(a) Activity, action, work, duty.
(b) Fate; consequences of acts done in this life and past lives.(Glossary for the Vahinis)
Karmanye vadhikaras te
ma phaleshu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango stv akarmani
(Bhagavad Gita, 2:47)
The Bhagavad Gita declares, “Karmanye vadhikaras te ma phaleshu kadachana (man has a right over action, but not on the result.)” So perform all your activities without expecting any reward. Do not waste your time worrying over the fruits of your actions. This is what is meant by saying, “duty is God.” Divinity will manifest once you perform your duty with sincerity. (SSS Vol.32 Part II, p. 206)
Whatever you do, let it be pleasing unto God. sarva karma Bhagavath preethyartham (do all actions to please God). Then no sin will accrue to you. There is no easier path than this to experience the Atmic principle. (SSS Vol.36, p. 26)
Man is born in action, sustained by action and ultimately merges in action. Action is the cause for pleasure and pain. Truly speaking, action is God for man. (Telugu poem)
The karmas (actions) that we perform are responsible for all the happiness and sorrow we experience. When we perform good deeds, we get good results. When we perform bad deeds, we get bad results. Good deeds will result only in good results and bad deeds in bad results. That is why it is said, ‘do good, be good, see good; this is the way to god.’ When you cultivate good thoughts and undertake good activities, you will experience good results. Therefore remember that the result of our own actions is responsible for all our sorrows and difficulties. All our elders have experienced peace and happiness by following our ancient traditions. (SSS Vol.39, p. 205)
Can you escape from Karma, oh man?
Whatever your scholarship,
Whatever your daily worship,
Whatever penance you may perform
Can you avoid the results of Karma?
Whether you fill your vessel
In a small pond or the vast ocean
It will be filled only up to its capacity.
(SSS Vol.18, p. 20)
There are four types of Karma: Cultivation (Utpadya), Acquisition (Aapya), Transformation (Vaiparityam) and Reconstruction ((samskaram).
Let us take the first type - Cultivation. Land is levelled and ploughed, furrowed and fed, before seeds are sown, saplings guarded, and crops are fostered, before the grain is harvested. But, the grain does not give us lasting contentment and joy.
The second type is Acquisition. We acquire things which we hope will fulfil our wants, through the use or misuse of our status in society, position or authority, command over riches or other men, and our own physical prowess and intelligent skills. Even such gains and possessions do not confer lasting joy. While acquiring, while guarding what has been acquired, while spending or consuming it, we have to undergo painful effort and be ever vigilant. Acquisition is therefore fraught with difficulties and it has only temporary value.
The third type is Transformation. An example is the change caused in milk to produce curds; forging a piece of iron into a knife or axe. Even these articles do not last long. They disintegrate soon.
The fourth type of activity is Refinement, removing dirt and drone. When we decide to celebrate a holiday, we repaint doors and windows, clean the floor and polish door knobs etc., and make the house look like spick and span. We wipe the dust from off the mirrors. The daily bath, washing clothes are also processes of refining. We have to refine the mind also. But refined things and minds do not last as refined; they have to be subjected to the same processes again and again.
