To discuss 'The Laws Of Karma' further we now explore the basis of categorizing a deed as right or wrong- or good karma v/s bad karma.
In an earlier article on the blog ,we discussed the deity of Chitragupta (Chitragupta is defined as the Universal life force that is present in all of us, it is an impartial deity that categories deeds as right and wrong based on the motives of the doer). To discuss The Laws Of Karma further we now explore the basis of categorizing a deed as right or wrong.
Here we discuss -How does Chitragupta define a deed as wrong or right /good or bad? Is it the deed that is the basis for evaluation or is it the motive and emotion behind the deed? Do circumstances behind the deed play any role in its evaluation? Under The Laws Of karma -is an illiterate peasant treated the same way as an educated millionaire? Is it more charitable to give away ten bucks or is giving away a million a greater act of charity? Does occupying a leadership position come with greater responsibility in the Theory of Karma and Divine Justice?
In an earlier article on the blog ,we discussed the deity of Chitragupta (Chitragupta is defined as the Universal life force that is present in all of us, it is an impartial deity that categories deeds as right and wrong based on the motives of the doer). To discuss The Laws Of Karma further we now explore the basis of categorizing a deed as right or wrong.
Here we discuss -How does Chitragupta define a deed as wrong or right /good or bad? Is it the deed that is the basis for evaluation or is it the motive and emotion behind the deed? Do circumstances behind the deed play any role in its evaluation? Under The Laws Of karma -is an illiterate peasant treated the same way as an educated millionaire? Is it more charitable to give away ten bucks or is giving away a million a greater act of charity? Does occupying a leadership position come with greater responsibility in the Theory of Karma and Divine Justice?
The following article explains all this and more and is an adapted excerpt from pages 7-11 of the immensely popular book " The Absolute Law of Karma" authored by Shriram Sharma Acharya.
Quoted Text : How is a deed or action categorised as right or wrong, good or bad?
"Let us now discuss the working of Chitragupta. Chitragupta as we already know is the inner mind/ inner conscience that is a component of the Universal Life Force of creation and is present in every human being. It is impartial and judges our deeds based on the motives and intent on the person. Now let us discuss why and how this deity evaluates the deeds of a person and what are the yardsticks of this evaluation?
In an earlier discussion, the reader has been introduced to the concept that our sub-conscious mind, itself operates as the deity Chitragupta. It keeps a continuous micro-record of our good and evil deeds in a condensed form, and like the recordings on a small compact disc, the details of our virtuous and sinful deeds get registered microscopically and subtly on certain neurons on the inner chambers of mind. In this way the writings of Chitragupta could be regarded as shorthand notes taken by the divine stenographer (Chitragupta) for presentation as testimony for objective evaluation of the total span of our life.
We are all aware that the human mind
works on two levels- one external and the other internal. The outer mind is
analytical. It analyses the pros and cons of a deed or action , it accepts and discards actions based on this evaluation ,and takes
decisions and changes resolutions of the mind.
The inner mind, on the other hand, is like an innocent but resolute child. It neither accepts nor discards anything, but it works as the true faithful representative of the Divine, and functions impartially towards dispensing divine justice. The external mind may think of escaping punishment by suppressing or overlooking the recordings of the lines of evil deeds and highlighting only the virtuous deeds for reward. The inner mind (conscience is one of the constituents of the inner mind), on the other hand, works differently. It makes decisions like an unbiased judge of highest integrity, who cannot be influenced by allurement, fear or vested interest.
It is said that in each human being there co-exist the saint and the devil. You may consider the secret inner mind as a representative of divinity and the external mind, which is ever engaged in reasoning, rationalizing, deliberating, conspiring, as a tool of the devil. The external mind may deceive the soul by justifying each and every action of a person but the inner-mind, works as the flame of the soul and a projection of the Absolute Truth.
The inner mind is therefore, incapable of conceit and deceit and is innately calm and detached. That is why God has entrusted it with such crucial responsibility. To the common man,this component of the inner conscience is referred to as the divine deity Chitragupta. Being absolutely impartial, this deity has been given the high seat of being a Divine Judge. Like a secret service agent, this deity is all the time vigilantly shadowing a person and recording his action in its secret diary.
The inner mind, on the other hand, is like an innocent but resolute child. It neither accepts nor discards anything, but it works as the true faithful representative of the Divine, and functions impartially towards dispensing divine justice. The external mind may think of escaping punishment by suppressing or overlooking the recordings of the lines of evil deeds and highlighting only the virtuous deeds for reward. The inner mind (conscience is one of the constituents of the inner mind), on the other hand, works differently. It makes decisions like an unbiased judge of highest integrity, who cannot be influenced by allurement, fear or vested interest.
