Karma Vs. Destiny – What Determines My Future? Swami Tadatmananda
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Karma vs. Destiny – What Determines My Future? Swami Tadatmananda Many people are confused about the role the results of our past karmas, good and bad. that both effort and destiny have in deter- But unknown to Yudhishthira is the fact that mining our futures. Having been asked Draupadi, when still a child, had learned about this many times over the years, I came about the doctrine of karma from a great to realize that a major source of confusion is scholar. So in Chapter 33, Draupadi apolo- the way we define and understand the word gizes for her earlier complaint and proceeds “destiny.” to explain how Ishvara's apparent unfairness What exactly does the word destiny mean? can be properly understood. Here is an The dictionary gives several meanings, fur- abridged version of her explanation to ther complicating the matter. Also, the way Yudhishthira. you happen to define the term may or may Draupadi said to Yudhishthira: not be consistent with the dictionary’s mean- ings. It will be much easier to understand अाताहं लपामीदम् इित मां व भारत | this topic if we temporarily set aside that भूय वलपयाम समनातबाेध मे || ārtāhaṁ pralapām īdam confusing English word. Let us turn instead iti māṁ viddhi bhārata to traditional Sanskrit terminology and bhūyaś ca vilapiṣyāmi teachings about the doctrine of karma. sumanās tan nibodha me (33.2) There is no specific scripture dedicated to O Yudhishthira, I was overcome by misery explaining the doctrine of karma. However, when I complained before. And I will proba- we find lucid teachings on this topic scat- bly complain some more. But now, please tered throughout the scriptures, including the listen to me carefully. Mahabharata. In the third book of the Maha- उथानमभजानत सवभूतािन भारत | bharata (Vana Parva), Yudhishthira and his wife, Draupadi, while exiled to the forest for यं फलमत कमणां लाेकसाकम् || utthānam abhijānanti twelve years, engage in an extended dis- sarva-bhūtāni bhārata course about karma. pratyakṣaṁ phalam aśnanti In Chapter 31, Draupadi complains to karmaṇāṁ loka-sākṣikam (33.6) Yudhishthira, “You are always righteous, Everyone knows that past karmas yield later yet you were banished to the forest. On the results because everyone experiences other hand, Duryodhana ignores righteous- those results. We all observe this. ness (dharma), yet he now revels in the com- The doctrine of karma is confirmed by our forts of the palace. This is unfair and I blame day-to-day experiences. Whenever we try to Ishvara (God) for this unfairness!” do something and fail to get the result we In the next chapter, Yudhishthira responds expect, the hidden force of karma is re- by explaining the doctrine of karma and the vealed. Even when we do everything right, laws according to which Ishvara dispenses the outcome of our efforts sometimes goes wrong due to the presence of unseen, unpre- priately directed towards our goals, the out- dictable factors. Scientists call these factors comes are sometimes different than what we “hidden variables.” We call it “karma,” expect. Just as the swimmer's path is divert- more accurately, karma phala, the deferred ed by the force of the river's current, similar- results of our past actions. ly, the outcome of our efforts is diverted by According to the doctrine of karma, every the force of karma. This so-called karmic action yields two results, one immediate, current exists due to the fructification of our and the other deferred. The immediate, visi- past karmas. ble result of an action is called drishta The path of the swimmer is determined by phala–seen result. The other result does not two factors: the swimmer's effort and the take place immediately; it remains in abey- river's current. In the same way, the outcome ance until fructifying at a later time. That is of every action is due to two factors: our ef- called adrishta phala–unseen result–because fort, prayatna, and the deferred results of it does not occur at the time of the action. our past karmas, adrishta phala. This two-fold result constitutes the funda- The karma that affects us in this life is called mental principle upon which the entire doc- prārabdha karma, literally, those karmas trine of karma is based. which have started to fructify. And those It is adrishta phala that accounts for the un- prārabdha karmas bear their fruits accord- seen, unpredictable factors in our lives. The ing to the laws of karma. The laws of karma, unseen force of karma is often illustrated by like all laws of nature, are part of Ishvara's the example of swimming across a river. In creation. All