Karma can be considered under two heads; Worldly and Scriptural, Laukika and Shastriya. The Scriptural Karmas comprise of three types: Shrauta (based on the authority of the Vedas and in accordance with Vedic injunctions). Smarta (rituals and ceremonies laid down in the disciplinary moral codes or Smritis like those of Manu, Parashara etc., such as obsequial rites for the dead, rites of intiation, ceremonies for daily prayers Sraddha, Sandhyavandanam, Upanayanam etc.) and Pournik (fasts, vows, pilgrimage etc. worship of idols etc., recommended in the Puranas). Through Vedic Karmas like yagas, man can achieve Swarga (heaven) say the Vedas. But the same Vedas declare: ‘One can be in Heaven only as long as the merit he has earned therefore lasts; when the quantity is spent one has to enter the world again’. So Heaven, too, is a transient luxury. A person who secures a majority of the votes cast can be a member of the Legislative Assembly for five years. When that term is over, he has to return home. So also, he who enters heaven has to leave it when his deposit of merit is exhausted. So, Shrauta Karma, too, has only limited force. The Vedas can take you only to the proximity of the Almighty. Na karmana na prajaya dhanena, tyage naike amrutattvam anasuhu. For, the Vedas themselves assert. ‘Na Karmana’ (not through Karma) ‘Na prajaya’ (not through progeny), dhanena (not through wealth), thyagena (by renunciation) ekena (alone) amrutattvam (immortality) anasuh (can be gained). Tyaga (giving up) is the means to gain eternal bliss. Of course, Karmas can and do cleanse the mind of ego-sense and of sensual desires. (SSS Vol.11, pp. 157-159)
Kama (desire) sullies actions at their very roots. Desire deprives one of the power to discriminate between right and wrong action. One loses the capacity to judge the consequences of one’s actions. Hence, the Upanishads declared: First of all, offer your obeisance to Karma (personified as a deity)’. ‘Tasmai Namah karmane’ (Salutations to that Karma). This means that before you do anything, offer your homage to that action. A prayer should be offered to Karma: ‘Whatever I do, let it be helpful to others; let it not be harmful to anyone. Make my action sacred in this way’. (SS Aug 88 , p. 204)
Karma does not cease to affect the doer as soon as it is finished. Infact, it is never finished. Karma yields fruits; fruits of Karma breed desire for them; that results in impulses for further Karma; the impulses bring about further births. Thus, Karma leads to the cycle of births and deaths: it is a vicious whirpool, making you revolve round and round and finally dragging you down into the depths.Arjuna, listen well to another point also. Karma as such has no capacity to bind; it is the conceit ‘1 am the doer’ that brings about the attachment and the bond; it is the desire to earn the fruit that produces the bondage. For example: The Zero gets value only with the association of a digit. Karma is zero; or the feeling of ‘doer’ is associated with the Karma; then it breeds bonds. So Arjuna, give up the sense of ‘I’ and the Karma that you do will never harm you, Karma done without any desire for the fruits thereof will not produce impulses; that is to say, there will be no impulse for birth even. The aspirants of past ages performed Karma with this high level in view. They never felt that they were the ‘doers’ or ‘enjoyers of the fruits’ of any act. The Lord did, the Lord gave the fruit, the Lord enjoyed the fruit...that was their conviction. This world has only a relative value; it has no absolute existence; that was their faith. Arjuna! You too should cultivate that faith and earn that conviction. Do so; then your mind will become clarified and pure. (GV, pp. 74-75)
The Law of Karma holds out hope for you, as the karma, so the consequence. Do not bind yourself further by seeking the fruit of karma, offer the karma at the Feet of God; let it glorify Him; let it further His splendour. Be unconcerned with the success or failure of the endeavour. Then, death can have no noose to bind you with. Death will come as a liberator, not a jailor. (SSS Vol.10)
The best and the simplest karma
The consequence of karma can be wiped out only through karma, as a thorn can be removed only by means of another. Do good karma to assuage the pain of the bad karma which you have done and from which you suffer now. The best and the simplest karma is the repetition of the Name of the Lord; be ever engaged in it. It will keep out evil tendencies and wicked thoughts. It will help you radiate love all round you.
