Introduction

The Sanskrit term कर्मन्  karman is the generic name for karma.  It has several different meanings in Sanskrit depending upon the context of usage.  Of these, the common English meanings [Apte 339/3] are ‘action, work, deed; execution, performance; business, duty, a religious rite’.  In the Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman, Jivātmans have to perform various karman to attain the goal of Mokṣa or final liberation from the cycles of births and deaths and, more important, the realization of God.  The Laws of Karman have been instituted by the Brahman to regulate the dispensation of the fruits of karman with due justice and impartiality.  In this context, the term karman should be taken to mean ‘actions or works or deeds’ performed by a Jivātman in embodiment.   

All the Indian Systems of Philosophy and Religion generally agree that every karman or action done by an individual creates an adriṣhta or unseen potency which has the power to cause joy or sorrow in the future according to the nature of the deed or action done. When all the pending fruits of karman cannot be experienced in the present life or in one human life, the individual has to take another birth either as a human being or as any other being in order to experience the fruits, good or bad, to extinguish them from one’s account.  That may entail enjoyment or suffering or a mix of the two as the case may be.  This, in short, is the Law of Karman.  It has no beginning and it cannot be said as to when an individual Jivātman might have first begun to perform karman.  At any stage, all Jivātman with the exception of those who have attained Mokṣa or final liberation would be in the process of undergoing countless cycles of birth, death, and rebirths of the most varied nature.  The Sanskrit term वासना vasanaa [Apte, Gode, Karve 3, 131/1] has a number of connotations in English such as:

1. Knowledge derived from memory, of भावना. 2. Particularly, the impressions unconsciously left on the Mind by past good or bad actions, which therefore produces pleasure or pain 3. Fancy, imagination, idea 4. False idea, ignorance 5. A wish, desire, expectation, inclination.  6. Regard, liking, respectful regard.  7. Perfuming, scenting. 8. (In math) Proof, demonstration. However, the first two are of relevance here. The karman performed in each life in embodiment create special instincts called vāsanas that accumulate just like karman awaiting fructification.  Past vāsanas dictate the general propensities underlying or motivating the performance of karman in any given new birth.   Where does karman or action fit in the scheme of human endeavor for working towards emancipation and the realization of the Brahman as envisaged in the Indian Scriptures & in the Darṣanas (Indian Philosophies of Religion)?  Due to constraints of space, it is not possible to refer to the Theories of Karman of all the major Darṣanas.  However, we will briefly touch upon certain tenets pertaining to karman as propounded by Advaita, if only to provide a contrast for a better appreciation of the tenets of Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman. 

Some concepts of the Advaita Theory of Karman of interest to us here are as follows.  The primary role of karman in Advaita is the purification of the mind.  The role of devotion is to help focus or concentrate the mind.  Neither karman nor devotion has any effect on ignorance or nescience.  Nescience can be removed only through true knowledge. The dawn of true knowledge leads to final liberation.  Thus, karman or devotion has no direct or independent role in securing emancipation.  The final goal of the Scriptures is not the annulment of all karman and the resulting freedom from the bondage of samsāra (existence in embodiment).  The final goal is the identification with the Brahman.  Karman and devotion are only ancillary disciplines in the preparatory stage towards this end. The Scriptures have prescribed actions only for those who are enveloped by avidyā or nescience. Samsāra can end only by renouncing all karman in sannyāsa (renunciation).  For a man of knowledge, actions performed daily, occasionally, incidentally, or deliberately for some end, are as futile as prohibited actions.  They are said to be living in tamas or darkness of avidyā who follow the path of action as well as those engaged in worshipping and placating the Gods.  Knowledge alone is conducive to real happiness. Jnyana-karman-samuccaya or use of knowledge in conjunction with action is futile for securing final liberation. 

Rāmānuja differs from Shankara on many counts with regard to the importance of karman or actions in general and as part of Karman Yogaḥ.  He is clear that Jñyāna Yogaḥ cannot be pursued with the object of securing freedom from karman since no one can attain freedom from karman by non-performance of the karman prescribed in the Shāstras.  It is not possible to become a jñyāna-nishta without becoming a karman-nishta.  Constant contemplation of the Self is not possible in the case of those who have not worshipped Govinda (Brahman) while performing karman without attachment to the fruits thereof and who have not annulled all their accumulated evils.  To be successful in Jñyāna Yogaḥ, the essential prerequisite is the practice of Karman Yogaḥ until the annulment of all past karman followed by the purification of the inner organs and complete control over Sattva and other Gunās by the Jivā or Self [Gita Bhāshya 3/5].  If not, a man of knowledge who controls the organs of actions but allows his mind to dwell on the objects of the senses is under a delusion and a hypocrite [ibid.3/6].  On the other hand, an aspirant seeking the vision of the Self should abandon attachment and direct his senses which, in any case, have a natural tendency for actions, towards such karman as are prescribed in the Scriptures.  Since there is no fear of errors and of a fall in his case, such a man excels the one pursuing Jñyāna Yogaḥ [ibid.3/7].  

