Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Download January 2025 (English)

Editorial

Law of Karma and How to Transcend It

Karma, the universal law of cause and effect, has been the cornerstone of spiritual philosophy across many traditions. It governs the moral and ethical framework of life, ensuring that every thought, word, action, and intention results in consequences. While deeply rooted in Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism), Buddhism, and Jainism, the concept of Karma resonates universally and finds interpretations across different spiritual traditions. Karma is often commonly used to refer to one’s fate or destiny. But the real meaning of the word ‘karma’ (derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Kru’, which means ‘to do’) is ‘action.’ 

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba explains the karma principle simply by saying, “As is the action, so is the result,” reminding individuals of their responsibility to perform the right action. Lord Krishna dwells at length on the concept of Karma throughout the Bhagavad Gita in various chapters, including Sankhya Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga. Lord Jesus’ teaching of ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’ aligns closely with the concept of karma. Lord Buddha talks about transcending karma through the 8-fold path where the emphasis is on right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Karma and Its Types

What exactly is this ‘karma’? Human beings are endowed with mind, speech, and body. Thus, they can perform ‘karma’ in thought, word, and deed. All of them have their consequences. When we want to understand Karma, we need to understand action at these three levels. According to Vedanta, there are three kinds of Karma.

Satwic Karma is done without any selfish or egoistic motive, without concern for the fruits thereof, and as an offering to the divine. Such people serve in the name of the divine and win God’s grace.

People indulging in satwic karma entertain noble thoughts for the welfare of not just family and friends but the entire humanity and all creation. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The whole world is one family) and Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu (May all the worlds be happy) are their foremost thoughts and prayers. Accordingly, their speech is truthful, limited, and sweet. Whatever they say is to help others. Their deeds are always helpful to others. They are involved in noble endeavors, compassionate deeds, and selfless service and provide food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and aid to the less fortunate and those in need. They also spend time in the company of saints, sages, and good people as they are lovers of God. 

Rajasic Karma is done out of selfishness, conceit, and self-interest. Most actions done by common people in daily life fall into this category. Almost everyone in the world indulges in rajasic actions. 

People indulging in rajasic karma are engrossed in thoughts filled with excessive desires and ambitions. Their speech is rude, aggressive, boisterous, and hurtful. The objective is usually self-aggrandizement and display of pomp and show. Rajasic deeds are driven by ambition and greed. They aim at worldly success at all costs, even disregarding dharma. Many people, especially in the corporate world and politics, succumb to these deeds for profits, power, name, and fame.

Tamasic Karma, apart from being done for selfish motives, also causes harm to others. They lack compassion, inflict pain on others, and are driven by narrow-mindedness, primarily from self-interest. 

These people are evildoers. They always indulge in negative and harmful thoughts. Their words are rude, filthy, and unbecoming of a human being. They inflict pain on others with their words. Tamasic deeds reek of apathy, inertia, laziness, and sloth. Such actions are anti-social, unethical, intended to harm others, misappropriate possessions of others, and go against all scriptural injunctions. 

It is clearly proclaimed in the scriptures that satwic thoughts, words, and deeds give us joy, peace, and tranquility. Rajasic thoughts, words, and deeds cause restlessness, pain, and sorrow. In contrast, tamasic thoughts, words, and deeds keep people immersed in ignorance and manifest demonic nature without even a glimpse of truth and divinity.

The Different Categories of Karma

Over time, Karma gets accumulated. These are categorized into three groups based on their temporal influence on the soul and its transmigration. 

Sanchita Karma is the accumulated Karma from all previous lifetimes stored as a vast reservoir of impressions (vasanas). This represents the totality of all actions, both good and bad, that bear fruit.

Prarabdha Karma is the portion of Sanchita Karma currently manifesting or giving effect in the present life. It is this Karma that determines the circumstances of one’s current existence, such as birth, health, relationships, and life experiences.