The sages of ancient times divided karma into vikarma (that is intentionally done) and akarma (that is done without any intention to gain the consequence). Follow the latter and you will save yourselves from suffering. All other activities – the earning of wealth, of reputation, of fame and publicity – result in suffering. Gain internal peace, internal joy; that can be done only when you act without an eye on the gain. The act must be its own reward; or rather, the act must be according to the prompting of the God within, so that its consequence is left to Him. Practise this attitude consistently and you will find great Peace welling within you and around you. (SSS Vol.5)
Know also the distinction between Karma, Vikarma and Akarma. I shall tell you the main points of difference now. Listen. Many aspirants get confused about this. Not all can grasp the distinction. They take it that Svadharma is Karma and that all Karma done, not as Dharma, but with a view to earnAtma-Jnana, are Vikarmas! Whatever the Karma, if it is done in the darkness and confusion of Ajnana, however hard you may have exercised your abilities during the activity. Its result can only be worry, grief and travail. It can never result in equanimity, balance or calm. Man has to win Karma in Akarma and Akarma through Karma.... that is the hallmark of the wise. ‘Akarma means action-lessness according to some. But to explain it in simpler language, understand that the activities of the limbs, the senses, intelligence, the feelings, the emotions and mind are all karmas. Now, Akarma means among other things non-activity too. That is to say, it is the attribute of the Atma. So Akarma means Atma-Sthiti, the characteristic of the Atma. When you travel in a bus or train or boat, the illusion is created that the trees and hills on either side travel) along and the person feels that he is stationary! ‘The movement of the chariot imposes on hill and tree, the quality of movement; so too, the person unaware of the principles enunciated in the Satras deludes himself into the belief that the Atman is doing all the activities of the senses and the body. Which then is the genuine Akarma... activity-less-ness: that is your real nature. It will not do if you simply desist from external acts. You merely renounce Karma; for it is impossible to be completely activityless’. (GV, pp. 75-76)
Life has been given to you so that you will engage yourself in good Karma and ideal activities. Karma does not just mean performing action with the body. Karma is the very name of the body, itself. Since the body has come as the result of actions performed previously, one of the meanings of karma is body. (DBG, p. 223)
Karma yoga is the earthen lamp, Bhakti yoga is the oil in it, Raja yoga is the wick. Jnana yoga is the light. (Kundra, pp. K-1)
The secret of good karma is, do karma as an act of worship, a dedicatory rite offered to the source of all energy and intelligence. And, never take the consequence to heart. By this means, one can approximate to the Divine Principle, which is beyond activity. That Divine Principle is in the very core of man. Becoming aware of this Truth is the goal of life; it is the source of strength, which is unfailing and irresistible. (SSS Vol.8, p. 14)
na hi kascit ksanam api
jatu tisthaty akarma-krt
karyate hy avasah karma
sarvah prakrti-jair gunaih
(Bhagavad Gita, 3:5)
It is inevitable; one has to do some karma or other. Not for a single moment can one free oneself from karma ‘na hi kascit ksanam api’ says Krishna in the 3rd chapter of theGita. (GV, p. 35)
There are two types of karma: l. Sensory or binding karma, or vishaya karma. 2. Karmas that liberate, or sreyo karmas. Through vishaya karmas, no happiness and peace of mind can be gained. The sreyo karmas yield progressive joy and auspiciousness with each single act. They give bliss to the soul, or Atmananda; and are not concerned with mere external joy!
Vishaya karma includes all activity in relation to exterior objects, and usually resorted to with a desire for the result. This craving for the consequence leads one to the morass of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ and the demon of lust and greed. If one has no interest for the consequence, then only can one be victorious over the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ and greed and lust.
Sreyo karma is so pure, faultless, unselfish and unswerving. Its characteristic is the importance given to the idea of Nishkama Karma , action without any thought of the fruits thereof. The practice of that discipline involves the development of Satya,Dharma, Shanti and Prema: Truth, Justice, Peace and Love: If one takes up this path with the discipline of the name of the Lord, it will give him the fullest satisfaction. The best means for this is Dhyana. (DhyV, pp. 1-3)
Prarabdha Karma is that which we are undergoing and experiencing. Sanchita karma means all the past karma. Again karma refers to karma that will follow in future. Prarabdha is in between the Sanchita and Agami and we are experiencing this Prarabdha on account of the previous Sanchita karma. The result of what we do now will come in future.
