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### Introduction to Karma in Sanatana Dharma
- Episode 7 of the series "Exploring Sanatana Dharma," hosted by Aam Ramasmi Foundation, features Vidwan Shri Shadavadani Lalita Ganavaram GI, a young scholar.
- The focus of this session is on the **laws of karma** as prescribed in Sanatana Dharma.
- Initial discussion centers on the **meaning and components of karma**.
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### Definition and Components of Karma
- **Karma** is a multifaceted term in Sanatana Dharma:
- Primarily means **an act or action**.
- Also refers to the **fruit/result of an action (karma phala)**.
- Grammatically, it can mean the **object of an action** (e.g., in "I saw a tree," the tree is karma).
- The most common usage in scriptures is **karma as an action** (e.g., nitya karma – daily duties).
- **Components of Karma** are twofold:
1. **External environment** (place, time, materials) called *parvas* or divisive factors. For example, some rituals must be performed by a riverbank, at a specific time, or with particular offerings (e.g., jaladana - water donation).
2. **Internal components** (fivefold) as per Bhagavan in the Gita:
- **Adhishtaana**: the body, the vessel of action.
- **Bhatta (Doer)**: the intellect or buddhi that incites and experiences action.
- **Indriyas (Instruments)**: 12 in total (five karmendriyas, five jnanendriyas, mind, and intellect).
- **Prana (Life Force)**: the vital energy (vayu/pranaki) that enables action, comprising five types of *vayus* that control bodily functions.
- **Devata (Chaitananya)**: the conscious energy presiding over each indriya, enabling proper sensory function.
- **All five internal components must be present for any action to occur.**
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### Types of Karma and Their Necessity
- **Five types of karma as per shastras**:
- **Nitya Karma**: Daily obligatory duties (e.g., Sandhyavandanam).
- **Naimittika Karma**: Occasional duties performed on specific occasions (e.g., eclipse rituals, samskaras like Jatakarma).
- **Kamya Karma**: Optional actions performed for desire-driven results (e.g., rituals for rain or progeny).
- **Prayaschitta Karma**: Expatory actions to atone for sins or mistakes.
- **Nishiddha Karma**: Prohibited actions (e.g., murder, stealing, lying).
- **Summary Table: Types of Karma**
| Type | Description | Frequency/Condition | Purpose/Effect |
|------------------|---------------------------------|------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Nitya | Obligatory daily duties | Daily | Maintains purity, reduces papa |
| Naimittika | Occasional duties | Specific occasions | Performed when cause arises |
| Kamya | Optional, desire-based | Voluntary | For obtaining specific desires |
| Prayaschitta | Expatory rites | After sin or error committed | Mitigates effects of papa |
| Nishiddha | Prohibited actions | Never | Avoided; cause sin |
- **Why do we do karma?**
- Nitya and naimittika karmas must be done to avoid ill effects (papa) from neglecting duties.
- Prayaschitta is done to mitigate sins committed unintentionally.
- Kamya karmas are performed for desired fruits but are not mandatory.
- Nishiddha karmas must be avoided altogether.
- **The fruits of nitya and naimittika karmas include mental purity (chittashuddhi) and reduction of impure tendencies (papa samskaras), prerequisites for spiritual progress.**
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### The Inevitability of Karma and Proper Action
- Humans cannot avoid karma; even inactivity or sitting is karma.
- Since karma is inevitable, it must be performed **properly** according to shastra guidelines.
- To do karma properly, one must know:
1. **What to do** (the objective).
2. **How to do it** (procedure).
3. **Specifics/details** (exact materials, time, place, etc.).
- Shastras provide this detailed knowledge and are the only reliable source for proper karma performance.
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### Prayaschitta (Atonement for Sins)
- Prayaschitta applies when sins are committed **without intent**; it does **not** apply to deliberate sins.
- In Manu Smriti:
- Intentional sins have double the effect of unintentional ones.
- Prayaschitta helps mitigate accidental sins but does **not** completely erase the karmic consequences.
- Prayaschitta means "**cleaning the mind**" (shana).
- It involves austerities (*tapas*), such as fasting, mantra japa, restraint from pleasures, sleeping on the ground, etc., to suppress improper mental tendencies and prevent repetition of sinful actions.
- Prayaschitta is adjusted based on age and capacity: half the effort is required for children under 16, elderly above 80, and those physically or mentally incapacitated.
- **The best way to avoid papa is self-discipline and control over desire and anger.**
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### Conditions for Effective Prayaschitta
- Prayaschitta requires a **threefold process**:
1. **Remorse** for the sin committed.
2. **Performance of the expiatory rite** (prayaschitta).
3. **Firm resolve never to repeat the sin**.
- Without all three, the mitigation of papa is incomplete.
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### Classification of Karma Phalas (Fruits of Actions)
- Based on the **nature of the fruit**:
- **Pleasant (Sukha)** outcomes.
- **Unpleasant (Dukha)** outcomes.
- **Mixed (both sukha and dukha)** outcomes.
- Based on **timing and source** (Vedantic classification):
| Type | Description |
|--------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sanjita | Accumulated karmas (account balance) from past lives |
| Prarabdha | Portion of Sanjita karma that manifests in current life |
| Agami | Karma generated in the current life, whose results will occur in the future |
- **Prarabdha karma is like an allowance drawn from the total karmic account; it determines the present body and life circumstances and cannot be altered once set in motion.**
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### Can Karma Be Performed Without Bearing Its Fruit?