Rāmānuja is clear that action is superior to inaction even in the case of one devoted to jñyāna alone.  For such a person, devotion to karman is better than devotion to jñyāna.  Why so?  Rāmānuja says that firstly, it is basically very difficult to become a jñyāna-nishta since such a discipline has invariably not been performed before (by the one devoted to Karman Yogaḥ).  It is therefore liable to faults and accidents   Secondly, it is essentially an unnatural discipline for most of mankind.  In any event, one with the knowledge of the true nature of the Self can continue to perform karman along with that knowledge.  Because, knowledge of the Self is included in Karman Yogaḥ, it is superior [ibid. 3/8].  Karman cannot be totally abandoned in order to become competent for Jñyāna Yogaḥ.  If all actions were to be abandoned, the body would be deprived of indispensable nourishment.  It would then impede, if not prevent, all efforts being made to attain the state of jñyāna-nishta.   In other ways also, Karman Yogaḥ is superior to Jñyāna Yogaḥ even in the case of those qualified to become a jñyāna-nishta because the prescribed obligatory and occasional rites like the great sacrifices are indispensable for them too until they have attained their final goal [ibid.3/9].

The Nature of Karman

Karman as a Power in the Universe

Karman is regarded as a third operating force or energy in this Universe.  What is the nature of this force?  What are the other two forces?   Rāmānuja in his Sri Bhāṣya [Ved. Sūtras 1/1/1, Thibaut. p.88] quotes from the Vishnu Purānam [1/23/53-55] which tells us that just as the light of a burning fire radiates and spreads in all directions in space, so does the energy of the Brahman spread enveloping the Universe to both constitute as well as to sustain its existential reality.  This is the first and highest form of energy.  The second form of energy, which is inferior to the first, is the energy of the embodied Jivātman or Soul.  The third form of energy is that of Karman (actions or works).  Karman is nescience which afflicts the otherwise omnipresent energy of the Jivātman.   Obscured by this nescience, we find that different embodied Jivātmans have different degrees of perfection. [ibid. citing Vishnu Purānam, 6/7/61-63]. 

Rāmānuja quotes another scriptural passage to substantiate his point: He writes: “Consider the following passage from the Vishnu Purānam [6/7/61-62], ‘There is a third form of power called avidyā or past karman by which the power or shakti of the kshetragñya or the Jivātman, otherwise capable of pervading all bodies, is overpowered. 0 King! (thus overpowered by karman) the individual Jivātman, becomes subject to all the continuous ills of samsāra (worldly existence in the form of births and deaths).  O King! when the power of the Jivātman is thus attenuated or obscured; its dharma-bhuta-jñyāna (attributive knowledge) is found to exist in different beings to varying degrees.'” [Ved.Sang.MRRA, p.80].    Rāmānuja then makes it explicit that the nature of karman is avidyā.  What might be the effects of such an avidyā upon the attributive-knowledge of the individual?  Rāmānuja gives the answer in these words: “The shloka thus shows how the attributive-knowledge of the individual Jivātman undergoes contraction and expansion as a consequence of avidyā which is called karman.” [ibid.].

The Beginnings of Karman

The Viṣiṣtādvaita System accepts that Karman is अनादि anādi (without a beginning) and its cause is therefore not sought. Rāmānuja quotes a passage from the Vishnu Purānam [1/1/37] in which Bhagawan Parasara comments on the timeless nature of Prakriti (Matter) and the Jivātman as follows: “Pradhāna or Prakriti (Insentient Matter) and Purusha (Jivātman or Self) are both without any beginning. They are the cause of the effect which consists of the Pradhāna and the Purusha”.  Says Rāmānuja, “Therefore, since all existing things are modes or attributes of Ishwara, the words which denote prakriti and purusha, in whatever state they may be, denote directly the Supreme Self who is endowed with these attributes.”  [Ved.Sang. MRRA p.113].

Rāmānuja avers that the Jivātman or Individual Self who is the experiencing subject is fundamentally of the nature of pure and infinite knowledge as well as of bliss.  However, ‘avidyā’, which is of the nature of ‘karman without beginning’, is capable of expanding or contracting the Jivātman’s knowledge when it becomes associated with prakriti or matter which is the ground of experience such as joys/sorrows.  The Jivātman can obtain release from this bondage by devout bhakti of the Supreme Being [Ved.Sang.MRRA, p.129].  Thus, Karman is accepted as being without a beginning in Viṣiṣtādvaita together with the Purusha and Prakriti.