It is said that in each human being there co-exist the saint and the devil. You may consider the secret inner mind as a representative of divinity and the external mind, which is ever engaged in reasoning, rationalizing, deliberating, conspiring, as a tool of the devil. The external mind may deceive the soul by justifying each and every action of a person but the inner-mind, works as the flame of the soul and a projection of the Absolute Truth.
The inner mind is therefore, incapable of conceit and deceit and is innately calm and detached. That is why God has entrusted it with such crucial responsibility. To the common man,this component of the inner conscience is referred to as the divine deity Chitragupta. Being absolutely impartial, this deity has been given the high seat of being a Divine Judge. Like a secret service agent, this deity is all the time vigilantly shadowing a person and recording his action in its secret diary.
In human society, there are two
departments for punishing the violators of law namely the police and the court
of justice. The police arrest the accused, collect the evidence and present
these in the court of law. Thereafter the process of justice takes over. The
judge delivers the judgment after considering all aspects of the offence and its related circumstances. Depending on the specific circumstantial evidence presented , individuals can be handed down varied sentences for the same type of offence. Our inner conscience works in the same way.
Let us consider an example. Three
persons are accused of killing a person. Because of different circumstances
associated with each person committing the same crime - one person is set free, the second person is sentenced to
five years of imprisonment and the third person is sent to the electric chair. The
person, who was released and set free was a mason. While working at an elevated level, he
had accidentally dropped a brick that killed a passerby. The presiding
judge found that
the brick was
dropped accidentally and unintentionally, without an ulterior
motive. Hence the accused was released without punishment.
The second accused was a farmer.
Finding a thief stealing his crop, he had given him a fatal blow, killing the
offender. Looking at the circumstances, which prompted the offence, the judge
considered that while it was natural for the farmer to show his anger on
finding someone stealing his property,however as the farmer had over-reacted towards
a small offence, a sentence of five years imprisonment was given.
The third person was a notorious
robber who had robbed a rich man and intentionally killed him in the process. This person was sent to the electric chair .
In this way the worldly court of justice pronounces judgment to all three people after minutely examining all circumstantial evidence behind the crime .
In this way the worldly court of justice pronounces judgment to all three people after minutely examining all circumstantial evidence behind the crime .
Like the workings of the police and the courtroom that regulate the dispensing of justice and make all citizens abide by the rule of law in society , so also the
inner-mind, the secret
recordings of Chitragupta
discharge the dual responsibility of the police and the court
of justice in the divine and overall scheme of things.
Now let us discuss another fine point. Can there be an error in the dispensing of divine justice ? In the material world, if the prosecutor presents inadequate or false evidence, the judgment of the court is likely to be unfair, but in the inner occult world there is absolutely no possibility of such miscarriage of justice. The inner most mind, being the direct and transparent witness to all physical as well as mental activities of a person, and is holistically aware of the intentions, motives and circumstances of each and every action. Being holistically informed, the secret mind does not require the testimony of the external mind to arrive at a conclusion.
In Divine Justice the gravity of a sin (vice) or merit of a virtue is decided on the basis of the motive and degree of emotional involvement with the deed. Whereas in the material world objects are measured materially on the basis of their mundane worth, this measure is irrelevant for dispensing Divine Justice.The material world may ignore a poor donor of ten cents and admire a person donating ten thousand dollars, but in Divine Jurisprudence the worth of such acts of altruism are not be assessed on this gross physical basis.
Now let us discuss another fine point. Can there be an error in the dispensing of divine justice ? In the material world, if the prosecutor presents inadequate or false evidence, the judgment of the court is likely to be unfair, but in the inner occult world there is absolutely no possibility of such miscarriage of justice. The inner most mind, being the direct and transparent witness to all physical as well as mental activities of a person, and is holistically aware of the intentions, motives and circumstances of each and every action. Being holistically informed, the secret mind does not require the testimony of the external mind to arrive at a conclusion.
In Divine Justice the gravity of a sin (vice) or merit of a virtue is decided on the basis of the motive and degree of emotional involvement with the deed. Whereas in the material world objects are measured materially on the basis of their mundane worth, this measure is irrelevant for dispensing Divine Justice.The material world may ignore a poor donor of ten cents and admire a person donating ten thousand dollars, but in Divine Jurisprudence the worth of such acts of altruism are not be assessed on this gross physical basis.
