In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores karma, its meaning as action, and the importance of performing right actions without attachment to their results.
The word karma in Sanskrit means action. It has come to mean much more than that, both in Indian languages and now in English. Today, karma appears in many common expressions, sometimes seriously and sometimes humorously, but its deeper meaning is connected with the fundamental principle of action and consequence.
My mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda, used to say that the most important thing to remember about karma is that it is a fundamental principle of the universe. It is like Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
However, Vimalananda also emphasized that although actions produce reactions, it is usually impossible for us to identify exactly which reaction will come from which karma. This is because every action is interacting with countless other karmas that have already been performed, and all of them are attempting to produce their own results.
He emphasized that what makes an action into a karma that produces a reaction for an individual is the identification with being the doer of that action. When I identify myself as the person who performed a particular action, then the result of that karma becomes connected with me.
This is why some people deliberately perform what they consider good karmas, such as helping others or giving donations. However, if they strongly identify themselves as the person performing those good actions, they may be creating an attachment to the results they expect to receive. It is not always possible to know whether an action will truly produce the result we imagine.
Sometimes actions performed with good intentions may not lead to good results. The road to an undesirable outcome can sometimes be created with sincere intentions. Likewise, actions that people believe will create negative results may sometimes produce beneficial results when all the different karmas involved come together.
Even the deities and the great beings of the universe cannot completely understand karma because they too exist within this vast network of action, reaction, and causation.
This is why Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita:
Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana
Perform the actions that you know are the right actions to perform, but do not concern yourself with the results.
When you perform an action because you understand it to be the right thing to do, rather than because you are seeking a particular reward, you reduce your attachment to the outcome. Even if the immediate result appears undesirable, the deeper result may still unfold in a beneficial way.
This is why the Golden Rule has remained so meaningful for so long: do unto others as you would like to have done unto you. Perform actions whose results you would like to experience yourself, and there is a greater possibility that those results will return to you.
Above all, whenever you perform any action, remember the Supreme Reality of the universe and request that the best possible result arise for everyone involved in every possible way.