What is the principle of ‘Karam Philosophy’?
Philosophy of Fruits of actions
– Every scholar agrees that no action goes without generation of its fruit. All will reap what they sow. There are certain specific principles, which govern the philosophy of fruits of actions. Let us try to know these basic principles of philosophy of fruits of actions.
- Fruit precedes actions that is, it is not possible to have fruit of an action, which has not yet been executed.
- Only that person can give fruits of actions, who realizes the whole concept regarding necessity of giving fruits of actions, besides, having total or absolute knowledge of the actions and operative penal codes, for example, judges, authorized to execute the offenders should understand the necessity of whole system of punishing the offenders besides, having thorough knowledge of the action of the offenders through various evidences and knowledge of various provisions of the operative penal codes.
- Not everyone is authorized to give fruits of actions. For example, a passer-by cannot execute the offenders. Only specific persons called judges are authorized to execute the offenders.
- Penalty imposed on the offender has to be borne by him without any complaint, that is, there is a limit up to which he can show his resentment against the verdict. For example, verdicts of lower courts and high courts can be challenged up to the level of supreme court of a country only.
- Persons helpful in execution of judgments or verdicts are rewarded and not penalized. For example, the executor, employed in a jail is not held responsible of murders when he fulfills his duty of execution of death-sentences given by judges.
- No action can escape its fruit.
- There is absolute freedom in doing the actions but once an action has been done, soul becomes dependent on receiving its fruit in accordance with God’s system.
कर्मफल Philosophy
-Pain or pleasure is received by one
- because of fruits of one’s own actions, for example, pain received by a person on receiving sentence on stealing belongings of other et cetera.
- because of actions of others in the form of effect or result of others’ actions without any fault of his own, for example, pain received by family members of the person, whose belongings have been stolen and pain received by a person because of theft of his belongings by another person.
Objection –
-Where ruler is strong and efficient, no person can act to harm others for the fear of the Ruler. Governance of the ruler is measured by this fact. Where any person can harm any other without any fault of the other, the ruler of that kingdom cannot be said to be strong and efficient. But, this universe is ruled by God, who is the strongest and most efficient. Then, how is it possible for any person to give pain to another without any fault of that person?
Reply to the objection-We observe in the world that every kingdom makes certain penal laws and because of fear of those laws, people generally avoid acting in unjust ways and harming innocent people. But, still no kingdom of the world is free of crime. Just like this God, too, has framed certain penal laws in His kingdom but because of influence of bad tendencies, people do injustice to others. In the world, we see that many injustice-doers escape law of the land, but His law-enforcement is so strong that a wrong-doer can never escape.
Some people believe that a person receives pain or pleasure because of his own past actions. Pain or pleasure received as a result of effect et cetra of others’ actions are basically the fruits of his own past actions. God has the perfect knowledge of past actions, tendencies, capacities, capabilities of all souls. Because of this knowledge, He knows, beforehand, the actions of souls, who act perfectly in accordance with the expectations of God. He, that is, God only uses those capacities and capabilities of the souls to bring pain or pleasure to others without interfering in the freedom of actions of souls.
As an answer to this notion, it can be said that because of possessing the perfect knowledge of past actions, tendencies, capacities, capabilities of all souls, God can very well know the different alternatives or options, souls possess before acting in a particular way. Choosing among the alternatives to act upon is the prerogative conferred upon souls by the law of freedom of actions. There is a difference between knowledge of various alternatives before a soul and knowledge of the alternative chosen by the soul. God comes to know of the alternative chosen by the soul immediately after the same has been acted upon.
Certain important points on this subject–
-God bestows man with bliss, intelligence, power, patience et cetra during Upaasana by man or during prayer done by man in problem.
-God’s grace is nothing but selection of beings by Him to bestow on them bliss, intelligence, power, patience et cetera.
-Mere thoughts of a person cannot bring pain or pleasure to another. These thoughts should be converted into actions to be able to bring pain or pleasure to another.
-If we believe that God affects our thoughts, then fruits of those thoughts should not be borne by man since man was not independent in thinking that way. One basic condition of ‘कर्मफल Philosophy’ is ‘bearer of fruit should be independent’.