Karma -A way forwad

The Bhagavad Gita is a seven hundred verse conversation between Lord Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. In the final moments before the war, Arjuna felt that the war would kill many of his friends and relatives. He concluded that this has many harmful and undesirable effects. In essence, he is averse to performing the act of fighting the war. Hence, throughout the Gita, the conversation touches upon various aspects of karma (action, job in hand).

What is Karma

Though, references were made to karma on many occasions, the actual definition is in the eighth chapter. In response to Krishna’s assurance that one realises akhilam-karma (all aspects of karma) when one strives for salvation by taking refuge in Him (7.29), Arjuna enquiries as to what is karma (8.1). Krishna replies, “separation (sacrifice) of cosmic energy capable of creation (bhuta-bhava-udbhava-karo-visargah) is called karma” (8.3). This is a difficult explanation to comprehend, and the interpretations complicate the issue rather than providing clarity. Usual interpretations of karma suggest it to be noble deeds, creation or yajna, but all of them fail to satisfy what Krishna means.

While Krishna’s reply regarding ‘karma’ operates at the level of ‘being’, we interpret it at the level of ‘doing’. That’s why our understanding of ‘what we do is karma’ falls short, as different people keep doing different things at different times. On the other hand, any definition should be valid for every point in time - be it past when humans didn’t exist, present or even future; and for every entity.

Krishna used the word ‘visarga’ which is detachment or sacrifice. Karma is the detachment or diversion of the cosmic energy which is capable of creation. The closest example is the high voltage transmission line carrying large quantities of electricity (energy). When a part of it is diverted, that diversion is ‘karma’ and energising the numerous electrical appliances is karmaphal.

An easy way to understand is that living entities require energy to perform any karma. Karma is nothing but using a part of this energy at a given point of time. It is like diverting a small portion of the energy stored in our body to our legs for walking or running.

Two parts of Karma

Any karma has two parts; one is the intent and the other is execution. In the words of criminal law, they are called mens rea and actus reus, respectively. For example, a surgeon and a murderer both plunge a knife into someone’s stomach. The surgeon’s intention is to save/cure, but the murderer intends to damage/kill. Death can occur in both situations, but their intentions are entirely opposite. While the focus of the law is on execution, contemporary moral literature encourages us to have noble intentions. But Gita exhorts us to transcend beyond intentions.

This is reflected when Krishna encourages us to have pursuits free from kaam (execution) and sankalp (intention) - ‘kaam-sankalp-varjitah’ (4.19). Krishna explains about someone who has sankalp in the mind, but restrain organs of action and says, “The individual who forcefully controls the organs of action, but whose mind rotates around thoughts of sense objects is a hypocrite and is deluding himself” (3.6). Krishna’s focus is about the internal purity and balance at the level of mind. He mentions this aspect as ‘Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam’ (every action is harmonious in yoga of equanimity) (2.50).

Causes of Karma

Krishna elaborates on karma and says, “The seat, karta (doer), various instruments, divergent functions and daivam (divinity) are the five causes for accomplishment of all actions. Whatever action a man performs by body, speech or mind, whether right or wrong, these five are its causes. One of lower intellect, viewing through a poor understanding thinks of the ‘self’ alone as doer, he sees not” (18.13 to 18.16).

The seat is translated as the human body in our context and without the body, we cannot perform any karma. The nature and type of instruments change with time, like the invention of machines for manufacturing, computers, car, airplane etc. Existence offers various activities using these instruments.

Daivam or intervention of divine force, is the fifth cause of karma. This is certainly a mysterious cause, beyond the comprehension of our senses. Daivam is the reason that karmas performed under similar circumstances yield different results, creating confusion.

We can’t escape karma

The core of the Gita is Krishna’s clarification, “Perform your obligatory actions, as action is superior to inaction; and even the maintenance of your body would not be possible by inaction (3.8). Just by avoiding karma, one can’t attain nish-karma (action-lessness) and one cannot attain siddhi (perfection) by mere renunciation” (3.4). It is doing our best in any given circumstance. Krishna gave many paths to master this.

