________________
126
Law of Karma
References to Sanchita and Prārabdha Karmas are also found in the Samhitās. The terms 'Apracyutāni Vratāni' may refer to the exhausted accumulated deeds of the past, that is the Sanchita Karma. Similarly, the Mantra-"Inta procha janimā kavīnāma manodhrataḥ sukstasta kșata dyāni"? (meaning-O Indra ! ask of the births of the divine seers. What led their taking birth and going to the heavens?), refers to the past deeds which led to the births of risis and their going to the heavens. In other words, there is an enquiry into the Prārabdha-karma.
The Gītā also emphasises upon the importance of the Law of Karma. According to it, Jivātman becomes Kartā and Bhoktā due to Avidyā. Hence, the perforniance of physical or mental activities becomes invariably associated with the jivātman so that the cycle of births and deaths for reaping the fruits of those actions also continues. Thus, when a man performs any action, though it comes to an end just thereafter, yet it produces a sort of impression, called merit or demerit, according to the nature of good or bad deeds.
It is said that when a man is born in this world, his birth may be the result of any one of his numerous acts, or a set of acts, which may have to be fructified through several bodies. In other words, the acts of a man may lead to such experiences, but there may be another act which would lead to the experiences possible only in an equine organism. But, according to Gitā, it must be remembered here that the experiences of both sets could not be exhausted in the course of a single birth. It is, therefore, not possible that the experiences resulted from one's all past acts, accumulated from previous births be exhausted in normal course, in any single birth.
Although there is only one kind of Karma, yet on the basis of the time of its existence and experience it is divided into Sanchita, Sancbīyamāna and Prārabdha. "By Sanchita, we mean that type of karma which remains accumulated and has not begun to yield its results. By Sanchiyamāna, we understand that type of Karma which is being done every day along with the experiencing of the Präräbdha karman and which is to produce an accumulated force for future experi
