Thread by @DefiledGod

Regarding karma, the shAstra declares the following,

थस्य पुत्रा: दायमुपयन्ति: द्विशन्त: पापकृत्याम् सुहृदस् साधुकृत्याम् 

[When one attains moksha, his sons will inherit his wealth; his enemies inherit his sins and his friends, his virtues]+

Now, here it says that his enemies will inherit his sins. Because sins are the displeasure of Ishvara, it makes sense that his anger will be directed to the enemies of bhAgavatAs.

But Acharyas explain, it may not always be this way+

There are two other ways by which the sins are exhausted. The first of these is, bhagavAn makes the bhakta experience the fruits of their sins, but without being affected.

This tattva is seen when the nAgAstra of karNa knocks off Arjuna’s crown+

ततो रिपुघ्नं समधत्त कर्णः; सुसंशितं सर्पमुखं ज्वलन्तम् । रौद्रं शरं संयति सुप्रधौतं; पार्थार्थमत्यर्थचिराय गुप्तम्

[karNa fixed a snake-faced, sharp, effulgent arrow, killer of enemies. That fierce arrow had been brightened by conduct, kept guarded for destruction of pArtha.]+

The arrow represents the pApa karmAs. karNa, as is well known by now, is the desire or lust for material things that causes sinful deeds+

तमापतन्तं ज्वलितं निरीक्ष्य वियद्गतं वृष्णिकुलप्रवीरः रथस्य चक्रं सहसा निपीड्य पञ्चाङ्गुलं मज्जयति स्म वीरः

[Seeing that arrow shining in the air, bhagavAn, the valorous one of the vR^iShNi-s, pressed down on the wheel of the chariot, making it sink by 5 fingers depth.]+

ततः किरीटं बहुरत्नचित्रं जघान नागोऽर्जुनमूर्धतो बलात्…… ततः किरीटं तपनीयचित्रं… सम्प्रज्वलत्तन्निपपात भूमौ

[Then, that crown on the head of Arjuna, which had many gems, being struck with force by that shaft….That crown, the golden ornament, shining, fell on the ground]+

The simple tattva is – the crown of Arjuna signifies his ego. ahaMkAra is very attractive for us like the gems in the crown

Wearing this indomitable crown was the reason he disobeyed bhagavAn in the matter of killing bhIShma and bhUrishrava and sometimes forgot who bhagavAn was+

Arjuna had obtained this crown by penance from Indra. Similarly, a mumukkshu gains ahaMkAra from pride of learning the Veda, possessing the upAsaNa-bala, doing penances to obtain wealth and so on.

Hence, this crown was the reason for bhagavAn’s displeasure & thus, pApa karmas+

bhagavAn ensured that the arrow meant to kill Arjuna destroyed that crown.

So, for a mumukkshu about to depart for paramapada, bhagavAn makes him experience the fruits of his remaining sins in a manner that doesn’t affect him greatly, but makes him more submissive to bhagavAn+

So far, we have discussed 2 ways by which bhagavAn exhausts the sins of a mumukkshu – by transferring it to his enemies, or by making him experience it in a manner which does not cause discomfort to him, but only makes him more of a j~nAni.

There is also a third way+

The third way is this – bhagavAn *himself* takes on the sins of his bhakta and extinguishes them. That tattva is seen in the case of how he saved Arjuna from Bhagadatta+

विसृष्टं भगदत्तेन तदस्त्रं सर्वघाति वै । उरसा प्रतिजग्राह पार्थं सञ्छाद्य माधवः

[When that weapon capable of destroying all, was thrown by bhagadatta, the one attentive in protection, mAdhava, hid Arjuna behind him & took that weapon on his chest.]+

bhagavAn took that arrow & is called “mAdhava” – meaning, it was lakShmi, jaganmAtA, situated on his chest who took that arrow to protect both her husband and her child, Arjuna!

What does this mean?+

He being the self and his bhakta being the body (sharIrAtma bhAva), feels as sorrowful for his bhakta as a self feels the pain the body feels.

So, it is the sins of the body only, which he attributes to himself. But still, does he feel any pain? How does he experience them?+

Since he is devoid of karma by nature, this sorrow is brought on by his will. He does not feel any pain. It thus becomes a kalyANa guNa, just as the arrow of Bhagadatta became a garland when it struck him+

He feels anguished that his bhakta is in samsAra and not with him in paramapada (Sa ekAki na ramate ~ mahopanishad).

He thus considers his sorrow he feels at the separation from the jIva as an excuse to purge the sins of the jIva. As per the following+

पूर्वम् मया नूनम् अभीप्सितानि पापानि कर्माणि असत्कृत् कृतानि (~ AraNya kANDa, VR)

[rAma: I have committed sinful deeds in my previous births, with intent and by inclination, for my separation with sIta]+

Here, the sin was actually committed by sIta by abusing lakShmaNa (a leela, ofc). But rAma takes that sin upon himself, because sIta is his body and he is the self.

By experiencing sorrow of separation from her, due to her being a bhakta, he has extinguished that sin for her+

This sorrow of bhagavAn is not a dosha, but a kalyANa guNa. So, he transfers the sins of his bhaktAs to enemies, or makes them experience it without suffering, or uses his separation from them as an excuse to purge sins.

The method he uses, depends on the sAdhana of the bhakta+

Thus, clear as day that karma is the will of Ishvara.

We were talking about pApa. The puNya ofc, is exhausted by bhagavad smaraNa and the joy resulting from it, or by material wealth for the bhakta, or by transferring it to his friends//