Three Kinds of Karma by Swami Sivananda 1. Sanchita Karmas are accumulated works 2. Prarabdha Karmas are ripe or fructuous actions 3. Kriyamana or Agami Karmas are current works Sanchita are destroyed by Brahma Jnana. One should enjoy the Prarabdha anyhow (Vyavaharika Drishti). Kriyamana are no actions, as the Jnani has Akarta and Sakshi Bhava. Tarash, the case in which arrows are accumulated, represents our Sanchita Karmas; the arrow that is ready for discharging represents our Agami Karmas; and the arrow which has already left the bow, which cannot return, which must hit the target, represents the Prarabdha Karmas. The articles in the store-room represent the Sanchita; the articles that are put in the shop for sale are Prarabdha; the daily sale proceeds are the Agami. There are three kinds of Prarabdha, viz., Iccha Prarabdha, Aniccha Prarabdha, and Paraiccha Prarabdha. There is difference between the Iccha Prarabdha of Vivekins and non-Vivekins. Non-Vivekins think that they are the agents of all actions. They are egoistic. They do mischief to other people. They always do evil actions. They are always full of misery. Vivekins eradicate attachment, desires and egoism. They have no desire for money. They lead a peaceful life and serve others. Aniccha Prarabdha is common to Vivekins and non-Vivekins. Both suffer from the heat of the sun, wind, rain, disease, accidental injury to the head by striking against the door, lightning-stroke, etc. Paraiccha Prarabdha is common to both. One man prostrates before a Vivekin or a non-Vivekin and implores him to render some help or service. He has to undergo the pleasure and pain that accrue from this work. The seed-like subtle impressions of the entire accumulated actions lie dormant in Chittakasa (the mental space). When a great Jnani gets illumination through direct intuitive knowledge, that he is not the five sheaths but transcendental to them and also their witnessing intelligence (Sakshi), the Atman, then the subtle impressions of Sanchita Karma lying in Chittakasa of the Manomaya Kosha remain in the sheath only; they can no longer enchain the liberated Jnani. Just as a potter, having set in motion the wheel by a rod, removes his hand and rod from it, allowing the wheel to revolve till the momentum previously imparted to it is exhausted, in the same way, the Jnani, even after his attainment of Jivanmukti through Self-knowledge, continues enjoying the fruit of his Prarabdha Karma up to the end of the present body. Prarabdha is exhausted by no other means than by enjoying its fruit. Just as the potter’s wheel, after being set in motion continues revolving, even after the connection with the potter is cut off, so also a Jnani continues to enjoy the fruit of his Prarabdha Karma; but they cannot produce the seed of Sanchita Karma on account of his non-attachment or absence of craving for them. The enjoyment of the fruit of Prarabdha Karma falls to his lot by the force of Prarabdha. He has not the least desire for them as he has realised, through Self-knowledge, their impermanent and unreal nature. So their enjoyment does not in any way affect him. The experience of happiness and misery, owing to his non-attachment, is impotent to produce the seeds of Sanchita Karma, as the parched grains are impotent to germinate and produce any crop. Brahma Jnana annihilates Agami Karmas (current works) of a Jnani as he has no contact with them, that is, he is untouched or unaffected by his Karmas, like the lotus leaf which is unaffected by the drops of water on it. The accumulated and current actions of a Jnani take shelter in Brahmanda Prakriti. Those who serve and adore a Jnani acquire his merit of current actions, while those who hate and censure him get the demerit of his current actions. Thus the Jnani gets disentangled from the fetters of all Karmas (Tattva Bodha).

