explanation for the inequalities in the world: pleasure and pain, health and disease, wealth and poverty and so on. The doctrine of karma alone gives a satisfactory explanation for these dualities. It is sound, appeals to reason and gives clear light. Every person reaps the fruits of his own actions. A person has free will and can do and undo his destiny by his own thoughts and actions. He may be a bad person in this life, but he can change his thought, habits, tendencies, and character and become a good person or even a saint in the next birth. He can choose between two alternatives at every step. He himself is the maker of his bad luck and ill-fortune. If a person acts wrongly and immorally, he is doing something unnatural and against his own best interests. Each person is a free agent and the architect of his own life.

Only the doctrine of karma can explain the mysterious problem of good and bad in this world. Only the doctrine of karma can bring solace, contentment and strength to the afflicted and the desperate. It solves one’s difficulties and problems in life, and gives encouragement to the hopeless and forlorn. A close study of this law gives encouragement to the person who has lost hope and to the desperate and sick. Destiny is created by the thoughts, habits, and character of each individual. If a person changes his thoughts and habits, there is every chance of his correction and improvement.

The doctrine of karma develops faith and supports ethics. It pushes a person towards right thought, speech and action, and brings a brilliant future for one who lives according to it. Those who understand this law correctly and discharge their daily duties carefully rise to subtle heights on the ladder of spirituality. They will be moral and virtuous, and have a happy, peaceful and contented life. They will be able to bear the burden of samsara with patience, endurance and strength of mind. They will not complain when they see inequalities in birth, fortune, intelligence and capacities. The scoundrel can become a saint, the prostitute a chaste lady and the beggar a king. This mighty law provides for all. How beautiful and soul-stirring is this magnanimous doctrine of karma!

What is the aim of the law of karma?

Swami Satyananda: One passed through the phases of evolution due to the law of karma. The doctrine of action and reaction is necessary for the progress and development of tamasic and rajasic people. Karma is the action of the cosmic nature. In order to evolve the consciousness to the supreme degree, the law of karma was created and operates in each and every being. The karmas performed though the body, mind and sense are related to a progression in the realm of nature. This evolution in the nature of karma is sometimes visible and sometimes invisible.

How do the different vedic philosophies explain the law of karma?

Swami Satyananda: Indian minds have thought about this particular concept in many ways. Sometimes they only thought of cause and effect; sometimes they thought about cause and effect in relation to prakriti or nature, and completely did away with God. In the Charvaka system the philosophers said, “There is no God, so there is no divinity in which one should believe.” They did, however, have the theory of cause and effect although, as they did not accept the idea of reincarnation or rebirth, it was confined to this life only. They said that each being has one life only.

This particular position, which accepts cause and effect but denies God and rebirth, seemed illogical and did not convince the thinkers of India. So they went on thinking and over time various other philosophies arose. Of course, two philosophies stand out: the first is Samkhya and the second Mimamsa. The word mimamsa means ‘analysis’, and this analysis was again divided into two sections: Poorva Mimamsa, the earlier analysis, and Uttara Mimamsa, the later analysis. Both belong to the same philosophy.

The later analysis, Uttara Mimamsa, became the philosophy of Vedanta. The earlier analysis, Poorva Minamsa, developed into the Hindu Dharma, where it is believed that divinity takes a multitude of forms, such as gods and goddesses, rivers and trees and many phenomena of nature. Poorva Minamsa involves the worship of many gods and the acceptance of their realms of power. Just as a judge, police officer, secretary and engineer all have particular areas of power, the various divinities are also allocated certain zones of power and duties. For example, Brahma is responsible for creation, Vishnu for maintenance and Shiva for disintegration. Besides these three, they thought about various other gods and goddesses, devatas and devis, which can also be seen as the power of prakriti or nature that guide man.

Poorva Mimamsa says that the karma one does is guided by two forces from within. These two forces are the divine and demonic propensities in a human being. These forces guide one to act, and accordingly give one a reward or punishment.

The philosophy of Poorva Mimamsa was not convincing, but in Samkhya the thought became clear: Samkhya does not believe in one God, but in two universal forces, purusha and prakriti, which are in constant interaction with one another. These two forces are inherent in every speck of creation, whether visible or invisible. Houses, trees, mountains, people, animals, sun, moon, stars and comets are all visible, but there are also invisible things that can’t be seen with the eyes, such as atoms, electrons, radio waves, electromagnetic waves and so on. Samkhya says that purusha and prakriti are omnipresent in every aspect, whether visible or invisible.