Karman and the Jivātman

Prescribed Works

Karman or actions that are essential for sustaining life such as earning a living, eating, drinking, daily ablutions, sleeping etc. have to be performed.  The merits or demerits of such actions are not an issue as they are essential for daily life.  We are concerned with the types of Karman that will lead to knowledge, devotion, and emancipation.  Such karman are termed as the duly prescribed Karman.  Rāmānuja agrees with the Vākyakāra of the Brahma Sūtras that knowledge is realized only through the performance of the duly prescribed karman or works by that person fulfilling all the enumerated conditions [Ved.Sūtras . 1/1/1 Laghu Siddhanta, Thibaut p.18]. 

Rāmānuja amplifies further as follows: “To the same effect is another, scriptural passage from the Īśāvāṣyo Upanishad as follows:

विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह ।

अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययामृतमश्नुते ॥ ११ ॥

vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yas tad vedobhayaṃ saha | avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtam aśnute || 11 ||

Here what is denoted by the word ‘avidyā’ are the karman enjoined upon castes and ashramas; ‘avidyayā’ means by karman performed; ‘mṛtyuṃ’ denotes the past karman obstructing the rise of knowledge; ‘tīrtvā’ means having destroyed; ‘vidyayā’ implies ’by means of true knowledge (of the Brahman’, ‘amṛtam’ denotes the Brahman; and ‘ashnute’ means ‘he attains’.    The avidyā which is said to be the means of destroying the effects of past karman is other than vidyā and is the same as the karman enjoined by the Scriptures. To that effect is this passage: “Having the knowledge of the Brahman as the object in view, he also relied upon (the Scriptural) knowledge (of karman) and performed numerous sacrifices in order that he might destroy the effects of past karman by means of (present) avidyā (or work) [Vishnu Purānam 6/6/12].’  Work which is obstructive to knowledge is of the form of merit and demerit.  Both are denoted by the word पाप pāpa (sin), as they produce undesirable results because they obstruct the rise of the knowledge of the Brahman.  They obstruct this knowledge by increasing rajas and tamas (passion and darkness) which prevent the advent of pure unmixed sattva (goodness) which is necessary for producing the (same) knowledge. That pāpa (or sin) is obstructive to the origination of knowledge can be understood from the Scriptural passage, “He of His own accord induces him, whom He wishes to lead downwards, to do karman that are not good.” [Kaush.Up.3/9].   It has been declared by the Lord Himself in the following and other passages that rajas and tamas veil true knowledge and that sattva is the means of (acquiring) true knowledge.” [Sri Bhāṣya. R & V, p.24,25].  Rāmānuja [ibid.] also quotes Bh.G.[14/17] wherein the Lord declares that from Sattva arises knowledge. 

One may want to know the specific prescribed karman or actions recommended by Viṣiṣtādvaita for making spiritual progress leading to the rise of knowledge.  In the Bhagavad Gita [4/28], Sri Krishna mentions three broad categories of works, namely, sacrifices with material objects, austerities and Yogaḥ.  In his Gita Bhāṣya [ibid.], Rāmānuja gives examples of the karman under these categories which the Lord would have had in mind.  These are worship of the Gods with materials honestly acquired; charity; sacrifices and oblations into the sacred fire; non-material sacrifices such as practice of austerity; fasts; pilgrimages to sacred sanctuaries and holy places; recitation of the Vedaḥ; learning the meanings of the Vedaḥ.   Sri Krishna Paramatma [Gita 12/10] has recommended the performance of certain other karman which the Lord terms as ‘My Deeds’ without elaborating.  Rāmānuja in his Sri Bhāṣya [ibid.] says that what the Lord had in mind were devotional karman or works such as the construction of Temples; laying out Temple Gardens; lighting lamps in Temples; sweeping, cleaning, plastering of the floors of Holy Shrines; gathering flowers for worship; engaging in His worship; chanting His names; circumambulating Temples; adoration, praise, and prostration before the Lord.  All these karman dear to the Lord if done with affection and repeatedly, will lead to perfection and the realization of the Supreme Lord.

Who is the Doer of Karman?