Lawful and Forbidden Actions (Vidhi-Nishedha) Actions are of two kinds: 1. Lawful (Vidhi). 2. Forbidden or prohibitory (Nishedha). Lawful actions are the injunctions of the Sastras. They are beneficial to the performer. “Satyam vada, Dharmam chara-speak the truth, do virtuous actions.” These are lawful actions. They are best calculated to purify the heart of the performer and to prepare his mind for the reception of Brahma Jnana. Forbidden are those actions which are interdicted by the scriptures, such as: “Do not drink liquor. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal, etc.” They are harmful. They hurl the doer down to lower births. The lawful actions are of four kinds: 1. Nitya Karmas-daily rites. 2. Naimittika Karmas-occasional rites. 3. Kamya Karmas-optional rites. 4. Prayaschitta Karmas-penances. Morning bath and Sandhya in the three periods of time constitute Nitya Karmas. If you do not perform them daily you incur sin. You are subject to Pratyavaya Dosha (the sin of omission). The rites done during eclipse and Shraddha (ceremony) every year are Naimittika Karmas. Non-performance of these rites brings sin. That man who is struggling to obtain Moksha will not be affected by the harmful effects of leaving the Nitya and Naimittika Karmas. Kamya Karmas are performed with a motive of obtaining definite results. Sacrifices that are done for getting rain, and the offerings to fire for obtaining Svarga, are examples of Kamya Karmas. Prayaschitta is done for the destruction of sin. In the Code of Manu you will find various kinds of Prayaschitta for the destruction of various kinds of sins, such as the murder of a Brahmin, killing of a cow, drinking alcohol or taking forbidden foods, adultery, etc. Prayaschitta is of two kinds, viz., 1. Extraordinary (Asaadharana) and 2. Ordinary (Saadharana). Extraordinary penances are those which are prescribed in the Code of Manu for the destruction of particular sins. Chandrayana Vrata, Krichhra Vrata and various other kinds such as carrying a skull in the hand and living on alms after renouncing all property, living underneath a tree, long pilgrimage till the end of one’s life, and openly admitting before the public one’s crime, are prescribed. If anyone repents and openly admits his minor offences, the sin is washed away. In doing Prayaschitta the offender actually suffers, he punishes himself by long fasting and other ordeals as described above. Action and reaction are equal and opposite. Complete fasting on Ekadasi and Pradosha days destroys many sins. Every one of you should practise this. Bathing in the Ganga, Japa and ordinary pilgrimage constitute ordinary Prayaschitta for the destruction of small sins. A full-blown Jnani is above Vidhi and Nishedha. He can do anything he likes. He can kill thousands of Brahmins and millions of people. The Gita says: “He who is free from the egoistic notion, whose reason is not affected, though he slays these people, he slayeth not, nor is he bound.” Ch. XVIII-17. This only glorifies the exalted state of the Jnani. He cannot do a single wrong action. He has disciplined himself in the beginning. He has practised Sama and Dama for a long time. Whatever he does will be in strict accordance with the injunctions of the scriptures. A Jnani has no idea of being an actor. He has no Kartru Bhava. He identifies himself with Brahman. He has established himself in his own Svarupa. Karma may have been acquired in many previous births. Actions cause good and bad results. Some actions might have begun to bear fruits and others not. Therefore it is impracticable to consume by enjoyment in one single birth, that portion of the Karma which has not begun to bear fruit. Hence the certainty of subsequent embodied existence on account of the unenjoyed portion of the Karma. The observance of obligatory Karma has not got the power of rendering inoperative good and bad deeds, which have not begun to bear fruit. There is a penalty if you do not perform obligatory Karma. There will be Pratyavaya Dosha (unpleasant consequences). It therefore follows that the observance of obligatory Karma only has the effect of warding off misery, the certain consequence arising from its non-performance, and has not the effect of consuming previous Karma which is yet to bear fruit. Obligatory Karma diminishes the sins stored in previous births. CONDUCT “According as he acts and according as he conducts himself, so will he be.”-Bri. Upanishad. Conduct is the cause of the quality of new birth. The Upanishads declare: “Those whose conduct has been good will quickly attain some good birth, the birth of a Brahmin or a Kshatriya or a Vaishya, when the fruits of their good works have been all exhausted in the Chandraloka or the sphere of the moon. But those whose conduct has been evil will quickly attain an evil birth, the birth of a dog or hog. In some places conduct is spoken of not as Purushartha but as Karmanga. In this case it produces no separate result; what, if considered as Purushartha, it has a special result of its own.