These two forces represent opposite polarities. Although they are sometimes shown together, as Shiva and Parvati or Vishnu and Lakshmi, their natures and qualities are just opposites. When these two polarities remain separate, there is no creation; everything remains unmanifest as dormant potential. But when these two forces are joined, like positive and negative wires, the explosion takes place. When purusha and prakriti meet and join, creation takes place.

The interaction between purusha and prakriti creates a stir in the universe, and that stir wave or ripple is called karma, action or motion. Creation is not only the production of the sun, moon and stars; it is an act. A thought and a movement are also creation. One is happy or unhappy, laughing or crying, sleeping or awake; these are all actions. One is attached to this person and repulsed by that person; these are actions. Creation not only means the birth of a planet or galaxy; one’s day-to-day life is also a part of creation.

According to Samkhya, the prakriti aspect has certain illusory powers. Just as a magician deludes one, prakriti has a quality that puts everyone into a state of hypnosis, a state of primordial consciousness. Prakriti belongs to the primordial consciousness, and the whole universe acts in a particular way as a result. There is a law of cause and effect, and as a result of that law there is automatic dispensation. According to Samkhya, there is nobody in between; no judge, inspector, or God is responsible for dispensation. The act one has performed, the virtuous or sinful act that one has committed, is itself a cause which will become an effect.

The philosophy of Vedanta, or Uttara Mimamsa, is a little different. It says that there is no sin or virtue. One has an identity, society and culture, all of which are moha, illusion. One has certain values according to the particular structure of society, wherein some acts are considered good and some bad. One must suffer if one does an act which society says is bad; this has been deeply imprinted in the mind since childhood. One suffers the consequences of that action as one believes it to be bad. One sets an effect into motion by believing in the cause, and that is how one suffers. Therefore, Vedanta has made it clear that one has certain beliefs due to the limited mind and, due to those beliefs, one suffers.

What is the difference between karma and the law of action and reaction?

Swami Niranjanananda: People define karma as the law of action and reaction. The law of action and reaction is the inherent nature of things. If both hands are brought together, there is bound to be a sound. Bringing the two hands together can be construed as action and the creation of sound as the reaction. Action and reaction is one’s expression. Karma is not the law of action and reaction to which one is subject; karma is life.

The experiences of life are karma and the knowledge of the experiences of life is jnana. This is the difference between the two. As far as reaction and action are concerned, every potential cause has a potential effect inherent in it. Every cause has an effect hidden in it, just a shadow is hidden in the body.

A shadow is a part of the body, it is formed from the body, but to see it one has to be in sunlight. Thus a cause has an inherent effect, and that is karma. Action and reaction are not karmas; they are karmic behaviours. Every cause has an effect hidden in it. This body is the cause, this mind is the cause, and the effect, the expectation, the desire, the craving, is hidden in the body and the mind.

LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE

How does the world run?

Swami Sivananda: This world runs on well-established laws; there is no chaos. Everything that happens is the result of eternal, immutable laws. There is no such thing as accident, chance or miracle in life.

The cause of a particular accident or event exists, even if it remains untraceable, hidden or unknown. Events occur in successions and order; there is perfect harmony. Knowledge of these universal laws of nature helps one to clearly understanding that there is perfect order in everything in the universe. Even a rank materialist will realize the glory of the Lord, the lawgiver, who is hidden in these names and forms.

What is the source of the law of karma and the laws of nature?

Swami Satyananda: Laws can’t be accidental; they do not exist by chance. Laws are made by that intelligent being that people call God, Sri Rama, Allah, Brahman, Arhant, Buddha. Karma is also one of the names of God; it is synonymous with God. The nyayikas, or logicians, call Him karta, the doer, and the mimamsakas call Him karma. He is the Lord of all the worlds. If there were no law, there would be no law-giver. If there were no system, there would be no individual who could give a system. God means system, God means law, God means order, God means logic and God means mathematics. If there were no such mathematics, if karmas and samskaras did not exist, if there were so such law, one could do whatever one liked!

Do laws govern all aspects and functions of nature?

