What is karma?

Photo by Photoholgic on Unsplash

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Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.
- Oscar Wilde

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This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series.  
​Want to start at the beginning?
Yoga Sutra 4.3
निमित्तमप्रयोजकं प्रकृतीनां वरणभेदस्तु ततः क्षेत्रिकवत्
Nimittam aprayojakaṁ prakṛtīnāṁ varaṇa-bhedas tu tataḥ kṣetrikavat
Incidental events indirectly cause the evolution of nature by removing obstacles on its pathway.  On the other hand, this energy may be channeled like a farmer removing barriers within a watercourse.

Sutra 4.3 is one of my very favorite Yoga Sutras.  It is poetic but also clear and direct.  But before we get to that…  

Let’s not gloss over Yoga Sutra 4.2 because it is tied to the meaning of Sutra 4.3.  In 4.2, Patanjali discusses the idea of karma, which underpins the philosophical background of this text.  
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As Vedantic scholars, the scribes listening to him would be intimately familiar with the idea of karma.  These days karma seems to be shorthand for justice or punishment, which couldn’t be further from the truth.  To begin with, karma is not that orderly.

Patanjali defines karma here as transformation of matter into other categories of nature (jati: category, species; antara: another, different; parinamh: transformation; prakriti: nature, matter).  It also might be understood as simple cause and effect.

To me, the most important part of 4.2 seems to be the last word, apurat, which means from inflow, from overflow or from flooding.  So to put it all together, Patanjali is saying the transformation of matter into other categories of nature is from a type of overflow or flooding.  Makunda Stiles calls this “living in the abundance of nature’s overflowing creativity.” (47)

Like a river overflowing its banks to create fecundity - new life just happenstance blossoming due to an effect upstream.  So the rest of nature is that same kind of happenstance.  A river upstream floods and creates new growth and opportunity for us in ways we could not even imagine.

What I think is interesting about this line of reasoning is that it reminds me of evolution.  But instead of a physical evolution, Patanjali is describing a spiritual evolution.

Evolution is not by design.  It is happenstance shaping the future.  Karma is the same way.

Now let’s get into Yoga Sutra 4.3, which clarifies this exact point.
Patanjali completes the metaphor from 4.2 by explaining that “incidental events do not directly cause natural evolution; they just remove the obstacles as a farmer [removes the obstacles in the water course running to the field].” (Satchidananda, 253)

Just as the farmer removes impediments along the way to allow energy in the form of water to flood the irrigation channels on their farm, so the spiritual aspirant may direct the movement of energy within their own consciousness and therefore, life.

I believe this is why great spiritual leaders are always advising us to “let it go.”  We can’t control what comes into our lives.  That’s too far upstream.
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Or as the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat’s guide to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali reminds us, “a farmer can only prepare the field, but the seed must sprout itself.” (46)

However, we can direct energy overflowing into our life by guiding the watercourse of our consciousness, removing obstacles to productive flow.  We can plant the correct seeds and cultivate them to the best of our current abilities.  

This is “judicious use of energy” and “builds courage, strength, wisdom and freedom.  This is cultivation of talent, which may transform itself to the level of genius.” (Iyengar, 250)

Spiritual evolution means letting go of impediments to allow the wash of love, tranquility and pure joie de vivre to overflow into our hearts as happenstance allows.  Spiritual evolution is learning to let go.

Satchidananda puts this beautifully in his commentary on this Sutra.

Water is already running in the canal.  The cultivator simply goes looking for some obstacles and takes them out.  Once the cultivator removes them, he or she doesn’t need to tell the water it can flow.  It is like the sun outside; it is always there, ready to come into your house.  The obstacles are the closed door and windows.  If you simply open them, the light shines in.” (253-4)

Moving on from evolution, in the next few Sutras Patanjali delves into psychology. He applies these principles to the individual’s consciousness and then clarifies why the meditative experience is so beneficial for the spiritual seeker.

Stay tuned this spring to read about these exciting spiritual breakthroughs that are available to us through the cultivation of a peaceful mind.
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In what ways do you manage the direction of your mind?  Have you found ways to channel the flow of energy coming to you into what you want to cultivate?  If you fully own the management of your own “watercourse,” what else could you let go of?