Explaining the Law of Karma

In 1976, Cruzeiro and Bayern Munich played the Intercontinental Cup in two legs. Bayern won the first match 2–0. Cruzeiro would now need to score at least three goals to win.

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In 1976, Cruzeiro and Bayern Munich played the Intercontinental Cup in two legs. Bayern won the first match 2–0. When the second match began, Cruzeiro was, in effect, starting the game already down by two goals on the aggregate score. They would need to score at least three goals to become the champion.

At first glance, a team starting the match with such a disadvantage may seem unfair, but that’s only until we remember what happened before the second match.

This is similar to when people ask about the inequalities of the world. Some are born into wealthy families, where they receive a good education and have all facilities in life. Others are born in very poor families and have to struggle for existence since their early days. Some are born with very healthy bodies, others are born with a weak constitution or some incurable disease. Some are born very intelligent, others not so much. Some are beautiful, others ugly, some are born with physical defects, others are killed in the womb, without the opportunity of being born at all. Just like in the game, the opportunities are not the same. Some start life with a huge advantage, and others in the opposite situation. How can this be explained?

Three explanations people give:

1) Random chance

The first possibility is to say that everything is decided by chance. Therefore, instead of 2–0, the score could be 0-2, 199-56, or any other number. People who agree with this explanation believe that people are born in different conditions by mere coincidence. There is no superior arrangement; everything happens randomly.

A consequence of this conclusion is that since everything just happens by chance and there is no superior force in control, one can do whatever he wants, even committing immoral acts or exploiting others. As long as he can avoid punishment by law, he will not have anything to fear, since everything finishes with death. The belief that there is no controlling force also leads to the belief that there is no creator, and that therefore everything should be explained by just the interactions of physical laws. This leads to conclusions like the theory of evolution and the Big Bang.

This is the view of atheists in general. The result, as we can observe all over the world, is that people become hedonistic and devoid of any higher goals in life. To pursue pleasure becomes the sole objective of human life, and people become progressively more and more degraded, which leads to a gradual destruction of society.

As Arjuna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita (1.39-42):

“With the destruction of the dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion. When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, comes unwanted progeny. An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water are entirely stopped.By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.”

2) A whimsical or partial God

A second possible explanation is that there is a superior force, but this superior force is whimsical or partial. In the example of the game, this would equal saying that the organizers of the game were partial to the European team, and therefore, they created an advantage of two goals to give it an advantage.

In real life, it would equal believing that there is a God, that He is all-powerful, but somehow or other he allows such injustices to happen. In other words, there is a God, but He is whimsical or partial. This is actually the idea prevalent in most Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. According to them, there is a God, and He created the universe and all of us. God is accepted as all-powerful, but since they believe that we live only once, it is difficult to explain the inequalities and injustices of the world.

If God is all-powerful and He allows injustice to happen, it would mean that He is partial or whimsical. If God is just and good, and injustices happen because of the work of evil, it would imply that there is an opposing force that God has no power to stop. The conclusion then would be that God is not all-powerful, there are two “gods,” and they compete with each other. If one would accept that God does have the power to stop evil and He doesn’t do so, it would imply that God is cruel or whimsical.

This lack of a reasonable explanation often makes people resistant to religion, since they can’t find good answers to their inquiries.

3) Karma under God’s supervision

There is, however, a third possible explanation, and that’s the law of karma we study in the Bhagavad-gītā.

This is not the first time we have been born in this world. We lived other lives and thus accumulated credits and debits that led to the positions we started our current lives. Someone is born rich because he did some pious acts in his past lives, and someone is born poor or with some physical defect because of some past wrongdoing. There is a God in control, and he is both all-powerful and just. He makes the world work under perfect laws, and there is no injustice. We are responsible for our actions, and just like we are reaping now the results of our past actions, our position in future lives is going to be defined by the choices we make in this life. In the same way God gives us free will to make our choices, He also allows us to reap the results of such choices. Ultimately, karma is a tool that allows us to experience this world, learn our lessons, and ultimately go back to our original position in the transcendental realm, away from the dualities of material existence.

As long as we ignore God, pretending that he doesn’t exist or that He can’t hear, He reciprocates by staying absent from our lives. God loves us, but He doesn’t impose Himself. If we want him to stay out of the picture, he does that and just allows us to get the results of our past actions. If we turn to Him, however, He helps us from inside the heart, helping us to find knowledge and spiritual teachers that help us to come to Him.

The law of karma, as explained in the Gītā, elucidates the workings of the universe and clarifies the position of God. It shows how we are responsible for our choices, and that we can’t blame others when we get the results.

Karma and compassion go together

There is, however, another principle that works hand in hand with karma: compassion. That’s the missing link in practically applying it.

Compassion is the basis of any bona fide spiritual process. It allows us to relate to people’s suffering and to try to help those in difficulty, just like we would like to be helped if we were in the same situation, regardless of the situation being ultimately fair or not. It makes us understand the pain of material suffering and helps people who are in difficulty. By doing so, our hearts become soft, and we can understand spiritual subjects and progress in spiritual life. To properly understand the law of karma leads us to develop compassion and makes us better people.

In short, a proper understanding of karma should not make us cold (”they deserve it”). Rather, it should make us sober and compassionate. Someone’s suffering may have causes in the past, but my duty in the present is to help where I can and avoid creating further harm. Karma explains the unequal scoreboard, but bhakti gives the way out. Yes, karma is optional in a sense. We are only forced to accept the results of our past actions as long as we desire to remain in this world, just as the players of the Cruzeiro team had to start with a disadvantage only as long as they were willing to play the game.

As soon as we start seriously on the path of devotional service, especially through sincere chanting, we gradually become free from the stored reactions of past karma. Only the reactions that are already active (the prārabdha karma) remain, and even these can be softened by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.

Karma is thus not about fatalism, but responsibility and hope. Our current situation has a history, even if the details are buried in the details of our past lives. Our present choices create our future, and devotional service is the path that ultimately ends the cycle.

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