Swami Satyananda: Nature is a cosmic principle which is inherent in each and every object, so everything is controlled by definite laws of nature. These laws are known as the properties of matter or the properties of the particular object. There is a law unto everything. All flora and fauna, insects and worms, animals and human beings, planets and worlds are created according to its codes, and there cannot be even the slightest deviation or lapse in its operation. All phenomena: birth, death, karma, the sciences of alchemy, physics, chemistry and botany, show that these laws are accurate and unfailingly predictable. The sun and moon and their eclipses follow laws.

This point has been beautifully illustrated in the Puranas. There are also many discussions on karma in the Mahabharata, in the Bhishma Parva and elsewhere. This concept must be properly explained, as karma is the salt of creation. Not only human beings, the sun, moon, planets and starts also perform karma. They are constantly moving, dying and being born. There is activity, motion, growth and decay. They are all doing karma as they are following a law. The moon follows a law, so an astrologer or astronomer can predict an eclipse that will happen ten thousand years in the future. He can do this because he understands the law. That exactly what Gargi said to Sri Rama in the Ramayana ( Aranyakanda 29:8):

Avashyam labhate kartaa phalam papasya karmanah;

Ghoram paryaagate kale drumah pushpamivaartavam.

The perpetrator of a sinful deed inevitably reaps its terrible consequences when the time comes, just as a tree puts forth its blossom in the proper season.

Gargi called this aksharasya prashasane, the government if the imperishable. In everyday life and everywhere in the universe one always sees a law in operation.

There are natural laws which control and guide everything in the fabric of the whole universe. Every chemical action, physical action, mental or emotional action has a law. Just as there are laws in mathematics, similarly there are psychological and emotional laws. These laws are known by various names, such as the law of nature, doctrine of karma or dialectic law. For example, children need not be told that they should practise yoga. Psychological experiments and many observations have shown that children imbibe behavior from their parents and elders. If the parents practise yoga regularly, the children will practice on their own. Children are always guided by laws of nature, so they will start practising yoga at the age when that law permits them.

Everything in the universe is run under a perfect law, the law of karma. When one hears the word karma, one always thinks it refers to action or work, but in this context, karma does not merely mean action. Everything has an inherent motive or action, whether visible or invisible, which means it is under a definite law, defined and destined by nature. Fire burns – that is its actions; wind blows – that is its action. As man is a part of this universe, the advent of man, his life and home, his exit from the scene and his re-emergence – that totality is based upon certain laws.

Why is it important to understand the laws of nature?

Swami Sivananda: Every person should have a comprehensive understanding of nature’s laws and their operations; then hen can go along this world smoothly and happily. He can use the helping forces to serve his ends in the best possible manner and neutralize the hostile or antagonistic currents to best effect. A fish swims with the current so that he will able to go against the hostile currents by adjusting himself properly and safeguarding himself through suitable precautionary methods. Otherwise he comes a slave and is helplessly tossed about hither and thither by various currents. Various hostile forces drag him in different directions. He drifts like a wooden plank in a river and is always miserable and unhappy, even if he is wealthy and possesses everything that the world can offer.

The captain of a steamer, who has a mariner’s compass, who has knowledge of the sea, the routes and the oceanic currents can sail smoothly. Otherwise his steamer will drift here and there and be wrecked on some iceberg or rock. Likewise, a wise sailor in the ocean of life, who has a detailed knowledge of the laws of karma and nature, can sail smoothly and reach the goal of life positively. Understanding the laws of nature helps one to mould or shape or shape one’s character in anyway one likes.

What is the law of action and reaction?

Swami Sivananda: If there is an action, there must be a reaction. The reaction will be of equal force and of a similar nature. The law of action and reaction operates in both the physical and mental planes. A tennis ball strikes the ground and rises up with equal force, obeying the law of action and reaction. If I speak sweet, loving words to anyone, that person will speak sweet words to me in return. Every thought, desire, imagination and sentiment causes a reaction. Virtue brings its reward and vice its punishment; this is the working of the law of reaction. If I radiate joy and relieve the suffering of others, I will no doubt receive joy. This is also the law of reaction. If I cause misery and pain to another, I will receive misery and pain in return. God neither punishes the wicked nor rewards the virtuous; it is one’s own karmas that bring reward and punishment.

