UNDERSTANDING OF KARMA

Karma Theory is basically based on actions and results,  it is derived from the Sanskrit word karman, meaning “act”,as you must have heard the saying you reap what you sow , this is what Karma actually is all about.

Karma could be both the activities of the body or the mind, irrespective of the consideration whether the performance brings results immediately or at a later stage. Karma in Astrology are based on physical means and motives guarded by the Planets Mars and Saturn. However Karma through are thoughts and Manipulations are guarded by the Planets Mercury and Moon.

To understand Karma theory better lets begin with the major events of the life that is Birth and Death, Karma theory believes that once we die we are reborn, when born we die and the cycle goes on that means what goes around comes around.

The law of karma means that all actions good or bad, have their consequences in the life of the individual who acts, provided they are performed with a desire. It is may be said that all actions(good or bad) will produce their proper effects in this or another life of the individuals who act. The Law of karma is this general moral law which governs not only the life and destiny of all individuals, it thus can be compared with Newton’s Law – every action has an equal reaction.

Every person is responsible for his or her acts and thoughts, so each person’s karma is entirely his or her own. The most effective way of creating future consequences of karma is conscious choice-making that is giving a thorough thought before doing anything(constructing its bad and good affects and effects on any individual’s life). Karma creates the future, but it is also an echo from the past. Karma conditions our soul through memory, desire and imagination. In our daily routine, we are either settling an old karma or creating a new one.

Also it may be interesting to know that if any account of karma is not settled in the present birth it is carried over to the next birth, and we may be settling the previous birth karmas in the present birth thus this loop of karma and destiny continues.

As we go further understanding Karma, we also need to understand that it should not be confused with Fate. Fate and Karma are two different notions, Fate is the notion that man’s life is preplanned for him by some external power, and he has no control over his destiny. Karma, however,Karma refers to the totality of our actions and can be corrected as mentioned above that Karma is person’s conscious choice making and a person can be aware of his Karma and thus can attempt to change the course of events.Some karma can be changed but some cannot thus Karma is not fate.

TYPES OF KARMA

• Sanchita Karma – the sum total of past karmas in this life and all previous lives yet to be resolved. It is gathers all good and bad Karmas (here good karma does not cancel bad karma), thus Sanchit Karmas are those which do not instantaneously ripen to give you fruits immediately.

• Prarabdha Karma – part of Sanchit Karma, that are in process or to be experienced in this life. According to the 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/her Prarabdha Karmas destined during his present lifetime.
  A person cannot leave his/her present body until he/she has fully enjoyed, suffered and exhausted all these Prarabdha Karmas during his present life even though he is totally bed-ridden and desperately craving for freedom from his crippled body but as soon as his Prarabdha are fully exhausted, he becomes free immediately from this body and again gets a new body to enjoy/suffer other new Prarabdha Karmas, Interestingly a person creates new Karmas during the same lifetime which are again deposited in the stock of his previous Sanchit Karmas and this situation is repeated in every birth. Thus the vicious cycle goes on. Therefore, the cycle of birth and death goes on indefinitely and there does not appear to be any hope of chance for liberation.

• Kriyaman Karma – current active Karma. Any action that you do at any time or moment in the present tense will give its fruit immediately and on the spot, these are considered to be as Kriyaman Karma. Thus you can also say that its experiences creates new Karmas as well.

KARMA PHILOSOPHY

You may be experiencing karma that originated several lifetimes ago without even knowing it thus you may say Karma has no expiration date.

Karma leads in thinking to –“You become, what you have done”.

People may think Karma as the punishment of their bad actions however the reality of karma is much more extensive, it is important to understand that there exists positive karma as well, just as much as negative karma. People may also have misleading conception that good and bad deeds are balanced out, this is not how it works, you shall enjoy pleasures as a result your good deeds and suffer pain as a result bad deeds. For example if you dobad to others, others will do bad to you in any of the following lives and if you nourish, you will be nourished thus your actions throughout your various lifetimes become the state of your being. Every action performed in life creates another reaction which in turn produces a new action whether good or bad in turn forming an endless chain of actions and reactions is produced which binds the living entity to his good and bad deeds. This is how KARMA works.

If we talk about negative Karmas we actively create these karmas which are the root cause of our sufferings. Desires leads to actions and actions to consequences, tempted by the materialistic world and in its desperate wants, we often lose our sense of discrimination between need and greed. While pursuing desires we not only create suffering for other humans, creatures and environment but we also indirectly create suffering for ourselves.

A person cannot escape from the consequences of his actions some actions bring consequences immediately, while other may take time. Hence, we should choose every action carefully and must work hard to attain anything in the life. Karma teaches us lessons every day, there are always choices with us, we just need to just pick the correct path wisely considering we are not harming anyone, maintain the patience, do good to others without thinking about the fruit it may or may not give us back, selfless deeds are always taken into account, it shapes you into a better human being, brings positivity and hence provides you strength to learn, understand and cope with the situations.

HOPE OF REDEMPTION

Karma repeats to produce new results. Everyone has the power to change their karma, every minute. Karma –as we have already discussed – is dependent on our thoughts and actions and thus it is not impossible (in fact easy if we focus and understand our thoughts wisely) to use our thoughts to create positive actions, which will be rewarded by positive reaction. Therefore, we can devote the present towards creating future karma.

The actual change starts within oneself. What you give to the others is what you get from others. If you spread love, happiness and positive energy, you get back the same. Your inner self impacts your surroundings and your surroundings impacts your inner self, therefore it is better to choose your surroundings, your thoughts, words and deeds carefully. Karma can be fixed/strong or non-fixed/weak, or a combination of the two. If the karma is strong then the predetermined event will almost certainly happen. If the karma is weak then it may be relatively easy to avoid it.

The only path open to you to change your karma is to ceaselessly and selflessly go on doing your good actions/deeds which not only pleases your inner self but also God.You may know spiritual practice can be helpful to even those of us who have absolutely no spiritual interest and who only wish to be immersed in worldly pursuits. Devotion to God is to please God by your moral and ethical behavior and your good deeds strictly according to his orders and instructions which are clearly described in all the religious scriptures.

Also, Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Geeta has himself said that-‘Even if a man of most vile conduct worships me with undistracted devotion, he must be reckoned as righteous for he has rightly resolved. By abandoning evil ways in his external life and by the power of his internal right resolution if he repents after he commits the sin, he is freed from sin; if he resolves that he will never commit the sin again, he will be purified.’

However, it does not mean that there is an easy escape from the consequences of your deeds. We cannot prevent the cause from producing its effect. It simply means that the sinner must turns to God with undistracted devotion and a true/pure change of heart including sorrow of past and a decision to prevent it in the future, thus his redemption is conditional on his remorse. To achieve above a person should free the soul from all the evil thoughts, should give up ego, should forgive and forget and opens oneself to the Divine, but your prayer and remorse must be sincere and spiritual.