Karma

Generally people talk less about Krishna and more of karma !! Karma is subject of conditioned living entities. It applies to only those who have rebelled against Lord and who want to enjoy independently. !! Action need not necessarily mean karma.
!!

What is karma?
!r"-bhagav#n uv#ca ak$ara% brahma parama% svabh#vo 'dhy#tmam ucyate bh&ta-bh#vodbhava-karo visarga' karma-sa%jita'
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The indestructible, transcendental living entity is called Brahman, and his eternal nature is called adhytma, the self. Action pertaining to the development of the material bodies of the living entities is called karma, or fruitive activities. (BG 8.3)

What is karma?
!! Karma

means actions which lead to development of future bodies. It means those activities which get some reaction

Discrimination is not easy

ki% karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohit#' tat te karma pravak$y#mi yaj j#tv# mok$yase '!ubh#t Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all misfortune. (BG4.16)

Law of Karma
!! Very

very complicated

!! Dhrtarashtra to under go the pain of killing the birds babies have to go through 100 lives and acquire punya enough to get 100 sons. The reaction came through killing of his 100 sons
!! Reaction

is many-fold:

!! prarabdha (manifested reaction), !! aprabdha (unmanifested reaction), !! kuta (inclination), !! bija (desire).

Karma, Akarma, Vikarma

karma(o hy api boddhavya% boddhavya% ca vikarma(a' akarma(a! ca boddhavya% gahan# karma(o gati' The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is. (BG 4.17)

Karma, Akarma, Vikarma

!!

Karma or sakarma (action): Action impelled by three modes but as per scriptural regulations
!! Performing ones prescribed duty, charity, feeding cows, ganga snan, feeding brahmanas, feeding poor, etc.

!!

Vikarma (forbidden action): Action impelled by three modes but against scriptural injunctions
!! Cheating, exploiting, abortion, meat eating, taking intoxicants, stealing, physical relationships outside marriage, watching forbidden actions in some form, etc.

!!

Akarma (inaction): action without any reaction. Action carried out for the pleasure of Supreme Lord Krishna

Karma, Akarma, Vikarma

!! Karma

(punya) and Vikarma (papa) both bring reactions in the form of future body.
!! Analogy: dry stool and wet stool

!! Punya

is not spiritual, but relatively better than papa. Papa is really bad.

Reactions to Sakarma or Vikarma

!!

Any act (sakarma or vikarma) will result in

!! Prarabdha (manifested reaction): specific bodily features; short or tall, beautiful or ugly, intelligence; dull or sharp, situations one is born in: rich or poor etc !! Aprarabdha (unmanifested reaction): reactions in stock yet to be manifested. When there is such stock, one feels distress, anxiety for no reason. !! Kuta (sinful inclination or pious inclination): when one does an activity it gives tendency to do it again. Such tendencies accumulate and form a desire. !! Bija (desire to do pious or sinful act): When one has got a desire to do something, he makes plans and efforts to fulfill it.

Reactions to Sakarma or Vikarma

Prarabdha and aprarabdha finish with time but kuta and bija cant be put to end by ones own endeavor. The desires will lead to further activities. !! Once one does karma, it goes on endlessly !! Original karma started with jiva envying the Supreme Lord. Whatever jiva does after that will carry that tendency. Therefore this cant be overcome by any amount of karma. !! Akarma is required
!!

Akarma
yaj#rth#t karma(o 'nyatra loko 'ya% karma-bandhana' tad-artha% karma kaunteya mukta-sa)ga' sam#cara
Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage. (BG 3.9)

Akarma
!! Since

every activity has stringent reactions, some think that better not to do any work.
!! Leave everything and go to forest. !! But in forest also, by staying in a cave, one gets tendency (!desire) to stay in the cave. !! Work and reactions cant be avoided this way.

!! Akarma

means inaction. Inaction doesnt mean no work.

Akarma
!! Action

done only for the pleasure of

Vishnu !! This doesnt bear any material results !! It has the potency to uproot all four types of accumulated reactions namely
!! Prarabdha !! Aprarabdha !! Kuta !! Bija

Akarma - Yaja
!! Yajna

means any activity done for the pleasure of Vishnu.Vishnu is also known as Yajna purusha or Yajna. !! To act for pleasure of Vishnu requires selflessness.
!! Acting in a selfless way is not easy. It necessitates need for spiritual master.

Yaja and Prescribed Duties

ann#d bhavanti bh&t#ni parjany#d anna-sambhava' yaj#d bhavati parjanyo yaja' karma-samudbhava'
All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed duties. (BG 3.14)

Yaja
Yajna karma samudbhavah - Yajna is born of prescribed duties. !! One performs ones prescribed duties as an act of sacrifice !! Duties are prescribed in Vedic scriptures
!!

