Three forms of deeds

The effects of maya are the body, physical and psychical instruments, the locus and the things experienced. The divine will or tirodhayi enables the spiritual imperfections to act as infatuation etc. so that the individual self may grow in nature, become mature and thus get rid of imperfections.

During the individual self’s process of maturation, the actions and deeds of the individual self play a dominant role. The cause and effect are closely connected. The joy and sorrow as well as reward and punishment are the results of the individual self’s karmas only. So, karma implies both deeds and their consequences.

Karma is an effort and it is distinct from individual self but it exists with and in connection with the respective individual self only. But it is not dependent upon the individual self for its existence.Actually the karmas appear and disappear. As and when the individual self acts, efforts therein are accumulated and finally the resulting fruits enjoyed and new acts are committed. Thus the cycle of karma goes on throughout whole span of life and later goes on with the cycle of birth and death. It is similar to Pravag Anadhi , that is, a stream of water endlessly flowing from nowhere. Karma manifests through mind (thought), mouth (words) and body (physical action) having its locus on intellect -Buddhitattva .^[1] It transforms into merit (punya ) thereby giving pleasure and happiness as well as into sin (papa ) thereby giving pain and sorrow.

Any action has an end to it. The result of such action is experienced after a passage of time. Therefore, there should be something which causes the result that happens after a passage of time. Hence, it is prudent to conclude that as soon as the kinetic form of an action disappears, it gives rise to a potential form of it. The action is called agamiya and the potential form of it is known as sancita . Sancita is the accumulated results of action–punya and papa –meaning good and evil results of action. When the deed fructifies, it is called prarabdha meaning that a particular punya or papa from accumulated sancita has started yielding the result. Hence there are three kinds of deeds, namely, that which is done (agamiya ), that which is accumulated (Sancita ), and that which is fructified (prarabdha karma ). They are respectively cause and effect of one another. One has its origin in the destruction of the previous one. The fructified deed (prarabdha karma ) leads to future deed (agamiya ) and so the karma cycle is continuous. Hence, the eternity of deeds is similar to the continuity of flood but not similar to the eternity of God or the individual self.^[2]

The agamiya remains in subtle form clinging to the intellect–Buddhi tattva - as said earlier and lies under maya . During the involution of tattvas,karma remains with the respective individual self; but involution takes place inmaya .^[3]

Sancita decides the conditions and surroundings of the class of birth, longevity of life as well as quantity cum quality of specific enjoyments.^[4] Accumulated merits will accord privileges in all the three above whereas the accumulated demerits will accord a handicap in the class of birth, shortness of life, fugitiveness of enjoyments and the persistence of sufferings. They are potentially present in the individual self. When they manifest themselves in life, the serial order of their occurrence is not the same as that of the cause in the previous birth or existence. The occurrence is commensurate with the ripening of cause.^[5] Acoconut tree planted earlier than planting of a tomato plant gives out fruits of the plantation subsequent to the fructification of the tomato plant.

Thus experiences in one’s life are means of liquidating the load of previous deeds. These experiences befall individual self in the two distinguishable modes of pleasure and pain. They are classified in terms of the three occasioning factors 1) the objects, 2) the selves and 3) deity.^[6] The objects here mean the physical ones which finally comprise the five elements, viz .earth, water, fire, air and space. These are the causes of cold, heat, rain, storm, thunder, volcanoes on land and sea, epidemics etc. The selves here mean experiences through the body like diseases and inflictions by other persons and creatures. It also includes the experiences through the mind and Citta (thinking and inquisitive part of brain) due to anger, jealousy, eagerness, sexual desire etc. The deity here means the fruits bestowed by God like deficiencies and sufferings at the time of the birth itself like blindness, deafness etc. All the three experiences will be bestowed upon the individual self through the instruments of intelligent and non-intelligent agents.^[7]

Umapati Shivam also describes that an inquiry into the process will clearly indicate that the individual selves doing good and evil acts along with enjoyments of pleasure and pain are certainly influenced by the respective past karmas-sancita and prarabdha.^[8] He also stresses that when experiences of pleasure and pain are occasioned by objects or by selves, it is indeed the deity that vouchsafes through these agencies such experiences. The deity pre-cognizes the pleasure and pain and hands them out through them. But it is to be noted that the deity is not fettered by them since it does not ‘experience’. The pleasure and pain fetter the individual selvesonly. Umapati Shivam says that God knows them unattached -without attachment or aversion. Hence, His knowledge of them does not amount to experiencing them. But the individual self experiences the pleasure and pain with overtones of attachment and aversion as well as likes and dislikes. There is an objectless primordial desire for experience of pleasure. Attachment to it by the individual self with any dislike or aversion for anything that thwarts such accomplishment of desire is karma mala . Karma mala is the root from which agamiya, sancita and prarabdha branch out as a tree.^[9]

Umapati Shivam also dwells with the intricacy of a matured karma being experienced and getting rid of the past karma . He says that while every experience liquidates the effects of the past karma ,the root karma in the form of attachment and aversion is not however liquidated. It remains active and leads to execution of fresh karma in the wake of experiencing the fruits of past karma . It is important to remember the precise sequence of the bonds. The anava, the beginningless defilement of individual self causes the propensity of attachment and aversion. As a result of this operation, the threefold operations of karma come into function. There is an influx of new karma–agamiya—attending in the wake of experience. Agamiya is modalized as doing well (hita [hitam]) and doing badly (ahita [ahitam]). The further subdivisions of agamiya are i) deeds done wilfully, ii) deeds done unconsciously. The individual self has to take entire responsibility for all these acts of agamiya. The agamiya attaches inalienably to the individual self in the form of sancita (punya and papa).^[10]

Umapati Shivamexplains the law of karma as per ShaivaSiddhantha Philosophy. He says that the stock of punya and papa accumulated in sancita do not cancel each other and sancita does not result in net punya or net papa^[11] (which otherwise happens as debit and credit and net balance is arrived at). The way to cancel or liquidating the punya is through its enjoyment. The way to liquidate Papa isthrough its experience in the form of suffering.