such laws are manifestations of spite of swimming directly towards the des- Ishvara's intelligence, the intelligent order of tination, the swimmer's path can be diverted the universe. And since the laws of karma by the current of the river. are Ishvara's laws, we say that Ishvara is the giver of the fruits of action, the karma phala dātā, the one from whom we receive the re- sults of karmas we committed in the past. That which comes from Ishvara (who is also called deva) is indicated by the word, daiva. Since prārabdha karma comes from Ishvara, it is often called daiva. Thus the word daiva means the results of our past actions which are given by Ishvara, as Draupadi explains: याप कपुषाे दं नाम लभयुत | दैवेन वधना पाथ तैवमित िनतम् || In this example, the swimmer's chosen di- yac cāpi kiñcit puruṣo rection represents our efforts to achieve a diṣṭaṁ nāma labhaty uta daivena vidhinā pārtha goal. The Sanskrit word for effort is tad daivam iti niścitam (33.15) prayatna. Even when our efforts are appro- Whatever (results) a person obtains, being धाताप ह वकमैव तैतैहेतभररः | ordained by Ishvara, that is known as daiva. वदधाित वभयेह फलं पूवकृतं नृणाम् || When Draupadi says, “ordained by Ishvara,” dhātāpi hi svakarmaiva we must understand that Ishvara is not like tais tair hetubhir īśvaraḥ an impulsive business owner who treats his vidadhāti vibhajyeha employees nicely when he’s in a good phalaṁ pūrva-kṛtaṁ nṛṇām (33.19) mood, and poorly when he’s in a bad mood. Ishvara, the giver of the results of action, Ishvara is the God of the cosmos, not an an- gives the result of each deed according to thropomorphic being with superhuman pow- the action previously done by a person. ers and a quirky personality who lives in a Ishvara is manifest in creation as the intelli- heavenly domain somewhere. Unlike a ca- gence of the universe, as the cosmic order. pricious boss, Ishvara ordains everything Ishvara’s intelligent, cosmic order includes according to universal laws and not accord- the laws of nature according to which kar- ing to some whim or fancy. Ishvara, as kar- mas bear their fruits. Through these laws, ma phala dātā, the giver of the fruits of ac- Ishvara ensures that the adrishta phala re- tions, is impartial – giving us desirable re- sulting from every act we commit eventually sults for our past good deeds, and undesira- fructifies in our lives, either later in the pre- ble results for our past sinful deeds. sent life, or in a future life. After describing daiva, the second of the ययं पुषः कत् कुते वै शभाशभम् | two factors that determine the outcome of an तातृवहतं व पूवकमफलाेदयम् || action, Draupadi now turns to the first fac- yad dhyayaṁ puruṣaḥ kiñcit tor, prayatna, effort. kurute vai śubhāśubham tad dhātṛ-vihitaṁ viddhi यवयं कमणा कत् फलमााेित पूषः | pūrva-karma-phalodayam (33.20) यं चषा ं तपाैषमित ृतम् || yat svayaṁ karmaṇā kiñcit According to each action a person does, phalam āpnoti pūruṣaḥ good or bad, the result of that action is giv- pratyakṣaṁ cakṣuṣā dṛṣṭaṁ en by Ishvara. tat pauruṣam iti smṛtam (33.16) As noted before, Ishvara does not act capri- Whatever result a person obtains through ciously, but instead, impartially gives the one's own actions – results seen with one's results of each action according to the laws own eyes – is called paurusa. of the universe. But exactly how do the laws Paurusa means born from personal effort; it that govern karma work? When will the de- is synonymous with prayatna. With our ferred result of a particular good karma fruc- prayatna, we perform various actions which tify in life? And precisely when will we re- produce both drishta phala, immediate re- ceive the undesirable result of a particular sults, and adrishta phala, deferred results. sinful action committed in the past? Next, Draupadi elaborates on Ishvara's role The subtle, complex laws of nature that gov- as karma phala dātā, the giver of the fruits ern karma appear to be beyond human scru- of our actions: tiny. Scientific inquiry is useless because science can only study what is observable, with free will. And with that free will, we not something unobservable like adrishta can exercise effort, prayatna. phala. Fortunately, a general understanding Some people try to deny the existence of of these laws can be gained through scrip- free will, claiming that we are completely ture and simple reasoning, as this chapter powerless and that Ishvara controls every- shows. But detailed knowledge about when thing without exception. But the entire doc- and where our past karmas will fructify is trine of karma depends on the existence of known only to Ishvara. The laws of nature free will. Without free will, we cannot act.