You may not know it, but thought is the mother of all Karma

By Satyendra

We often use the word Karma without understanding the deeper meaning of it.

Today, let us try to understand the meaning of ‘Karma.’

Karma is basically of two types:

1. Sakaam Karma is a Karma whose outcome makes us happy or unhappy.
2. Nishkaam Karma is a Karma which is done without being connected with the outcome of it.
   Such a Karma makes us neither happy nor unhappy.

Sakaam Karma is that Karma which is done to acquire a particular fruit. Receiving the desired fruit makes us happy, whereas an adverse result makes us unhappy.

Nishkaam Karma is a Karma that we do, but we are not connected with the outcome of the Karma. A favourable result or an adverse result neither makes us happy nor unhappy.

Sakaam Karma is nothing but business. Only Nishkaam Karma falls in the category of that Karma which Lord Krishna has described in Geeta.

As long as we have the thought of doership, all our Karma are Sakaam and the outcome affects us.

If we have that thought that ‘I am doing it,’ we remain in the grip of the outcome of that Karma.

When we acquire the insight that ‘I am not the doer,’ the nature of that Karma becomes Nishkaam.

Suppose you are a champion driver, and you participate in a car race. Everybody thinks that you have great chances of winning. You are quite ahead than other competitors in the race. Then suddenly you get a flat tyre. By the time you change your tyre, your competitors are ahead of you.

You again make up and start leading but, towards the end of the race your car skids and you go off the track. Some other driver wins who is not as good a driver as you are.

Now, just try to find out as to why did you lose this race?

You lost because circumstances went against you.

You must understand that you can develop your skills to an extent but constructing your circumstances is not in your hands.

Nobody can remain, even for a moment, without performing Karma. If you sit quietly at a place without doing anything you will still be constantly creating Karma. Because Karma has a direct connection with your thoughts. Before materializing on ground, it has to be conceived at the level of thought. Without a thought arising, no Karma is possible.

So, thought is the mother of all Karma.

We sometimes harbour a thought of animosity towards someone who is stronger and more powerful than us. When we fail to inflict any damage to that person because of that person’s power then what do we do? We start inflicting damage to him within our mind. We wish him ill.

Outwardly, we wear a smile while interacting with him but inwardly, we wish him dead. Outwardly, we are peaceful but in reality a violent action is in motion through the instrument of our body – the mind organism. We have become violent and the vibrations that we exude are gradually received by the other person subliminally, at a very subtle level. Then, one day, that person reacts against this violence and his behaviour towards us becomes inimical.

Now we complain to ourselves that we have done nothing to offend this person, yet this person has become an enemy. But we forget that the animosity exhibited by that person has been constructed by ‘Me’ only. We have worked hard to create a powerful enemy in our life.

This is how we keep on creating our world and keep blaming others for all our woes.

But we must always remember that we are the creators of our destiny. We create our own samsaar. Whatever reaction we receive from others, has been carefully crafted and constructed by us…. either in present or in a distant past. When the Karma gets ripe then the fruit comes and we have to accept it.

When the mind becomes free of all thoughts then we can neither do good nor bad. We are free of duality. Then free from happiness or unhappiness, we exist in a blissful state.

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