Karma

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Sri P.Srinivasan writes -

what caused the jivas to do different kinds of karmas in the

past birth reaping different kinds of fruits in this birth? The Vedantic

answer is: the vasanas (samskaras) accumulated by the jivas in the previous

births impelled them to perform different kinds of karmas in the last

(previous) birth. So here we have a karma-vasana-karma cycle. Extending it

further backwards, if originally all jivas were alike, what caused them to

perform different karmas resulting in different vasanas and fruits? I truly

don't know the answer to his question. I have heard that karma is anAdi -

beginningless. But the question remains: what causes the difference in the

karmas of jivas? I feel that, in this issue, the current Vedantic answer is

not *substantially* better than the semitic answer. I request our members

to

give some clarity on this subject.

 

A most interesting question. I don't know if any texts explain

this point, however I will respond with my own thoughts on the

subject.

 

It seems to me that the reincarnation idea is substantially

different from the only-one-life idea. Because, if there is only

the one life, then it is impossible to hold that any jiva could

be different from anyone else at birth, except for the whim of a

capricious deity. On the other hand, the situation becomes

completely different with the reincarnation and karma idea - why

? Because at any given point in time, it becomes impossible for

us to know if two jivas A and B are both in their nth birth, or

if A has been born 1000 times before B. So even if one were to

assume ( our Lord not being capricious) that all jivas start out

the same at the starting gate, two jivas A and B, while

contemporary now, could have had vastly different number of

lifetimes before this, with the attendant vastly different

karma-bandha-vasanas.

 

So it is not the case ( as Mr Srinivasan fears ) that we have

simply rolled back the problem in time without solving it.

 

Now the question could arise - let us suppose A and B have had

identical number of lives before this one. What then ? What would

account for the difference ? The answer to this is simple as

well. It is ONLY at the starting gate that equality is necessary

for a just God. After that, as man is an active agent, he acts

independently adding to his karma in various ways. So even by the

second life it is perfectly reasonable for two jivas to diverge

considerably.

 

Regards,

Raghu Seshadri