Talk:Who implements the Law of Karma:Īshvara and the Problem of Evil and Suffering
By Vishal Agarwal
Some objectors do not accept any Divine role in the oversight or implementation of the Law of Karm. Some are mentioned here:
1.The first objection is that there is a lot of suffering and evil in this world. Couldn’t the omniscient and loving Bhagavān bring an end to these and ensure that everyone is happy, virtuous and spiritually enlightened? We also see that some virtuous people suffer whereas evil people flourish and are happy. This indicates that the Lord is partial and unfair. The Hindu tradition responds that the diversity of experiences in this world results from the diversity of actions of people, who have Free Will -
Brahman cannot be attributed with partiality and cruelty because he takes into account the respective actions of individuals, Moreover, the Vedic texts too declare it to be so. Brahmasūtra 2.1.34
Humans are reborn into virtuous or evil realms by their virtuous and evil acts respectively. And if their acts are mixed, they are reborn as humans. Atharvaveda, Praśna Upaniṣad 3.7
The diversity (of experiences and forms) in this creation results from the diversity of the actions of individuals. Sāṃkhyasūtra 6.41
The current existence is the fruit of the individual’s former karma. Nyāyasūtra 3.2.60
2. The second objection is that at the beginning of the creation, there are no prior actions that should have resulted in the fruit of any original human beings. And yet, we do see that even our most ancient forefathers had different abilities and experiences. Does this not indicate that the Divine favored some and was unfair to others at least in the beginning of the human creation? Again, the Hindu sacred literature addresses this problem and responds that this is neither the first creation nor is it the last. The cycle of creation-existence-dissolution is beginning-less and endless. Likewise, the ātmā-s and their Karmas are also eternal, beginning-less -
The Bhagavān fabricated the moon and the sun as in the previous creation. Ṛgveda 10.190.3
Both the conscious ātmā and the unconscious material creation, the Master as well these two that are dependent on Him are all unborn. Yajurveda, Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 1.19
Know that the Prakṛti and the Puruṣa (ātmā) are without a beginning. Gītā 13.19
In the next creation, Bhagavān connects each jīvātmā with the residual karma from the previous cycle of creation. The cycle of creation and destruction of the universe, and karma are both without a beginning. Brahmasūtra 2.1.35
At the time of pralaya, the Devas who have not yet exhausted the fruit (= abode in heaven) of their good karmas are then reborn in heaven during the next cycle of creation. Whereas those Devas who had exhausted the fruit of their karma before the pralaya are then reborn as humans when the next cycle of creation starts. Mahābhārata 12.272.52