A body is required for performing karman as the body is endowed with all the organs and senses.  And there has to be an entity capable of controlling the body during the performance of particular karman on any given occasion. This entity is the Jivātman, of course.  If so, who is the doer of karman done by this combination of the inert Body-Mind Complex (Prakriti) and the sentient Jivātman, good or bad?  Is it the body entered into by the Jivātman or is it the Jivātman or sentient being who controls the body?  Rāmānuja’s answer is unambiguous.  In his commentary on the Brahma Sūtras, Rāmānuja says, “That the Jivātman is the doer of good and bad works and not Prakriti has been stated in Sūtras 2/3/33 to 39.  Suppose Prakriti were to be the doer, then this Prakriti being common to all the individual Jivātmans as such, they would all be experiencing the same fruits thereof.” [Ved.Sara.MBN, p.13 & 14].   Clearly this is not so, as different Jivātmans experience different fruits.  Rāmānuja goes onto add [ibid.] that ” In Sūtras, 2/3/40 & 41, it is stated that the efforts of the Jivātman has the approval of the Highest Person.”  Let us now see what effects karman might have upon a Jivātman. 

Attributive Knowledge of the Jivātman

Rāmānuja says that the Advaita contention that avidyā (nescience or ignorance) causes obscuration or concealment of the Brahman cannot be valid because, if true, it would mean the destruction of the Brahman’s svarūpa or very nature.  He clarifies that in the Viṣiṣtādvaita System, factors that cause obscuration like karman etc prevent only the rise and spread of the luminosity of the attributive-knowledge of the eternal Jivātman.  It has no effect on the svarūpai of the Jivātman which again is of the form of knowledge. [Ved.Sang.MRRA, p.80]. 

The Sanskrit Term जीव Jivātman has many English Connotations [Apte, Gode, Karve 112/2].  Of interest to us here are the following: 1. Living, existing.  2. The principle of life, the vital breath, life, soul.  3. The individual or personal soul enshrined in the human body and imparting to it life, motion and sensation (called जीवात्मन्  Jīvātman as opposed to परमात्मन् Paramātman or the Supreme Soul.  The Jivātman in Viṣiṣtādvaita is as real as the Brahman.  Its svarūpa (essential nature) as we have stated, is also jñyāna (knowledge) but it differs from the Brahman in that its size is anu (atomic) whereas the Brahman is vibhu (all-pervasive or omnipresent). The Jivātman has knowledge again as one of its attributes and this knowledge is called dharma-bhuta-jñyāna, or attributive knowledge. Though the Jivātman is anu, its attributive knowledge is capable of infinite reach. However, due to avidyā or karman without a beginning; this attributive knowledge undergoes contraction whereas in the state of mukti or release from samsāra, its dharma-bhuta-jñyāna regains its infinite reach.  The Jivātman then has the capacity to contact anything anywhere in the infinite Universe, and to understand all things at the same time.  [Ved.Sang.MRRA, p.30].  Thus, Sri Rāmānuja avers that the essence of all the Shāstras tells us that the Jivātmans have pure knowledge as their attribute.  In the pristine state, this knowledge has no limits for it can reach any place or perform any function at any time.  Due to avidyā which is of the nature of karman, this pristine knowledge undergoes contraction in different Jivāas to different degrees depending upon individual karman.  This is one of the major effects karman have upon the Jivātman

Embodiment

Another important effect of karman upon the Jivātmans is that past karman dictate the type of bodies each Jivātman would occupy in every birth.  Naturally, different bodies would have different capabilities of understanding and of action. Rāmānuja holds that the Jivātmans enter into manifold types of bodies ranging from the highest body of Brahma downwards to something as low as grass for instance.  Each Jivātman acquires a degree of knowledge commensurate with the nature of the body occupied.  In the state of embodiment each Jivātman identifies itself with its body and performs karman or actions natural to it.  This affects its chances of progressing towards or regressing from Mokṣa.  Until that happens, all Jivātmans remain entangled in an endless stream of samsāra, which is characterized by the experience of pleasure and pain in consonance with the nature of each body.  [Ved. Sang. MRRA, p.117]. 

Happiness & Suffering

Rāmānuja holds that the Jivātman or Soul is also of the nature of ānanda or bliss.  Another aspect of its essential nature is jñyāna or knowledge.  On the whole, it is pure and spotless.  However, as soon as the Jivātman comes into contact with prakriti in embodiment, it becomes contaminated.  Then it begins to experience happiness, enjoyment, pain, suffering, due to past or present karman that have matured.  The Jivātman also acquires other afflictions and impurities due to contact with matter.   All these do not pertain to the svarūpa or essential nature of the Jivātman.  Association with prakriti causes happiness or suffering and the like whereas upon dissociation, they cease to exist. [Ved.Sang.MRRA, p.122].   