Agami Karma is the Karma generated by actions in the present life that will bear fruit in the future. This Karma results from our thoughts, words, and deeds in our present life. 

Together, these three types of Karma weave the tapestry of human existence, binding individuals to the cycle of birth and death (Samsara). These Karma bear fruit in different time frames which can even span across births. In His divine discourse on  August 31, 2001, Swami gave an example of the way Karma works across cycles of birth. 

“The young Vamana (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) walked towards the site where Emperor Bali was performing the sacred ritual. Vamana, was brilliant and effulgent, and everyone looked with wonder at his great youthful beauty. Vamana was the very personification of an attractive magnetic field. Ratnamala, the daughter of Bali, saw the young boy and developed a desire in her mind to have Him as her own child and fondle Him in various ways. But, in the meantime, as you know, Vamana had pushed Bali down into Pathala (netherworld). This event turned her love for Vamana into hatred, and she felt that she could kill the child herself. The all-knowing Vamana noticed what was passing through the mind of Ratnamala and pronounced ‘Tathaasthu’ (so be it)...

He told Ratnamala, “Mother, you first desired to breastfeed Me. But seeing your father’s downfall, your desire turned into hatred. You felt like feeding poison and killing Me. You will be born in Dwapara Yuga as Poothana (a demoness) and feed Me with poisonous milk, but you will die..”  

One can clearly see how Ratnamala fulfilled both of her desires as Poothana. She fed Lord Krishna her breast milk as a mother but also tried to poison and kill Him as a demoness filled with hate. So, one should be extremely careful in what one thinks, speaks, or does, even if it is momentary.

Swami says that the present is the seed, which is the result of the past and the basis of the future. Therefore, to ensure success, we should live in the present.

Vedanta explains the concepts of sanchita karma, prarabdha karma, and agami karma with an interesting and clear analogy of an archer and his arrows. Let us take the example of an archer with a quiver full of arrows. The arrows represent sanchita karma accumulated over many lifetimes that have not been exhausted or ‘canceled.’ When the archer releases arrows from the bow, he has no control over them until they reach the target. The discharged arrows represent prarabdha karma, which is currently being experienced in this lifetime. There is a third category of arrows that are neither in the quiver nor discharged but placed on the bow, ready to be launched. The archer can choose the target and trajectory of such arrows before shooting them. These arrows represent agami karma, present actions that create future Karma.

This analogy captures the dynamics of past, present, and future Karma. It reminds us of the importance of living mindfully, as our current actions shape our future. 

 The Chains of Karma

Karma is inscrutable, subtle, and inescapable. This is why spiritual masters have provided various paths to transcend the grip of Karma and achieve liberation. Bhagawan Baba explains that human birth is a rare opportunity to break free from the cycle of birth and death. He states that the body is given as an instrument to realize the divine. So, one should use it for sacred purposes, remembering that life is impermanent, and the goal of life is to achieve Self-realization, transcending Karma. 

Tamasic, rajasic, and even satwic karmas bind the individual to the cycle of birth and death. While Tamasic karma is akin to an iron chain, rajasic karma is like a silver chain, and satwic karma is comparable to a gold chain. While the chains vary in their desirability, they all bind a person. Thus, it is emphasized that one should be fully free and not be bound by any kind of chain. Initially, one should become rajasic to break free from the iron chains of tamasic karma. From here, one should progress to being satwic and finally, go beyond all three gunas (attributes) to the trigunateetha (beyond the three attributes) state. 

Let us explore the various ways we can transcend the laws of Karma and be liberated in this very lifetime. Lord Krishna and Bhagawan Baba have expounded on this in detail. There are three major paths–Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga. 

