Many times we are unable to explain agonies in our current lives in the context of our current actions- what then causes this pain and suffering! Can it be our past life Karma(or Prarabdh Karma)?
In the enclosed article , we try to understand the three broad types of Karma ..Kriyaman Karma, Sanchit Karma and Prarabdh Karma.
We also try and understand a related point :Is there a time lag between deed and results of the deed ? If yes why does this time lag exist?
In the enclosed article , we try to understand the three broad types of Karma ..Kriyaman Karma, Sanchit Karma and Prarabdh Karma.
We also try and understand a related point :Is there a time lag between deed and results of the deed ? If yes why does this time lag exist?
The below mentioned article explores these points in detail and is an excerpt from the immensely popular book "The Absolute Laws of Karma" authored by Shriram Sharma Acharya.(This book excerpt has been condensed, adapted and rewritten in places for simplicity of understanding )
Quoted Text : Types of Karma and the importance of Past Life Karma's!
Under the Laws of Karma, a person can feel the consequences of his actions either immediately or with delayed effect. The immediacy of the fruit of actions is defined by the type of Karma and whether there is any underlying emotional intent attached to the actions.
There are three broad categories of Karma, namely: (i) Sanchit Karmas (ii) Prarabdha Karmas and (iii) Kriyaman Karmas. Let's explore them in the order of complexity of understanding them, starting with the simplest type of karma first.
Kriyaman Karmas:
(Refer to our simplest bodily actions.These actions are defined by the absence of any emotion, intent or thought, like acts of eating food, drinking etc).As a background to understanding Kriyaman Karmas we already know that the human body is made up of five base elements.The Laws of nature govern the interactions between these base elements and these interactions define the physiological functioning of our body.
Quoted Text : Types of Karma and the importance of Past Life Karma's!
Under the Laws of Karma, a person can feel the consequences of his actions either immediately or with delayed effect. The immediacy of the fruit of actions is defined by the type of Karma and whether there is any underlying emotional intent attached to the actions.
There are three broad categories of Karma, namely: (i) Sanchit Karmas (ii) Prarabdha Karmas and (iii) Kriyaman Karmas. Let's explore them in the order of complexity of understanding them, starting with the simplest type of karma first.
Kriyaman Karmas:
(Refer to our simplest bodily actions.These actions are defined by the absence of any emotion, intent or thought, like acts of eating food, drinking etc).As a background to understanding Kriyaman Karmas we already know that the human body is made up of five base elements.The Laws of nature govern the interactions between these base elements and these interactions define the physiological functioning of our body.
When the physical body is compelled to live on foods and habits incompatible with its physiology, there is an immediate disturbance in the natural balance of the body. This imbalance results in disease, and weakening of the harmonious working of the biological system. Kriyaman Karma are nature’s mechanism for rectification of this imbalance.
For example when we touch fire we experience a burning sensation. Consumption of alcohol is followed by intoxication. Consumption of poison leads to death. If we eat excess food or food that is spoilt, the body immediately reacts by purging the harmful or excess food substance from the system.
Kriyaman Karmas are therefore just physical acts we commit as bodily functions and these actions and are defined by the absence of intent. These are mechanical acts carried out by the body without any emotional involvement and therefore any adverse action in this realm is followed by an immediate physiological counter reaction to maintain natures natural balance.
Sanchit Karmas:
(Refer to our Involuntary Karmas or actions, where there is low individual involvement or emotional intent).Karmas unwillingly or reluctantly performed by us in a state of compulsion or in a state of helplessness fall in this category. These Karmas can also accrue by mere association .
(Refer to our Involuntary Karmas or actions, where there is low individual involvement or emotional intent).Karmas unwillingly or reluctantly performed by us in a state of compulsion or in a state of helplessness fall in this category. These Karmas can also accrue by mere association .
Many times we do not realise that the company we keep and our interactions with friends, family, relatives, leaves subtle impressions on our psyche and inner mind. Our external and conscious mind is not always conscious of these impressions and is therefore unaware of the consequent Samskaras created by involuntary associations. Samskaras (or imprints) produced by this involuntary process of association are therefore faint and relatively weak in their potency, and therefore weak in their fruit bearing ability. The Karmas, which produce such weak low intensity Samskaras, are known as Sanchit Karmas.
The Sanchit Samskaras remain stored in some odd corner of the inner consciousness, and remain buried in a dormant state. Unless provided with explicit fuel they do not become alight. The Samskaras produced by Sanchit Karmas may remain in a dormant state in the psyche for thousands of years through successive births, however if a suitable stimulant is provided to them by deliberate, strong, conscious thought and repetitive action, than these Samskaras have the potential to become active.