Karman and the Liberated Jivātmans

The Vedānta or Brahma Sutra 4/4/8 says, “By the mere will; the Scripture stating that” In his commentary thereon [Ved. Sūtras , Thibaut, p.762], Ramaanjua  refers to a passage from the Ch. Up. 8/12/3 concerning a liberated Jivātman which says, “He moves about there, laughing, playing, and rejoicing, be it with women, or chariots, or relatives”.  Rāmānuja says that a doubt may arise here whether the fact that the liberated Jivātman is able to meet all the different people with whom he laughs and sports, presupposes an effort on the part of the Jivātman or whether it is due to its mere will just as things spring from the mere will of the Brahman?   Rāmānuja draws our attention to the phrase ‘By the mere will’ in this Brahma Sutra to confirm that liberated Jivātmans can get anything they desire by their mere will.  They need not perform any karman for any end.

Brahman and Karman

Is the Brahman affected by Karman?

Viṣiṣtādvaita holds that the entire Universe of Cit and Acit entities constitutes the body of the Brahman. Rāmānuja himself raises a possible objection to this tenet from the Sānkhyans that, if this were to be so, the Brahman himself would become equivalent to an embodied being.  Then would the Brahman with such a body not experience the pleasures and pain that individual selves in embodiment are known to experience? [Ved. Sūtras 2/1/14, Thibaut, p.428]. As though to further support this objection by the Sankhyans, Rāmānuja quotes [ibid.] a passage from the Ch. Up. [8/12/1] which says, “As long as he possesses a body there is for him no escape from pleasure and pain; but when he is free of the body then neither pleasure nor pain touches him”.  It would appear, on the face of it, that having the world of cit and acit as His body, the Brahman must necessarily experience pleasure and pain due to the body it possesses. 

Sri Rāmānuja refutes this idea effectively in his commentary [ibid.].  He says that Brahma Sutra (14/1/2) clearly tells us that notwithstanding the fact that the Brahman has the Universe of Cit and Acit as His body, the distinction between the Brahman and the Jivātmans would still subsist just as we find examples in ordinary real life where the subjects of Rulers are liable to suffer the consequences of pleasure or pain depending upon whether they observe or transgress the Ruler’s ordinances.  Further, a Jivātman experiences pleasures and pains not due to the fact that it is conjoined with a body but due to its karman in the form of good and evil deeds. 

Another point Rāmānuja makes [ibid.] is that the text quoted by him above from the Ch.Up. refers to bodies originated by Karman.  He quotes a shloka from the Ca. Up. [7/26/2], which tell us that an entity that has freed itself from the bondage of Karman and has manifested itself in its true nature is not touched by evil even though it happens to be embodied.  The highest Self is essentially free of all evil even though He has a body comprising of the entire Universe in gross and subtle forms. As He is in no way connected with Karman, He is all the less likely to be connected with evil of any kind according to Rāmānuja.  He adds that the attributes of the Highest Person, who is other than the Jivātman, are (a) His unlimited Lordship over all the Universes and all the desires (b) His not being under the influence of Karman. [Ved. Sara MBN, p.41].  Rāmānuja says that God takes avatara (incarnation) of His own will; in a form of His own choice; and that his avatara body is not made up of prakriti (physical matter) [Gita Bhāṣya 4/6,9].   Thus, Viṣiṣtādvaita holds that the Brahman is in no way connected with the evils or impurities or defects associated with bodies or the pleasures and pain that embodied selves suffer due to their respective karman.

The Enquiry into the Brahman

Hinduism has sometimes been criticized for passive acceptance of adversity as being ordained by fate or divinity and hence unavoidable.  Due to this attitude, Hindus are thought to resign themselves to any adverse problem/situation and are reluctant to take proactive action to tackle and resolve problems.  This criticism is not justified.  Hindu Scriptures have always accorded the highest importance to Dharma or the Code of Right Conduct even under adverse circumstances.   Rāmānuja’s Philosophy, in particular, has never been one of passivity when adversities come in the way of one’s duties and obligations enjoined by the Scriptures.  He was a realist to the core and he did not negate the world as illusory.  He had great compassion for all human beings from all walks of life.  He wanted all human beings to realize the importance of karman or actions; to know the different types of karman and their fruits; and to learn how to perform karman to minimize their adverse effects and thereby make material as well spiritual progress in every human birth.