Karma Yoga 

This is the path of selfless action (nishkama karma). The idea here is to perform every action in the proper spirit, so that Karma transcends to become karma yoga. There are many rules given by Lord Krishna to achieve this. The first among them is, as He says, “Yogah Karmasu Koushalam (Yoga is perfection in action).” Whatever we do, say, or think should be perfect, as per divine standards (BG 2:50). The next teaching is (BG 2:47)

We are obligated to act from birth to death. But the results of the actions bind us. There is a unique explanation given only by Bhagawan Baba compared to the traditional explanation given above and all other commentators who say that you are entitled only to perform duties and not the fruits of your actions. Swami says that to get out of bondage, one should willingly give up and not hanker after the fruits of action (that one is entitled to) by dedicating them to God.

In another verse (BG 2:41), Krishna says,

Swami presents Arjuna as the ultimate example of one-pointedness. People nowadays, in the name of multi-tasking, become scatterbrained. One should be focused on the present, absorbed in the particular action one is performing, with single-pointed devotion. The next important concept is covered in another verse (BG 2:38)

Whenever we perform actions, we are bound to get results that vary widely. One should have the equanimity to face all kinds of results. Such equanimity will ensure that the actions or karmas don’t bind us. Finally, when we act, the doership should be given up, as stated by Lord Krishna (BG 3:27)

The ego is what makes man think that he is the doer. Constantly remembering that God is the operator and we are just instruments or machines ensures we are not bound by karma. Swami says there are two reasons why karma binds us–ahamkara and mamakara (I and Mine). The first makes us think we are the doers, while the second makes us hanker for the fruits of our actions. 

Further elaborating on this, Swami says a snake has poison in its fangs. Remove the two fangs of the snake and it becomes harmless. Ahamkara and Mamakara are the two fangs that come attached to all our actions, causing bondage. Remove them, and all actions become harmless and one is free. In this connection, there is a beautiful explanation of karma (action) and akarma (inaction) (BG 4:18)

This is a very subtle and profound concept. The sages, saints, yogis, and even Avatars are involved in many activities. But these activities are akarma and not karma because such people have no doership. Hence, no action binds them. However, some people don’t do any work but still get bound in karma! This is because of their feelings of doership and enjoyership. 

Ultimately, the purpose of action is to achieve purity of the heart (chittasya shuddhaye karma). That is why Swami says, “Purity is Enlightenment.” To achieve this, one should always be engaged in sacred activities. Swami says that there are five yajnas (sacred sacrificial rituals) that one can perform–Deva Yajna, Pitru Yajna, Bhuta Yajna, Manushya Yajna, and Rishi Yajna. Therein, we express gratitude to the gods, parents and ancestors, the five elements and nature, peers and friends, and sages and saints.  

Thus, one can overcome the laws of karma through Karma Yoga or Nishkama Karma (desireless action). 

Bhakti Yoga

This is the path of divine love. Swami says that if you have intense love for God, you are never bound by the law of karma. The grace of the Lord can burn any amount of karma. Everyone is born because of karma, and karma arises out of desires. Markandeya is an excellent example of how karma can be overcome with bhakti. 

Lord Shiva saves Markandeya

Markandeya was the blessed son of the sage Mrikandu and his wife, Marudmati, who had prayed to Lord Shiva for a child. The Lord gave them a choice: a virtuous son with a short life or an unworthy one with a long life. They chose the former, and the virtuous son, Markandeya was born, but he was destined to live for only 16 years. Despite knowing his fate, Markandeya grew up as a devout and learned child, deeply devoted to Lord Shiva. As his sixteenth birthday approached, his parents were heartbroken knowing the impending doom, but Markandeya and his parents remained steadfast in their faith and love for Lord Shiva. On the final day of his destined life, Markandeya sat in deep meditation and embraced his Shiva Linga, chanting Shiva’s name with intense divine fervor.

When Lord Yama, the god of death, arrived to claim him, he threw his noose, which accidentally fell on the Shiva Linga. Lord Shiva is Mrutyunjaya (one who has conquered death). He was angered when Yama put the noose around Him! He emerged from the Linga and struck Yama, saving Markandeya’s life. Moved by the boy’s devotion, Shiva blessed him with immortality and eternal youth. Markandeya and his parents worshipped God with great devotion. Thus, they could change even the sankalpa of God, and, as a result, Markandeya could live eternally (chiranjeevi).

