Karma Yoga : The Path of Love

Generally speaking, an action is considered good if it conforms to certain relative conceptions of right and wrong, good and bad. But an action which is good under some circumstances may be bad in others.

There are four tests of good or right actions

1) a good action must conform to the fundamental conception of truth;

2) it should not go against religious or temporal laws;

3) it should conform to the unwritten customs and traditions observed by good people of the particular society in which one happens to live;

4) good action should bring satisfaction,never a feeling of regret. But the absolute standard for good or bad action is : That which does not veil or contradict the recognition of the basic truth of Oneness in everything is good action; that which obscures this truth is bad.

To attain the highest freedom through karma yoga you have to free yourself within from the bondage even of good action. But you have to take advantage of good action in order to check the current of bad or destructive activity. Sri Ramakrishna used to say that if you get a thorn in your foot while walking in the woods you take another thorn to remove it. Then you throw both thorns away. A good action rids you of a bad action. But the aim is to rise above both, to free yourself within from the bondage of all action.

No living organism can remain stationary; life itself is constant activity. There is no rest except in the Infinite. “Then why do anything at all?” you may ask. “Why should we not all be lazy, and do nothing?” So long as the influence of maya hangs over us, so long as we belong to the gigantic wheel of life, there is no option for us to do or not to do. Do, we must! It is the revolving of that big wheel that thrusts us into the field of action in spite of our resistance. Every action is the result of previous action; it is also the cause of subsequent actions. The chain is threefold: cause – karma, effect. Effect again becomes the cause of further karma, and on and on it goes. The question, “Who set the wheel of karma in motion?” is like asking which cam first, night or day, the hen or the egg. If we enter a room and a wheel is revolving so rapidly that it obscures a light which is behind it, does knowing who set the wheel in motion help us to see the light? No. The wheel must be stopped.

Let us analyze karma from the view point of the law of causation
1.sanchita karma – stored-up, accumulated karma. It is like a jar of seeds ready to be planted. Nothing happens without a cause. An accumulated force of causation is utilized in different ways. Unused potentiality may be drawn upon at will. This explains a suddenly acquired ability.

2. kriyamana karma - progressive, continuous karma. The field of our existence is now being occupied by this karma. It is that part of causation which is now working on the surface, evidently and palpably, producing its results. It is that karma which we recognize right now, of which we can trace the cause.

3. prarabdha karma – karma that is discharged and is unalterable from the standpoint of our present knowledge. There are two kinds of energy, potential and released. Prarabdha karma is released karma or energy. It is the force which has, therefore, gone out of control. Prarabdha karma has determined our present life as regards sex, parentage, special abilities, tendencies, talents, and the environment of our birth. Therefore, certain endeavours inlife covered by parabdha karma cannot be altered by us. Lest it encourage indolence, we should ignore it. Although it may some times create a disadvantage, prarabdha karma does not stand in the way of attaining perfection. Suppose a man is born with some physical deformities. He may not be able to alter such defects but they will not interfere with his attaining perfection in his spiritual life. This type of karma reminds us we should accept facts as facts. Do not exaggerate hopes and aspirations. Do not strive after the impossible.

We are accountable for every detail of our lives through a specific urge or impetus. Knowledge is not conclusive proof of what we are. Memory is no evidence. Action always produces action. A specific karma gives you a particular incarnation whereby you work in a certain field of endeavour, at the same time creating numerous subsidiary karmas. We are born with a burden of karma and whether we like it or not, that burden has to be worked out. The three types of karma mentioned have been beautifully illustrated in a classic simile. An archer has a stock of arrows in a quiver on his back. They represent sanchita karma. He has an arrow in his hand ready to be discharged. It represents kriyamana karma. The arrow which he has already discharged, and which is speeding on its way to the target, represents prarabdha karma. Over this arrow he has no control. It must take its course.  Read Previous   Read Next