Krishna assures us that by performing karma (actions) without attachment, one reaches the supreme (3.19) and gives the example of King Janak who attained perfection by action alone (3.20). Krishna emphasises the point that a king who lives in luxuries and has several responsibilities can also attain the supreme by performing all actions without attachment, implying that we too can similarly reach the supreme, irrespective of our circumstances. This is the path of performing actions without attachment.

We assume a sanyasi (renunciant) to be the one who has renounced all karmas. Krishna presents a complete paradigm shift regarding renunciation and says that one should always be a nitya-sannyasi (perpetual renunciant), i.e. one who neither hates nor desires; is free from the pairs of opposites (dwandwa-atheeth) and is liberated from all entanglements (5.3). The second path is to renounce hatred. This could be towards anything that goes against our beliefs like religion, caste or nationality. Hatred could be towards our profession, people or the way of things around us. It is important to see the oneness in apparent contradictions. A nitya-sannyasi renounces desire along with hatred.

 

Our usual tendency is to label all karmas (actions) as good or bad and we want to drop undesirable karmas. Instead, we should renounce labelling residing in us rather than our external karmas. In fact, there is no real renunciation of karmas as we renounce one karma to end up doing another one under the influence of our gunas.

Krishna further says, “That state which is reached by the sankhya is also reached by the yogi. He has truth who beholds as one both sankhya (awareness) and yoga (5.5). But renunciation is hard to attain without actions; a sage, well established in yoga quickly attains Brahma” (5.6).

 

Karmas are like barometers to help us gauge how much hatred and desire we carry. Hence, Krishna encourages performing unmotivated karmas rather than renouncing them.

 

Facets of Karma

Understanding karma, akarma (inaction or reaction) and vikarma (prohibited action) is very difficult. Krishna says that this is an intricate issue and even the wise are confounded about the subtleties of karma and akarma (4.16). He further says that the nature of karma is very difficult to know. Certainly, to fully understand the nature of right and prescribed action, one must also understand the nature of vikarma (forbidden action) and of akarma (4.17). He concludes that one who beholds karma in akarma and akarma in karma has attained the goal of all karmas (4.18).

A contemplative person once observed an animal escaping into a forest. Moments later, a butcher comes by and asks him if he has seen the animal. The person is on the horns of a dilemma, as the truth would result in the death of the animal while uttering a lie is immoral. If we sum up all forbidden actions of all cultures and religions, living would be impossible. Hence, Krishna indicates that these issues are intricate and even the wise get confused.

Sins and karma

The question of vikarma (prohibited action) or sin is very intriguing. Arjuna is also in this very dilemma and says that sin alone will accrue by killing relatives and teachers in the battle (1.36). All cultures have defined various karmas (actions) as sins and the list changes with time. In the modern context, countries have their penal codes which mandate some actions to be crimes or sins and thus punishable when committed. In any case, we keep punishing ourselves through guilt, regret and shame when such perceived sins are performed by us.

In this context, Krishna says that “One hoping for nothing, with controlled mind and body, having relinquished all possessions, doing mere bodily actions, incurs no sin” (4.21). Krishna earlier talked about sin and told Arjuna, “To treat pleasure and pain; profit and loss; victory and defeat alike and fight the battle, whereby he would not incur any sin” (2.38).

Krishna says, “Even if you are the most sinful of sinners, you shall safely cross the sea of sin by the raft of wisdom (4.36). Just as a blazing flame reduces firewood to ashes, the fire of wisdom reduces all actions to ashes” (4.37).

For Krishna sin is like darkness, which is dispelled by the light of wisdom and awareness. The darkness may have been there for a long time, or it could be pitch dark but the light instantaneously dispels it.

However, this is contrary to religious preachings dealing with actions, thoughts and feelings which are labelled as sins and conclude that all our sufferings are because of these sins. Religions preach penance for sins both in terms of quantity and quality through various practices and rituals to get rid of the sins. Depending on whether sins are simple or severe, penance varies. If it is committed over a long period, greater repentance and remorse are required.