 What was his general attitude towards Karman?  Where did Karman fit in his scheme of things?  Unlike the Advaitins, Rāmānuja regarded the Karman-Mimāmsa dealing with works to be as important and as indispensable as the Brahma-Mimāmsa dealing with the enquiry into the Brahman.  Influenced by the lofty principles of the Upanishads, some schools, sects, or scholars were prone to belittling the importance of all karman as being unnecessary, inconsequential, and unwarranted including meditation, adoration, devotion, prayers, and the rites and rituals of devout worship of the Gods.  Rāmānuja was clear that the desire to know the Brahman could arise only after the antecedent enquiry into the Karman-Mimāsa had been successfully completed.  He considered the Karman-Mimāmsa or the Pūrva Mimāṃsa and the Brahma Mimāṃsa or Uttara Mimāṃsa to be one integral whole.  He mentions that the Vrittikara (Bodhāyana) says that the Brahma Mimāṃsa has been composed so as to be one with the Karman Mimāṃsa and that the two have a shastriac and scientific unity. [Sri Bhāshya, R & V, 1/1/1, p.5].   Rāmānuja continues [ibid.] that the difference between the two Mimāṃsas is one of subject matter.  The Mimāṃsa-Shāstra as a whole begins with the words, “Then therefore the enquiry into Dharma (Purva Mimāṃsa 1/1/1)” and ends with declaration “There is non-return according to the scripture, there is non-return according to the Scriptures [Vedānta Sūtras or Brahma Mimāṃsa 94/4/22].” 

Thus, in the Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman, the study of karman is a necessary pre-condition for the desire to arise in the aspirant to know the Brahman and to motivate him further to take up the enquiry into the Brahman.

Karman as the Upāya (Means) for Mokṣa (Final Liberation)

Viṣiṣtādvaita holds that of the three Yogaḥ, taught in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Bhakti Yogaḥ or devotion in its highest form of development, which Rāmānuja calls as ‘parama bhakti’, is the direct and only means of attaining mukti or final liberation. Karman and Jnyana Yogaḥ are no doubt essential, but they are only accessories to Bhakti Yogaḥ.  Karman are defined as the rites and duties prescribed for each varna and asrama to be performed as long as life lasts and are, on no account, to be given up.  This is the role and place of Karman Yogaḥ in the scheme of emancipation as envisaged in the Vishtādvaita Theory of Karman in which, Karman Yogaḥ and Jñyāna Yogaḥ are but different preliminary steps to purify the mind and generate bhakti.  Rāmānuja [Ved.Sang, MRRA p.134] quotes Bhagavan Yamunacarya as follows: “So it has been said by Bhagavan Yamunācārya, the great spiritual teacher: ‘He (the Supreme Being) can be attained (only) by him whose mind has been purified by the two (viz., Karman Yogaḥ & Jñyāna Yogaḥ); whose devotion is absolute and is exclusively directed towards the Lord.'” 

Ordinary bhakti will not suffice. The highest form of bhakti termed parabhakti is required.  It is here that Karman Yogaḥ plays a crucial role in the Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman.  Rāmānuja explains that parabhakti or supreme devotion is a special form of knowledge that arises only from Bhakti Yogaḥ which in turn results from Karman Yogaḥ.  Rāmānuja defines Karman Yogaḥ here as the performance of prescribed rites and duties in absolute detachment in the spirit of service to the Lord preceded by jñyāna or knowledge of the essential nature of the Jivātman that increases day by day. [ibid p.137].  

This then is the place of Karman Yogaḥ in the scheme of emancipation as visualized in the Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman. We may sum up that Karman Yogaḥ, according to Viṣiṣtādvaita, entails the proper performance of one’s duties and rites as prescribed in the Scriptures for each varna and each asrama (stage of life). All karman or actions within the ambit of Karman Yogaḥ must be performed by each individual without caring for their fruits; without the sense of personal agency; and with the idea that these acts are being offered to the Lord by way of His worship. 

The Eradication of Past Karman

The Jivātman is unable to break free from the shackles of karman because at the end of every birth its final tally of karman awaiting fructification is unfortunately more than what it started with.  This tally of accumulated karman keeps increasing in every rebirth for certain reasons.  For instance, the Jivātman simply does not have the time even though it be eternity to annul all the past karman by the single expedient of experiencing the fruits of each and every past karman.  Even if the inter- were to avoid adding new karman, it would take countless rebirths to discharge past karman in this manner.  But karman are unavoidable, and the problem is compounded by the Jivātman’s inability to perform new karman in a manner which will prevent their attachment. Most Jivātmans perform karman with a sense of personal agency; with a desire for the fruits; and without offering the karman to the Lord.  Karman performed in this way cannot be extinguished except by experiencing their fruits.  The situation looks hopeless on the face of it.  Are there other ways to annul past karman?  It is here that the genius of Rāmānuja’s Viṣiṣtādvaita and the ethos of Sri Vaishnavism from which he drew inspiration that offers tangible hope for mankind in the form of two actions a Jivātman can take either by seeking the help of a divine intercessor or by surrendering to the Supreme Lord.

