Sri Krishna’s teaching for living life is about Surrender and Karma. To fulfil one’s inner Dharma and surrender the Karma at His Feet without concerning oneself with the audits of ‘Paap and Punya'(That is my brief understanding). If that is so, what is the place of the entire concept of ‘Paap and Punya’? Does it really matter?
Being raised in Jainism, there is a great importance for this fear of committing sins and atonement and guilt. This belief that if you are human, you are a sinner. Where is the balance between the two concepts? And, what about Mahadev? What are his teachings? I’m completely not familiar. Can you tell me a little about him, what Lord and Mother have said about Mahadev? Why was he so deeply worshipped by the Asuras as well?
Paap and Punya are one among the different systems created by the human mind to navigate their life. They are helpful and needed at one step and lose their validity and usefulness as human consciousness advances. The soul in its infancy and minds that are undeveloped respond to concrete thoughts connected with the physical world with tangible ideas of reward and punishment. But if you read the Gita, it is very clear that the law of karma is not about Paap and Punya, least of all as any mechanical system of justice that sees only the outer act, disregarding the inner. The Gita speaks of the three modes of nature and the consequences that follow depend upon the operative mode rather than the actual action itself. Very simply put, an action done out of selfishness, even if outwardly good, only clamps our consciousness, limiting its avenues for growth and authentic inner progress. The result is a growing inner unhappiness, even though outwardly things are fine. So too an action done with due consideration of what is right and true brings inner peace and joy, even if it may not bring immediate success. Finally comes an action done at the Divine Command and to fulfil the Divine Will. This brings nearness to the Divine and its inevitable consequences. It is the inner state that matters and not just the outer act.
This is what we see in Mahadev as well. He doesn’t go by appearances. He blesses and helps towards inner freedom, but the criteria is within. The whole yagya of Daksha is destroyed and he slays his own sons Jallandhar and Andhak, abandons his devotee Ravana when he is misled into wrongdoings. The reason why Asuras worship him is because he represents Force. But, though quick to please, he is also Rudra the destroyer. One cannot escape the inner law that as is the seed within, so is the growth.
We can say that Paap is all that keeps us away from the Divine and deviates from His Will. Punya is all that brings us closer to the Divine and the fulfilment of His Will in oneself and in the world. And who else but Bharat, with its rich Vedic heritage, can take the lead and show the way.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