But for Krishna, the duration or magnitude of sin doesn’t matter. We need to know ‘that’ by which we will see all beings in the self and also the Lord (4.35).

From Bhakti yoga point of view Krishna says, “Whoever realises Me to be the unborn, beginningless and supreme Lord of existence, conquers delusion and is liberated of all sins” (10.3). The key is conquering delusion by realising HIM so that one gets liberated from all sins.

Life presents us with many difficult situations that have no easy answers. While religions thrive on our guilt of committing sins, spirituality is about gratitude and awareness that sins and virtues are part of the same oneness. It is the realisation that karma happens through the interaction of the gunas, and only when we live with choiceless awareness does clarity descend.

Selflessness action -yajna

Water is essential for life on Earth and Krishna uses rain as an example to explain selfless actions (3.14). Basically, rain is a part of a cycle where water evaporates because of heat and forms clouds. It comes back as rain under right conditions. This process involves selfless actions and Krishna names them ‘yajna’. Fire ritual is usually taken as yajna, but it is the process of giving something which leads to getting something back. Oceans let the water evaporate to form clouds and clouds sacrifice themselves to turn into rain. Both the actions are selfless actions -yajna.

Krishna indicates that the selfless action of yajna holds the supreme reality or supreme power (3.15). In the beginning, using this power the Creator created (3.10) and advised everyone to use it to further themselves (3.11). This is nothing but aligning ourselves with the supreme reality to tap its power through the selfless action of yajna.

In this interconnected water cycle, if clouds were to feel proud and hoard water, then the cycle would collapse. Krishna calls such hoarders who disturb these cycles thieves (3.12). On the other hand, clouds keep forming when they continue with the selfless action of rain. Krishna uses the word ‘dev’ (shining ones) for the participants of this cycle helping each other (3.11).

These selfless actions give many things back, like the ocean getting water back through rain. Instead of hoarding, one should participate in this cycle, and this will free us from all sins (3.13) - hoarding being the original sin. Krishna cautions that non-selfless actions bind us and advises actions be performed without attachment like yajna (3.9). 

This world rests on shared existence, interconnectedness and interdependence, where each entity is a part of one cycle or another: dependent on something or someone. It’s like a part of us exists in others and a part of others exists in us.

 

Krishna reveals a secret that the remnant of selfless action of yajna is the nectar of Brahma (Supreme God) (4.31). The subtle indication is that all blessings we receive stem from the selfless actions we perform, whether consciously or unconsciously. Another inference is that if we take contentment as the parameter, the rich become richer and the poor poorer. This is an assurance from the Lord about the nectar of contentment from yajna.

It is the motivation that makes an action a sin and when the same action is performed like yajna, it becomes a virtue which is nothing but the nectar of liberation and contentment.

Work is worship

Krishna says that even the wise are confounded by the subtleties of karma (action, work), akarma (inaction) and vikarma (prohibited action). Some clues are provided in the Gita to overcome these intricacies.

Creativity and Karma

Krishna says whatever a superior being does, other persons imitate, and his actions set a standard for the people of the world (3.21). Krishna further explains “There is nothing in three worlds that should be done by Me, nor anything unattained that has to be attained (3.22); yet I engage in action. If at any time I do not continue to perform actions, without pause, men would wholly imitate My way (3.23). These worlds would perish if I did not perform action. I would be the cause for dire confusion and I would also be ruining these people” (3.24).

Clearly, Krishna is coming as creativity which includes creation, maintenance and destruction. In these verses, Krishna mentions the consequences if creativity stops performing action.

For example, when a farmer sows wheat, it is creativity that is responsible for sprouting. If creativity stops, the seed is wasted. After sprouting, if that crop doesn’t grow, that too is a cause of confusion. After growing, if it doesn’t produce seeds, then it would destroy generations. Similarly, when we eat, the digestive force ensures its digestion. If this digestion stops working, life will perish.

Our lives depend so much on visible and invisible automaticity built into this universe and this is purely possible because of the tireless actions which are continuously performed by creativity. Similarly, we should keep performing karmas bestowed by the all-powerful existence to the best of our ability as is done by the tireless creativity.

