Actions/Deeds/Karma
God is Watching
दवा सुपर्णा सायुजा सखाया समानं व्रीक्षं परि षस्वजाते | तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभि चाकशीति || RV 1.164.20
dva suparnaa sayujaa sakhaayaa samaanam vriksham pari shasvajaate Tayoranyah pippalam svaadvattyana shnannanyo abhi chkasheeti. RV 1.164.20
Meaning: Two birds of beautiful wings, the individual human soul and the Supreme Soul of the universe, both friends and companions, together nest on the same one tree of existence. Of the two, one, the individual human soul, eats the fruit with relish and enjoys as well as suffers the consequences. The other, the Supreme Soul, simply watches comprehensively all round without eating anything.
So God is watching and any action, non-action, good deed, bad deed, eating, drinking, breathing, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, thinking, speaking are karma. Anything humans do and do not do is Karma. Therefore, humans continue to do Karma as long as they live. There is not a time when one is not doing karma. All karmas are recorded as a continuous journal.
As You Sow, so Shall You Reap
न किल्बिषमत्र नाधारो अस्ति यन्मित्रेः समममान् एति |
एनूनं पात्रं निहितं न एतत्पक्तारं पक्वः पुनरा विशाति || AV 12.3.48
Na kilbishmatr naadhaaro asti ynmitreh samamamaan eti,
Enuunm paatrm nihitm na etatpaktaarm pakvh punra vishaati. AV 12.3.48
Meaning: There is nothing short, no want, no void in the
God’s system here in life, nor props nor false supports, no one can go on without one’s own identity on stilts provided by friends. The life before us is full and perfect, prepared and provided by our own selves by our own karma. The dish one has cooked presents itself before the one that has cooked it. One must taste the fruit of one’s own action.
Performing Karma
Actions done with free will have karmic consequences. Karma is done through thought, speech and action. Every human is responsible of their own karma. Nobody is responsible for anybody else’s karma. Good karma brings favorable results and bad karma brings unfavorable results. Karma is done only by humans. Non-humans do not do karma, rather they are reaping the consequences of the karma done by them, when in human life.
Hard Work brings Happiness
क्रीतं मे दक्षिणे हस्ते जयो मे सव्य आहितः | गोजिद्भयासमाश्वजिद्धनंज्यो हिरण्यजित || AV 7.50.8
Katam me dakshine haste jayo me savya ahitah.
Gojidbhuyasamashvajiddhanamjayo hiranyajit. AV 7.50.8
Meaning: With action in my right hand, success and victory lies collected in the left. Let me be the winner of cows, lands and culture, horses and achievement, money and wealth of gold and grace.
Nobody Escapes the Law of Karma
वृकश्चिदस्य वारण उरामथिरा वयुनेषु भूषति |
सेमं नः स्तोमं जुजुषान आ गहीन्द्र प्र चित्रया धिया || RV 8.66.8
Vreekshchidasya vaarn uraamathiraa vayuneshu bhushti, Semam nah stomam jujushaan aa gaheendar pr chitryaa dhiyaa. RV 8.66.8
Meaning: The wolf, its counterforce elephant, and the thief all have to accept and follow the laws of this God Indra. May He, loving and cherishing our song of adoration, listen and come with gifts of clear and un-illusive intelligence and understanding.
Prayer for Goodness
इदमापः प्र वहत यत्किं च् दुरितं मयि |
यदव्हामभिदुद्रोह यद्वा शेप् उतान्रीतम || RV 1.23.22
Idamaapah pr bahata yatkin ch duritm mayi, yadavhaamabhidudroha yadvaa shepa utaanreetama. RV 1.23.22
Meaning: May these holy waters wash off and carry away whatever evil there be in me, whatever I hate, or whatever I curse, or whatever false there be in me.
Never Stop Doing Good Deeds
कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतं समाः | एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतो’स्ति न लिप्यते नरे || YV 40.2
Kurvnneveha karmaan jijeevishecchatam samaah.
