What is fate or karma theory that governs human life?

How human karma is dealt with? This is a very interesting topic. Even many Westerners are accepting the fact of karma theory after going through the epics and Bagawat Gita. It is very simple like Newton’s law that every action produces equal and opposite reaction. But there is a secret clause by which man can escape destiny or karma! When man offers all his acts to god and forgo voluntarily the results of such actions, no sin will adhere to the man who performs tasks in such an attitude! Hence Krishna advises Arjuna, “Fight the war keeping me in your mind! “Do your duty but do not aspire for the results”. This is the central core of teaching of the Lord. This advice applies to entire humanity. Never think that the teachings of Gita are meant for particular group of people! Never! Even in corporate sectors, the teachings of Gita could be applied. What the Corporate sector expect from their executives? Perfection of their work. Is it not? Otherwise it can be termed as dedication to their duty! Well, so long as the executives have an eye on the outcome, their performance tends to be imperfect! Do not worry or desire for the results but perform your duties for duties sake, then see how nicely one performs the task! It is said in the Upanishads “Yogaha karmasu kausalam”- when one performs his work beautifully, it is termed as Yoga or union with the Divine!

Now let us see how ordinary material minded individual performs their work. Before undertaking any work, we used to ponder about the outcome and whether is beneficial to us? This is fundamentally wrong attitude. A businessman seeks profit and hence he exerts himself in the business! He won’t care much about food and rest as long as the business fetches huge profit. We have seen smugglers bring valuable gold biscuits through innovative ways to escape deduction from Custom’s officials. Sometimes they don’t mind hurting themselves to hide the gold within the body! But the sleuths of Custom department at the Airports adopt many ways whether anything is hidden within body parts or suitcases or shoes and hats. If they had doubt about the movement of any passengers, they will take him away, remove his cloths and check whether he has hidden anything within his body parts? People have become so crazy to earn money that they don’t mind embedding valuable gems in their body under the skin! Now we can understand two things. It is a desire to amaze wealth by hook or crook. But the wealth could procure comforts and luxury and nothing more. You can purchase the costliest bed but you cannot get sleep. You can live in air conditioned chambers but your mind will be boiling due to many problems in the business side. Once afflicted with serious ailment, he can get himself the best treatment but no Doctor can postpone death!

We have seen many dictators whose life ended in suicide. We have also seen a great leader who was hiding deep below the ground was caught by the opposite army and after trial he was hanged. He could not prevent his death. This is the case with most of the dictators of the world. None can escape karma or fate however mighty he may be! Hence even powerful politicians are ending up in jails, undergoing imprisonment for many years. Had they surrendered to god, they would not meet such pathetic ends. But our past karma definitely haunts us. For each evil act performed in past births, one has to undergo sufferings and grief for sure. This is the reason why the virtuous brothers of Pandava clan underwent immense suffering during their sojourn on earth while their wicked cousins enjoyed all comforts, luxuries of palace life and Kingdom usurped from their cousins by foul play. Yet, they had the merits of past births which gave them royal life. Their present transgressions will definitely bear fruit in their future life. The one hundred brothers, who tortured the five brothers during their entire life, met a sad end in the war. There was none left to perform their cremation. This topic is a serious debate in many philosophical forums. As Newton’s law is applicable to the physical universe, it is equally true in spiritual affairs also. What we sow is what we reap! The fruit cannot be different from the tree. Hence the sufferings being undergone by people of the world are traceable to their past deeds and this is termed as karma theory or fate. Even while undergoing sufferings for the past, we can undertake good deeds for the betterment of our future life! This was meticulously followed by the brothers of Pandavas! Hence they could ascend the highest place, i.e. merger in Krishna! They undertook northern journey during the final phase of life without food or water. This is known as “Mahaprastanatraya”. They have to move on in the northern direction until they fall down dead! The eldest brother Dharmaraja persisted till the end since he was practicing righteousness throughout his life even when they were undergoing forest life! This is how virtues protect man. The epic Mahabaratha conveys the great truth of karma theory through the life of virtuous and wicked. There was eternal combat between good and evil forces which are within each individual. One need to follow the righteous path to ascend heaven! But heaven is also a temporary place like earth. Once the merits acquired are worked out in heaven, the soul has to return to earth to strive for permanent release from the cycle of births and deaths!