Talk:Basic Precepts of the Hindu Principle of Karm

By Vishal Agarwal

The Law of Karm is a fundamental and core doctrine of Hindu Dharm. Its basic tenets, with a focus may be summarized below based on Hindu scriptures, traditions, and beliefs -

1. We reap what we sow. Good action begets joy, bad begets sorrow. To be happy in the long run, we should perform good deeds and avoid bad ones.
2. We are responsible for our own choices, and therefore, we own the consequences of the choices that we make in life.
3. What we call fate or luck is the result of our past actions.
4. The Divine is a witness to all our deeds. He is fair, impartial, and all-knowing. The Law of Karm is implemented by the Divine. He gives us the just fruit of our actions.
5. There is a time lag between the time an action is done and the time we reap its results.
6. Rebirth after death is a natural consequence of the Law of Karm. We are not able to reap the fruit of all our actions in this life. One of the reasons why we are reborn is to reap the fruit of the balanced actions.
7. Our past and present actions influence the state we are reborn into, our life span, and the joys and sorrows that we experience. They also influence our basic character, tendencies, preferences, inherent abilities or disabilities, likes, and dislikes. Therefore, we must make the right choices at every moment to improve our prospects.
8. The results of our prior actions can be supportive of, neutral to, or opposed to our present efforts. One of the two (results of our prior actions or our present efforts) can dominate and determine the results of our present actions. Fatalism is unacceptable because the Principle of Karm is empowering and makes us take responsibility for our actions.
9. The cycle of actions-results-actions is beginning-less and is due to the beginning-less false knowledge that envelopes individual ātmā-s.
10. Every action is finite in scope and impact. Therefore, no action can lead to an infinite result like eternal heaven or hell.
11. Both good and bad actions are bonds that tie us to the cycle of births and deaths. We need to transcend Karm and its fruit by following one or more of the spiritual paths taught in the Hindu scriptures.
12. Repeated performance of virtuous deeds makes one fit transcend Karm and make progress on the path(s) leading towards Moksha.

The present compilation will focus on the Dārshanic (philosophical) framework of the Law of Karm in Hindu Dharm from an insider’s viewpoint. Topics like Prāyaschitta (atonements), results of specific actions, etc., will be dealt with only cursorily. Certain concepts like the Karmyoni-s etc. that are normally ignored but are important from a philosophical perspective will be dealt with in greater detail than normal.