History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.150
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.150
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The word *karma* occurs in the Ṛgveda over forty times. In some passages it appears to mean 'exploits' or 'valiant deeds' as in the following: 'Observe the exploits of Viṣṇu' (Ṛg. I. 22. 19), 'proclaim by your word (or verses) the²⁴⁸⁸ ancient deeds of Him (Indra) who is worthy of praise' (Ṛg. I. 61. 13); 'that deed of his (of Indra), who is wonderful, is most worthy of worship, that deed is most beautiful, that he filled with sweet waters of four rivers' (Ṛg. I. 62. 6); 'who is firm in each exploit' (Ṛg. I. 101. 4); 'O Indra! four are your divine and unconquerable names,... under which you performed exploits' (Ṛg. X. 54. 4); 'O Aśvins! frequent drinkers of delicious Soma and Lords of splendour, you helped (or protected) Indra in his exploits against Namuci, son of Asura (or of the Asura breed)' in Ṛg. X 131. 4. In several other passages of the Ṛgveda 'karma' means 'religious works' (such as sacrifices or gifts); '(the gods) accept (or like) all works of this poet who brings to you a hymn of praise'²⁴⁸⁹ (Ṛg. I. 148. 2); (O Indra), give your ear to (the prayer) of Śyāvāśva who offers Soma to you, as you listened to (the prayers of) Atri who performed religious works' (Ṛg. VIII. 36. 7), O pure Soma! with thy help our ancient and wise forefathers performed works' (Ṛg. IX. 96. 11). In very ancient times Heaven was believed to be the place for enjoying the rewards of most works.
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Rewards of this world such as wealth, heroic sons were no doubt prayed for, but it was immortality (*amṛtatva*) and the joys of heaven, that were highly valued In Ṛg. X. 16. 4 Agni is prayed to take the deceased to the world of those who performed good works (tābhir-vahainam sukṛtām u lokam). The words 'sukṛtāṁ lokam' occur in the Atharvaveda²⁴⁹⁰ (III 28 6, XVIII. 3. 71) and in the Vāj. S. 18. 52. In Ṛg. IX. 113. 7-10 the sacrificer who offers Soma to Indra prays that he may be placed in that world (heaven) as an immortal, where there is never-ending light, where Yama, the son of Vivasvat, is the King, where there are joys and delights and where there are desires and their fulfilment. The prayers for immortality are made in the Ṛgveda to all gods, e. g. to Agni in I. 31. 7, IV 58. 1, V. 4. 10., VI. 7. 4, to the Maruts in V. 55. 4, to Mitra and Varuṇa in V. 63. 2, to Viśve-Devas in X. 52. 5 and X. 62. 1, to Soma in I. 91. 1, IX. 94. 4, IX. 108. 3. But about the fate of evil-doers not much is said in the Ṛgveda. In the Brāhmaṇa works greater details are offered as to rewards of good works and the retribution for evil deeds. Śat. Br. (XII. 9. 1. 1) puts forth the idea of retribution (cited above).²⁴⁹¹ The same idea is set forth as to flesh-eating in Manu and Viṣṇu-dharmasūtra, which state "that being whose flesh I eat here would eat me in the next world, the wise declare this to be the origin of the word 'māṁsa'." The Śat. Br.
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in another passage refers to a strange legend ²⁴⁹² Bhṛgu, who had become vain on account of his learning and thought himself more learned than his father Varuṇa, was asked by his father to go to the four quarters from east to north and report what he would see there. Horrible sights met him in all directions e. g. in the east he saw men dismembering men, hewing off their limbs one by one and saying 'this to you, this to me'. He said 'this is horrible'. They replied 'these indeed dealt with us in yonder world and so we now deal with them in return'. Then in the north he saw that men crying aloud were being eaten by men crying aloud. When he said 'horrible &c'; they replied 'these indeed dealt with us...in return'. This is a long story and it is not necessary to set out the whole. This story probably gives expression to the popular notion of 'tit for tat'. But one thing is clear that the Śat. Br. indicates by this story that a belief had then arisen that one who does evil in one life has to suffer for it in a later life from that being whom he treated badly. The Śat. Br and the Tai. Br. both several times speak of conquering or casting off '*punarmṛtyu*' (renewed death, liability to be born and die again and again). Two passages from the Śat. Br. and Tai Br. may be quoted. In X. 4. 4 the Śat. Br.
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tells the story that gods became immortal by means of the proper performance of Agnicayana as Prajāpati advised them viz by laying down 360 enclosing stones, 360 Yajuṣmatī bricks and 36 more thereon, 10800 Lokampṛṇā bricks. In X. 4. 4. 9 it is said 'he who is to become immortal through knowledge (vidyā)²⁴⁹³ and through sacred works (*karman*) shall become immortal after separating from the body', and then X. 4. 4. 10 asserts that 'those who know this or those who do this holy work come to life again after dying and coming to life they secure immortal life; but those who do not know this or do not perform this sacred work come to life again when they die and they become the food of him (Death) time after time.' In the Tai. Br. III. 11. 8 the story of Naciketas is narrated just as in the Kathopanisad (some of the verses are the same in both). Death grants Naciketas three boons in the Tai. Br., the third being different in the Kathopanisad. The third boon asked by Naciketas in Tai. Br. is 'Declare to me how to cast off *punarmṛtyu*.' Death declared to him the Nāciketa fire, thereby he (Naciketas) cast off or kept off *punarmṛtyu*.²⁴⁹⁴ The words 'apa punarmṛtyum jayati' occur in Kausītaki Br. 25. 1 and several times in the Br. Up. I. 2. 7., I. 5. 2, III. 2., 10, III. 3. 2.