The last sermon: Quest to understand karma & its fruit

Dr VK Anand

The Bhagavad Gita, one of the most sacred texts, is the best source for explanation on karma and its fruit. More than 45 commentaries, including by scholars and saints of the stature of Adi Shankara (first published in 1897), Bal Gangadhara Tilak, Swami Chinmayananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, are available on the Hindu text. Originally written in Sanskrit, the holy text has been translated into almost all major languages of world. The first translation of this great work was done by Charles Wilkins in 1785.

I tried my best to find any empirical research done on karma and its fruit but could not succeed. My search ended with a chat with my father, who was on his deathbed.

My father had joined Punjab University (now Panjab University) in Lahore in 1932 and retired in 1971. After a prolonged illness, in 1973, he lost all the hope of recovery. One day, when I was sitting beside him, he asked me, “Cuckoo (my nick name), how is it that in comparison to Hindus, Sikhs are taller and healthier?” Finding no reply, he asked, “Why Sikhs in general are more prosperous throughout world?” Again, I expressed my helplessness.

He was ready with another query. How is it that Sikh women are more stout and beautiful? I felt helpless. After a few minutes of silence, my father murmured, “Cuckoo, should I tell you the secret behind the prosperity of Sikhs?”

His reply was that Sikhs were more generous, helpful, dutiful and firm believer in god, which made them prosperous and stout.

His statement was indeed convincing.

My father continued, “Cuckoo, individual karmas apply to a single person. Similarly, there is another type of karma, called community karma, which are applicable to entire community. Sikhs as a community are known for their good deeds that is why they are prosperous and healthy”. With father’s last sermon, I could correlate four words of Kabir—“karamgati tare nahin tare”—with karma and karmaphal. Next morning, he was no more.

The writer is a former Librarian, PU