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10. Karma
Karma in Sanskrit means ‘Action’. It is the universal law of cause and effect that dictates that your life is your own making. Goodness reaps goodness and conversely, evil reaps evil. Karma is not just physical actions; in-fact the thoughts we create and the words we speak are Karma too.
In Yogic Science, Karma is considered a glue between the soul and the body. As long as humans have desires and thus associated karma with those desires, they will continue to go through reincarnations (the cycles of life and death) until they have dissolved all their Karmas.
In the endless Karma cycle, at birth, humans are allotted a certain quantity of (Prarabdha) Karma from a repository of (Sanchita) Karma (accumulated Karmas from the soul’s past lives) to be resolved in the current life, however in the process, new (Agami) Karma is accumulated that is added to your total Karma and this endless cycle continues. Perform selfless Karmas that are not binding and hence have the possibility to liberate themselves (achieve Nirvana).
Other reading material: Short answers to real questions about Hinduism
Relevant videos: Swami Nikhilanand Hinduism Q & A: What is Karma?, Hinduism Q & A: What is Good Action, Vikas Gupta, Swami Tadatmananda on Karma,
Contributor: Vikas Gupta
Location of this post (10b): https://www.hinduspeakers.org/ufaqs/what-is-karma/
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10. Karma
Every birth is a result of their karmic deeds, whether it’s an animal or a human birth. Animals are born with just basic survival instinct (food, shelter, safety), with a bottom line (birth) and top line (death) between which they live their entire life. For them, they don’t accumulate new karma as they live by their natural instincts and tendencies. They rather dissolve karmas from their previous lives (e.g. if your longing was for food in your previous life, in your new life you may be born as a well-fed domesticated pig).
Only humans have the ability to break the cycle of birth and death. They do so by dissolving their previous and current lives’ karma (prarabdh).
.Other reading material:
Relevant videos: Swami Mukundanand Can Animals do Karma?
Contributor: Vikas Gupta
Location of this post (10c): https://www.hinduspeakers.org/ufaqs/do-animals-have-karma/
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10. Karma
Something good or bad happening to us is our Prarabdha. Prarabdha karma are the part of sanchita karma, a collection of past karmas, which are ready to be experienced through the present body (incarnation).
There can be no effect without cause. Our good or bad tastes or tendencies, whatever they may be, are all simulations of Samaskaras (impressions) accumulated in the past. Only those among them which find favorable circumstances manifest themselves and become active. The others remain stored up, waiting for a suitable occasion, and bear good or bad results at the opportune moment. Whatever we do is a mixture of good and evil, hence we reap fruits in which both happiness and misery are mingled. We term a thing good or bad accordingly as the one or the other predominates in it.
Based on ‘Towards The Goal Supreme’ by Swami Virajananda
Other reading material:
Relevant videos: Swami Tadaatmananda on karma,
Contributor: Jyoti Lulla
Location of this post (10i): why-did-something-bad-happen-to-me
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10. Karma