Karma

Published on 17th July, 2022, in Mid-day. In Indian mythology, two metaphors are used to explain the origin of things and the cause of things. These are womb (yoni, in Sanskrit), and seed (bija). Related to bija is the concept of fruit, or phala. From the yoni comes the phala that contains the bija, which when placed in the yoni once again creates new phala. These are metaphors: known ideas used to explain unknown concepts. The yoni metaphor comes from herding communities, which secured food from the animal kingdom. The bija and phala metaphors come from foraging communities, which secured food from the plant kingdom. ..

Published on 3rd March, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror. The two ideas may shape our understanding of conflicts, but Hinduism, which is based on karma, is more complex. Whenever we are deeply hurt, a question comes to our mind: do we seek justice through retribution, or do we let go? Justice and forgiveness are two concepts that really come to us from the Bible. In the Judeo-Christian-Islamic framework based on Abrahamic mythology, God is the judge. The Old Testament speaks of ‘an eye for an eye’, which is about justice and vengeance. The New Testament speaks about ‘turning the other cheek’, if slapped on one, which ..

Published on 26th January, 2019, in Economic Times. Hinduism does not have the concept of Judgment Day, which is also known as Qayamat in Islam. Islam and other Abrahamic faiths such as Judaism and Christianity emerged in the Near and Middle East. They are based on a god who creates the world and puts together commandments by which human beings are supposed to live their life. Hence they possess concepts of right and wrong, halal and haram. At the end of life, everybody must stand in front of God. He then holds judgment and decides whether one has followed the laws he put forth. Laws ..

Published on 26th August, 2018, in Mid-day. Parjanya is the Vedic god of rain and thunderstorms. We don't remember him anymore. But Mandala 5, verse 83, is a beautiful song describing and praising him. The thunder and lightning that smashes trees are equated with the lashing whips of a charioteer. The rain is imagined as planting embryos of plants on the earth. He is imagined as a bucket of water upturned, who levels the highlands and the lowlands. He fills the watering holes and brings forth juicy pasturelands for the cows. But in the final verse, the poet asks the rain to stop, after he ..

Published on 27th May, 2018, in Mumbai Mirror. Rishi Mugdala lived a simple contemplative life and was offered a place in swarga, the Hindu paradise, where all desires are indulged, and one lives surrounded by all the material comforts one can imagine. But Mugdala refused to go there on learning that the stay in Indra’s swarga was temporary, lasting only as long as you had merits in your karmic balance sheet. He sought a more permanent residence, a heaven greater than Indra’s swarga, where one is free from all desires. This story comes from the Mahabharata, composed between the Mauryan and Gupta empires. It reveals ..

Published on 1st April, 2018, in Mid-Day. The Buddha and his followers used to always eat one meal in the house of a layman. King Pasenadi of Kosala asked the Buddha how a monk chose a house to eat at. The Buddha replied that it will be a house that one trusts. The king then asked what house does one trust. And the Buddha replied, family. To make himself trustworthy, Prasenadi felt he had to become a member of the Buddha's family, and so he approached the Sakya clan and asked them for a bride. They were reluctant but he was persistent. So he was ..

Published on 24th February, 2018, in The Economic Times When a man is born he is born in debt (rinn). This is the Hindu concept of debt. He is obliged to repay his ancestors without whom he would have a lineage. He is obliged to his parents who raise him. He is obliged to his community and culture. He is obliged to the gods and sages. And he is obliged to nature at large. So he spends his entire life repaying his debts. This is dharma. If done dutifully without expectations, he can liberate himself from all debts. This is moksha. If done half-heartedly, or ..

Published on 3rd January, 2016, in Mid-day. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are faiths that are based on the idea of rebirth, hence karma. This is what fundamentally distinguishes them from Abrahamic Faiths that dominate world discourse. Abrahamic frameworks such as one life, sin, revelation, damnation and salvation are inadequate to explain faiths based on karma. Members of the Indian diaspora, especially non-resident Indians (NRI) and Persons of Indian origin (PIO) from North America and Europe, refer to these faiths as dharmic faiths, a term that is steadily becoming popular among the diaspora and even Indologists. Organisations have been formed to ensure that dharmic faiths ..