Sin is a Mistake Only The ignorant man only says: “I am a great sinner.” This is a serious mistake. Never for a moment think that you are a sinner. You are the most holy one, you are the ever-pure Atman. Sin cannot touch you. You are above vice and virtue, Dharma and Adharma. Punya and Papa are mental creations only. Sins are mistakes only. An ignorant Jiva commits these mistakes during the course of his journey in this world on account of Avidya or ignorance. Through mistakes he gains experiences and marches forward in his path of spirituality. Every mistake is your best teacher. One has to evolve through sins and mistakes. These mistakes are inevitable. Some people become a prey to thoughts of sin. They ever brood: “We are great sinners. We have committed many crimes.” This is a great blunder. Whenever thoughts of this nature worry you, you should think: ‘I am doing Japa of Om. This will burn all old sinful actions. This will purify my mind. I am doing Tapas, fasting and charity. These are all great purifiers. I am becoming purer and purer. Nothing can affect me now. I am like the effulgent fire. I have become a holy person.’ Assert, whenever such negative thoughts of sin trouble you: ‘I am the Nitya Suddha, ever-pure Atman.’ Hear the words of assurance of Lord Krishna in the Gita: “Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet shall thou cross over all sin by the raft of wisdom. As the burning fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so doth the fire of wisdom reduce all action to ashes. Verily, there is no purifier in this world like wisdom; he that is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in due season.” Ch. IV-36, 37, 38. “Even if the most sinful worships Me with undivided heart, he too must be accounted righteous, for he hath rightly resolved. Speedily he becometh dutiful and goeth to eternal peace. O Kaunteya, know thou for certain that My devotee perisheth never. They who take refuge in Me, O Partha, though of the womb of sin, women, Vaishyas, even Sudras, they also tread the highest path. How much more easily, then, the holy Brahmins and devoted royal saints (attain the goal); having obtained this impermanent and unhappy world, do thou worship Me. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice unto Me, bow down to Me, having thus united thy whole self in Me, taking Me as the supreme goal, thou shalt come to Me.” Ch. IX-30

Doctrine of Reincarnation The doctrine of reincarnation is accepted by the majority of mankind of the present day. It has been held as true by the mightiest Eastern nations. The ancient civilisation of Egypt was built upon this doctrine, and it was handed over to Pythagoras, Empedocles, Plato, Virgil and Ovid who scattered it through Greece and Italy. It is the keynote of Plato’s philosophy when he says that all knowledge is reminiscence. It was wholly adopted by the Neo-Platonists like Plotinus and Proclas. The hundreds of millions of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains have made this doctrine the foundation of their philosophy, religion, government and social institutions. It was a cardinal point in the religion of the Persian Unagi. The doctrine of metempsychosis was an essential principle of the Druid faith and was impressed upon the Celts, the Gauls and the Britons. Among the Arab philosophers it was a favourite idea. The rights and ceremonies of the Romans, Druids and Hebrews expressed this faith forcibly. The Jews adopted it after the Babylonian captivity. John the Baptist was to them a second Elijah. Jesus was thought to be a reappearance of John the Baptist or one of the old prophets. The Roman Catholic purgatory seems to be a makeshift, contrived to take its place. Philosophers like Kant, Schelling and Schopenhauer have upheld this doctrine. Theologians like Julius Muller, Dorner and Edward Beecher have maintained it. And today it reigns over the Burmese, Siamese, Chinese, Japanese, Tartar, Tibetan, East Indian and Ceylonese including at least 750 millions of mankind or nearly two thirds of the human race. Is it not wonderful than that this great and grand philosophical education which the Hindus, Buddhists and Jains gave to the world centuries and centuries before the Christian era should or could be blotted out of existence from the Western and European world by the soul-blighting and absurd dogmas of the dark ages that supervened? By the persecution of the wise men and destruction of innumerable works in the library of Constantinople, the Church hierarchy managed to plunge the whole of Europe into mental darkness which has given the world the black record of the inquisition and the loss of millions of human lives through religious wars and persecutions. Here is a challenge to the non-believers of the Hindu theory of transmigration. Recently a little girl Santi Devi gave a vivid description of her past lives in Delhi. There was a great sensation in Delhi and Muttra, nay, throughout the United Provinces. There was a great assembly of persons to hear her statements. She recognised her husband and child of her previous birth who are living in Muttra. She pointed out the place where money was kept, and an old well in the house which is covered now. All her statements were duly verified and corroborated by respectable eye-witnesses. Several cases like this have occurred in Rangoon, Sitapur and various other places. They are quite common now. In such cases the Jiva takes immediate rebirth with the old astral body or Linga Sarira. That is the reason why memory of previous birth comes in. He did not stay in the mental world for a long time to rebuild a new mind and astral body according to his previous experiences of the world. Transmigration made its appearance in the early Christian church. Elijah was reborn as John the Baptist. “Did the blind man sin, or his parents, that he was born blind?” ask the believers in transmitted retribution. There is a period of anxiety immediately after death, when angels contend with demons for the possession of the departing soul on its way to purgatory. Pythagoras and others obtained their belief in metempsychosis from India only. Pythagoras who flourished in the sixth century also taught a doctrine of transmigration; and, curiously enough, prescribed abstinence from the eating of flesh. The suckling of a child and the act of swimming of a duckling-these instinctive acts are proofs of memory which must be the result of their corresponding and inseparable impressions left by the same acts in a previous