Chapter 1

UNDERSTANDING KARMA

The karma theory — one of the cleverest theories of humankind!

Karma is one of the unquestioned and unquestionable truths of Hinduism. For thousands of years of their history and culture, the Hindus have lived with the ancient theory of Karma that they believe explains their destinies. ‘Everything that happens to each individual — good and bad — is written, inevitable,’ they are told. People are made to believe their lives are controlled by their Karma, loosely defined as a divine system of reward and retribution for their actions over all their past lives.

The so-called law of Karma has controlled the Indian community for centuries and still does in this day and age of science and technology. But it is only a theory and not really validated rationally. None of us really knows if it works. The system of Karma is so pervasive in the minds of most Indians that it has also become an essential part of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

The conversation about the theory of Karma between the two authors unfolded as follows:

Vijay

I do not believe in it. It is one of the cleverest theories ever devised to explain events in people’s lives and what they experience. Of course, as always with such theories, we do not know. But no religion can accept ‘we do not know’. Yet the theory of Karma has dominated the Indian mind. It is a basic belief of the Hindu caste system where humans in misery or poverty are said to have been born with bad Karma. It is also a justification for human misery and disease — for example, take my visit to Tata Cancer Hospital where I met little children with cancer. I think it is obscene to say this little child suffered for past misdeeds.

Bill

We believe in it as a fallback justice system, to reconcile our past and present miseries and to bring some solace to our bleeding, revengeful hearts, or perhaps as a wishful, rather hopeful, consolatory win in the future — as reward from the higher justice — as compensation for our past or present suffering. Otherwise how do you reconcile the tragic death of a young voluntary firefighter who lost his life whole fighting the recent Australian bushfires? He is survived by his young pregnant wife. If he was doing good Karma in the present, why did such a tragic thing had to happen?

Is Karma only for Hindus who believe in it?

Vijay

I had a rather interesting conversation with a very venerable Hindu scholar the other day, which just shows in what ways people think of Karma. With my usual penchant for questioning religious assumptions, I asked the scholar — a well-respected college professor —if it would be in the Karma scheme of things if a Hindu, a good and pious one, were to be reborn (hold your heartbeat) as a Muslim or a Christian. The old professor was at first dumbstruck and in a couple of seconds he was angry, angry as hell.

‘What a terrible thing to come to your mind,’ he said. ‘Karma is for Hindus. And a good Hindu can only be reborn as a Hindu.’

‘Is that in the Shastra or sacred books?’ I teased.

‘Must be,’ he said, banging his hand on the table