History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.270

v7.c95.270

It may be stated here that Karma is put in three groups viz. *sañcita*, *prārabdha* and *kriyamāna* (or *sañcīyamāna*). The first is the total accumulated deeds of all past existences, the fruits of which have not been experienced. The *prārabdha* Karma is that which was the strongest among the group of *sañcita* deeds just before the present existence of a person begins and which is supposed to determine one's present existence. What a person accumulates during the present existence is called *kriyamāna* (or *sañcīyamāna*, being collected) and the next existence is determined by the strongest (or the earliest according to some) among the sañcita and kriyamāna deeds put together. As the *karmans*²⁵⁵⁰ are of different characters and yield different consequences (heaven in case of *sāttvika* deeds, or the earth or mid-regions when they are mainly *rājasa*), and places of tortures when deeds are mainly tāmasa the existences (or births or bodies) differ and the self being affected by the body, the individual souls appear as different. The objection is raised that freedom of will is the basis of all ethical values and that if a man's Karma in past lives determines the present life, then a man in the present life is merely a toy in the power of Karma and has no power to do as he sees best The question about a man's freedom of will is a most thorny one, on which the greatest thinkers from ancient times to the present day have differed²⁵⁵¹ and no satisfactory reply can be given. There are numerous works on discussions on Free will and Determinism such as Rashdall's 'Theory of good and evil' vol II. pp. 302-355 (1907) on 'Free Will,' Bergsons's 'Time and Free will,' Viscount Samuel in 'Belief and action' pp 303-320, but the present author does not propose to recommend any of these books to the reader of this volume But if the reader wants a small book on the Free Will controversy he may read the book by M. Davidson (London, 1942) So far as the Indian doctrine of Karma is concerned, it appears that freedom of will is postulated for a man during the present existence to lead a good moral life and perform meritorious acts subject to the limitations caused by the environment in which the present existence is cast. The important working belief is that one has free will and that one is free in the present existence to mould the future (so far as he is concerned) by means of meritorious works This is the message of the Śāntiparva²⁵⁵² Lord Kṛṣṇa, after a long discourse in the Bhagavadgītā gives Arjuna permission to do as the latter likes (18 63 'yathecchasi tathā kuru') In Gītā 9.30 also Lord Kṛṣṇa says 'if even a person of the vilest conduct worships me with undivided devotion, he must be held to be righteous, for he has made a right resolve' Similarly, in VI. 5 the Gītā provides 'let a man lift himself higher by himself, let him not degrade himself; for the self alone is the friend of the self and the self alone is the enemy of the self'. Vide notes below for Upaniṣad passages, V S. and Śāṅkarabhāṣya. It is possible to accept, on the ancient Indian doctrine, both predestination and free will, the first so far as one's being born in a certain environment is concerned and the 2nd so far as one's actions in the present life are concerned The Bhagavadgītā (VI 5-6) holds out the hope even to a sinner that it is never too late to mend and (II. 40) avers that even a little of righteousness saves a man from great fear and no effort is lost