The law of action and reaction brings the fruits; no one is to be blamed. The law operates everywhere with unceasing precision and scientific accuracy. The person who understands this law of action and reaction will never do any wrong action, as he knows that it will react upon him and bring misery and pain. He will always do virtuous actions, as they will bring peace, joy, strength and felicity. The Hindu, Buddhist, tantric, yogic and other scriptures of India have written reams and reams of information on this subject, but in the New Testament of Christianity, it is beautifully summed up as follows (2 Corinthians 9:6):

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

One should always sow seeds which will bring pleasant fruits and make one happy herein and hereafter. What one does comes back to one. What one does unto others, one does unto oneself. It is said in the New Testament (Luke 6:31):

Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Therefore, be kind to all. Understand this law. Never violate it. Act according to this law and rest in peace. May that silent law-giver, who is hiding behind these names and forms, guide all one’s thought, speech and action! Glory to the law and the law-giver!

Are all actions subject to the law of action and reaction?

Swami Satyananda: Newton defined the idea of karma for science: to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This applies to every action in life. When one performs an action, there will be a reaction. If one hits a tin plate, it produces a sound. If one loves or hates somebody, he or she will react. The relationship between action and reaction is equal and opposite. Only the action of an enlightened person, who has gone beyond matter, has no reaction. The actions of such a jnani do not cause reaction, but the actions of all others in this create a reaction.

What is the law of compensation?

Swami Sivananda: The law of compensation operates everywhere in nature’s phenomena. For instance, the seed breaks open and a big tree develops from it. The tree grows in accordance with the law of compensation. Fuel burns and is destroyed, but in accordance with the law of compensation, there is heat and many items can be cooked in the fire on account of the heat. If there is extreme heat on the plains, there extreme cold in the Himalaya. If there are ten scoundrels in a place, there two sattwic souls to bring compensation. If there is a flood-tide in Puri, there is an ebb-tide in Walthair. If there is day in India, there is night in America. Peace follows war, and vice versa.

This law of compensation operates everywhere and is inexorable and relentless in its operation. No one can defy this immutable and irresistible law. The law of compensation operates on the mantel plane also. If a person does a bad act, he will reap a bad fruit in compensation. One always has to connect the effect with the cause. Whatever one may suffer from may appear to be unjust and not deserved at all. If one tries to find out the cause of this suffering, however, one will doubtless find that it is a perfectly right and just compensation. Try this in a few cases; there will be satisfaction and no room for complaint or lamentation. One will understand the beautiful working of the law of compensation.

What is the law of retribution?

Swami Sivananda: Every wrong action or crime brings its own punishment in accordance with the law of retribution. The law of causation, the law of action and reaction, the law of compensation and the law of retribution all operate together. One who robs another robs himself first, one who hurts another hurts himself first and one who cheats another cheats himself first. Every wrong action causes punishment internally in the nature or soul and externally in circumstances in the form of pain, misery, loss, failure, misfortune, disease and so on.

How is it possible that a creator full of love created a world where many animals live only by killing other animals?

Swami Sivananda: Nature beyond moral laws. Moral conduct is only for man, meant to restrict his behavior and lead him on to universal consciousness through gradual ascent along the evolutionary ladder. All things born must die. And there should be some immediate cause for destruction. This cause may be another animal, an earthquake, a thunderbolt, a flood, disease, storm or any other such event. Unless, they are connected with human agency, moral or ethical values should not be attributed to them.

As a human being is endowed with a moral sense and invested with the consciousness of doership, he becomes responsible for his actions. Animals act spontaneously, without any consciousness of ethical conduct, and so are free from the responsibility connected with doership or agency. No action can produce a retributive effect unless it is done with the consciousness of personal doership and responsibility. Man will be punished for his deeds by retributive justice, for man has the freedom to act and he is responsible for what he does. But animals have not been endowed with such a freedom and power of understanding and reason, so what they do is just the expression of their instinctive natural promptings. This is part of the scheme of universal nature.

What is the law of resistance, and how can this resistance be overcome?

Swami Sivananda: If one tries to change the old, morbid, evil habits and establish new, healthy and good habits, the old habits will try to return, resist, persist and recur. This is the law of resistance. The old habit asserts itself and says, “I will not leave my seat in your body.” An internal fight will go on between the old and new habits, the old and new samkaras. One will have to struggle hard and be vigilant, careful and circumspect, like a soldier on sentry duty. If one attempted to eradicate a bad habit and is careless, the old habit will recur. In the beginning it may recur more frequently and last for a long time. Later on it may recur less frequently and last for a short time. Gradually, one will gain strength and it will perish altogether, as the new good habit gain supremacy.

