KARMA AND GRACE

KARMA AND GRACE

There are two things we must always remember – Justice and Grace. Justice or the Law of Karma applies to all. As you sow, so shall you reap. Those who do not surrender to the Lord, feel the full force of this Law. But when we surrender to the Lord, the second Law comes into play, i.e. the Law of Grace. Grace or anugraha is God’s Blessing or Divine Favour bestowed on a deserving Bhakta (Devotee).

Nobody is happy in the world. This discontent forces us to keep searching for true happiness. This search over a continuum of lifetimes brings us finally to the feet of God – sharanagati, submission to the Lord.

But if your timeframe is of only one lifetime (as believed by persons of other religions), a lot of questions remain unanswered. And very often, because of this belief, one is induced to conclude that this world is very unjust. For example, if a child is born blind, it might rightly ask, “What did I do to be born blind?” What answer can we give to that child? If you tell the child, “It is as a result of your Karma,” the child would say, “But I never did anything; from childhood I have been blind.” If you say that it is the Will of God, the child becomes more confused, for, he says that if God is compassionate, why is He doing such a seemingly injustice to me?

A man is ‘judged’ by his Karma each and every day right here upon earth. All actions, good or bad, produce their corresponding effects in this life or in the next life. A man reaps the harvest of the seeds he sows. Evil deeds bring evil consequences, virtuous deeds bring virtuous ones.

Hindus do not subscribe to the concept of pre-destination. According to this concept, this birth is, and will be our only birth and existence, and that God has determined before-hand what we will be, how long we will live and what will become of us – rich or poor, healthy or sickly, good or evil. If we never had a life before, nor one after, on what basis has God determined our life, and for what reason? God would be blamed for partiality and caprice on this basis. How does a court adjudicate in a criminal matter? Isn’t it on factual doings of the accused? In other words, the court bases its decision on the actions or deeds (evidence) of the accused person.

No event can occur without having a definite cause behind it. Every cause produces some effect on our body and mind. That effect again in turn becomes the cause of another effect. The seed is the cause of the tree. The tree, in turn, becomes the cause of the fruit, which again becomes the cause of the tree. What we see as the personality and character in a person is nothing but the result of previous actions.

Our Karmas are coming from innumerable lifetimes. There are three types of Karmas: (1) Sanchita Karma; (2) Prarabdha Karma; and, (3) Kriyamana Karma.

Sanchita Karma is the stockpile of all our Karmas of innumerable past lifetimes in the journey of the Soul in this material realm. When we are born, God takes one portion of that Sanchita Karma (from the karma storehouse) and gives it to us. We will have to reap the fruit of this portion of our karma in our present lifetime. This is Prarabdha Karma. This has become our Destiny for this lifetime. That which we call Destiny is really our Prarabdha Karma which is decided upon birth.  Kriyamaana Karma is the action we perform in the present lifetime out of our own Free Will.

Free Will. We have learnt that the actions we performed out of our own free will created our Karmas in the past. They created our Destiny; and they are changing our destiny in the present. That Free Will has been given by that Supreme Lord to all of us.  The ability to choose, and the freedom to choose is essential. For example, a Machine is incapable of love. Only that Entity can love who has a Choice. That is why the Choice has always existed in this world. By exercising this Choice, we have reached this point of Love for God and Good in the world.

God acts like a Referee. In any match – cricket, football, tennis, etc, there is a Referee, who is impartial. You are free to play the game, make your runs; the Referee is there to give the decisions. God has taken the place of the Referee in the universe, giving the options available to us.

So, now in this system there is one wonderful option that can help us to get out of this system. What is that? I mentioned at the very beginning that there are two things to remember – justice and Grace. In the Law of Justice, the Law of Karma applies. For those who have not surrendered to God, they shall reap the fruit of their Karma. But for those who have surrendered, the second Law kicks in – the Law of Grace.

If the Appeal Court declares the Death penalty upon someone, that person cannot appeal any further. The person has gone from the lower Court to the Highest Court. But yet the Statutes of justice stipulate that the person still has the option of appealing to the President for mercy. But it is not in the President’s hands to just arbitrarily dispense mercy. For giving mercy there are rules as well. If these conditions are met, he can bestow mercy.

Similarly, it is so in the case of God. His justice is there, but there is another rule. Lord Shree Krishna says to Arjuna, “If you surrender to Me, I shall bestow My Grace upon you.” And by that Grace, He will burn away the entire stockpile of Karmas of innumerable lifetimes, and release us from the cycle of birth and death. He will liberate us from all Paap.

(Pandit Ramdial Balbadar is a prominent Aachaarya (Teacher) of Hinduism in Guyana. He is the compiler and author of many titles and has over 30 years experience in Pandits’ Training across Guyana. He is currently the President of the Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits’ Sabha, Region 3).