Actions and their results (Karma and Karmaphala)

* The author uses "Brahma", the nominative case of "Brahman", throughout his writings.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti - Mághii Púrńimá 1955 DMC, Bhagalpur

The creation of the Universe is sustained by actions or Karma. Where there is expression, there is invariably vibration and behind the vibration there is action. Where the active capacity is dormant, motionless or quiescent, there are no waves, and there is no expanding evolution of life and spirit. Under these circumstances the Cosmic consciousness is lying in blessedness as if it were a tranquil, serene and boundless ocean. When the surface of this ocean is agitated by a gust of wind, surging waves are created. Hence, when the unmanifested Cosmic Consciousness is tossed by Prakrti, the refulgence of expression begins. This Universe, full of fleeting shows and wonders, is the crude manifestation of Cosmic Consciousness. This crudeness results from the domination of Prakrti over Puruśa.

In situations where Cosmic Consciousness is less intense, the influence of Prakrti is proportionately more pronounced. The bondage of Prakrti on finite objects is much greater than the bondage of Prakrti is in the limitless field of activities of Universal Puruśa, otherwise called Saguńa Brahma. What, after all, is a piece of stone? It is a finite manifestation of Puruśa where tamoguńa is extremely dominant and as a result of this, the Consciousness in the shape of Puruśa appears crude. Prudent people will consider Puruśa dominated by tamah as crude or Jad́a.

Names are assigned to different objects according to the variation in the degree of crudeness of consciousness. Every object in this perceptible world is pervaded by tamoguńa for the simple reason that nothing is free from the bondage of Prakrti. Why are human beings said to be the highest creature? It is because the Consciousness of human beings is very highly developed. Humanas desire to attain happiness from within the subtle entity rather than from the crude objects. This insatiable hunger leads human beings towards divine happiness. In those unit beings where the consciousness is moderately developed, that is to say, where the entire consciousness has not been overpowered by crudeness, there is the endeavour for self-evolution and for achieving happiness. The strong display of rajoguńa in Prakrti is an outcome of this effort.

For the sake of self-preservation, one cannot remain in the state of inaction, because inaction is indicative of death, not of life. Now, the question may arise that since every entity is composed of the three guńas does not the dead body also contain them? All the signs of what is called crudeness exist in the dead body; tamoguńa predominates while sattva and rajah are only indistinctly expressed. Therefore, there is no propensity for action and far less the capability for action. Thus we arrive at the conclusion that everything existent is pervaded by the three guńas, but in accordance with the variation of their proportion, Prakrti is dynamic in certain situations and inert in others.

According to both Science and Philosophy, every action has a reaction which is co-existent with the original action, whether the action be a physical one or only a psychic vibration. For example, suppose you have stolen something with your own hands. In this instance there is no doubt that you have committed an act of theft. But supposing that for fear of public scandal or state punishment, you only conceived of the theft but did not carry it out. Alternatively you arranged for the theft to be committed by another person. Are you not still committing this theft from behind the scene? If you think that you will not reap the consequences for a theft committed mentally, you are wrong.

This potentiality of reaction or Saḿskára that you get through physical or mental action, has to be endured by some other act inevitably. But when you perform one act which is reaping the consequence of a previous act, you are not acting independently. In such a case you act mechanically, propelled by the reaction of the previous act, and you may be obliged to do some undesirable acts that bring to you disgrace, accusation and affliction. You upbraid yourself and regret at leisure for it. It is as if your hands and feet are fettered and you are unable to avoid such actions.

So long as you consider your identity separate from Supreme Brahma and so long as you are engrossed with the individual “I”, you will have to continue to perform actions and inevitably earn their reactions, which in potential form are known as Saḿskáras. In order that these seeds of reaction can germinate, you will have to select a new physical form. In other words, you will have to subject yourself to the cycle of birth and death in this revolution of Karma, like the oil-mill bullocks. Both Mokśa and Mukti (emancipation and liberation) will remain remote from you, beyond your access. If you make your mean ego the object of your Átman, your actions will be a source of your enjoyment but not of your salvation.

Ásana máre kyá huyá, yo gayii na mankii ásh;
Jyon' teliká boyelko, gharhii kosh pacásh

Does not the oil-mill bullock move on? It keeps going around in circles all the day. But though it may walk more than fifty miles, it does not advance in the least, since it is tied to the pillar of the oil-expressor. Likewise, those working with the Unit “I” as their object are similar to the bullock of the oil-expelling machine.

Yávanna kśiiyate karma shubhaḿcáshubhameva ca
távanna jáyate mokśo nrńáḿ kalpashataerapi
Yathá laohamayaeh páshaeh páshaeh svarńanmayaerapi
tathá baddho bhavejjiivo karmábhishcáshubhaeshubhaeh
–Tantra

In other words, until the actions, whether good or bad are annihilated, human beings cannot attain salvation or Mokśa. Can the gold chain be looser and less torturing than the iron chain to someone in bondage? Similarly, the bondage of bad actions is exactly as tight as the bondage of good actions.

Nábhuktaḿ kśiiyate karma kalpakot́ishataerapi
Avashyameva bhoktavyaḿ krtaḿ karma shubháshubham

Therefore, for salvation or emancipation, it is necessary to be liberated from the bondage of Saḿskáras. The question is, how to attain salvation? When it is essential to act for maintaining one’s existence, how is it possible to avoid the cycle of action and reaction?

It is known from philosophic propositions that the attainment of Mukti (liberation) or Mokśa (salvation) is possible only through spiritual practices or sádhaná. It therefore follows that there is certainly some means to attain liberation from saḿskáras.