Let us take an example. In a
remote, undeveloped tribal area, one may barter a kilogram of food grains for
sugar, but in a developed city or country one has to pay in hard currency. In
the material world, people earn fame and name by making large
contributions to charity, by helping in popular
welfare activities, by joining
religious or charitable
institutions, by delivering or listening to sermons and participating in
pilgrimages. The “Domain of Chitragupta” however does not accept this currency. The ledgers of this domain record only debits and credits of motives
and emotional involvements in the performance of deeds and convert these into
virtues and sins accordingly.
In the Hindu scripture of
Mahabharata, upon being exhorted by his Divine Teacher Krishna, Arjuna killed thousands in the war of Mahabharata. This great confrontation, during
which the entire battlefield became littered with corpses, took place because
Arjun agreed to take part in the war. In this way, Arjun could have been
considered a great sinner, but Chitragupta gave credit to his motive for
waging the Mahabharata war. Arjun’s intentions were pious. He had fought only
to re-establish the ‘Moral Order’ (Dharma Sthapana). Chitragupta’s ledger did
not take into account the slain bodies of the dead soldiers. Physical objects
have no relevance in the invisible realm. Chitragupta simply ignored the number
of toys of flesh and bones destroyed during the war. Does a king bother about
the number of toys broken or the number of grains spilled?
In this world billionaires are held in high regard but in the realm of Chitragupta they are paupers and non-entities. On the other hand a poor man of this world, if he is kind hearted, could be counted in the realm of Chitragupta amongst the king of kings. Whatever a man does, only his motives-good or bad are recorded in the corresponding account of Chitragupta.
A public executioner, who, in the course of duty, hangs a person condemned to death without any malice, could be considered a virtuous person by Chitragupta, whereas a priest, who meticulously follows the rituals, but is secretly engaged in corrupt practices, will be labeled as a sinner.In the realm of God of Divine Law (Dharmaraj), the decorations of the exterior world have no values. Here only the interior worth is evaluated. It hardly matters whether externally an action of a person appears good or bad. The determining factor is the interior or emotional input. Under the Laws of Karma -The roots of vice and virtue unquestionably lie in the motives and intensity of emotions and not in the external deeds alone.
In this world billionaires are held in high regard but in the realm of Chitragupta they are paupers and non-entities. On the other hand a poor man of this world, if he is kind hearted, could be counted in the realm of Chitragupta amongst the king of kings. Whatever a man does, only his motives-good or bad are recorded in the corresponding account of Chitragupta.
A public executioner, who, in the course of duty, hangs a person condemned to death without any malice, could be considered a virtuous person by Chitragupta, whereas a priest, who meticulously follows the rituals, but is secretly engaged in corrupt practices, will be labeled as a sinner.In the realm of God of Divine Law (Dharmaraj), the decorations of the exterior world have no values. Here only the interior worth is evaluated. It hardly matters whether externally an action of a person appears good or bad. The determining factor is the interior or emotional input. Under the Laws of Karma -The roots of vice and virtue unquestionably lie in the motives and intensity of emotions and not in the external deeds alone.
To summarize the above, we now understand how the deity Chitragupta living inside us all impartially records our good and bad deeds at a submicroscopic level. This elements of our inner conscience and this subtle recording is popularly known as the “Lines of Fate” (Karma Rekha).
We have also understood that the process of divine justice does not regard an act as sinful or virtuous by the external appearance of the act itself but an act is sinful or virtuous on the basis of the quality of the motive of the doer. The intensity of motive is directly proportional to the gravity or greatness of the sin or virtue respectively.
Take the case of two individuals nursing a sick person. Apparently both are engaged in the same service, but whereas one is engaged in nursing in an indifferent manner the other person serves with tenderness, sympathy, large-heartedness and love. Here, in spite of apparently identical service, the measure of virtue will depend on the quality of emotional involvement and love. Similarly, amongst two thieves, one of who is compelled to steal because of starvation and one who is compelled to steal to procure extra money to buy drugs to fuel a drug addiction , the sin is undoubtedly greater in the latter case.
In Divine Jurisprudence, there is another significant clause for treating each individual independently according to the
state of purity of his or her soul. The laws of spirituality hold that each soul is
perpetually in the process of progressive evolution i.e. purification through
the course of successive cycles of birth and death. That is, at each successive
stage the soul acquires greater purity and is given a body in the species of
higher consciousness (wisdom). The birth as a human being is believed to be the
highest phase of conscious evolution on earth before liberation from the cycles
of birth and death.