A new healthy will grow gradually, even if it is introduced only once. It will assert itself to gain a seat in the body and mind until it gains perfect success and defeats the old morbid habit. This is another law of nature. There is always a double life in nature, the divine and the demonical. The fight between them is always going on in the body and mind. If one struggles hard, the new good habits will establish themselves quickly, and one will have rapid progress on the spiritual path. The pure, strong and irresistible will is bound to succeed ultimately. It can do anything; its powers are ineffable and wonderful. ‘As a man think, so he becomes’ is one of the greater laws of nature. If one thinks one is pure, one will become pure. If one thinks one is noble, one will become noble. If one thinks one is Brahman, one will become Brahman.

How do individual human actions affect the wider world?

Swami Sivananda: A wrong action done against an individual disturbs the whole atmosphere. An evil thought pollutes the whole thought-world. Every action and thought, however trivial or insignificant, affects the whole world directly or indirectly. Supposing one writes a sensational article in a newspaper which arouses the emotions and sentiments of the readers. They begin to plot against the government, a serious riot ensues, police forces are brought in and many people are shot. Afterwards new laws are framed to check and repress the riots, and the families of those who were killed suffer. This riot produces an effect on the minds of people in other parts of the world also. In fact, the whole world is affected by that single event. A single sensational article has wrought such disastrous results. That noble soul who always does good actions in the world and entertains sublime thoughts is a blessing to all and purifies the whole world.

ACCEPTING THE LAW OF KARMA

What is the reason for the differences and inequalities in life?

Swami Sivananda: Only the law of karma can explain the inequalities of this world, such as why one person is rich while another is poor, why one is wicked while another a saint, why one is dull while another a versatile prodigy, why one is born sickly while another strong and healthy, and so on. Why does one person behave in a rude manner while another is civil and polite? Why is one joyful and cheerful while another is depressed and cheerless? How can one explain these inequalities? These things can be easily explained by the law of action and reaction.

God can never be unjust or partial. It is one’s own karma that brings joy and misery, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, success and defeat. Nobody else is to be blamed. Everyone is governed by the law of action and reaction. The character of an individual is subject to the law of action and reaction, and is also the collective totality of all previous mental actions. Thoughts, habits and character change. One’s present character is the outcome of one’s past. One’s future will be shaped by one’s present acts. Each person creates his own character and destiny; he can do and undo his thoughts, habits, character and destiny. The law of action and reaction operates everywhere.

If the law of karma says that negative deeds will give negative results and positive acts will bear positive fruit, why does one often see people doing negative things without suffering the consequences, and people suffering who do positive acts?

Swami Sivananda: If one does an evil act, one will receive undesirable fruit as compensation. It is said in the Shiva Purana, “Karma once done is never lost in a crore of kalpas, aeons. One must enjoy or suffer the fruit of every deed.” If one examines the life of an individual as an isolated event, which begins with the birth of the body and terminates with its death, it is difficult to find a correct explanation for the affairs of life. The present existence, however, is momentary, a mere fragment when compared to the life of soul. In order to find the cause or antecedent of anything, one has to go deep into the affairs of the eternal life of the soul. Only then will there be a perfect understanding of cause and effect, antecedent and consequence. The law of compensation embraces the entire range of the soul life.

Life does not end with disintegration of this physical body; there is reincarnation. One has had countless previous lives, so one will have to take into account the broad view of the soul. The line will be clear, and one will find perfect, satisfactory answers to all the intricate, complicated affairs of life. There will be no room for grumbling or misapprehension. Every wrong action brings its own sure punishment in accordance with the law of causation, the law of action and reaction, and the law of retribution.

Why do people who do good often suffer, while those who perform negative actions do not suffer?

Swami Satyananda: The manifestation of vasanas, deep-rooted desires, in different lives depends upon the possibility and conditions of the ripening karma.

In this life it happens that a person does not suffer although he does bad karmas, or a person may suffer even if he does good karmas. This is due to the possibility of manifestation of the potential desires according to the conditions available for the ripening of fruits.

The prarabdha karma of an individual comes to fruition according to the suitability of the karmas, not their sequence. Just as there are early and late varieties of vegetables, similarly some karmas fructify soon whereas others ripen after a long time. For example, if spinach is planted today, the vegetable will be ready to harvest in two or three months, while a guava tree will bear fruit after three years, and a mango tree may take five to ten years. It is the same with the karmas. Thus the experiences one may have in this life may be the effects of actions done in past lives.

