No Escape from the Result of Action : Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati.

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Monday, November 21, 2022. 07:00.

No Escape from the Result of Action :

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The Atman is our own Supreme Self.

Presently, we consider the body and mind to be ourselves. This is referred to as ahamkar. That ahamkar is not the Lord. The pure Self, free from all misunderstandings, is sakshad Brahman. Let us take the example of the space in a pot and the space that exists outside. In reality, it is all one space but the pot-space appears to be confined, limited. Similarly, the Atman, existing in this body, also appears to be confined.

The Atman is the Lord of this body. He is also the Lord of the entire creation. The Atman does not create any wrong notions or misunderstandings. It does not create any relation with objects through action. The Atman is not the doer - neither at the individual level nor at the cosmic level.

In the 4th Chapter of the Gita, Sri Krishna clarifies that even though He is the creator of this world, in actual fact He is not the creator. From one stand point, it appears that Ishvara is the creator, but from His own highest standpoint, we reflect and understand that He is not the creator. These are subtle points.

The Atman does not create the sense of doership, nor does it create any sanyoga with object or the results of karma.

Action and Result :

We perform karma and get connected to the result. Sometimes the result is immediate. Put your finger in a fire and you get an instant result! However, not all karmas produce immediate results. Suppose you go to a party and overeat. You may not face the consequences immediately. You may suffer the next day! The result of certain karmas may arrive after many years; sometimes it may not come in this lifetime, but in a future one.

How do we get connected to the results of action? The result comes to the same person who has performed the karma. Whatever we are getting now in this life time is the result of our karmas of a past life.

Who knows my past life and what karmas I performed? Who is connecting me to the results?

Just as a service provider keeps track of the movement of our mobile phone and keeps us connected, our karmas get connected to karmaphala. Because of ignorance, I consider myself the doer. Then I perform various types of karma and get connected to the results of karma. It is said that the results of karmas do not get destroyed. They will follow and chase us even after many life times. There is no escape.

A Perfect System :

The cosmos is run by a beautiful system. It is absolutely foolproof. There are no accidents or coincidences. Everything is perfect. You may face problems in getting your correct mobile bill, but the bill of karma will come to you wherever you are - without fail.

Remember, Prabhu does not do anything. So, how does karma-phala sanyog happen? Sri Krishna replies in two words – ‘swabhavastu pravartate’. We have to understand the meaning of swabhava. It is nothing but the Lord’s prakriti or maya. It is the power of Ishvara. It manifests in His presence. Prabhu does not create the sense of doership, neither does He create any object, nor does He create any sanyoga between karma and karmaphala. All this happens in prakriti.

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