THE ROLE OF KARMA IN ATMAJNANA SAADHANA

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Srigurubhyo NamaH

 

THE ROLE OF KARMA IN ATMAJNANA SAADHANA

 

In the Vedanta, karma as an end in itself is denounced. It is only a

person who has transcended the karma-created dharma, artha and kama

goals that is fit to take up the sadhana for Moksha. This is because

of the logical conclusion that effects generated out of karma are

finite, not ever-lasting, and fraught with defects like admixture

with pain. It is given only to the wise person who recognises these

shortcomings of karma-generated fruits and musters the strength to

grow beyond these comfort-seeking needs to become the eligible

candidate for Jnana sadhana. For, only such a one can successfully

undertake the sadhana for moksha with a tranquil mind. Conversely, a

mind that clings to the creature comforts that the material world

offers will find it impossible to yoke itself to the exercises

involved in securing Atma Jnanam.

 

The Veda purva kaanda, the portion dealing with karma, however, is

not totally irrelevant for the seeker of Self-knowledge. The

Brihardarnyaka Upanishad says: tametam vedAnuvachanena braAhmaNaa

vividiShanti; yajnena dAnena tapasA anaashakena.(IV.iv.22) (That

Esoteric wisdom is sought to be known by those seekers who have

practised the veda-enjoined sacrifices, giving gifts and austerities

like fasting) This means that these practices, when adopted with no

material gain (of the here or the hereafter) in view, but with

devotion as a matter of fulfilling a duty, will bring about the

necessary conditions in the mental make-up of the person that are

conducive to seeking Atman Knowledge. The Bhagavadgita (xviii.5)

stresses the importance of these three: yajna, daana and tapas as

purificatory practices.

 

The Bhaamatii (1.1.1), an authoritative gloss on the Acharya's

Brahmasutra bhashya, while discussing the role of karma in Atmajnana

Saadhana, gives an eight-step process in which scripturally ordained

duties bring about the necessary conditions for Self-Knowledge:

 

 

1.nityakarmAnuShThaanaat dharmotpAdaH - By practicing the obligatory

duties ordained in the scriptures, dharma is generated. 'Dharma',

though difficult to translate, means in this context, merit. It is

the peculiar mental make-up containing favourable tendencies that are

inimical to the unrefined (crude) tendencies that are present in the

mind.

 

2.tataH pApmA nivartate – The greatest impediment to have even the

inclination to seeking Self-knowledge is the presence of sinful

tendencies in the mind. This is due to the practice of deliberately

seeking pleasurable objects over several past births. As this

tendency reigns strong, the person is led to seek only these and does

not get the inclination to seek the Highest, Knowledge. By the

generating of dharma in the manner of the first step, the paapam,

sin, is eliminated to the extent that they no longer pose an

impediment to seek Knowledge. There is a saying: 'dharmeNa paapam

apanudati' = by dharma a person eradicates sin. 'sa hi anitya-ashuchi-

duHkharUpe samsAre nitya-shuchi-sukha-khyAtilakShaNena viparyAsena

chittasattvam malinayati – That, (the sinful tendencies), creates a

distorted vision of looking upon the world that is by nature

ephemeral, impure, miserable as eternal, pure and pleasurable. The

mind-stuff of a person is rendered sullied by this distorted vision.

 

 

3..tataH pApanivRittau, pratyakShopapatti-pravRittidvaara-apAvaraNe

sati, pratyakShopattibhyAm samsArasya anitya-ashuchi-duHkharUpatAm

apratyUham avabuddhyate – What had prevented the person from having a

correct (ephemeral, etc.) vision of the world is the sinful tendency

of the mind. Now that such a mental set up has been cleansed by

dharma, the door to have a clear vision of the world is opened. By

pratyaksha, direct knowledge and upapatti, inference, he comes to see

the world as ephemeral, impure and fraught with sorrow. What a sea

change!! That is the power of dharma. That very same person who

viewed the world as a source of unending pleasure now starts seeing

the truth of the objective world.

 

4.tato'sya asmin anabhiratisamjnam vairAgyam upajAyate - Thereafter,

in him, a dispassion characterised by absence of attachment to the

worldly objects is generated. We can see how practice of

scripturally-ordained duties with devotion, as karma yoga, brings

about vairagyam, through dharma and eradication of sins and proper

vision of the objective world. What started as ignorance and a

problem of emotion, has now been tackled at the emotion-level of

bhakti-coupled practice of karma and later at the level of the

intellect, by acquiring the right understanding of the nature of the

world.

 

5.tataH tajjihAsaa upaavartate – Then, upon the onset of dispassion,

vairaagyam, he develops an attitude of deep distaste for the worldly

objects, both here and hereafter. The VivekachUDaamaNi describes

vairaagyam as 'distaste akin to one's attitude towards a crow's

droppings. The word 'jihAsaa' is explained as 'hAtum icchA' that

is 'an attitude of rejecting outright', finding them to be detestable.

 

6. tato haanopaayam paryeShate – Thereafter he seeks the means,

upaaya, to give up the world.

 

7. paryeShamANashcha AtmatattvajnAnam asya upaayaH iti tat jijnAsate -

This seeking of the means constitutes the understanding

that 'gaining Self-knowledge is the means to 'give up the world'.

Thus determining, he seeks to Know the True nature of the Atman, the

Self.

 

8.tataH shravaNAdikrameNa tat jAnAti – Thereafter, he adopts the

means of shravana, studying the scriptures for a length of time under

the guidance of a qualified teacher with a view to determining their

purport, manana, settling the doubts as to their purport by

ratiocination and nididhyaasana, meditating intensely upon the

intellectually understood truth with a view to gaining the actual

Experience of the Truth. By going through this three-fold exercise,

he Knows the Self.

 

The Bhaamati concludes: iti ArAdupakArakatvam tattvajnAnotpAdam prati

chitta-sattva-shuddhyA karmaNAm yuktam. Thus is established the role

of karma as a mediate (indirect) cause to the gaining of Self-

knowledge through effecting chittashuddi, mental purity. The

Bhamatii quotes the Bhagavadgita verse:

 

For the wise, who seeks to attain yoga of meditation, or the

equanimity of mind, Karma-yoga is said to be the means. For the one

who has attained yoga, the equanimity becomes the means of Self-

realization. A person is said to have attained yogic perfection when

he or she has no desire for sensual pleasures, or attachment to the

fruits of work, and has renounced all personal selfish motives. (6.03-

04).

 

Note: The above was inspired by an article in Sanskrit

entitled 'Chittasya shuddhaye karma' penned by VedabhAShyaratnam

Vidwan R.Krishnamurti Sastrigal, Chennai. He is a retired Principal

of Sanskrit College, Chennai. Sri Sastrigal is a front-ranking

scholar of Advaita Vedanta. Incidentally, our member Sri

Vaidyanathan had posted a report of a discourse of Sri Sastrigal

excerpted from The Hindu recently.

 

The BhaamatI quotes were given with a view to enable the interested

members to have the benefit of reading the original.

 

Humble pranams to all seekers,

subbu

Om Tat Sat