If we do the Karma in a way that we perform all actions for the pleasure and for the satisfaction of God, in worship and dedication to Him, no Prarabdha will trouble us. From the examples of Dhruva and Markandeya; we know how karma can be overcome. Devotion to God could change even the sankalpa of God. Even though Prarabdha is there, the grace of God will certainly remove to a large extent the bad effects from Prarabdha.
We can become beneficiaries of God’s Grace; we need not be afraid of either Prarabdha or Sanchita or Agami. If God is pleased with our worship, will certainly annul the bad effects of Prarabdha and Sanchita. Therefore, the most important thing we have to try is to earn the grace of God by which we can overcome all these bad effects. (SSB 1972, pp. 154-156)
Krishna said that there are four roads, which are used by mankind to salvation: (1) Karma-atita, beyond karma, unaffected by karma; (2) Nishkam Karma, karma without expecting the fruits there from; (3) Sakam Karma with the ambition to reap and enjoy its fruit and (4) Karma-bhrasta, karma that knows no restraint or control.
The first group: the karma-atitas are Jivanmuktas, all their karmas have been burnt up by the fire of Jnana; their impulses for action have been scorched by the wisdom they have. They have no further need for injunction and prohibition. They need no sadhana like Dana (charity), Dharma (virtuous living), Tapas (Austerity). All that they do or feel or think will be Divine, holy, virtuous, beneficial to mankind. They merge on the falling away of the bodily raiment, without delay in Brahman. Such jivas are described as having kaivalya-mukti, Brahma prapti or Sadyo mukti.
The second group: the adepts of Nishkama-karma. These are Mumukshus alert on the path of liberation, who are intent on attaining it. They form each as a step in the realisation of the Lord. So they can never do anything bad; they do not look forward to the result; they leave it to the Lord to give it, or withhold it. They are not prompted by worldly motives or even by desire to gain heavenly pleasure. Their aim is just this; Liberation from the from the bondage of the objective world. They win the Grace of the Lord in proportion to the steadiness of their faith and practice.
The third group which believes in Sakam Karma, performs all acts through the desire for the fruit thereof. Since they have an eye on the successful earning of the fruit, they will engage themselves only in acts that are approved by the Shastras; they will not do any sinful or prohibited act. They will equate each act with the merit it will confer, the happiness it will ensure, the heaven it will win. Such men, when they depart from this world will enter the lokas (supra-mundane worlds) they have sought and worked for, and having stayed there as long as their merit entitles them, they have to return to earth.
The fourth group is not guided by any rule of conduct. They have no norms, no discrimination between virtue and vice, right and wrong, proper and improper.
They have no horror of hell, no conception of heaven, no dread of the devil, no reverence for God, no respect for the Shastras, no vision of Dharma! They are best pictured as beasts in human form. The majority of humans are members of this unfortunate group. They strive for momentary pleasure, short-lived happiness, temporary joy and evanescent comfort. Men are more like caterpillars, which move from leaf to leaf, fixing their foreparts on a new leaf, before releasing their hind parts from the leaf on which they were resting till then.
That is to say, man by his acts in this life decides on his next birth, where and how it will be, even before leaving this world. The new place is ready for him, his fore prints are already there; it is only after settling this that he relieves himself of the hold on this world! Men of this group move round in the wheel of birth and death. (GV, pp. 160-162)
There are three types of fruits of karma, namely, accumulated, present and future. The accumulation of karma can be compared to a storeroom. We eat from what is stored previously. But what we make of the material brought from the storeroom and make it into idli, dosha, chakkiri pongal and so on. We have a great choice in changing its shape and taste and making it edible in the way we like. But one thing is certain, we get what is stored only, namely rice. We cannot change the past karma (action) but we can transform the shape and form of its effects. one important thing is that our present actions can make the previous heritage either good or bad, according to our earnest intentions. ‘We need not worry about the origin of karma. The final result is in our hands. The effects of past karma can be definitely changed by good actions’. (WD, pp. 64-65)
You can modify the effects of Karma by using your intelligence. Karma or Acts of past births are accumulated and heaped as a big burden called Sanchita; out of this accumulation, a portion is taken for consumption at a time, this is called Prarabdha (that which is being spent out). With a little intelligence, you can consume it in a manner that conduces to your welfare and promotes your progress. You may have to cook and consume a certain quantity of rice; nothing prevents you from making tasty dishes out of it, and guarding your health in the process. (TLL, p. 110)
Karma as such has no capacity to bind; it is the conceit. ‘I am the doer’ that brings about the attachment and the bond; it is the desire to earn the fruit that produces the bondage. For example: the Zero gets value only with the association of a digit. Karma is zero; agency or feeling of ‘doer’ is the digit associated with Karma; then it breeds bonds. So, Arjuna, give up sense of ‘I’ and the karma that you do will never harm you, assures Krishna. Karma done without any desire for the fruits thereof will not produce impulses; that is to say, there will be no impulse for the birth even. (NNSG Vol.6, p. 28)
Karma cannot be escaped at anytime, in any place.
