In the previous episode, we had witnessed Karna picking up an important conversation with Bhishmachaarya as he is on the way to the battlefield. Karna asks an important question: Why Bhishmachaarya’s “Punya Karma” did not come to protect him from this disaster in this birth? Bhishmachaarya has committed enormous “Punya Karma” by holding the entire family together against so many odds. He has made sure that all the children in the family get quality education, ensured that they are married and well-settled in life. For this, he had even sacrificed becoming the successor of the Hastinapura kingdom. If such a disaster can happen to a person who has done so much, does the “Punya Karma” that we do in this birth have no effect at all? How can we keep waiting till the next birth or till the end of this birth to experience the fruits of it? Why can’t we experience the results of our “Punya Karma” now itself? We ourselves will have this question several times when we go through some difficult times in our lives as well, won’t we? In this context, we’ve seen one perspective to this – If we’ve to experience the fruits of the Punya Karma now itself, it should be the same for our Paapa Karma also! When we want to experience the resultant of our Paapa Karma, we want to postpone it to the end of this birth or even to the next birth or several births later! However, when it comes to the resultant of our Punya Karma, we want it now itself! How can this be fair from Bhagawan’s point of view? Thus, experiencing the fruits of our Karma is not in our hands. It is Bhagawan who decides when we should experience what! Sometimes, the fruits of our Karma can be experienced in this birth itself, and many times, it could be postponed for some reason to the subsequent births as well! So we never know, and these are things that are beyond our control. Hence, there’s no point lamenting about all this, as it is Bhagawan’s will and wish as to what we should get at what time!
Extending this point of discussion further – Let us imagine for a moment that Bhagawan has to give all the fruits of our Punya Karma and Paapa Karma together one after the other instantaneously. If this happens, we will not be able to take it! For instance, if we’ve to experience the resultant of our entire Paapa Karma immediately, we would have to undergo enormous suffering for all that we’ve done till now! If such is the case, we will literally die of suffering! This is why Bhagawan doesn’t want to give such a shocker to our life. He gives the “Karma-Phalam” in small doses so that we do not feel the burden too much upon us. Moreover, the resultant of both our “Punya Karma” and “Paapa Karma” will be randomly put upon us, so that we will have a balance between the two. This is precisely the reason why we say that life is a complete package of happiness and sorrow. If we’re happy, we can’t have that happiness in a long-lasting way. There will always be a period where we will undergo some suffering. That doesn’t mean that suffering will be the order of the day for our entire lifetime. Again there will be a time when this suffering will go away, which will pave way for happiness. Hence, life keeps alternating between happiness and sorrow.
For instance, if we see someone leading a luxurious life with all possible wealth and good health, we shall obviously understand that this person is experiencing the result of some big “Punya Karma” that he / she has done in the past. This “Punya Karma” might have been committed by this person during this birth, or in some previous birth(s). We never know! But we’ve to understand one thing clearly here – Just because this person is experiencing happiness and joy everytime, it doesn’t mean that this person has no “Paapa Karma” attached to him or her. It only means that this is the time wherein the fruits of his / her “Punya Karma” are to be experienced. However, there might be a time in the future in this same birth, or in subsequent births, wherein the fruits of the “Paapa Karma” will also have to be experienced. There is literally no escape! Meanwhile, while experiencing the fruits of the “Punya Karma”, we would tend to do more “Paapa Karma” and that will also keep adding to the endless list! So we’ve to experience the result of this “Paapa Karma” somewhere, isn’t it? This is how the cycle of life and death keeps continuing on and on.
Thus, in the middle of all these, we go and stand in front of Bhagawan to exhibit “Sharanagati” and we want to exhibit our “Bhakti” towards Him. So what does Bhagawan do at times when we go in front of Him like this? This is what is said in the Bhagawad Gita and in many other scriptural texts as well – If we exhibit “Sharanagati” towards Bhagawan, all our “Karma-Phalam” becomes His responsibility. In other words, Bhagawan ensures that all our “Karma Phalam” is destroyed and thereby paving the way for us to attain the highest “Moksha”, which would in turn free us from this birth-death cycle and the “Samsaara” of this life. This is the ultimate concept that our “Vedanta” talks about in our “Sanaatana Dharma” and for today, let us understand this thoroughly and ponder over it. We shall wait till the next episode to continue witnessing the conversation that took place between Karna and Bhishmachaarya! Stay tuned!
The Indian Dharma 