Sambodhi 1989 Vol 16

Author(s): Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 63

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**The Upanişad religion is the feeling of reverence and love for the great spirit. Such meditation is spiritualised bhakti. It recognises also that the distinction between subjcct and object ielts away in the licart of religious fervour."530 It is meant to lead man to perfection. All other modes of religion permitted by or not protested against by the Upanişads are preparatory to this. Prayer, worship of a personal god etc. are accepted but not for themselves. Radbakrishnan therefore specifically states
"The unity of spirit is the first principle of the upanişadic doctrine. Divine emanence is its central fact. If that is inconsistent with religious worship, it means only that theism has no place for true religion, since a true theism must accept divine immanence."34
Karma and Rebirth
The first fact to be noted is that the law of Karma is within, the judge is within in form of the awakened consciousness of man, the Ātman is the wielder of this law. The world-order is referred to in the Vedas as Rta and the world--order must go on. Varuņa is the ruler of this world-order. The law of Karma thus works in the world as also in man's life. We are told that man's life and birth are determined by his actions in his past births. The law works and works in the most dispassionate mauner. But this should not mean any pessimism. Man can to a good extent slia pe lis future as he shaped his past by his actions. The law of Karma in the Upanişads is thus (i) going on of the world-order which is a must and (ii) man being shaped by his past actions and shaping his future by actions again. Though within limits, man has free-will and he can shape his future, even partially he can better his present. The belief in the law of rebirth is a natural corollary to the law of Karna. Man's new birth will be slaped and determined by his actions in previous births. The Upanişacs adopt this law and describe in details the manner in which man dics and is reborn. Karma and rebirth, it is emphasised, are there till true knowledge is obtained. Here, virtuous acts, ethical rules and religious consciousness lielp man.
Thus, a sense of individual responsibility is emphasised. The law is not inconsistent with social scrvice. Actually in social service man disintegrates his ego and therefore attains to a stage when his actions do not bind lim. It has therefore a cliance to become a means to free ones self from Karma. Disinterested work or work for the good of the world help man to attain to freedom. Thus, the law of karma is there, but it does not negate individual cffort. In a sense the law works only at lower level. Once man enters the higher stage of thc spirit, he transcends the finite and becomes infinite. This shows also that karma has psychological