Can the operation of the law of karma be understood?

Swami Sivananda: The law of karma is mysterious, subtle and unfathomable. Nobody knows the future. It is extremely difficult to say positively that this particular bad action is the cause of this particular bad action is the cause of this particular terrible disease. If a man suffers from leprosy or consumption, it may be the result of one evil action or a mixture of several. One cannot say whether the fruit someone enjoys at a particular time is the result of only one action or combination of several virtuous actions.

The fruit of one virtuous action may be enjoyed not only in one birth but in different births as well, whereas, an extremely virtuous or vicious action will bring its fruit immediately in this birth. The fruits of karma are hidden. When one does an evil action, one does not feel anything at the time and thinks nothing of it. When one is in acute agony or in the midst of a dire calamity, however, one repeats: “O Lord, I have done a heinous crime in my last birth and I am reaping the fruits of it now.” At the moment one actually sees the fruits of the bad karma which were invisible until then.

Is it possible to know which karma has caused one’s present experience of unhappiness or happiness?

Swami Satyananda: The law of cause and effect is binding on each and every speck in the cosmos. There is nothing accidental and nothing random. The chain of karma is binding not only in the human body but also in human thinking and human suffering. Therefore, if a person worries about the result of karma he is a fool, as he does not know which karma this present happiness or unhappiness is due to. The interlinking process between cause and effect is mysterious.

Suppose I receive some good news this morning, so I am happy. Is this happiness that I am experiencing a consequence of the result of the news I received in the morning, or is it due to something good which I might have done two thousand years ago? The good news in the morning may have been only an instrumental cause and not an effective cause. Maybe somebody committed some robbery and the police took him to jail for five years. Is he undergoing five years of punishment on account of his robbery, or is it due to some other karma? This punishment may be due to an instrumental cause, whereas the effective cause may be in the remote past.

Human beings have limited understanding and vision, so they try to create a convenient link between cause and effect. The karmic process, however, is mysterious. A good man can be seen suffering and a dishonest man thriving, a murderer having his heyday and a saint undergoing difficulties.

If God ordains and does all, why isn’t God responsible?

Swami Sivananda: God is all and He alone does everything. Yet, when a man feels that he is the doer, he also experiences the rewards and punishments consequent to his actions.

Evil is only possible in the state of individuality or egoism, not when one is an instrument of God. The individual cannot kill someone and think that this is sanctioned by the will of God, as he is not omniscient and cannot know exactly what the will of God is, unless he is raised to the state of attunement with God. No individual should act under the misconception that he is meant to exhaust the karmas of the victim by killing him. The foolish act will react upon the person who commits the act, and the result will be intense suffering.

God does not tell anyone directly to kill or steal. If any person falls into the error of committing these actions, he alone is responsible and not God. There is no such thing as God directing and individual to perpetrate evil, violence or any act that is harmful to the wellbeing of others. All such misdeeds are the outcome of ignorance and delusion. One who does these acts will be punished by retributive justice. Divine activity is always a movement towards freedom, perfection, peace and bliss. It will not be the cause of even the slightest suffering or pain in any way.

If everything that happens is the will of God, why are people responsible for the fruits of their actions?

Swami Satyananda: when life was created, Prarameshware made a law, a system, a mandate, as well. One rule is that one will reap what one sows: if one sows wheat, one will get only wheat. But God has also made certain other rules pertaining to the sprouting and growth of the seed, such as how much water and what type of manure should be given. For example, rice needs more water than maize, peanuts will only grow underground. Everything happens according to God’s wish, but God has laid down certain rules for different systems. Therefore, the natural law that is an integral part of each being becomes the will of God.

When God created human beings, He gave them the sense of viveka, or discrimination, to evaluate right and wrong, good or bad. But viveka is only there on seed form, so human being have to cultivate and nurture it. When a man obeys the will of God, he flourishes and evolves, as while doing so he uses his intelligence, his viveka, to follow God’s rules.

In this way everything created in this universe: earth, water, fire, air, ether, minerals, vegetation, insects, birds, animals and humans, all develop or become retarded, thrive or perish, according to the will of God, within the governance of God’s laws. If the laws are followed, there is progress. If the laws are flouted, there is regression. In his Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahamsa Yogananda said, “All ills arise from some transgression of universal laws.”

