Gita Rahasya -Tilak
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CHAPTER X
THE EFFECT OF KARMA AND FREEDOM OF WILL
When it has thus been proved, that whether the Action be good or bad, man must always be ready to suffer the effect of it by taking some birth or other ; that Karma is eternal and that even the Paramesvara does not interfere with its unbreakable continuity ; that it is impossible to give up all Actions; and that one cannot escape the bondage of Karma by performing some Actions and not performing others as advised by the Mlmarhsa school, the next question which crops up is: — how can one satisfy the natural desire of a human being to escape the cycle of Karma in the shape of perishable Names and Forms, and to go and be merged into the Immortal and imperishable Element, which is at the root of that cycle. In the Vedas as also in the Smrti texts, many devices, such as, sacrifices etc. have been prescribed for obtaining benefit in the life after death. But, from the point of view of the philosophy of Release, all these are of a lower order; because, even if one attains heaven by performing meritorious acts like sacrifices etc., yet, when the benefit of that meritorious Action is over, one does not escape having to come back again to the land of Action (karmabhumi ) sometime or other, though it may be after the expiry of a very long period of time [1] In short, it is quite clear, that this is not the correct path for being merged into the immortal substance and finally and permanently escaping from the troublesome cycle of births .and deaths by escaping the clutches of Karma. According to -the philosophy of the Absolute Self, Jnana (knowledge) is the only way to permanently escape this troublesome cycle, that is to say, to obtain Release. 'Jnana' does not mean the knowledge of the ordinary things of life (vyavahara-jnana), or the knowledge of the creation defined by Names and Forms, but the Realisation of the identity of the Brahman and the Atman. This is also known as 'Vidya', and the word 'udya' which has been used in the line " karmana badhyate jantuh vidyaya tu pramucyate", i. e., "a man is tied by karma and. released by vidya", which has been quoted in the beginning of this chapter, means 'Jnana' (Knowledge). In the Bhagavadgita. the Blessed Lord says to Arjuna : — jnanagnih sarvakarmani bhasmasat kurute 'rjuna I [2] that is, "all Karma is reduced to ashes in the fire of Knowledge" ; and also in the Mahabharata, it has been stated in two places, that : bijany agny upadagdhani na rohanti yatha punah I jnanadaghais tatha klesair natma sampadyate punah II [3] |
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