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Gita Lesson - 0506: Definition of Karma

Bhagavad Gita
Unit - 05
Lesson - 0506: Definition of Karma
By Raja Subramaniyan

Action (Karma) includes any of the following done intentionally.
Thinking
Reading/ Writing
Speaking/ Listening/ Talking
Doing any physical action

And intentionally abstaining from not doing any of the above action

Involuntary actions are not included in the definition of 'action'. Following are not considered as action: Sleeping, dreaming, sneezing, coughing etc.

Nature of actions

Actions can be good, bad, or neutral.

Good Actions are those actions that result in measurable benefit to others and will include the following:
Kindness to all the living beings
Respect to nature including all inanimate objects
Showing due respect to elders, being hospitable to guests
Helping neighbors, colleagues and all human beings
Feeding the poor, providing shelter and clothing to the needy
Helping students to pursue their education
Cleanliness and purity in all actions
Thoughtful consideration for all beings and things
Kindness, friendliness and compassion to all living beings
(In short Good Actions include everything that you would appreciate in another person's behavior towards you.)

Bad Actions are those actions that harm or hurt others and will include the following:
Stealing and misappropriation
Violence and killing
Harming others through lying and untruthfulness
Violating the private space of others
Amassing wealth and being greedy, cheating and exploiting others
Not respecting elders in the society
(In short how an individual expects others not to behave are called Bad Actions)

Neutral actions are those, which do not affect other living beings either way.

Classification of Activities:

A set of actions constitute Activities and they are classified as Professional, Service, Personal and Social Activities.

Professional activities are those, which are done for the sake of earning money, name, fame, people, power, position, prosperity, property, money, wealth, status, comforts, rewards and awards and include all the salaried jobs, business, commercial activities, sports, arts and science.

Service activities include social service, community work, donation/ gifts to a good cause, environmental protection and animal welfare activities.

Personal activities include eating, taking bath, work out in a gym, reading, writing, watching television, playing solitaire, solving puzzles etc. that are done alone.

Social Activities include partying, going out to movie with others, gossiping with friends, visiting a relative, playing games that involve more than one person and any action that involves people and companionship.

Visible and invisible results of our activities

Visible results are those results, which can be linked to the skill, capability, hard work, effort and such spent on doing the action.

Activities Example of visible results

Professional: Salary, professional fee, Normal profit/loss

Service: Achievement of the service objective

Personal: Grades in the exam, fit body, relaxed mind

Social: Relationship/ friendship, family bonding

These results are called visible results because they arise directly from the specified activities and the reasons for getting the results can easily be identified.

Invisible results are the results, which cannot be linked to any known reasons. Although such results also accrue due to the actions done, one cannot establish the quantum of results or when will they fructify as results.

Activities Example of invisible results
Professional: Promotion, Award, disproportionate profit/ loss
Service: Hurdles to the service/ unsolicited support
Social: Pleasant surprises/ unwarranted misunderstanding

Note: There is no example given for Personal Activities since they are generally done without the involvement of others and therefore are neutral in nature.

These results are called as invisible results because they are cumulative in nature and cannot be linked to any specific actions. One will not be able to pinpoint the exact reasons for such results.

Nature of actions determine favorable or unfavorable results

The nature of actions, whether they are good or bad, determines whether the invisible results are favorable or unfavorable.

Although Good Actions and Bad Actions will bring about corresponding favorable or unfavorable results in just measure, the quantum and time lag are beyond human comprehension. We do not have information on how much of the result has accrued from past action and how much of the result is deferred for fructification in future.

Invisible results do not always reach us soon after the completion of the action. There will be a time lag (sometime extended beyond one lifetime) between the action and the result. Since we will not be able to link such results with any specific activity, they are called invisible results. Nevertheless, all invisible results arise out of our past action only.

Activity based learning

We learn from our activities. Whatever actions we do, in addition to the visible and invisible results that accrue our intelligence including the skill and capability to do the action also increases. It does not matter whether an activity is fully completed or not. Action always increases our intelligence.

How well an activity is done determines the growth in the intelligence level. Practice leads to perfection. If an activity is done half-heartedly, the growth in the level of intelligence will be marginal. More involvement will enable faster growth in the level of intelligence.

