Sambodhi 1972 Vol 01

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 50

TG Malghargi
#hich relurns as effect, that this is the universal law and nothing in the World Lall, being of and in our world escape from its governing incidence That is the philosophical reality of the theory of Karma, and that too 18 the way of seeing which has been developed by physical science 25
Il lt 15 difficult to say when and where the concept of Karma originated in Indii Some traced the origin of Karna in the principle of Ria Rin the ci smui principle it prevades the whole world, and gods and men 1,0 ob.) it It is the anticipation of the law of Karma The concept of R. nust have ben originally suggested by the regularity of the movement of the sun and the moon and the uniforinity in the phenomenal world The vedic Ru think that Rta exists before the manifestation of all pbenomena "The Maruts come from the seat of the Ria" işnu is the embryo of the Ria, and heaven and earth are what they are by reason of Ria It is diffi cult to say that Karma must have originated from Ria The doctrine of Karma docs not appear in the old hymns of the Rgueda The vedic seers were inalbly interested in the good of this life, and when death came they went the way of their fathers to the world where Yama, the first to die, ruled The doctrine must have developed against a number of other doctrines about creation Some regarded time as the dominant factor of creation Others belteve 1a nature (Srabhava) as the prominent factor There were other theories as well Some, like the Jainas, rejected these views and said that even time and Syablaya bre deler mined by Karma 20
The concept of Karma must have existed atleast a thousand years, before the beginning of the Christian era and has since become the basis and centre of religions "? It 19 probable that Karma and Rebirth must have been pre-Aryan doctrines which were important in the Sramana culture and later assimilated in the Aryan thought by the time the Upanişads were clearly formulated
The Indian view of Karna was doubtless of non-Aryan provinance and it was a kind of natural law og
The doctrine of Karma for the first time appears in the Upanişad and was considered a secret doctrine conveyed only to the initiates 38 It is possible that the concept of Karma was taken over from the pre-Aryan inhabltants of India, as it has been established that a bigh culture existed in the
25 Sri Aurobindo The Problem of Rebirth, pp 86-86 26 Tacia (N) Studies in Jama Philosophy (1951) P 220 27 Glassenapp (on H) The Dhitrine of Kai matul Jalna Philosophy Pregace to
the Gerinin Erin Nmaan Smart Doctrine & Argument in Indian Philosophy (Allen & Unmin
1964) p 163 29 BUpanlad 9 2 13