Shishya
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Joined: 20 Feb 2006
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 Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 1:22 am Post subject: Karma for Moksha |
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Karma for Moksha
by
Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM
 He who is himself happy has the capability of making other human beings happy. Happiness comes from within. It is a state of mind and, of course, it is the mind that guides the body. And pray, what is it that guides both mind and body! Well, it is the ataman or the soul. It is the soul that gives an individual his or her permanent identity. The body gives only a temporary identity for one life. The soul is there as your own identity in life after life. It is the soul that enriches itself through Karma, action. Again, a soul may impoverish itself through a different set of Karma. Under all circumstances Karma is the most important and essential aspect of advancement or backwardness of a soul. What is it that guides a soul on the path of progress to enable it to achieve its aim? The Veda or the divine knowledge - celestial jnyanam - to guide all souls in their journey through this mundane world.
What is the ultimate aim of the soul? To attain Moksha, that is, liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Of course, let it be clearly understood that birth means a soul entering a body and death is departure of a soul from the body. The soul itself has neither a beginning nor an end; it is eternal or anadi and ananta. The soul in a body on this earth or on other planets of the universe performs some actions, that is Karma and it is through Karma that it gains fulfillment. Karma may enable a soul to attain the eternal bliss or Moksha. On the other hand Karma may cause endless continuation of cycle of birth, death and rebirth of a soul. As you sow, so you must you reap. Thus Karma plays the pivotal role in a pilgrim's progress towards Moksha; its attainment or lack of it. In its Karma the ataman is absolutely free and unfettered. A soul charts its own course even in an unchartered sea.
How does an ataman go about it? The 14th mantra of the 23rd chapter of Yajurveda gives an appropriate and crystal clear guidance:
sanshito rashmina rathah sanshito rashmina hayah
sanshito apsvapsuja brahma sompurogavah
With the chariot of life, the horses of the chariot must always be well disciplined and well disposed to go at the desired speed. It is through self-control and self-discipline that master of the chariot, ataman, and 10 horses, that is the Indriyas (five sensory and five action organs of the body) perform Karma. The ataman requires Vedic knowledge or Brahma jnyan to partake of ``anand'' and also motivate others to follow the same path.
A happy ataman is always emulated by other atamans and thus happiness pervades the universe. The crux of the matter is that the ataman, through self-control and self-discipline should harness the 10 horses gainfully. Never let the horses run on their own and land the ataman in a ditch. A good control over the 10 horses or Indriyas makes an individual a real Dashrath, a charioteer in complete command and control of his sensory and action organs. That, of course, is the Vedic path leading the ataman to Moksha.
It will be pertinent to ask what is Moksha. Further, does an atman need Moksha? I well recall that in an Arya Mahasammelan in Mumbai a few years ago, a prominent sanyasin had declared from the Aryan platform that he did not wish to attain Moksha because he felt that he was needed in this world. Some detractors said in an aside that perhaps he needed the world more than the world needed him! Jokes apart, perception of bondage to mundane world and liberation from the mundane world differs from individual to individual. Those people who believe in the epicurean philosophy of leading a life of sensual pleasures know it well that their Karma will never take them to the path of Liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. So, why bother about the future when living in present is not painful. Little do they realize that their philosophy of life, based on views of Charvak, is absolutely myopic. A short sighted policy takes one along a short distance only. In the long journey of the present life and the life hereafter, myopic persons fall by the wayside. They come to grief. The celestial joy, the bliss of liberation from painful living in the mundane world, the eternal joy of Moksha, will be hard for them to come by.
It is the totality of our action or inaction,that is, Karma, that takes us on road leading to liberation or Moksha. Well, the good acts performed by a soul will be rewarded but what about sinful acts; will the soul receive punishment for it? Another question uppermost in individuals' minds is : Does God forgive the sins of His devotees? May I quote the words of Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati, written in the seventh chapter of the Satyarth Prakash (Light of Truth, translated by Dr Chiranjiva Bharadwaja) for an answer to the said question :
| Quote: | | "No. For, were He to forgive their sins, His Law of Justice would be destroyed, and all men would become most sinful. Knowing that their sins will be forgiven, they will become fearless and will be greatly encouraged to commit sins. Therefore it is but meet that God should give souls the just fruits of their deeds and not forgive their sins." |
A point worth remembering it that under the Vedic Trinity, a soul or a Jeevatma is absolutely independent in its action. If a soul commits a sin, it is the soul that will be liable for punishment under divine justice. It cannot take recourse to an intellectual alibi and say that he or she was motivated to commit a sin by a friend or a relative or by the Almighty Himself. A sinner should never be allowed to play the game of shifting responsibility for misdeeds otherwise there will be no end to this. In that case the guilty may go scot free and the innocent may suffer. In the constitution of divine justice, escape routes are unacceptable.
In the ninth chapter of the Satyarth Prakash, the subject of Moksha or Emancipation (liberation from the cycle of birth,death and rebirth) is dealt with in depth.When asked whether Emancipation can be obtained in one life or in more than one life, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati wrote :
| Quote: | | "In more than one; because it is said in the Upanishad---Verily it is only when all the knots of its heart-darkness and ignorance-are severed, all its doubts dispelled, and when it sins no longer that the soul finds rest in that Supreme Spirit Who pervades it both within and without." |
The schools of Indian philosophy dwell on attainment of Emancipation in various ways. What it boils down to is that an individual should, through his thought and actions, promote Sattva and lower Rajas and Tamas. Those individuals who acquire knowledge of the Vedas, practice the precepts and follow the path of righteousness are indeed guided by the Satya, waxing and waning of zeal, practice of unrighteous acts and habitual indulgence in sensual gratification are signs of preponderance of Rajas. Coming to Tamas, its preponderance is indicated by covetousness, sleepiness, stupidity, cruelty, distraction of mind and atheism, etc. A good soul, aspiring to attain Emancipation, should strive to promote preponderance of the Sattva and lowering of the other two.
Indeed the guidance given by the Sankhya Shastra to practice means of Emancipation will verily lead to exemption from pain of physical disorders, pain caused by other living beings and pain from natural causes These right steps will indeed facilitate Emancipation or Moksha. |
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