Gita Rahasya -Tilak 284

Karma Yoga Sastra -Tilak

CHAPTER X THE EFFECT OF KARMA AND FREEDOM OF WILL It is stated in the Mahabharata and in the Manu-Smrti, that, strictly speaking, this Atman. neither comes to birth nor dies; that it is eternal, that is,, perpetual; but that, as it is involved in the cycle of Karma,, one cannot escape taking up another Name and Form, when one Name and Form has been, destroyed ; one has to suffer to-morrow for what one does to-day, and day after to-morrow, for what one does to-morrow; nay, one has to suffer in the next birth for what one does in this birth, and in this way the cycle of the universe is continually going on; and that tlw results of these Actions have to be borne not only by ourselves, but even by the sons, grand-sons, and great-grand- sons, who come to birth out of our Name-d and Form-ed body . Bhisma says to Yudhisthira in the Santiparva that :- papam karma krtam kimcid yadi tasmin na drsyate I nrpate tasya putresu pautresv api ca naptrsu II that is : " King, although a particular man may not be seen to suffer the results of his evel actions, yet, his sons, grandsons and great-grandsons have to suffer them" ; and we actually see that some incurable diseases recur hereditarily. In the same way, the fact of one person being born a beggar, and another person being born in the family of a king, has also to be explained by the theory of Karma ; and, according to some,, this is the proof of the correctness of the theory of Karma. Once this cycle of Karma is started, the Paramesvara Himself does not interfere with it. Seeing that the entire universe is- going on by the will of the Paramesvara, who other than the Paramesvara can be the giver of the fruit of our Actions  ? And, for this reason, the Blessed Lord has said, "labhate ca tatah kaman mayaiva vihitan hi tan" , i. e., "the desired result, which is prescribed by Me, is acquired by man". Vedanta, therefore, comes to the ultimate doctrine that though the act of prescribing the result of an Action belongs to the Paramesvara, ye.t, in as much as- these results are fixed according to a man's good or bad Actions. that is, according to the worth of his Action, Non-action, or Bad action, the Paramesvara is, strictly Speaking, apathetic in this matter ; and that, therefore, if there is the distinction of good or bad among men, the Paramesvara does not, on that account, become liable to the blame of partiality (vaisamya) or cruelty (nairghrnya),  ; and with reference to this position, it is stated in the Gita that : "samo 'ham sarva- bhutesu" , i. e,, "I am equal towards all", or, nadatte kasyacit papam na caiva sukrtam vibhuh II