Pilgrimages and certain rituals recommended in Hindu religious practices are meant to wipe out the weak Samskaras accumulated as Sanchit Karmas.The rituals and pilgrimages help create a different environment for our mind and provide it an opportunity to find strength and change course and direction.
Prarabdha Karmas:
(Refer to Karmas done with strong emotional involvement and intent). Karmas, which are deliberately and voluntarily performed under strong emotional stimuli, are known as Prarabdha Karmas. As these Karmas are motivated and backed by intense emotions these Karmas produce powerful Samskaras that are long lasting. Actions like violent acts of murder, robbery, betrayal, felony or immoral acts like adultery, sexual crimes, fall in this domain and their impact is strongly felt by the inner conscience. As the inner Conscience, that is our Soul is intensely pure it therefore feels the impact of such Karmas intensely.
(Refer to Karmas done with strong emotional involvement and intent). Karmas, which are deliberately and voluntarily performed under strong emotional stimuli, are known as Prarabdha Karmas. As these Karmas are motivated and backed by intense emotions these Karmas produce powerful Samskaras that are long lasting. Actions like violent acts of murder, robbery, betrayal, felony or immoral acts like adultery, sexual crimes, fall in this domain and their impact is strongly felt by the inner conscience. As the inner Conscience, that is our Soul is intensely pure it therefore feels the impact of such Karmas intensely.
As has been discussed in earlier articles on the same subject, our inner conscience keeps a constant watch over each of our Karmas and determines the intensity of punishment for each offence according to the nature of the act.
In the system of Divine Justice there is a need to match an appropriate punishment for a corresponding grade of offence. Therefore for appropriate Divine Justice to play out , the Divine Karma system waits for a suitable environment to be created in our individual external world(sometimes accross several life times) in order to dispense appropriate justice. This is the reason why this category of karmas takes time to play out over several lifetimes. There is a time lag between deed and action.
In the system of Divine Justice there is a need to match an appropriate punishment for a corresponding grade of offence. Therefore for appropriate Divine Justice to play out , the Divine Karma system waits for a suitable environment to be created in our individual external world(sometimes accross several life times) in order to dispense appropriate justice. This is the reason why this category of karmas takes time to play out over several lifetimes. There is a time lag between deed and action.
The moral sentence plays out only when it finds an appropriate event or circumstance to play out in, and plays out using the same actors, with inter dependent individual karmas. The activities in our current life become Pararbdha Karmas for our successive lives. Conversely unexpected, sudden happenings in our current life can be explained as fruits of Prarabdha Karmas of our past lives. Its important to therefore keep the Karma slate clean of blemishes across lifetimes.
Let's take an example to understand this better. As an example; a grievous crime like murder, deserves the murderer to experience similar and intense grief as that experienced by the murdered person and his immediate family. This sentence can therefore play out as the untimely death by accident, or disease of a young child in the murderers own individual life situation.Now this can play out either in this life time or successive lifetimes.
For this sentence to play out Chitragupta will wait for a situation to develop where the birth of a son or daughter is imminent for the murderer and ,where (the new born) is destined to die at a young age according to the New Born's own past Karma's.Therefore, a situation has to be created in the external environment where the individual souls concerned face the effects of their own past Karmas in an inter dependent way. In this system it can therefore takes several lifetimes for appropriate punishments to be meted out justly and fairly and in proportion to the crime.
We may further try to understand the course of divine justice by an analogy in a natural phenomenon. A shrub in Africa called Venus grows to a height of about three meters. Out of its branches spread out thin thread-like offshoots. These offshoots keep on growing and swaying in the air till they meet another shrub and they become mutually intertwined. Sometimes these shrubs meet each other barely after a growth of a few centimeters, whereas the others succeed in doing so after growing for a few meters. This is the way the fruits of Prarabdha Karmas ripen for interaction over different spans of time.
In this divine justice methodology there is a time lag between the crime and its punishment. The time lag can be that of several births.This is the reason why many times we see bad people having a really good time and good folks suffering.The enforcer of Divine Law takes time in preparing an appropriate environment for dispensing just rewards and punishments.
We hope you enjoyed reading the above article covering The Laws of Karma and the Types of Karma that can accrue to us in our lifetime. In our next article we cover the fascinating topic - Are misfortunes always the result of Bad Karma?
Next article :Are Misfortunes always the result of Bad Karma:
http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-laws-of-karma-5-are-misfortunes.html
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If you would like to Read the book " The Absolute Laws Of Karma" please click the link below:http://www.scribd.com/doc/56439617/The-Absolute-Law-of-Karma-authored-by-Pandit-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya
If you would like to know more about the author- Acharya Shriram Sharma , please click the link below
http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.com/p/books-that-you-can-read.html