There are three processes for attaining freedom from the bondage of action: (1) relinquishing any desire for the fruits of action, or Phalákáḿkśá Tyága, (2) Abandoning the vanity of performing an act, or Kartrtvábhimána Tyága, and (3) surrendering all actions unto Brahma. All of these have to be followed in the individual life, but it must be kept in mind that they all have to be strictly observed. To be more explicit, these rules are the different aspects of one and the same process.

Relinquishing the Desire for the Fruits of Actions

Phalákáḿkśá Tyága: – A man performs each act with a particular objective or other in mind. No act can be accomplished without an objective. For example, someone is studying for an MA then their aim is to graduate? But if he or she only broods over the aim and does not strive to attain it, can they be successful? What is the significance of reflecting over or striving to achieve an aim? For instance, suppose a piece of iron is tossed upwards. The higher it will go, the more it will gain the force of coming down, and as soon as its force for going up is exhausted, it will come down with the same force as it went up. This is natural, an invariable law of Prakrti. Similarly, with every thought or deed the reactions in potentiality will inevitably have to be accumulated. As soon as any act is accomplished, the growth of the potentiality of reactions is stopped and this potential energy is invariably transformed into the reactions of the actions performed. Therefore, it has been said in the Giitá –

Karmańyevádhikáraste má phaleśu kadácana.

Human beings can only control their deeds but not the fruits thereof. When we have no command over the results of our actions, it is vain to brood over the attainment of certain objectives. There is no use in brooding. Is it not reasonable to keep on working only for the accomplishment of an act? To continue to work in this way is to relinquish the desire for the fruits of action or Phalákáḿkśa tyága.

Abandoning the Vanity of Performing an Act

Kartrtvábhimána Tyága: Ordinarily people perform actions with certain objective in view, but still there are many who perform actions not with a view to the result, but only for the sake of self-satisfaction or to feel elevated with vanity because they have done their duty. Suppose a particular person has donated one million rupees to a certain institution. However their mind is not at peace until they find the news of the donation published in the newspapers the following morning. All through the night he or she restlessly waits for the morning and then feels gratified to find the news of the donation in the newspapers.

Mere renunciation of the fruits of actions will not do. The vanity of having performed an act, for example the desire to see the news of gift published in the newspapers, all contributes to the formation of mental vibrations. Saḿskáras will continue to multiply as before.

Karmakleshavipákáshaeraparámrśt́ah Puruśa visheśo
iishvarah.

The term “Iishvara” means Puruśa uninfluenced by actions, afflictions, results or objectives.

For this reason one has to be actions-free in order to merge into “Iishvara”. But we have seen above that so long as Prakrti’s dominance prevails, it is not possible to be actions-free. By merely relinquishing the desire or pursuit of the fruits of action it is hard to get rid of the vanity of a doer, of the idea that “I do”, in so far as we cannot extricate ourselves from the objects of our actions or from the contemplation of accomplishment. To avoid these, one has to always contemplate that one is a machine and Brahma alone is the machine operator who gets the work done through this machine. But even this is not sufficient to eradicate the vanity of a doer. The reason is that one may believe that although a machine, yet he or she is he is superior to others having been selected by the machine operator for that particular action being performed at that point of time.

To avoid such thoughts, the belief has to be developed that Brahma is only served or chosen by Brahma. That is, Brahma inspires us to donate and again receives the same through others. It is simply by the grace of Brahma that we act and have the favourable opportunity of performing this act. It is possible to avoid the doer’s vanity or kartrtvábhimána tyága by developing this belief.

Surrendering all actions unto Brahma

However all is not over by renouncing the desire or abandoning the doer’s vanity. So long as Prakrti is active, rajoguńa is there, causing actions. Doing any act means being caught by the cycle of action and reaction. What is the way out? The only way is to surrender all actions to Brahma and to ideate that every action is performed by Brahma. Such actions will not be called our own. The actions have been performed by Brahma alone and their consequences, whether good or bad, will be borne by Brahma alone. In that case we have no separate identity.

Many people do not do anything out of fear of reactions, and they become indolent. But can they really become devoid of actions? Though they do not act externally, their heart and other organs continue to function. Moreover, inactivity or apparent inaction can never be commended. Those who have surrendered all actions unto Brahma have no reason to fear to act. It also keeps the mind completely engrossed in Brahma. Sannyása means surrendering the mind to the Supreme Object or Brahma. Those who have surrendered their mind to Brahma are the real Sannyásins.

In this connection, there is a befitting illustration in the Mahábhárata.

Draopadii inquired from Yudhisthira why he was undergoing the privations of exile in spite of his virtuous actions, while according to ordinary laws of nature he ought to be rolling in happiness. To this, Yudhisthira replied –

“Karmakari yeijan phalákáḿkśii hay;
Bańiker mata sei váńijya karay.
Phal lobhe karma kare, lubdha bali táre;
Lobhe punah punah paŕe narak dustare.
Ámi yáhá karma kari, phalákáḿkśii nai;
Samarpańa kari sarva Iishvarer t́háin' (1)

[“Those who solicit the fruits of their actions are no better than merchants. He or she who acts for a gain is called a greedy person and acting under the influence of greed they are carried to the dark hell. I do not act for any fruit, rather I surrender all my actions unto Brahma.”]

It is invariably true that the separate identity of the soul is completely dissolved by totally submitting the mind to Brahma. As a consequence of this, human beings qualify for the attainment of liberation (Mukti) or salvation (Mokśa).

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti - Mághii Púrńimá 1955 DMC, Bhagalpur
* The author uses "Brahma" (the nominative case of "Brahman") throughout his writings.
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Footnotes:
(1) Kashiramdas, Mahábhárata. –Trans.

Published in:
Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 1 [a compilation]
Ananda Marga Karma Yoga in a Nutshell [a compilation]
Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 1