Evam tvayi nanyathetoisti na karma lipyate nare. YV 40.2
Meaning: Only doing one’s duty here should everyone wish
to live for a full hundred years. Only this way—there is no other way—Karma does not smear the soul of man within.
Demonical Souls Sunk in Darkness
असुर्य्या नाम ते लोका’अन्धेन तमसावृताः| तांस्ते प्रेत्यापि गच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः ||YV 40.3
Asuryaa naama te lokaa-andhena tamasaavritaah taanste pretyaapi gacchanti ye ke chaatmahano janaah. YV 40.3
Meaning: Surely after death and even while living, demonical souls sunk in darkness who kill their conscience and live only a physical existence (void of virtue) go to those sunless regions of the world which are covered in the impenetrable darkness of sufferance.
See God in Every Thing
यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मन्नेवानुपश्यति | सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विचिकित्सति || YV 40.6
Yastu sarvaani bhutaanyaatmannevaanupashyati.
Sarvabhuteshu chaatmaanam tato na vichikitsati.YV 40.6
Meaning: Who sees all the forms of existence, existing within the Supreme Soul, and the Supreme Soul immanent in all the forms of being, suffers from no doubt or illusion.
What Goes Around Comes Around
असदभूम्याः समभवत्त्द्यामेति महद व्यचः |
तद्वै ततो विधूपायत्प्रत्यक्कर्तारम्रीच्छतु || AV 4.19.6
Asadbhμumyaah samabhavattadyaameti mahad vyachah. Tadvai tato vidhμupaayatpratyakkartaramrichchhatu. AV 4.19.6
Meaning: Whatever is false, untrue and negative born of the earth, even if it grows and rises to the skies, ultimately returns to its root cause, torturing its own creator and the perpetrator.
Everyone Do Good Deeds by Themselves
स्वयं वाजिन्स्तन्वं कल्पयस्व स्वयं यजस्व स्वयं जुषस्व |
महिमा ते’न्येन न सन्नशे || YV 23.15
Svayam vaajinstanvah kalpayasva svayam yajasva svayam jushasva, Mahimaa teinyena na sannashe.YV 23.15
Meaning: Man of knowledge, seeker of advancement; develop your self by yourself. Do the yajna (charity) of joint work by your own choice. Serve the scholars and society by yourself. Your eminence and value must not be destroyed by others.
All individuals are responsible for their own actions. Therefore, every single individual needs to do their part of charity, virtuousness, meditation etc.
Follow the Truth
Right is Protected Wrong is destroyed
सविज्ञानं चिकितुषे जनाय सच्चासच्च वचसी पस्परीधाते |
तयोर्यत्सत्यं यतरद्रीजीयस्तदित्सोमो वति हन्त्यासत || AV 8.4.12
Svigyaanam chimitushe janaaya schchaasachch vachasee paspreedhaate, tayoryatsatyam yataradreejeeyastaditsomo vati hantyaasata. AV 8.4.12
Meaning: Words of truth and of untruth rival and contend with each other. Of these, the one that is true and to the extent that it is simple and natural, Soma, God of peace, harmony and goodness, protects and preserves; the untrue, he destroys. This simple and straight natural knowledge, the God reveals for the man who is keen to know the truth and reality of life.
Accept Truth Reject Untruth
यद्ध त्यन्मित्रावरुणावृतादध्याददाथे अन्रीतं स्वेन मन्युना दक्षस्य स्वेन मन्युना | युवोरित्थाधि सद्मस्वपश्याम हिरण्यम | धीभिश्चन मनसा स्वेभिरक्षभिः सोमस्य स्वेभिरक्षभिः|| RV 1.139.2
Yadadha tyanmitraavarunaavreetaadadhyaadadaathe anreetam svena manyunaa dkshasya svena manyunaa, yuvoritthaadhi sadmsvapashyaama hiranyama, dheebhishchan manasaa svebhirkshbhih somasya svebhirkshbhih. RV 1.139.2
Meaning: All ought to accept truth and reject untruth with due diligence, and enjoy life by indulging mind and senses in righteous works.