The Mediatrix & Prapatti

The natural desire of the Jivātman is to realize the Supreme Being.  The Supreme Lord according to Viṣiṣtādvaita is also intensely desirous of communion with the Jivātman.  The Law of Karman stands in the way of both. The Law of Karman, according to Viṣiṣtādvaita, has been instituted by the Supreme Being of His own accord in order to regulate the conduct of all Jivātmans with due justice and absolutely impartiality.  The natural desire of the Jivātman is to realize the Supreme Being.  The Law of Karman demands that the Jivātman must first eradicate all past karman before attaining its desire to realize the Lord.  The problem is that countless Jivātmans lack the capacity to do so.  What hope do they have?  This very Law also stands in the way of the Lord attaining His desire for communion with the Jivātman that is caught up in endless cycles of birth/deaths/re-births.  How can that be possible?  Is not the Lord omnipotent and omniscient?  Can the Lord not do what he wills or desires?  Viṣiṣtādvaita has a beautiful and profound concept that the Supreme Lord of His own accord subjects Himself to two most moving dilemmas and how the Lord struggles to find an honorable and just way out. 

Viṣiṣtādvaita holds that even though the Supreme Lord resides in Vaikunta amidst splendor and bliss beyond compare, the Jivātman languishing in the bondage of samsāra are constantly in His thoughts.  Sri Vaishnava Acāryas believe that even as a man with ten children continues to remain unhappy despite the fact that nine of his ten children are extremely well settled in life just because the tenth child is still wayward; in the same manner, the Lord remains unhappy amidst the splendour of Vaikunta should a single Jivātman be found to be following a path leading it away from Him.  So the Lord goes and dwells within each Jivātman so as to be as near to it as possible; and to embrace it like a mother does her sleeping child.  Is the Lord an indifferent Judge coldly administering justice strictly according to the Regulations?  If that were to be so, it would lead to despair and fatalism.  In our daily lives, we see Judges constantly interpreting various Laws, not too rigidly, but tempered by the light of reason, common sense, and attendant special circumstances.  It is the same with the Lord. Viṣiṣtādvaita believes that the Lord constantly looks for ways and means of saving every Jivātman on the wrong path by searching for loopholes and circumstances that might mitigate the Jivātman’s sins.  At the same time, He magnifies the small virtues of the Jivātman while downplaying the major faults like a doting father.

But what are the dilemmas in the mind of the Lord?  The first is that when a Jivātman is absolutely unable to eradicate its past karman and attain the Lord should the Lord intervene directly on his own?  The second is that since His own longing for communion with the Jivātman is very intense should He circumvent His own Laws of Karman? In both cases, as the Maryāda-Purushottama, the Supreme Lord will neither directly intervene in His own Laws nor circumvent or bye-pass them in any manner.  He is also supremely compassionate. He cannot bear the separation from the Jivātman and must find a way out.  Viṣiṣtādvaita gives us two unique and magnificent solutions that allow the equal inter-play of compassion and justice, and yet preserves the maryāda (sense of propriety) of the Maryāda-Purushottama in a wonderful manner.

The first is the role of Sri Lakṣhmi.  Sri Vaishnavas consider Her to be the mediatrix or intercessor between the Jivātman and the Supreme Lord. The Lakshmi Tantra says that Brahman, the Eternal, is indeed known also as Lakṣhminātha (the Consort of Lakṣhmi); that Sri is the Mother of the Universe, and is inseparable from Nārāyana. The Lord is just, but Sri is compassion personified. She destroys the devotee’s sins and leads him to the supreme abode [Ahir.Sam.51/58a; Lakṣhmi Tantra 2/16, 17/53, 13/7b & 8a].  Sri is most compassionate and the beloved of the Lord; her form matches that of the Lord in youth, form, and beauty.  Her many sterling qualities gladden Him. Indeed, her qualities are so charming that they “churn” the Lord’s mind [Lakshmi Tantra 17/35].  The Lord cherishes and loves her so much that He eventually agrees with her on all matters. She leads him to [particular] actions [ibid. 50/46]. To be freed of sins, one should therefore seek refuge in her; whoever comes to the Lord for refuge by seeking the intercession of Sri will be given refuge by Him [ibid. 50/195; 50/46; 17/102-103] [Stu.Srivai.].  Thus, the Supreme Lord preserves his maryāda by accepting the recommendations of and acting at her behest (apparently not on His own) to save a Jivātman who has sought refuge in Her seeking Her mediation.

The other wonderful tenet of Viṣiṣtādvaita is that of Prapatti or total surrender by a Jivātman to the Supreme Lord.  Viṣiṣtādvaita believes that Prapatti done in a proper manner invokes the grace of the Lord.  It is not a physical karman or act but a mental one manifesting as an attitude of mind in which, the individual Jivātman having discovered that the Lord is both the end per se and also the means of realizing the end, expresses his complete helplessness and surrenders to the Lord with full trust and devotion.  Prapatti, also called Ṣaranāgati, is open to all regardless of competency of any sort.  Prapatti is said to be a form of Bhakti.  Rāmānuja holds that Prapatti precedes Bhakti since surrender to God is the pre-condition of Bhakti [Gita Bhāṣya 7/15].