One of the basic but unspecified goals of all human beings is to gain more intelligence. This is achieved as an indirect advantage of performing various actions.

In addition to intelligence, we also gain mental maturity by being involved in various actions. Intelligence refers to our ability to find everlasting happiness. Mental maturity refers to our ability to comprehend that it is not possible everlasting happiness through material pursuit.

People will invariably have the feeling of inadequacy in all their actions and have a sense of incompleteness with respect to all the results of their actions. Slowly, they will get enough mental maturity to see the limitations of all the actions to lead us to our destination of Joyful Living.

Often our best efforts may not get the desired results. But sometime without much effort from our side things will turn out to be good. When such weird instances are observed, the mental maturity increases.

Link between Action and Results

No one else is responsible for our status. We are what we are because of what we have done in the past. Every action yields corresponding and proportionate results depending on

(a) how well an action is carried out and
(b) whether such action is good or bad.

The action determines the visible results and the nature of action (Good or Bad) determines the invisible results. A set of twelve such laws of karma (discussed below) govern the link between action and results. Fortunately, these laws cannot be violated. It is fortunate because it gives complete freedom to us to determine our future. Even gods do not have power to change the course of our life. Luck or chance factors are ruled out. We alone are responsible for our life.

Although the result will invariably follow the action, the information on the quantum of results and when they are due is beyond human comprehension. This is also a good aspect of the law because only then we will take recourse to Holy Scriptures. If we can directly see proportional results accruing immediately on completion of the action, we will be functioning like a machine forever. Now, due to our inability to establish the link between the action and the results through science, we search for solutions in the Holy Scriptures. Our search will lead us to Joyful Living ultimately. If we can understand the link between actions and results, there is no need for God or for the Holy Scriptures.

Thus, the direct link between Action and Results is made slightly complicated with some part of them being invisible. This complication has pushed the link (between action and result) beyond our individual capability to understand and we need to seek the guidance of spiritual masters to get clarity.

Teaching 20: Twelve Laws of Karma govern Action and Results

The Laws of Karma govern all our actions, results of the actions and the link between actions and results. These laws are universal and fundamental. They do not change from person-to-person or from time-to-time or from place-to-place.

Law 1: For every action, there will be proportionate and appropriate results.

For every action that we do, we will invariably get the results of the action. There is no such thing as wasted efforts under the Laws of Karma. Even if there were no visible results, one will get the proportionate and appropriate results as invisible portion. Just as a calf will find its mother among thousands of cows, the results of the past actions will find the doer invariably and yield the result. Thus one is sure to enjoy the positive and negative results of his actions.

Besides for every action will invariably results in increased intelligence.

Law 2: Every result accrues out of our past actions.

According to the Laws of Karma, there is no luck, coincidence or chance in life. All the results accrue out of our own past actions.

Example: An unknown distant relative died and left a huge fortune to Mr. A. Mr. A has suddenly become rich. This result is due to the past good actions of Mr. A done either in this birth or in any of the previous births.

Similarly, if an innocent passerby gets shot in an isolated incident, it is due to his past bad deeds. He cannot blame anyone else for his injury.

No one can cause harm to us needlessly. Our life is determined by our own past actions.

Law 3: Results of the action may be visible or invisible.

Visible results are due to the action done through words and physical action and the invisible results are due to the underlying motivation for action.

Example: A accidentally kills B. If A is a burglar trying to rob B and in the process accidentally kills B, then A will accrue bad results. On the other hand, if A is a doctor trying to save the life of B through an operation, which inadvertently ends in the death of B, then A will accrue good results.

Thus, although 'killing' happens in both the cases, the accrued results will be different.

The proportion of visible and invisible results is fixed but unknown.

Law 4: Some part of the results will always be invisible.

All our actions have some effect or other on the environment which includes living beings like plants, animals and human beings. It is not possible to do any actions that are only good and not bad to anyone. For example in the process of cooking many micro organisms are killed. Similarly, an act of killing a gangster may benefit many. Therefore, it is not possible to avoid invisible results completely. Favorable and unfavorable invisible results will always follow all our actions.

Law 5: Invisible results do not accrue in two cases.

