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Karma Philosophy
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and inauspicious family-karmas. Similarly, when one village harasses the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages, destroys or damages their standing crop, steals or drives away their cattle, and gains its own selfish end at their cost, then it binds inauspicious karma with respect to them. This is the collective karma. And the entire village will have to experience its fruit collectively. In the same way, the entire country binds the corporate karma in accordance with the practice of good or bad customs, cherishing of right or wrong beliefs, following of right or wrong business and selfish or benevolent living-all this by the resident sects, classes and communities. And on account of the predominance of sins and vices, there often occurs in the country earthquakes, droughts, floods, excessive rainfall, famines and epidemics like plague, cholera, etc., or there breaks out internal civil war. Again, if one country or nation maintains good or bad relation with other countries or nations, then as a result it binds auspicious or inauspicious karma which can be called international karmic bondage—and consequently will have to experience its good or bad results. Bitter or terrible results of the collective or corporate inauspicious karmas come upon the entire mass or class or community. And even in such adverse times of the country or nation, those who are extraordinarily holy and righteous can remain safe and secure.
In the society all members are not unjust, treacherous and cruel. But whatever be their number-great or small, there arises the situations and circumstances when the entire society has to suffer harassment and troubles on account of their evil deeds. Why should the entire society experience the bitter or bad fruits of the evil acts performed by only some of its members? If one reflects for a while on this question, one will find the answer. It is as follows: The society in which the wicked and cruel men freely indulge in evil activities without any opposition, objection and obstruction from the society and government, and in which the knowledgeable leading members do not exhibit moral courage to expose them before the government and society, and instead of putting forth efforts to oppose them, they ignore and tolerate them crestfallen meekly and thereby indirectly approve of their evil acts, that society has obviously to experience harassment and troubles on account of its such defect or fault.
Corporate or collective karmas are ultimately generated by individual karmas. So the improvement of the society depends on the improvement of its individual members. Paying heed to the power of the law of karma (moral causation), one should sincerely try to be good in thought, speech
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