Shaiva Siddhanta emphasizes the law of karma which is widely accepted by all other Indian philosophies like Advaita , Dvaita, Vishistadvaita etc., to the extent that the past karma of the self yields the fruits to the self. It remains sticking to the buddhi-tattva and comes to bear fruits as pleasure and joy to the self or as pain and suffering. The enjoyment of pleasure or suffering induces further efforts and actions through cognition, conation and affection. The agamiya thus performed by the self gets into the gateway of the store of sancita and remains attached to the buddhi-tattva . This flow of events is a continuous process of seemingly unavoidable worries and hardships leading it to the process of unending chain of birth and death.

Umapati Shivamstresses again in verse 31 of Shivaprakasham that good and bad deeds are committed by words, mind and action. Both deeds of good and bad ones do not cancel each other. The good deeds bring in enjoyment of pleasure and the bad deeds bring in pain and sufferings. Umapati Shivamsays in clear terms that these are necessarily to be enjoyed by the self.

Sarva Jnanothra agama also confirms the same.^[12] Tirumular also says that all persons enjoy the happiness and misery due to their good deeds and bad ones in their previous births and they do not understand this fact.^[13] Thus it is clear that generation and consumption of karma is continuous. The same is ensured by God Himself so that it happens without any let off.^[14]

Shivagnana bodam further elaborates^[15] which is commented by Vajravel Mudaliar:

“Even as the kings use their authority through a guard in imprisoning a person so the primal one uses His authority …The functioning of the Lord is like the king’s function.‘Padikaval ’is an expression conveying a kind of punishment that is pronounced by a king after a judicial enquiry on a person who has deviated from his regular path.”^[16]

Muru Pala Ratnam Chettiar has quoted from Shiddhanta Shastras that pleasure is derived from previous punyas and pain is the result of papas one has committed. He also says that a man always doing good deeds may now suffer due to papas committed in previous births and a similar one may also viceversa happen. In the same way, bad deeds of previous births may lead the person as though he attains prosperity but may sink him in the ocean of perplexity of spiritual ignorance due to which he may be prone to further sufferings unless and until he turns back to the Grace of Lord.^[17]

Thus it is very clear that the merits and demerits due to the action of the self are necessarily to be enjoyed / suffered. The same is inevitable and unavoidable as per the shastras .

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Iyatrum iyalbinathai madhigathamai—Sivaprakasam 28.
Karma is committed through thought, word and deed and it takes shelter in the realm of the intellect (mind). -Subramania Pillai.K, op.cit., 28.

[2]:

… Nasor patthi Pannivarum athalal anathi agi—Sivaprakasam 28.

[3]:

... Irupayanam pava Punniyamaip pularkalai mayai mevip Porunthum .—ibid.

[4]:

Kanma neri thirivitham nal sathi ayu Bhogam Kadanathu enavarum .—Sivaprakasam 29.
The path of karmic result is three-fold as organism, age and experience.
—Subramania Pillai.K, op.cit., 29 .

[5]:

Thodangu adaivin adaiyathe thondrum, marith Thanmaitharu …—Sivaprakasam 29.
The results of Karmic acts do not follow always their happening.
—K. Subramania Pillai.K, op.cit., (1945), 29 .

[6]:

Theivigam munpavuthigam anmi gamam—Sivaprakasam 29.
They issue through accident, action of elements and acts of individual selves.
—K. Subramania Pillai.K, op.cit., 29 .

[7]:

Thagaiyilurum asethana setthanathalum sarum—Sivaprakasam 29.
They may happen through intelligence and unintelligent agents.—Subramania Pillai.K, op.cit., (1945),29 .

[8]:

Nanmaiyodu thimaitharu sethananukku ivanun
nadil athan uzhvinaiya nanugum thane .—Sivaprakasam 29.
The individual self doing good and evil acts will be found on investigation to be influenced by its past Karma . -Subramania Pillai.K, op.cit., 29 .

[9]:

Melaikku varuvinai edhuennil angan
Viruppu veruppu ena ari, avvilaivulum yellam
Mulattha vinaippayilvam ennin——Sivaprakasam 30.

[10]:

... pundhi nannadhavinai nanugumvinaienaondrirandai
elatthanidhamagidhamam .—ibid.

[11]:

uraiyin iruvinaiyum ulavam Ondru ondral azhiyathu .—Sivaprakasam 31.

[12]:

Karumatthar sadamundam sadatthinane karmamundam.—Sarva Jnanothra agamam ,,(Chennai,Shaiva Siddhanta perumandram, 2005), 17.

[13]:

Inbam idarendru irandura vaitthathu
Munbavar seigaiyinale mudinthathu—Tirumandiram 267.

[14]:

Avvinaiyai seivathanil avvinaignar tham sendrangu
Avvinaiyaik kantha pasasampol–avvinaiyaip
Peramal uttum piranin nugararel
Artham arinthu anaappar angu .—Shivajnana-Bodam 2.2.2.

[15]:

Oru nagariyai kappan padikaval ittangu avai
Avanathu akkinai agalan .—ibid.

[16]:

Vajravel Mudaliar, op.cit., 157.

[17]:

Ratnam Chettiar.Muru.Pala., Kadavulal Mudiyatha seyalgal ,(Coimbatore, Vijayapathipagam, 2011), 47.