- Bhagavan (Krishna) states in the Gita that one who **renounces attachment to the fruits of actions** is not affected by the sorrow or pleasure resulting from karma.
- The key is **doership (abhimana)**: as long as one identifies as the doer, one is bound by karma phala.
- When one realizes the true self (atman) as separate from body, mind, and senses, one transcends doership and thus the binding effects of karma.
- Example: Arjuna was instructed to act as a soldier without attachment to results, seeing himself as the atman distinct from the body’s actions.
- Thus, **detachment from doership dissolves karmic bondage**.
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### Reasons Why Karma Phala May Not Manifest
- Despite performing karma as prescribed, sometimes the expected fruit does not manifest. Causes include:
1. **Deficiency in the Karta (doer)** – lack of qualifications or improper mindset.
2. **Deficiency in the Sadhana (means/instruments)** – improper environment, materials, or procedure.
3. **Incomplete Karma** – the action was not fully or properly performed.
- If all are perfect and fruits still do not manifest, then **strong prior karma (purva karma)** may be obstructing the result.
- In Kaliyuga, due to lack of full dedication and faith, karmas are often imperfectly done, diminishing their fruits.
- Nonetheless, doing karma to the best of one’s capacity (**yashas**) is emphasized, as partial results still accrue.
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### Karma With Desire vs. Without Desire
- **Karma with desire (sakam karma)** leads to bondage (increased raga, attachment).
- **Karma without desire (nishkam karma)**, performed as an offering to Ishwara (God), leads to **mental purity (chittashuddhi)** and liberation.
- The Gita teaches performing duty without attachment to results, dedicating actions to God.
- This practice is essential for spiritual progress and freedom from karmic entanglement.
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### Karma of the Jivanmukta (Liberated Being)
- The jivanmukta has destroyed **sanjita** and does not accumulate **agami** karma.
- However, **prarabdha karma** continues until the body’s life ends, as it is already set in motion and tied to the body’s existence.
- Prarabdha is likened to an arrow already shot that cannot be recalled.
- The jivanmukta remains unaffected by karma’s fruits due to non-identification with body and mind.
- To others, the jivanmukta appears subject to karma, but internally they are free.
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### Fate vs. Free Will
- **Fate** (daiva) is defined as the cumulative results of past karma influencing present circumstances.
- **Free will** is the present choice of action by the individual.
- These are separate: what happens to us (fate) is distinct from how we act now (free will).
- Free will allows us to act in ways that can influence future karma and mitigate present difficulties.
- Example: A person with illness (past karma) can choose to take medicine (free will) to improve health.
- Fate is not imposed by an external deity arbitrarily; it is the natural unfolding of karmic law.
- Even if something is predestined, one must still act.
- Shastra states five things (e.g., profession, lifespan) are predetermined before birth, but details can be influenced by present actions.
- **Intense punya (merit) or papa (sin) can modify prarabdha karma in this life.**
- The interplay between past karma and present effort is like two rams butting heads—the stronger prevails.
- Ultimately, free will is superior because it determines future outcomes.
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### The Law of Manifestation and Sanatana Dharma
- The universe is a **self-manifestation of Ishwara (God)**, the original cause who willed creation.
- The individual jiva (soul) is an extension of Ishwara limited by maya (illusion).
- There is a perspective that **the world we perceive is created by our own consciousness**, akin to a dream where the dreamer experiences all characters and events.
- This concept is termed **mitya**: the world is temporarily real, existing as long as it is perceived.
- The jiva experiences the world as real but it is ultimately a projection of the self/atma.
- For most people, this is difficult to understand and should not be misapplied.
- The analogy of dreaming demonstrates how one interacts with a seemingly real world created by one’s mind.
- Self-manifestation applies in two senses:
1. The cosmic scale where the universe is manifested by the atman/paramatman.
2. The individual scale where focused intent and action can manifest desired results in the world (law of manifestation).
- The strength of **sankalpa (intention)** combined with appropriate action leads to manifestation, but is always conditioned by karma.
- Blessings and curses arise from karmic interaction, reflecting the mental states and actions of individuals.
- Ultimately, the entire cosmos is the dream of the supreme atman, just as Vishnu dreams the universe while resting on Ananta Shesha.
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### Conclusion
- The session provides a **comprehensive and detailed exposition of karma**: its definition, components, types, fruits, and philosophical implications.
- Emphasis on performing karma properly, understanding its fruits, and cultivating detachment to transcend karmic bondage.
- Clarification of fate and free will as complementary aspects of the karmic process.
- Explanation of manifestation within the framework of Sanatana Dharma, highlighting the role of consciousness and self-realization.
- The discourse encourages disciplined practice, self-awareness, and adherence to shastra for spiritual progress.
**Overall Key Insights:**
- Karma is action, its environment, and the instruments acting together.
- Five types of karma guide ethical and spiritual conduct.
- Prayaschitta mitigates unintentional sins but requires sincere remorse and resolve.
- Detachment from the fruits of action is essential for liberation.
- Jivanmuktas transcend karma except for prarabdha which their body must experience.
- Fate (past karma) and free will (present choice) coexist and influence each other.
- The universe and all manifestations are expressions of the atman’s consciousness.
- Proper understanding and application of karma are foundational to Sanatana Dharma practice.
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