Karma Yoga Sastra -Tilak
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CHAPTER X
THE EFFECT OF KARMA AND FREEDOM OF WILL
I have now mentioned the divisions of Karma from the point of view of suffering the Effects of Karma. I shall now consider in what way, that is, by what device one can escape the bonds of Karma. The first of these devices is that prescribed by the supporters of the Karma-Vada (Doctrine of Karma), 'anarabdha-karya' has been defined by me above as those Accumulated Actions, for which one has to suffer in the future — whether they can be suffered for in this life or it is necessary to take other births to suffer them. But, disregarding this meaning, some followers of the Mimamsa school have found out a way, easy in their opinion, for obtaining Release. As has been stated before in the third chapter, Karma is divided by the Mimamsa school into nitya (daily), naimittika (occasional), kamya (desire-prompted), and nisiddha (forbidden). Out of these, if one fails to perform the daily Actions like samdhya (worship at twilight) etc., one incurs sin; and the occasional Actions have to be performed whenever the occasion arises. Therefore, according to the Mimamsa school, both these- kinds of Actions have to be performed. That leaves the kamya and the nisiddha Actions. Out of these, one incurs sin by performing the nisiddha (forbidden) Actions, and, therefore, they should not be performed ; and as, by performing the kamya (desire-prompted) Actions, one has to take birth after birth to suffer their effects, they too should not be performed.. When a man, in this way, mentally balances the effects of Actions, and gives up some Actions and performs others according to the prescribed rites, he must automatically obtain Release : because, ; the prarabdha-karma is exhausted by its being suffered for in this life ; and by performing the daily and the occasional Actions and eschewing the forbidden ones in this life, one escapes perdition ; and by giving up desire- prompted Actions, there does also not remain the necessity of enjoying heavenly happiness. When the suffering in this- world and in hell and in heaven has thus been exhausted, no other state is possible for the Atman except Release. This doctrine is known as 'karma-mukti' or 'naiskarmya-siddhi' (salvation by absistence from Action). The state in which in spite of performing an Action, one is in the same position as- if one did not perform it, that is to say, in which the doer does not suffer the bondage of the sin or the merit of the Action, is known as the 'naiskarmya' state. But, Vedanta philosophy has proved that, one does not fully succeed in naiskarmya by this device of the Mimamsa school [1] ; and for the same reason, the Gita says: "naiskarmya does not result from abstinence from Actions, nor does one obtain. Release by giving up Action" [2]. In the first place, it is impossible to eschew all the forbidden Actions, and Ethics itself says that by making a naimittika (occasional) prayascitta (self-imposed penance), one does not entirely get rid of the sin of having performed that forbidden Action.
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