Prescribed actions

          Another difficult aspect is understanding the “niyat karma’ -prescribed or obligatory actions or bounden duty. The books and preachings of various enlightened masters add to the confusion, as they outwardly appear contradictory. Even our own understanding keeps changing with our age and experiences. Any attempt to explain it can create more confusion than clarity, as it is purely experiential. To learn swimming, one must dive into the water. Similarly, one should experience the life with awareness to understand the bounden duty. Being joyful without the help of senses is the parameter to measure our progress like floating for swimming.

Eating when hungry and drinking when thirsty are natural niyat karma. But life is complex and presents many complicated situations. A seed coat is expected to protect the embryo and in the right circumstances, it is also expected to give way to sprout. Though it looks natural to us, it’s confusing from the seed coat’s point of view - once to protect and later not to. Like in the case of the seed coat, performing a karma bestowed on us by the all-powerful present moment, without the burden of the past and the expectations from the future, can be taken as one aspect of the bounden duty.

All Karmas are flawed

Krishna says, “One should not abandon sahaja karma (natural deeds) even though all undertakings are inherently marred by blemishes, as fire by smoke” (18.48). Sahaja karma is interpreted as our natural or inborn duty. Another possible interpretation is that they are natural actions arising from ‘existence’ itself. Regardless of interpretation, Krishna concludes that all the karmas are marred by one blemish or another. This implies that no karma is pure.

Krishna uses many words in the context of karma (action) such as akarma (inaction), vikarma (prohibited actions) and niyat karma (prescribed actions) on different occasions. But he never advises us to perform pure karma as all the karmas are marred by blemishes. For example, our immune system keeps us safe from diseases by killing the invading viruses and bacteria daily. If killing is seen as inherently impure, then even the act of living becomes tainted. Consequently, any karma performed by our impure selves is bound to be impure. The same is the case with breathing and consumption of food. 

This understanding offers significant insight: Firstly, this helps us control our tendency to hate the karma we are doing especially when we feel that the karmas of others are more noble. This perspective gives us clarity and helps us to pay attention to what we do. Krishna already assured that devotion to swa-karma (own deeds) leads to siddhi (perfection or freedom) (18.45). Secondly, this understanding will help us to be free of cavil or fault finding (9.1).

Guilt and regrets about our past karmas drive us throughout our lives. Similarly, we keep carrying hatred towards others for their karmas which adversely affect our lives. This verse frees us from these regrets and guilt; and helps us overcome hatred by realising that karmas themselves carry blemishes and that there is no need to blame anyone else for these blemishes.

Freedom from Karma

After declaring that all karmas are flawed, Krishna says, “With devotion to swa-karma (one’s deed or duty) one attains siddhi as this devotion is nothing but worshipping Him from whom all beings rise and by whom all this is pervaded” (18.45-18.46). This is popularly referred to as ‘work is worship’.

Firstly, in today’s context, in almost all cultures and societies, some professions like sports, acting and singing receive more admiration than others. Similarly, in the olden days, the importance was determined by some other factors. These verses clarify that by fulfilling one’s swa-karma, born from one’s innate qualities, one can attain siddhi. Thus, doing our best in whatever we do is what truly matters - regardless of the specific nature of work.

Krishna concludes about karma and says, “Those whose intellect (buddhi) is not attached everywhere (sarvatra), have conquered the self, and are free from desires through renunciation attain the perfection of ‘freedom from karma’ (naishkarmya-siddhi)” (18.49).

The message is that all karmas are flawed and there is nothing called pure karma which we should adopt. Even if we adopt a karma, the prakriti which keeps changing (vikar) changes the contours of that karma, creating new dilemmas. Secondly, one attains siddhi with devotion to swa-karma (one’s deed or duty) and this devotion is nothing but worshipping Paramatma from whom all beings rise and by whom all this is pervaded. Finally, when our intellect (buddhi) is not attached everywhere, have conquered the self, and are free from desires through renunciation, we attain the perfection of ‘freedom from karma’ (naishkarmya-siddhi).