# Karma *On action and reaction, the law of karma, and freedom from karmic bondage* --- ### Ignorance Is No Excuse > A patient who is suffering from some disease, he is unable to enjoy, but if he forcibly enjoys, then his life becomes risky. He becomes more implicated. Similarly, we are in diseased condition, and if we want to enjoy in this diseased condition, we become more and more implicated. Knowingly or unknowingly, if we do something wrong, we have to be punished. This is the law of nature. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### The Silkworm's Trap > A living being is entrapped by his fruitive activities, exactly like a silkworm trapped in its own cocoon. Foolish persons are generally encaged by their fruitive actions, or *karma,* because of a strong desire to enjoy this material world. Such attracted persons become involved in society, community and nation and waste their time. — [[spoken/1976/760630sb.nv|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.16, New Vṛndāvana, 1976]] --- ### Born with Past Karma > Everyone is born with the resultant action of some past *karma.* But that also, people in modern days, they do not understand what is past, what is future, what is present. They're simply animals. The animals, cats and dogs, they cannot understand. Therefore human form of life should not be wasted like the animals. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Work for Yajña > Everyone should work for performing *yajña. Yajñārthe karma.* Everyone should work for *yajña.* That is human life. Work very hard, but *yajñārthe.* And if you work so hard like ass and cats and dog simply for satisfying your tongue or belly or the genital, a straight line, then you are going to hell. *Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ.* Then you are becoming bound up by the laws of nature. — [[spoken/1975/750310bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 7.2, London, 1975]] --- ### Infection and Disease > If you eat and sleep and act like dog, then become dog next life. And if you act like god, then you'll get god, very easy thing. So whatever you like, you can do. But the *śāstra* gives you direction, *yajñārthe.* "Act, work, work hard for pleasing the Supreme Lord." *Yajñārthe.* Otherwise you will be bound up in the cycle of birth and death. — [[spoken/1975/750310bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 7.2, London, 1975]] --- ### Happiness Already Fixed > Prahlāda Mahārāja says that don't be very busy for sense enjoyment. That is available in any condition of life, without any effort. And he's giving a very good example. *Daivāt:* by the superior arrangement. The hog, because he has been given the body of a hog, he must eat stool. That is *daivāt.* He must eat stool. So *daivāt* means all arrangement is there. The standard of eating, standard of happiness, is already fixed up. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Only Bhakti Changes Karma > So we must rectify our *karma. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām.* If you cultivate *bhāgavata-dharma,* then your *karma* can be changed. Otherwise, it is not changing. Otherwise, it is not possible. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### The Needle in the Ant > There was an instance, one *muni,* he was brought to Yamarāja's court and he was..., judgment was given that this man should be punished by *śūla.* So the sage asked the Yamarāja that "Throughout my whole life, I never did any wrong. Why you are punishing me in this way?" So Yamarāja replied that "You have forgotten. In your childhood you pierced one ant with a needle. You have forgotten. Therefore you are being punished." — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Work for Kṛṣṇa's Satisfaction > So *yajña,* that is *yajña.* When you work for Kṛṣṇa to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, that is *yajña.* If you are very first class engineer, you construct such a wonderful temple for Kṛṣṇa that people from all the world will come to see it. Then you are successful. So any line of education, you cannot take it, but use it for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. Then your education is perfect. Otherwise, *śrama eva hi kevalam,* simply working uselessly and waste of time. — [[spoken/1975/750310bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 7.2, London, 1975]] --- ### Not Independent > You are not independent. You are under the control of *prakṛti. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā.* So long you will remain under the control of *prakṛti* you will forcibly be carried away by the waves of the material nature. *Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani.* This should be understood. Therefore it is your duty to understand the religious principles instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. — [[spoken/1976/761016bg.cha|Bhagavad-gītā 9.3, Chandigarh, 1976]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on karma* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]