What is Karma? : Understand the Law of Karma

“Do good things and good things will come your way.” That’s how the world goes round, but is this completely true? For example, if you donate five hundred thousand with the inner intent that, ‘I wish I could have given more,’ is it the same as donating the same amount unwillingly or under pressure? If not, then what is the real law of karma?

The truth is, donating money willingly means you bind merit karma, and donating money unwillingly means you bind demerit karma, even if the amounts are equal. Whatever actions you do, or words you speak, they are all a result of your past life’s karma. Just the mere action of doing something good, does not necessarily mean you bind merit karma, your intention is what binds new karma and this is the law of karma.

While experiencing the effect of your past life’s karma you simultaneously bind new karma for your next life, depending on your inner intent. In this way, you become trapped in the cycle of birth and death. You can only become free from karma, after you attain Self Realization.

Read all about karma and get a deeper insight into what is karma here…

Spiritual Quotes

  1. It is only through intent and not through action that karmas are bound. The external actions may be good or bad. That does not bind karma. What causes bondage of karmas is the inner intent. Therefore be aware of the inner intent and do not spoil it.
  2. Effect karma is when although you try to control your anger, the anger occurs. To become angry is your effect karma, but it is your internal intent that is important. If from within you feel you had a right to be angry, this will create a new account for you to become angry again in your next life. But if your internal resolve is never to become angry, even though you do, you will not bind anything for the next life.
  3. Effects will follow naturally, like flowing water. The water does not say, "I am going down." Even then it travels a great distance to the ocean. Humans on the other hand, have ego and so they bind karma. If a lawyer wins a lawsuit he will say, "I won the lawsuit." Claiming doership is the ego, and this binds karma; the ego creates a cause. In return, the fruit of this cause will come as an effect.
  4. At the present time you are binding karma, even in your sleep, because you go to sleep believing that you are Chandubhai (*replace your name here). The Lord says that the biggest karma of all is to shove the Self into a sack before sleeping, with the belief, "I am Chandulal."
  5. It is ego when one believes, "I am Chandubhai (*your name here),", because here one identifies himself with his name and body. "I am this body, I am her husband." In reality, one is the Pure Soul, but he is not aware of this real identity. This belief is ignorance and it is because of this ignorance that karmas are bound.
  6. When you have no abhorrence towards the one who curses you, and no attachment towards the one who garlands you and takes care of you, then karma will not bind. Raag is attachment. Dwesh is abhorrence.
  7. If you do pratikraman for any of your actions, seventy five percent of the effect of that act is dissolved. The other twenty-five percent remains like the image of a burnt rope. In the next life, it will disintegrate easily. Every cause has an effect. By doing pratikraman, karmas can be shaken off in the next life.
  8. New karmas are not created as long as one remains the Knower and Observer of the karma that is unfolding. But if one becomes involved ("I am the doer, I am the sufferer."), then he will bind new karma. It is only after you attain Self-realization, that you cease to bind new karmas.
  9. The message of the Vitarags is that it is not the karmas that obstruct our liberation; it is our ignorance. Ignorance of what? The ignorance of the Self. As long as there is a body, karmas will continue to happen, but when ignorance is gone, the binding of new karma stops.
  10. All karmas are charged because of the union of the living (chetan) and non-living (jada). It is the seed karma (cause or charge karma), which gives the fruit of karma (effect or discharge karma) in the next life.

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