Karman & Dreams

The true nature of dreams is still not understood by mankind.  There are disagreements   amongst scientists, philosophers and theologians, about the content and purpose of dreams although dreams have been investigated since recorded history.   There are many modern theories of dreams.  We mention this to say that Rāmānuja’s Theory of Dreams as outlined in the Sri Bhāṣya [Ved.Sūtras 1/1/1, Thibaut. P.75, 120, 121 for instance] is quite unlike any other the world has known and it merits serious consideration.  Rāmānuja avers that dreams are also quite real; created by the Lord for a definite purpose.   Good karman or deeds result in pleasant dreams that are refreshing, relaxing, and joyous.  Bad dreams are the result of bad karman.  Such dreams are a form of retribution in that they evoke sorrow, terror, loss of mental peace and equanimity, physical exhaustion, and mental despair.  This tenet interlinking dreams to our karman   is a unique feature of Rāmānuja’s views on dreams.   One remarkable aspect of Rāmānuja’s concept of dreams is that the more one develops devotion, sattvika qualities, and piety, the more likely it is that one may eventually experience a dream in which there is some form of communication with Divinity.

Conclusion

We are all intimately connected with the karman or actions which we perform incessantly each day of our existence as Jivātmans in embodiment whether as a human being or an animal or any other living entity or plants or even as inanimate matter of any kind.  The subject of Karman and the Laws of Karman as envisaged in Indian Philosophy & Religion are profound and vast topics.  It is one of India’s great contributions to mankind’s search for the meaning and purpose of life itself.  The Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman is an important aspect of Viṣiṣtādvaita Philosophy of Religion.  It has the potential to bring hope to millions all over the world caught in the grind of repeated samsāra (worldly existence) in which Jivātmans are trapped in a vicious cycle of births, karman, fruits, deaths, and rebirths.    

The Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman is built around certain Viṣiṣtādvaita tenets propounded by the Alwars, the Pūrva Acāryas like Nāthmuni and Yamunācarya, which Sri Rāmānuja imbibed and integrated into Viṣiṣtādvaita.  Subsequent Acāryās developed the tenets.  Viṣiṣtādvaita holds that God is full of auspicious attributes, infinite in range and degree. Two such attributes of the Lord of relevance to karman are compassion and grace.  The Supreme Lord constantly empathizes with the Jivātman in bondage who is long suffering because it cannot throw off the constraints of karman and realize its desire to attain the Lord. The Lord also longs to have communion with the Jivātmans presently trapped in embodiment.  The System of Prakriti and Karman have been instituted by the Lord to provide the Jivātmans a ground for actions and experiences to strive for emancipation.  At the same time, a level-playing field has been provided in the form of the just and impartial Laws of Karman.  Annulment of past karman by the sole expedient of experiencing their fruits is a slow and painful process stretching over countless rebirths even when new karman are not added to one’s account.  A Jivātman has many options to perform various karman in such a way that new karman are not added to its stock of prārabda karman awaiting fructification, as we have already discussed. 

A Jivātman can also perform Karman and Jñyāna Yogaḥs to purify the mind and undertake Bhakti Yogaḥ for liberation. The Aṣṭāṅga Yogaḥ of the Yogaḥ Upanishads is another effective means of attaining liberation. All these means are traditional and rigorous.  In addition, Viṣiṣtādvaita offers two absolutely extraordinary expedients for extinguishing past karman and realizing the Supreme Being according to Rāmānuja and the Sri Vaishnava Acaryas before and after him.  These are intuitive, simple, and effective, and transcend caste, creed and competency.  They are based on the overflowing Grace of the Brahman and His infinite Compassion.  These involve performing the karman needed to surrender to Mahālakṣmi or to the Supreme Lord.  Ordinarily, the Supreme Lord will not violate the sanctity of his own Laws or do anything to tarnish His reputation for justice, impartiality, and fair play.  The Lord is not only fair but wants to be seen as being fair and above board, if you like. The Lord who is endowed with immeasurable compassion and grace, and His Consort who is like minded, combine to find an honorable and just way out to alleviate the sufferings of the Jivātman due to karman.  No system of Philosophy of Religion has anything as wonderful as these two unique tenets which provide so much hope to all, high or low across the board.  We have tried to sketch the outlines of the Viṣiṣtādvaita Theory of Karman in this article.  Interested readers may refer to the various texts for a more detailed study.

Colonel Ramesh Shāma Alvar (Veteran)

20 Feb 2018

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