Good for good, bad for bad – you are bound to reap what you sow.
Karma data vasamaa, narudaa, karma data vasamaa?
Ghana paathambulu chadivina kaanee,
Kula devatalanu kolachina kaanee,
Kaaradavulake poyina Kaanee,
Kathina tapassule chesina kanee,
Karma data vasamaa, naruda, karma data vasamaa?
Is it possible to evade Karma, O man, is it possible?
You may have studied all the scriptures,
Pleased you family deities,
Departed into forests,
Performed austere penance. But,
Is it possible to evade karma, O man , is it possible?
Chinna chelimilo munchina kaanee,
Enni samudramul ninchina kaanee,
Kadavento ra, Neerante ra,
Kaavaalannanu ekkuva raadu ra,
Karma data vasamaa, narudaa, Karma data vasamaa?
Whether you dip it in small pond, or in a mighty ocean.
As is the container so is the amount of water you collect.
You cannot get more even if you want.
Is it possible to evade karma.
O man, is it Possible?
Your experiences and your destiny are only as grand as the size of your heart. To gain more peace and bliss, expand your heart. Many millionaires have become paupers and paupers have become rich. These are consequences of Gods grace not results of your desires. Jada Bharata told the kings, ‘You do not get joy by desiring it. Joys and sorrows come by themselves, as they please. They may come alone or even together! So increase the size of your heart.’ Limit your desire to acquire a pure mind. More desires means more pollution of your mind. A dirty mind can never contemplate on God. (SSB 1995, p. 86)
Every one has to face the consequences of one’s own karma. Who has made the bats to hang from the branches of a tree with their heads downwards? It is their fate. Likewise, nobody can escape the consequence of Karma. (Telugu poem)
Karma (destiny) has neither feet nor eyes nor mouth. But, man cannot escape from it. That is why our ancients declared that one cannot escape the consequences of one’s own actions. Karma does not conform to your likes and dislikes. Something happens not merely because of desire and similarly something is not averted because you do not desire it. Karma follows its own course Your thoughts and desires cause the illusion that things happen because of your will. The world is full of mystery and wonder. It is nothing but a manifestation of the five elements. It undergoes changes with the passage of time. Likewise, the physical body which is also made up of five elements is subject to changes. Only the In-dweller is permanent. (DD on 19-10-2004, p. 1)
Karma is responsible for the birth, existence and death of man.
It holds sway over all stages
Of his life as the very deity of human existence.
It is responsible for the joy and sorrow of man.
(Telugu poem)
What is Karma? It is the action that we perform. Karma is the cause of man’s birth, his life on earth and his ultimate death. The very existence of man depends upon Karma. There can be no human life without Karma. Spiritual practices like Yajnas and Yagas are also forms of Karma. Welfare and well-being of the world depends upon these spiritual practices. The very basis of the world is Karma. Therefore, everyone must necessarily perform Karma. You should strive to attain God realisation by doing your duty. As is the action, so is the result. No one can escape from the consequences of his actions. Karma does not mean merely the actions that we perform with the limbs of our body; even the process of breathing constitutes Karma. Eating, drinking, walking, sitting, all are various types of action that man performs. So, it is not possible to know the consequences of our actions. We should enquire about the nature of Karma before performing. Being a human being, we should enquire whether the actions that we perform are befitting a human being or not. If you perform action without proper enquiry, you will not have the desired results.