Case 1: While doing Karma Yoga, the invisible results will not accrue. Instead, the person doing Karma Yoga will gain mental maturity.

Example: Lord Krishna says that Arjuna should fight neither for regaining the kingdom nor for taking revenge. His focus is not the result of his action. He should fight because it is his duty to fight. This is karma yoga and if he fights in this manner he will not accrue any unfavorable invisible results which will otherwise accrue due to killing of living beings in a war.

Victory and defeat will mean the same to Arjuna if he fights with this attitude. Invisible results of this action will increase the mental maturity of Arjuna so that he can understand the teaching on Atman. He will not accrue any invisible results because he did the karma as karma yoga.

Karma will bind us to action and karma yoga will take us to the path of liberation.

Thus, karma yoga will yield mental maturity and make us eligible to receive self-knowledge. Gaining self-knowledge will lead us to Joyful Living.

Case 2: After reaching the destination of Joyful Living, we will know that we are neither the doer of the actions nor the enjoyer of the results. Our ego will be completely gone. In this state, whatever actions we do will not have any invisible results.

Law 6: We have a right ONLY with respect to doing an action.

We have complete right with respect to doing an action or abstaining from an action or respond in various ways.

Example: A beggar is begging for alms. We may give some money or we may not give money. We also have a choice on how we do the action. We can abuse and give money or politely refuse giving any money. We can also ignore the beggar altogether.

Thus, we have complete freedom on how we use our mind, speech and physical action.

Law 7: We do not have ANY RIGHTS with respect to the results of the action.

Although every action will bring about proportionate and appropriate results in line with the first law of karma, we have no control on when we will get the results. The quantum and timing of the result is beyond human comprehension. We have no option but to accept whatever results we get.

Example: One who works hard and sincerely may not get the promotion. While another, who is incapable and corrupt may be promoted.

It is impossible to identify factors that contribute to success. We need to accept the fact that it is beyond human comprehension to know how to obtain a desired result. We can only do our best and hope that the desired results will accrue. There is no way anyone can assure that if we do this we will get that. The connection between action and results is not obvious.

Law 8: We cannot change the past actions.

Once an action is done, it is out of our hands. We cannot amend it except through further action.

Example: After clicking on the 'SEND' button in the email, it cannot be modified, edited or recalled. We can always send another email but it will be another action. We need to face the consequence of clicking the 'send' button and we do not have any control on the result.

It is not possible to erase our past actions without a trace.

Example: We steal an object from another person. We realize it is wrong and return the object without the knowledge of anyone.

We will suffer for the wrong action and get the benefit of the right action separately. The second action does not cancel the first action.

Law 9: We could have done the action little better.

There is always scope for improvement. It is impossible to attain perfection in any field of action. Therefore, we will always have a feeling that we could have done a little better.

Example: An industrial output comes from various inputs. It will always be possible to increase the productivity either by reducing the input cost/ time/ efforts or by increasing the output value/ quantum/quality.

Better products are coming into the market all the time and there will be continuous improvements in quality and reductions in costs.

Law 10: The result of any action could be little better.

There is always a scope for obtaining a better result. It is impossible to attain the best result.

Everyone will feel this way all the time because it there is always the desire for more. It is not possible for any human being to reach the pinnacle with respect to name, fame, power, position etc. It is always possible to be better.

Example: It will be nice to own a mansion on the moon.

Law 11: No one should give up action.

As long as it is in our nature to be involved in action, one should continue to perform action. It will do more harm if one gives up action before gaining mental maturity.

Active Dharma has to be practiced until one gains mental maturity. After that stage, one can move on to Passive Dharma by abstaining from action relating to material pursuit.

One should not give up action because one feels lazy or because it is convenient.

Law 12: All actions should be in line with Dharma

It does not matter whether we are in the sphere of material pursuit or spiritual pursuit. We should never violate Dharma. All our actions should be in accordance with the prescription of the Vedas.

If our actions contradict Dharma, then we are traveling in the wrong direction. It is not possible to reach our destination of happiness if we do not stop all such wrong actions. Only actions in line with Dharma will take us towards our goal.

Chapter 2: Wisdom is the solution [Verse: 47]

2.47 You have a choice over action alone; never over the results. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never stop doing your duty.

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