The laws of nature on instinct strictly limit all species, but God has made every human being free. He has given each person a mind as well as viveka, the power of discrimination. Even animals and birds know what is good or bad for them. But since God had given human beings the power to discriminate between right and wrong, no once can transfer the entire blame to Him. He cannot be accused of forcing anyone to steal and commit sinful deeds. Everybody has been given viveka and they have disregarded it, so they have to suffer the results of their misdeeds. One cannot say, “Look God, you made me do this, so now you should suffer the results.” If a person takes poison or plunges a dagger into his heart, he is going to die due to his action, not because God is killing him. In the same way the actions are dispensed by the individual himself, either in this life or in another.

Why doesn’t God intervene to alleviate suffering?

Swami Sivananda: Karma is likened to a wheel; it has to be worked out, as the force that sets it in motion has to be spent. The arrow discharged from the bow cannot be withdrawn, even if the hunter feels that he has aimed at a wrong target. Similarly, parabdha karma, the fruit of those actions performed in previous births that have come up for experience in this present birth, cannot be annulled. How does God help His devotee? The all-merciful God does help His devotee by strengthening his willpower and power of endurance to bear the karmphala, the consequence of previous actions, with a cheerful countenance.

God is not responsible for the wealth of one man or the poverty of another. One suffers on account of one’s own wicked actions. There is nothing chaotic or capricious in the world; events do not happen in this universe in a disorderly manner, by accident or by chance. They happen in regular succession and events follow each other in regular order. There is a definite connection between what is being done by one now and what will happen in the future.

How does the Bhagavad Gita explain the cause of action and the responsibility for results?

Swami Satyananda: In the Bhagavad Gita (13:20) it is said:

Kaaryakaranakartritve hetuh prakritiruchyate;

Purushah sukhaduhkhaanaam bhoktritve heturuchyate.

In the production of cause and effect, nature is said to be the cause; in the experience of pleasure and pain, the soul is said to be the cause.

Sri Krishna says that the Lord od this universe has not ordained any relation between an act and its consequences; all this is the word of nature. The Lord does not accept responsibility for any man’s sin or merit (5:15):

Naadatte kasyachitpaapam na chaiva sukritam vibhuh;

Ajnaanenaavritam jnaanam tena muhyanti jantavah.

The Lord accepts neither the demerit nor even the merit of any; knowledge is enveloped by ignorance, thereby beings are deluded.

In other words, the Lord says, “I have not inspired anyone to commit sin, nor I have given any stimulus or inspiration for that, nor even for good actions”. The fundamental and inherent knowledge of every human being is clouded by ignorance. As a result, people are in a state of hypnosis, so they sometimes do good acts and sometimes bad.

Many saints have had the experience of ecstasy, even without performing any particular practice. How can this be explained?

Swami Niranjanananda: It has been explained in many ways. Every human being has his own level of evolution and is affected by the law of karma. The theory of karma plays an important role in the evolution of human consciousness. According to yogic thought, the karma that one experiences today is actually the fruit of karmas planted many years ago, and the seeds of karma that one karmas planted today will be reaped in the future. A seed planted in the ground does not grow immediately into a flowering tree; in the same way, whatever one accumulates in the form of karma will show its results in the future.

Similarly, at a particular point in evolution, there is going to be physical death and the karma will carry on in the next life. Every time one takes birth it is not necessary to begin in the primary class. Those saints or yogis born with a spiritual inclination from childhood are reaping the results of their karmas from before. Their state of mind is receptive to the process of evolution, so naturally it becomes possible for them to experience ecstasy or have similar spiritual experiences without any spiritual effort, as they have already attained that level of knowledge, awareness and realization.

What is the best way for ordinary people to manage their karma?

Swami Satyananda: the law of karma is binding and everybody is bound by the karma related to nature and the individual. Where there is effect, there has to be cause. That is the law and that is the theory. The cause is called karma. Consciousness is like an ocean, which contains untold drops of karma. Therefore, it is difficult to put an end to all this. It is best to let karma happen, and at the same time try to create more positive karma. When a person practises yoga and lives a spiritual life, another category of karma is produced which is positive, and positive overpowers negative. When a person practises yoga, makes the mind free and awakens the energy, the law of karma does not operate totally in the scheme of life.