Truth stands for honesty, justice, righteous, virtuousness, kindness, helpfulness, knowing right from wrong, believing and accepting only one God who is creator of the universe etc. It is an individual responsibility to know the facts and adopt them in one’s life; and reject everything that is contrary to the facts.
Human body— a horse carriage
– Horses represent, 5 senses – touch, taste, smell, seeing and hearing; also 5 action organs (hands, feet, mouth, generative and excretion organs).
– Rein is mind/mana (strings that control the horses that is 5 senses and 5 action organs).
– Charioteer represents intellect/budhi (decision maker and controller of all).
– Passenger is Atma/soul.
The carriage will take the passenger to its destination only if the charioteer (driver) follows instructions from the passenger and has control over the horses with the help of reins. Hence, sharp charioteer is needed. Lazy or under the influence charioteer will take it to nowhere land and the passenger will be left in the limbo.
Just as sharp charioteer is needed for horse carriage to reach its destination; sharp, clear and sound intellect is needed to control and guide the mind, senses and the body. Only sharp intellect/budhi can discriminate right from wrong and follow the righteous path. Right intellect is the key for one to make progress in this life and beyond.
The human body is considered to be a rented one. It continuously requires rent in the form of air, water and food.
Mind
Mind stays with the soul. Mind is a source of knowledge and action for the soul. Mind links with body and body contacts with the outer world for knowledge and actions.
If mind is not with body, no action takes place. In the absence of mind, one does not see even if the eyes are open, one does not hear even the loud voices.
Mind also consists of a storehouse (ahmkar). Ahmkar is where all related actions, non-actions, thoughts, knowledge, experiences, words are stored. Storage is from the current life as well as previous lives from the beginning of times. Only recent and strong thoughts are reflected and rest stay deep down in the storage. You get out what you put in.
Soul gets a new mind after one has attained Moksha or liberation. That is the only fresh start for the soul, until then all happenings keep getting stored on the same mind life after life.
Intellect (Budhi/Decision making)
Intellect (budhi) is most important for soul/atma. Intellect consists of a screen (chitta), where memories and experiences are reflected from the storehouse (ahmkar). When making decisions, intellect (budhi) uses recallable memories and experiences. All thoughts come from ahmkar which are reflected on the chitta.
Intellect controls the mind and the senses. Only righteous intellect makes right decisions. Unrighteous intellect takes wrong decisions. Decisions one makes can make or break the person. That is why most important Vedic prayer is Gaitri Mantra (prayer for a righteous intellect).
Destiny
For example, a farmer plants grains in the field. After irrigation, fertilizers, sprays etc. brings home the crop, and keeps it in storage. All the work he did was his karma or deed or actions. Grains in storage are his destiny. So he had to work for his destiny. One may be able to use their destiny immediately or at a later time.
Another example is when one commits a crime, but do not get caught. This unpunished action becomes destiny, and its punishment will come back later as a bad luck.
God keeps account of all our actions. Some of our actions are immediately rewarded or punished as the case may be. Others are returned to us at an appropriate time as a destiny. God does not give good or bad results of His own. It is all that one has done in the past, but was not been rewarded. Under God’s justice system no action of humans goes unrewarded.
Shaloka ‘vinaash kaale vipreet budhi’, means, when the bad time comes, the intellect (budhi) is diverted to take wrong decisions. The same is true when the good time comes the decisions are made accordingly. Destiny is awarded through intellect. God does not stand with a gun on one’s head to make a person do something, to award him/her destiny. He just changes his intellect accordingly.
Goal is Happiness
The goal of the soul is to achieve happiness. And, happiness can be achieved only by giving happiness to others. Falsehood and injustice brings misery.
Soul is Greatest
It is said that the human body is great. But, the mind is greater. Intellect (budhi) is still greater and the soul is the greatest of all.