Karma is verily God. God is not separate from you. God is present in subtle form in every action. God exists in the form of Karma in everything right from microcosm to macrocosm. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan (Brahman is subtler than the subtlest and vaster than the vastest). Man must necessarily perform action and should offer all his actions to God. Sarva karma Bhagavad preetyartham (do all actions to please God). If you do like this, you will not be bound by the consequences of your actions.
Ishvara sarva bhutanam (God is the In-dweller of all beings). He is present in all beings, be it a human being, a snake or a scorpion. He performs actions appropriate to the vesture He takes upon Himself. Develop clear thinking and do not spoil your mind by unnecessarily ‘thinking about something which you do not know. Man today ventures into fields about which he has very little knowledge. That is the reason why he faces so many troubles. Therefore, men and women should undertake actions appropriate for them. (DD on 15.08.06 , pp. 2-3)
Karma is inevitable. It is immanent in every thought. It is of two kinds: Material and Spiritual, Laukika (connected with this world) and Vaidiki (drawn from the Vedas or scriptural injunctions). Karma that merely sustains life is material. The Vaidiki that elevates the human into the Divine is based on either the Vedas or on later texts like the Shastras or the Smriti. They can be any of the three: mental, emotional or physical. They are also determined by the activities which the individual has adopted either in previous lives or in this.
The consequences of acts done in past lives that are affecting this life are called Prarabdha. The Karma that one is engaged in now which is bound to affect the future is called Agami. The stored Karma that is slowly being worked out by the individual in life after life is called Sanchitha.
The Sruti and the Smriti texts of India have thus classified Karma, on the basis of the consequences it creates in the life of the individual. The word Karma is short and crisp. It is used freely by all and sundry. But the idea and ideals it conveys are of great significance to mankind. Karma is not simply physical; it is mental, verbal and manual. Each one can read into it as much value and validity as his reason can unravel.
Karma subsumes every activity of man—worldly, scriptural, the spiritual. All the three strands are, in truth, intertwined. The worldly Karma entails merit or demerit. The scriptural Karma is saturated with the experience of generations of good seekers. The spiritual devotes itself to the cleansing of the heart so that the indwelling God may be reflected therein. Karma is a stream that flows ever faster and faster turning the wheel of life and keeping it incessantly active.
Karma means movement, or that which urges the movement. Air moves in space. The moving air results in heat. It is the friction caused by aerial motion that makes the latent heat manifest. Living beings are able to maintain the temperature of the body, so long as air is breathed in and breathed out. The quicker the breath, the warmer the body. Warmth is the characteristic of fire. Fire is the origin of water. The Sun, as one can see, raises clouds. The particles of water get mixed with other elements and then, hardens into ‘earth’ (ground, soil). The earth produces and fosters plants and trees, which feed and foster man and keep him hale and hearty. These plants give the grain that man lives upon, and the seminal fluid that produces progeny is the gift of the grain. Thus is the Karma of creation effected and continued. This is how the Smriti summarises the process. In short, Karma is observable here as movement, as progress, as evolution and as hereditary effect.
Just as a work being done or an activity which is engaging one, can be referred to as Karma, no work being done and no activity being engaged in, are also Karma! On seeing a person silent and calm, sitting quiet and doing nothing, we infer that he is free from activity. How, then, can he be described as doing Karma? What is meant by saying, ‘He is not doing any work.’ ‘He is not engaged in any activity’? That statement only means that ‘He is engaged in keeping himself away from any work or activity.’ So, it can be affirmed that men sometimes are busy doing work and sometimes busy with keeping work away from their attention. That is to say, they are engaged in Karma as well as Akarma. If he is not engrossed or attached with the Karma he does, and is engaged in it as his duty, as his way of worship; and if he is not attached to the fruit of his action, then he can practise Akarma even in Karma. This is the highest sadhana.
