Talk:Who implements the Law of Karma:Law of Karma versus Omnipotent Īshvara Paradox
By Vishal Agarwal
1. If the law of Karma is inexorable, then everyone must bear the fruit of his or her karma. The law of Karma is therefore self-operating and does not require a God to administer it. This is the view of some teachers of Pūrva Mīmāṃsā Darshana and also the Sāṃkhya Darshana.
The conjunction of fruit of Karma-s with their doer is not presided over by the Bhagavān because the law of Karma is self-sufficient to function automatically. Sāṃkhya Sūtra 5.2
But this view will mean that God is powerless before Karma and therefore Īśvara is not omnipotent. Vedānta rejects this view because of explicit statements in the revealed Vedic texts that the Divine is the impeller of actions and that He also gives the fruit of all actions-
It is Brahman Himself who makes him (a person) do a good deed whom He wishes to raise from these worlds; and it is He Himself who makes him do a bad deed whom He wishes to throw down. Rigveda, Kaushitaki Upanishad 3.8
As he does and as it conducts itself, so he becomes. He becomes virtuous through a virtuous act and evil through an evil act. Yajurveda, Brihadāraṇyaka Upanishad 4.4.5
2. But, if Īśvara can overrule the law of Karma, then it means that this universe is not just and Īśvara is whimsical. It also means that the Law of Karma is not universal.
Vedānta and other scriptures respond to this objection by stating that the Bhagavān administers the Law of Karma but he does so fairly. Everyone gets the fruits of their respective actions. When the scriptures say that our actions themselves are inspired or impelled by the Bhagavān, and so is our happiness and sorrows, all it means is that the Bhagavān has power over the Law of Karma but chooses to be fair and just, as is clarified by many other scriptural passages-
The fruit of karma comes from the Divine because that possibility (alone) is reasonable. Brahmasūtra 3.2.38
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
Some jīvas take birth in the wombs of various embodied creatures. Others enter fixed or static creatures (plants) according to their karma and according to the spiritual wisdom that they have heard and acquired. Yajurveda, Katha Upanishad 5.7
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, Prashna Upanishad 3.7
He who is the doer of a karma, is also the enjoyer of the consequences of whatever he has done. Yajurveda, Shvetāshvatara Upanishad 5.7
As a matter of fact, Īśvara helps the effort of Man, i.e., when Man is trying to obtain a particular fruit, it is Īśvara that accomplishes that fruit for him. When Īśvara does not accomplish it, Man’s action becomes fruitless. Vātsyāyana Bhāṣhya on Nyāya Sūtra 4.1.21
3. Another view could be that if Īśvara does not control the Law of Karma, then it means that there are two independently omnipotent entities – Īśvara, and the Law of Karma. Hindu Dharma rejects this view because the entire universe with its cosmic laws reflects the control and will of the Bhagavān.
4. In the Sāṃkhya Darshana, Brahman and also Puruṣha are completely inactive and simply observers. Prakriti evolves into the universe solely due to its proximity to the Bhagavān. According to this view, Īshvara is a ‘non-doer’ and therefore He cannot be the implementer of the Law of Karma either. However, the Hindu tradition overall considers the Bhagavān as a ‘doer’ (although not in the ordinary sense of the word as applied to humans) and his activities include witnessing our Karma, enabling us to perform our Karma, and reap their respective and deserved fruit.
In Vedic and Hindu traditions, Brahman delegates this task of judging the deeds of people to other Deities. In the Vedas, Deva Varuna is the witness of all our actions and he binds the evil doers with his noose. Yama, the Devta of Death, was assigned the task of judging our Karma in the most ancient texts. He would take the Jīva of the dying person from the body and send him to heaven or hell depending on the balance of his deeds – whether there was a preponderance of good or bad deeds. In subsequent literature, Yama is said to have requested Brahmā to be relieved of this task, whereupon Chitragupta was born as a son to Brahmā to take over and assist Yama.
In traditional Hindu narratives, Chitragupta is depicted as the secret witness to each of our actions. After death, the Jīvas are taken to the court of Chitragupta, who reads out the detailed records of the deeds committed, their impacts and moral worth and then sends the doer to heaven or hell. Chitragupta is typically depicted as an accountant or record keeper with a scroll (or manuscript), inkpot and pen. He is worshipped as their patron Deity by the traditional community of Hindu scribes/accountants (Kāyastha-s) in several parts of India.