incarnation, never mind when and where. Every act leaves Samskaras in the Chitta, which causes memory. Memory in its own turn leads to fresh actions and fresh impressions. This cycle or Chakrika goes on from eternity like the analogy of the seed and tree. There is no beginning for them, the desire to live being eternal, ‘for them’, i.e., for the desires. Desires have no beginning or end, every being has clinging to this physical life (Abhinivesa). This “will to live” is eternal. Experiences are also without beginning. You cannot think of a time when this feeling of ‘Aham’ or ‘I’ has not existed. This ‘I’ exists continuously without interruption. From this we can very easily infer that there have been previous births for us. Now, could there be fear of death to avoid pain in any being who has only been born, if he has had no experience of liability to death, it being understood that desire to avoid anything is only caused by remembrance suffered in consequence thereof? Nothing which is inherent in anything stands in need of a cause. How could it be that a child, who has not experienced this liability to death in the present life, should, as he is falling down from the mother’s lap, begin to tremble and hold with his hands tightly the necklace hanging on her breast? How is it that such a child should experience the fear of death, which can only be caused by the memory of the pain consequent upon aversion to death, whose existence is conferred by the trembling of the child? We have boy-geniuses. A boy of five becomes an expert on the piano or violin. Sri Jnanadev wrote his commentary “Jnaneshwari” on the Gita when he was fourteen years old. There have been boy-mathematicians. There was the boy-Bhagavatar in Madras who conducted Kathas when he was eight years old. How could you explain these

True Evolution What then is true evolution? It is, as once before stated, the progress of the thinker in man from his present condition of limitedness to the state of the unlimited Self. Progress of the thinker means improvement and growth of mind through which he thinks. In the physical plane, all vegetable and animal bodies develop out of the life-germ, the unit cell. The embryonic cell sometimes divides itself into two or more cells and sometimes, as in the case of the lower forms of life, becomes associated with new cells drawn from outside. In any case, development of the embryo implies multiplication of the cells. Mere multiplication of the cells again cannot make a living body. Along with it, there is also the widening or expansion of the life within so as to control all the cells together. Similarly, a man’s mind is said to grow or expand when his thoughts extend beyond his physical body and beyond his limited personality. As the original unit cell is the earliest and lowest state of the physical body, thoughts of one’s own interests alone belong to the lowest stage of the mind. The mind grows when the interests of others are also considered, as the physical body grows up packing together more cells. As there is connecting life for all the cells together, selfless thoughts or thoughts of others’ interests should be bound up together by a connecting and unifying knowledge that all are only the Self. The end of the evolution of the thinker is reached when the evolving mental life becomes, by expansion, identical with the all-including life, the universal Self. If, however, his thoughts and actions are directed exclusively towards personal and selfish ends, his mind contracts more and more and recedes still further from the path of evolution. He should therefore think only such thoughts and do only such actions as may widen his mind and raise him up in evolution. The mind has to expand and expand until the limiting mind-covering, becoming very thin, is torn asunder when, the limitations of the thinker ceasing to exist any longer, his inner Self shines in his infinitude of existence, consciousness and bliss, for it was only he, the only one and the real Self that was appearing till then as enclosed in a covering made of mindstuff.

Who Evolves Further, what is the cause of growth or evolution? Why should an entity which was sometime ago in the vegetable stale now appear in an animal body? Is its advancement or promotion to a higher state of being only accidental? If not, in what way did it merit the promotion? Is the vegetable capable of doing any responsible act or Karma for which it is rewarded? If it is itself not capable of doing any, is its ascent in evolution compulsory and due to the act of another agent? If so, does it mean that the fruits of action may go to one who did nothing to merit them? Among the lower animals themselves one is found happier throughout its life-span, from the moment of its birth, than another? Why should it be so? The differences in the animal’s experience of pain and pleasure must have their own causes. What are they? The causes must relate to the previous existence of every such Jiva in question. This previous life could not have been that of a lower animal, for lower animals can do no responsible Karma. The law of Karma and justice, if it is true at all, shows unmistakably that there is no real foundation for the notion that there is evolution going on below the stage of man. Every brute, every little insect and every one of the plants and trees, all were, and are going to be again human beings themselves. They are all temporarily only suspended from the class of humanity for some offences. It may be asked, if all non-human states of being are only the results of the previous human Karma, in the beginning stage of the universe, there must have been only men and nothing else; is there any authority to show that there was a time when there were men alone and that the non-human states of being appeared only later on? The question assumes that there was a beginning for the universe. It may be that every Kalpa or Cycle of the universe has a beginning; but at the beginning of a Kalpa the universe takes the appearance in the condition in which it was just before the Pralaya or dissolution that preceded the Kalpa in question. The universe, with this alternate existence of Kalpa and Pralaya has had no beginning at all. None can say that there was a beginning for the existence of the power of Maya in the Self. As there was no beginning for the universe, there could not have been any period of time when there were men alone. At all times there have been human as well as non-human states of being in the manifested universe.