________________
1970
Law of Karma
total of Karma is God. That which impels man to do the right work--the sum-total of all that lives is God. That which makes man the mere plaything of fate is God. He is the denial of the atheist. But these statements are merely inclusive in their construction, because God is something more than all these descriptions.
God, according to Gandhiji, is the Supreme power, which governs the fate of human beings. Metaphysically speaking, our present life is an outcome of our past life. It is believed that our Karmas create tendencies in accordance with which our bodies and capacities are built. Man's sufferings are due to his own wrong actions done in the past and right actions performed in this life will bear fruits in future. Hence Gandhiji does not accept the existence of luck or fate in the sense of something extraordinary. He says that what an individual now is, is the effect of his action, his habits, thinking, feeling, speaking etc. in the past. Man makes himself through all these diverse activities—exteroal and internal. But Gandhiji says that God is the giver of the fruits of actions. He supervises all these actions impartially and provides the fruits accordingly. And it is in this sense that Gandhiji says that God has such a power to govern human beings.
The existence of God, according to Gandhiji, is denied by two classes of people. The first category of people are those who deny God due to ignorance. For them there is nothing which we may call God. The second category comprises the so-called intellectuals who want proof of his existence. They are not ready to accept the words of prophets and saints. Saints are generally agreed that it is possible to grasp the supernatural principle by enlarging and deepening human consciousness. The conduct and character of those who have felt the presence of God is evidence of the realization of such a higher principle. Even in the field of physical science, there are so many phenomenons viz., theory of relativity propounded by Einstein etc., which are accepted by the intellectuals. Yet the intellectuals do not deny its truth and validity. Reason and faith both have its respective sphere. Faith begins where reason ends. Such faith is not blind but enlightened.