Narrating the above story in a divine discourse during the 1972 Summer Course, Swami also gave another example to show the potency of God’s grace.

“There is an injection bottle. It will be written that the medicine inside can be used up to 1970. That bottle is there even in the year 1972 and the medicine is also there in the bottle, but the medicine will have no potency. It cannot serve its purpose. In the same way, in our destiny, there may be medicine or prarabdha, but by the grace of God, we can weaken its effect or blunt its effect. Even though it is there, it cannot trouble us. We can become beneficiaries of God’s grace; we need not be afraid of either prarabdha, sanchita, or agami (karma). If God is pleased with our devotion and worship, He will certainly annul the bad effects of prarabdha and sanchita karma. 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.”

Lord Krishna advises Arjuna beautifully in a verse (BG 8:7)

In the ‘battlefield’ of life, when we ‘fight’ thinking of the Lord always, karma cannot affect us, and we escape unscathed. There was a time when we went through a serious family crisis in Los Angeles. I told my daughter that the law of karma is inexorable, that we all have to pay our dues and that we can only pray to the Lord for strength to endure the crisis.  A few weeks later, during our visit to Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami called us for an interview and admonished me, saying that it is wrong to think that one has to always pay for one’s karma. He said, “When My grace is there, all karma will be wiped out in a trice just as a mountain of cotton can be burned away instantly with a single lighted matchstick.” 

The experiences of Prof. Madhusudan Mohanty and Dr. Amarnath Shenoy, which have been included in this issue, clearly show how Swami can protect and wipe out our problems, miseries, and karma in a trice.

Here, it is also apt to remember the greatest reassurance from Lord Krishna, often quoted by our dear Swami (BG 18:66). 

The Lord assures us that surrender to God liberates us from all sins and karma. When we surrender, God gives us everything we need, as shown in the article in this issue, by Ms. Rachna Desai about her experiences. Such surrender is attainable with intense love for God, which is the hallmark of Bhakti Yoga. 

Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga is the path of wisdom. Swami declares this as the royal road to transcend karma and achieve liberation. Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi, the great jnani of recent times, the sage of Arunachala, approached karma from the perspective of self-enquiry. He taught that karma operates in the realm of one’s ego, body, and mind. But when one realizes that one is the pure Atman, karma loses its relevance. He emphasized that the concept of karma is meaningful only as long as one identifies oneself with the body, mind, and intellect. He said, “Find out who it is that has karma. Then, karma will drop away. Through the method of self-enquiry, asking ‘Who Am I?,’ one transcends the ego and attains liberation.”

Sri Ramana also addressed the inevitability of Prarabdha Karma. He explained that the karma responsible for the present life must play out like an arrow already released from a bow. However, by abiding in the Self, one remains unaffected by the experiences brought by Prarabdha Karma. 

Lord Krishna says (BG 4:19)

It does not matter how much the load of one’s karma is–sanchita, prarabdha, and agami–it can all be burned away in the fire of wisdom. The darkness in a cave that has lasted thousands of years will be gone in an instant when a lamp is lit. Similarly, the moment the lamp of Jnana is lit, all our karma will disappear instantly. 

We are all born bound by the law of karma, and there is a clear way out of karma by following any of the three spiritual paths–Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, or Jnana Yoga. The best would be to follow a combination of all three, an integral yoga whose different aspects are dilated upon beautifully by Swami in a New Year discourse that has been included in this issue. This integral yoga is also embodied in the Lord’s Prayer that Swami has written for the redemption of humanity.

Let us, with intensity and one-pointedness, follow any or all of the three paths prescribed by Baba, the great scriptures, and great masters, and transcend the law of karma and attain liberation in this very lifetime.

Jai Sai Ram.