Talk:Kārma-mala
By Swami Harshananda
Kārma-mala literally means ‘impurities that arise due to karma’.
Śaivism is an important part of the religion. The Pāśupata sect is a major aspect of śaivism. According to this sect, the jīva or the soul in bondage is called ‘paśu’ or animal. It has three malas or impurities that act as fetters. Kārma-mala is the third of these three constraints. It is in fact the limitations that arise due to the effect of the past karmas. Yoga helps paśujīva to cleanse himself of all the three malas.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
By Swami Harshananda
Karmamarga literally means ‘the path of karma or action’.
Vedic Paths[edit]
The Vedic religion has posed two paths:
- Karmamārga - the path of action
- Jñānamārga - the path of knowledge
Karmamārga advocates activism whereas the Jñānamārga upholds withdrawal from actions except the essential ones for maintaining the body for sādhanā or spiritual practice. It is further divided into two sections into pravṛtti-mārga and nivṛtti-mārga.
Karmamārga[edit]
A person entitled for the karmamārga has to avoid niṣiddhakarma.[1] He performs nitya and naimittika karmas[2] without selfish motives as the duty in a spirit of worship of God. This purifies him gradually, enabling him to go to higher worlds like pitṛloka or the world of manes through the Dhumādimārga, the path of smoke.
Sacrifices included in Karmamārga[edit]
Performance of Vedic sacrifices like the Agnihotra and the Darśapurṇamāsa and several other sacrifices which include the actions motivated by unfulfilled desires are accounted under karmamārga.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore