Karma Mysteries

Karma is action, and also the result of your actions. Karma is the accumulation of past actions. It is the sum of your learning experiences at any point in your life. The law of Karma goes beyond the cause-effect equation of Newton, Action = Reaction, as each action or event is part of a big network of causes and becomes a cause for future reactions or events.

The universe is a dynamic web of interrelated events. The nature of the web is determined by the nature of the constituting parts and their mutual interrelations. Every action, physical, emotional or mental is "seeded" in the cosmic memory ("Akasha") and leaves an imprint in the individual's subconscious mind. This subconscious imprint is called samskara. Being a seed, karma does not sprout immediately after it is sown. At the right time, the fruit of the action will "ripen". Some karmas trigger a very quick reaction, others need a longer time to trigger, and the sequence of the triggered reactions is not necessarily the same as the sequence of the triggering actions.

The character of a man, his moral or mental status, his interests, are all determined by his samskaras. The samskaras, being never lost, transmigrate from one birth to the next, leaving their imprints on our subconscious and giving birth to circumstances similar to those that generated them. In other words, reap as you sow.

Karma is of three kinds.

• Sanchita karma refers to past actions that are waiting to produce a reaction. It is seen in the character of a man, in his aptitudes, capacities, inclinations and desires.
• Prarabdha karma is past karma that is responsible for the present body. That portion of the Sanchita Karma which influences human life in the present incarnation is called Prarabdha.
• Agami refers to actions that will be triggered in the future by our present actions.

Law of Karma neither preaches fatalism nor tells you not to exercise free will. Even though free will depend on karma, you can still exert free will and make intelligent choices in life. Even if a particular situation is the result of "bad" karma and you have to suffer the reactions, how you choose to react to the situation is your free will, and the choices you make in dealing with it can make a big difference to how these reactions will manifest. Thus the human beings build their own destiny through their actions, thoughts and intentions. With our conscious and subconscious mind and belief system, we create the "reality" in which we live, manifesting that enigmatic power called maya shakti, through which we see the world not the way it is, but the way we want it, consciously or otherwise. Everybody gets exactly what they deserve. There is a perfect justice, even when our limited human understanding sees an "injustice".

Generally speaking, the ordinary human being supports passively and unconsciously the consequences of his karmas. In this state of consciousness, he/she unconsciously generates other karmas, which trigger corresponding reactions, and so on. Apparently, this vicious circle has no end. Thankfully, the Yoga tradition puts forth clearly that the human being has the power and the right to change his destiny and find an exit from this vicious circle.

Yoga talks of performing the worldly action with a detached state of mind so that even the action performed becomes non-action and absolves you from its consequences. The term "non-action" refers to action done in a special state of consciousness where you move in harmony with the Cosmic Laws. Bhagavad Gita says that if you perform an action without arrogating to yourself the ownership of the action and consecrating the fruit of the action to the Supreme Being without expecting any reward or result from them, you open yourself toward the Cosmic Harmony and allow the Eternal Consciousness to perform these actions through you as a tool. You should not refrain from action, but perform nishkama karma — karma done without kama or desire. There is no place for indolence or indifferent work; it is kaizen work. The work you do is a form of meditation and attunes you with the Supreme Being.

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