The Vedas recognize divine karma (the action of God) as the source of all creation, preservation and destruction. However, since God performs them without desires, unlike human beings he is not bound by them. From the first chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.6.1) we learn that karma is one of the triple causes of diversity, the other two being name and form. The diversity in names arises from speech, and the diversity in forms comes from the eye, whereas the (mind and) body is the sources for the diversity in actions. For all actions, the body is the source, the controller, or the lord. Within the body, the mind, the speech, breath, the organs of action, and the organs of perception are considered the main deities who receive their share of food from the body and perform their actions. However, we cannot fully rely upon them to fight the impurities and the evil that can infest our body, since they are all vulnerable to evil and demonic actions, thoughts, desires, temptations, a
For example, in a conversation between Jaratkarava Artabhagah and Yajnavalkya, which is mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, when Jaratkarava asked him what survives after a person's death, Yajnavalkya responds, "Give me your hand, Artabhaga. We will know it between us, but not in front of these people. Then the two of them went out to talk.. What they discussed was about actions and what they praised was actions. Truly, one becomes virtuous by virtuous actions and sinful by sinful actions. After that, Jaratkarava Artabhagah kept silent."
Certainly, Yajnavalkya was not willing to discuss the law of karma in front of everyone, or the consequences of actions that led people on the divergent paths of liberation and rebirth. Similarly, in the sixth chapter we find that Pravahana Jaivali knew how the souls departed from here according to their karmas, whereas Gautama and his son Svetaketu, who were great scholars in their times, were not aware of it. When Svetaketu returns after a conversation with Pravahana and expresses his disappointment before his father for their lack of knowledge, they both return to Pravahana and request him to accept them as his disciples and teach both of them the doctrine.
Conclusion
From the above we can conclude that the doctrine of karma, as we understand it today, it is developed in phases during the Vedic period, starting from the earliest notion that ritual actions and sacrificial ceremonies produced positive and negative consequences. It also depends upon the intent and purpose of performing the action.
To some extent, the first ideas about culture, spirituality and knowledge must be fulfilled by the belief that character itself determines the fate of life on earth and what happens to souls after death. Good deeds take them to heaven and beyond, bad deeds drag them into the world of sin.
One of the earliest references to the well developed doctrine of karma can be found in the following verse from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4.4.5), "He consists of this and he consists of that. As he acts and as he behaves, so does he become. The doer of good becomes good. The doer of sinful actions become sinful. By virtuous actions, he becomes virtuous; and by evil actions evil.
The next verse reads, "Of this, there is this verse, 'That one who performs actions with desires in his mind, his subtle body goes together with the deed, being attached to it alone. Having exhausted the results of whatever actions he performed in this life, he returns from that world to this world for doing (more) actions.' This is with regard to a man whose mind is filled with desires. Now, regarding the one who is free from desires. He who is without desires, who is freed from desires, whose desire is satisfied, who desires only the Self, his breaths do not depart. Being Brahman only, he goes to Brahman."
'This person consists of desires only. As he desires, so is his will. As is his will so does he act. Whatever actions he performs, that he attains.'
Nice Merill Beta
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