The Buddha taught about karmic ‘conditioning’, which is a process by which a person’s nature is shaped by their moral actions. Every action we take molds our characters for the future. Both positive and negative traits can become magnified over time as we fall into habits. All of these cause us to acquire karma.

We do good deeds meriting rewards (‘punya’) and sins meriting punishment (‘papa’), even after saranagati. The effects of our punyas go to those who have been kind to us, and the effects of our sins go to those who have been ill-disposed towards us. The Lord does not forgive unkindness and disrespect to His devotees.

Karma (car-ma) is a word meaning the result of a person’s actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect. In terms of spiritual development, Karma is about all that a person has done, is doing and will do. Karma is logically about punishment or reward.

Among all these Yogas, three are considered to be the most prominent: namely, Jnan Yoga – the Path of Knowledge, Karma Yoga – the Path of Action and Bhakti Yoga – the Path of Devotion. The first six chapters of Bhagavad Gita deal primarily with Karma Yoga, the next six with Bhakti Yoga and the last six with Jnan Yoga.

Vyasa

It is the most sacred book of Hindus and is highly revered by the devotees of Lord Vishnu. It is a book about Narayana, his avatars and the detailed account of Lord Krishna. Written by Rishi Vyasadeva, the book consists of eighteen thousand verses, which are presented, in twelve cantos.

He is a central character in the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, the Brahma Vaivarta Purana and the Bhagavad Gita, and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological, and mythological texts.

Charles Wilkins