Karma is generally known to mean ‘work.’Transactions and actions of all kinds can be designated as ‘work.’ There are no levels of work like low or high. All work is holy if it has to be done for the upkeep and uplift of life. This is the reason why karma is praised as highly sacrosanct and desirable, and as fraught with meritorious or deleterious consequences. (SSVahini, pp. 157-162)
Everyone should be continuously vigilant regarding every one of his actions.
When the actions are bad, even a stick can turn into a snake.
There is no escape from the consequences of one’s actions.
Only by vigilance can disasters be avoided.
Can you escape from Karma, Oh man?
Whatever your scholarship,
Whatever your daily worship,
Whatever penance you may perform
Can you avoid the results of Karma?
Whether you fill your vessel
In a small pond or vast ocean
It will be filled only
Up to its capacity.
Therefore if you watch over actions, the results will be appropriate. You cannot indulge in sinful deeds and hope to realise the fruits of meritorious actions. Hence embark on good deeds over the name and sanctify your life. (SSS Vol.18, pp. 41-42)
The jiva is born in karma,
He grows through karma,
He ceases in the cause
Of happiness and misery.
(SSS Vol.16, pp. 32-33)
The spiritual quest is open to everyone according to his or her capacity and aspirations. However, certain rules and obligations have been laid down for observance by everyone.
These are of four kinds:
1) Naimittika Karma; 2) Kamya Karma; 3) Nishiddha Karma and 4) Prayashcitta Karma. All the four are obligatory for all persons.
Naimittika Karma: These are duties to be discharged as nimittas or instruments. These relate to the performance of certain vows or special ceremonies during certain periods or on special occasions. The ceremonies done for the manes fall in this category. Propitiatory ceremonies done during eclipses are also included in this. These are obligatory for those leading a family life.
Kamya Karma: These relate to karmas (rituals) performed for the achievement of specific objectives like seasonal rains, growth of crops, relief from famine, domestic happiness, peace in society, or attaining heaven. All karmas done for the sake of securing happiness here and hereafter are Kamya Karma. All the prayers that are offered for the good of one’s family or the world are in this category. When the prayers are offered with a pure heart, Divine Grace manifests itself.
Nishiddha Karma: These relate to acts, which are to be eschewed. For instance, the spiritual aspirant has to observe certain regulations regarding food. He must totally eschew ‘rajasika’ food like alcoholic drinks and meat. The nature of the food determines the nature of one’s thoughts, feelings and action. If one’s conduct is to be right and paper, one should carefully obverse the disciplines regarding diet. To have pure thoughts one must be moderate and wholesome. Eschewing unwholesome and impure food is like clearing a field of weeds so that the crop can grow well. The taboos regarding food have to be observed strictly so that one’s life may be cleansed of all impurities.
Prayashcitta Karma: These karmas have to be done purely by way of expiation for offences committed knowingly or unwittingly. The ancient sages prescribed these practices as a result of their experiences and the benefits and solace they derived there from. Experimenting with different practices they indicated those, which were most efficacious and necessary. These include pilgrimages to holy shrines and bathing in sacred rivers. ‘Darshanam Papa Nashanam, Sambhashanam Sankata Nashanam’ (Seeing sacred places destroys sin; conversing with the holy wipes out worries). Men should undertake pilgrimages to holy places from time to time to get mental peace and to purify the heart. Such journeys should be made with pure minds and genuine devotion without seeking any rewards. Some persons enter into curious bargains with the Lord. To make trivial offerings to the Divine to secure large benefits is a caricature of devotion. There is one very precious thing in every person. It is his heart. It is this which should be offered to the Lord. (SSS Vol.19, pp. 161-163)