Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Isvara and Karma

From the Bhakti List Archives

Kasturi Varadarajan • April 24, 2001 


Dear bhaktas,

  I have a question on how the relationship between Iswara and 
the "law" of karma is viewed by our acharyas. I think this is
a restatement of a question of Sri Sadananda.

  I understand that Iswara is the one who gives the rewards of
the acts of the jivas. And that Iswara himself, though acting,
is not subject to the consequences of acts in the way that 
jivas in samsara are.

  But the question is what is this karmic "law" that Iswara 
executes? There are two alternatives.

(1) Is this law nothing but the sankalpa of Iswara, 
his eternal will? Then the concept of karma means that this
sankalpa is not arbitarary but follows a scheme, a pattern. 
(2) Does Iswara have no choice but to execute the "law"?
In this alternative, the "law" simply is, and Iswara just 
implements it.

  Would like to know if acharyas have said something about
this question.

I have put the term law in quotes because we are talking about
entities with free will and not insentient entities. 

-kasturi







  

--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/