The rewards and punishments of heaven and hell depend on the state of consciousness i.e. wisdom of the being. If accused of bribery, a peon, a clerk and a juror will receive three different types of punishment. The peon may be acquitted after a serious reprimand, the clerk may be temporarily suspended from service; but having been entrusted with a great responsibility, the juror cannot escape dismissal. Take one more example. A primitive tribesman hunts and kills animals for his daily meal. On the other hand, a priest preaching virtues of non-violence towards animals secretly consumes meat as food. In Divine Jurisprudence, the priest will add greater sin to his account than the tribesman. Here the states of awareness and morality are being considered for evaluation of the merit or demerit of the deed.
As the soul becomes more evolved with acquisition of greater wisdom and morality, the inner conscience (Antaha Chetna) becomes more and more awakened and refined.In light of this statement a sinful act leaves an indelible dark spot on the conscience of a relatively more virtuous individual. Or in other words, the gravity of sin is considered lesser in the case of an illiterate, ignorant, person. With the increase in education and therefore wisdom a person acquires a greater capability to discriminate between right and wrong, proper and improper deeds. The conscience becomes aware of the consequences of proper and improper actions. The “Voice of Conscience”, therefore, becomes more assertive. It becomes more responsible. No one blames an infant for dirtying its undergarments,nor does the child feel embarrassed when having done so. On the other hand, if a grown-up person behaves in such a manner, the society considers it disgraceful and the individual too feels embarrassed and humiliated.
The rewards and punishments of heaven and hell depend on the state of consciousness i.e. wisdom of the being. If accused of bribery, a peon, a clerk and a juror will receive three different types of punishment. The peon may be acquitted after a serious reprimand, the clerk may be temporarily suspended from service; but having been entrusted with a great responsibility, the juror cannot escape dismissal. Take one more example. A primitive tribesman hunts and kills animals for his daily meal. On the other hand, a priest preaching virtues of non-violence towards animals secretly consumes meat as food. In Divine Jurisprudence, the priest will add greater sin to his account than the tribesman. Here the states of awareness and morality are being considered for evaluation of the merit or demerit of the deed.
As the soul becomes more evolved with acquisition of greater wisdom and morality, the inner conscience (Antaha Chetna) becomes more and more awakened and refined.In light of this statement a sinful act leaves an indelible dark spot on the conscience of a relatively more virtuous individual. Or in other words, the gravity of sin is considered lesser in the case of an illiterate, ignorant, person. With the increase in education and therefore wisdom a person acquires a greater capability to discriminate between right and wrong, proper and improper deeds. The conscience becomes aware of the consequences of proper and improper actions. The “Voice of Conscience”, therefore, becomes more assertive. It becomes more responsible. No one blames an infant for dirtying its undergarments,nor does the child feel embarrassed when having done so. On the other hand, if a grown-up person behaves in such a manner, the society considers it disgraceful and the individual too feels embarrassed and humiliated.
With self-evolution, the soul
also has to take additional responsibility for higher level of morality and
ethics. A soldier will probably be discharged after a minor punishment an
account of disobedience, but an officer will have to face court martial for a
similar misconduct. When wise, intelligent and empathic persons indulge in
corrupts practices, Chitragupta records these in the category of grave sins.
Indian mythology tells us that King
Nripa had to face hell for a minor offence. When an ignorant person commits a
crime, it is not taken seriously, but if a person made responsible for
upholding standards of morality for the masses (a Brahmin) deviates from his
course of duty, in the court of divine justice he/she deserves a stern
punishment. A social reformer has the status of a leader in society.
Under the Laws of Karma- Becoming a leader is advantageous, but the leader also has a higher level of responsibility. Knowledgeable persons therefore have the formidable responsibility of adhering to upright conduct and unimpeachable character, failing which divine justice will make them suffer the agony of falling from a mountain top to the depths of a valley. "
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Source and References to the above article:
Under the Laws of Karma- Becoming a leader is advantageous, but the leader also has a higher level of responsibility. Knowledgeable persons therefore have the formidable responsibility of adhering to upright conduct and unimpeachable character, failing which divine justice will make them suffer the agony of falling from a mountain top to the depths of a valley. "
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Source and References to the above article:
To read the book "The Absolute Law of Karma" click the below mentioned link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/56439617/The-Absolute-Law-of-Karma-by-Pandit-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya
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