!! For Arjuna, fighting is the prescribed duty. But instead if he does begging for living, it is vikarma. !! If Arjuna fights then it is karma. !! If Arjuna fights for the pleasure of Vishnu, then it is akarma

Prescribed Duties
niyata% kuru karma tva% karma jy#yo hy akarma(a' !ar"ra-y#tr#pi ca te na prasiddhyed akarma(a'
Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one's physical body without work. (BG 3.8)

Prescribed Duties
One has to perform prescribed duty for the satisfaction of Lord Vishnu !! Although directions for work are given in Vedic scriptures, still some one has to prescribe it according to persons nature !! This necessitates spiritual relationship with spiritual master !! Performing an act for pleasure of Lord is possible only when one has a relationship with Him. Therefore yoga is required
!!

Yaja: non-fruitive
karma(y ev#dhik#ras te m# phale$u kad#cana m# karma-phala-hetur bh&r m# te sa)go 'stv akarma(i
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. (BG 2.47)

Yaja: non-fruitive
!! Work

is worship (karm hi pooja):

!! Which work is worship? Only a prescribed duty when done with the only motivation of pleasing Lord Vishnu. To know prescribed duty, it requires spiritual master to tell us. !! Claiming proprietorship over the results of ones work doesnt make it worship. Work should be carried out without desire for any fruits. Only desire should be to bring happiness to the Supreme Lord

Yaja
!! Yaja

means doing prescribed duty without attachment to fruits of ones work and performing it only for the pleasure of Lord Vishnu

Offering Results of Work

mayi sarv#(i karm#(i sannyasy#dhy#tma-cetas# nir#!"r nirmamo bh&tv# yudhyasva vigata-jvara'
Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.

(BG 3.30)

Why not desire results of work?

prak*te' kriyam#(#ni gu(ai' karm#(i sarva!a' aha)k#ra-vim&+h#tm# kart#ham iti manyate
The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature. (BG 3.27)

Why not desire results of work?

pacait#ni mah#-b#ho k#ra(#ni nibodha me s#)khye k*t#nte prokt#ni siddhaye sarva-karma(#m
O mighty-armed Arjuna, according to the Vedanta there are five causes for the accomplishment of all action. Now learn of these from Me. (BG18.13)

Why not desire results of work?

!ar"ra-v#)-manobhir yat karma pr#rabhate nara' ny#yya% v# vipar"ta% v# pacaite tasya hetava'
Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors. (BG18.15)

Analysis of action
!!

Five factors of action

!! !! !! !! !! Place to action (body) Performer (doer, soul) Senses Different kinds of endeavour Supersoul

!!

Motivation (impetus) for action

!! Knowledge !! Object of knowledge !! Knower !! Senses !! Work !! Doer

!!

Constituents

Why not desire results of work?

tatraiva% sati kart#ram #tm#na% kevala% tu ya' pa!yaty ak*ta-buddhitv#n na sa pa!yati durmati'
Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as they are. (BG18.16)

Peace Formula
bhokt#ra% yaja-tapas#% sarva-loka-mahe!varam suh*da% sarva-bh&t#n#% j#tv# m#% !#ntim *cchati
A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries. (BG 5.29)

Peace Formula
!!

Krsna is the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities

!! Any activity cant happen without the sanction of Krishna. !! If an activity is permitted by Him means He has some purpose behind it. Therefore for any activity the beneficiary is Krishna.

!!

Krsna is the controller and proprietor of all planets

!! One can claim proprietorship over something only if he owns it in the past, present and future. Only the Supreme Lord can claim this.

!!

Krsna is the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities

Akarma (Inaction)
!! Inaction

means prescribed activity performed without attachment for results and only for the pleasure of Vishnu !! Action is not strictly inaction if one is not aware of these three attributes of the Supreme Lord. !! Knowing is different from being aware of.

Spiritual Work
!! Work

must be:

!! prescribed duty !! performed without attachment to results !! for the pleasure of Lord
!! One

performs it being aware of these three attributes

Performing ones duty: Ones Quota

"!#v#syam idam sarva% yat kica jagaty#% jagat tena tyaktena bhuj"th# m# g*dha' kasya svid dhanam
Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. (Sri Isopanishad Mantra 1)

Performing ones duty: Ones Quota

!! Everything

animate and inanimate belongs to the Supreme Lord !! One should accept only those things necessary for carrying out ones prescribed duty !! Accepting more than necessary is dishonesty and everything one does with that dishonesty is bad karma only.

Different Platforms of Worship

!! !!

Fear
!! One worships out of fear of something going wrong

Desire
!! One worships expecting something material results in return

!! !!

Duty
!! One worships out of scriptural obligations

Love
!! One worships out of selfless love with the only motivation of giving happiness

Sanny!sa vs Ty!ga
!! Sannyasa

is giving up ones work !! Tyaga is giving up the fruits of work !! Sannyasa and tyaga are the same but tyaga is better
!! It is impossible for the embodied being to give up all activities
!! Mood

of tyaga is to be cultivated