Why negative results in life cannot be attributed to god in the form of blame?

Question

I have heard the verse from Bhagavad Gita that says

Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani

You have the right to work only but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.

Which asks Arjuna to fight, without thinking about the consequences of it, as he has no right to its fruits, and that one should not be inactive due to his lack of rights on the fruits of his actions.

Let me apply this to a real-life situation: when a student studies, it is so that he gets more marks. Businesses put effort so that they make more money. Politicians hold rallies so that their chances of winning elections are higher.

In short, all karma that people do, they do it so that they get the appropriate fruits.

Say if a barren childless couple prays for a long time to have a child, and finally, they do, what they did was their karma, yet its credit goes to God, since He gave them the child, and the right to the fruits of their actions lie is His.

But if this child dies, due to an accident, then although the karma was done by the driver in question, the right to the fruits of the karma is with Sri Krishna.

Going by this logic, Sri Krishna is to be thanked, for the child’s birth, and later be blamed for the child’s death.

The first part of the previous paragraph is commonly accepted and not the latter.

Can someone explain?

Answer 1

You say that if a barren couple has a child then God gets the credit because the right to the fruit of action is God's. If that child dies then the right to the fruit of action is God's and so God must be blamed.

Giving up right to the fruits does not mean that God has the right to the fruits and thus negative result can't be blamed on God. The Gita verse quoted at the very top is talking about Karma Yoga and not ordinary Karma. A person practices Karma Yoga when his work benefits other people and the work is done without caring about the result. This type of work is called nishkama karma. The idea behind such nishkama karma is that God dwelling in the other person is giving us a chance to serve God. Whether the other person is helped will depend on God. It is hubris to think that one human can help another human. You are just trying to serve another person but don't want anything, like name and fame, in return. Doing nishkama karma enables you to do karma but not pay the karmic price according to the theory of karma.

An example of nishkama karma is the Sun. The sun does not care what man does with the energy of the sun that makes life possible on earth. The sun just keeps on pouring energy. The solar energy may well be misused by say a forger. The Sun doesn't care and keeps pouring out energy. It is an example of selfless love.

"One man may read the Bhagavata by the light of a lamp, and another may commit a forgery by that very light; but the lamp is unaffected. The sun sheds its light on the wicked as well as on the virtuous."

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter 3, Visit to Vidyasagar

It is not possible to do karma Yoga in a job setting. You will most likely get fired if you are unattached to the result of your work. Karma Yoga is after all a Yoga and unattached work can only be done as part of divine work.

The examples you have given of a student wanting more marks or a business man wanting more money or a politician wanting to win elections are not examples of karma Yoga but of Karma only. There is no selfless love in any of these three examples. A Karma Yogi does karma as an outpouring of selfless love and thus pays no karmic price, i.e. his karma is not subject to the theory of karma.

Answer 2

Why negative results in life cannot be attributed to god in the form of blame?

Ans:-Religion does not fetter man's free-will. It leaves him quite free to act, but tells him at the same time what is good for him and What is not. The resposibility is entirely and solely his. He cannot escape it by blaming fate, for fate is of his own making, nor by blaming God, for he is but the dispenser of fruits in accordance with the merits of actions. You are the master of your own destiny. It is for you to make it, to better it or to mar it. This is your privilege. This is your responsibility.

Source:-Dialogues with guru(swami abhinava vidyatirtha)

Compiled by sri gnanananda bharati ji disciple of swami abhinava vidyatirtha ji(sankaracharya of sringeri)

Answer 3

One's 'Locus of control' lies only within the horizon of the performance of a Karma.

Karma-Phala is certainly an uncontrollable result (as It is the product of the interaction of other dyanamizing controlling forces in samashti)

So its logical for an individual to be concerned with what is within one's locus , and not hanker for what is external to it.

What shoud impel an Individual to do a karma? -- Dharma(Dharayati iti Dharmaha-that which upholds and sustains the samashti--right action) and not Karma Phala.

If Lord Krishna had agreed with Arjunas deriliction of duty karma thyaga(desirous of karma phala) , then dharma would've gone for a toss, resulting in the suffering of samashti in the hands of Duryodhana etc. ,(BG 4.7 yadā yadā hi dharmasya...)

Also this shloka has a stake over the exercise of mind interms of self-control against ari-shad-varga that improves sattva quotient ,yielding chitta shuddhi (precursor for any spiritual progress towards jnana marg)

HH Shankaracharyas commentary on BG 4.7

Te, your; adhikarah, right; is karmani eva, for action alone, not for steadfastness in Knowledge. Even there, when you are engaged in action, you have ma kadacana, never, i.e. under no condition whatever; a right phalesu, for the results of action may you not have a hankering for the results of action. Whenever you have a hankering for the fruits of action, you will become the agent of acruing the results of action. Ma, do not; thus bhuh, become; karma-phalahetuh, the agent of acruing the results of action. For when one engages in action by being impelled by thirst for the results of action, then he does become the cause for the production of the results of action. Ma, may you not; astu, have; sangah, an inclination; akarmani, for inaction, thinking, 'If the results of work be not desired, what is the need of work which involves pain?'(courtesy - gitasupersite)

Ishwara is never a kartha, but is only a karma-phala-dhatta. So whatever is the effect , there is cause behind it . for any effect does not come from nowhere for no reason. like there is a seed ,that has caused the tree.

Srimad Bhagavadam 10.24.13 says

sri-bhagavan uvaca karmana jayate jantuh  karmanaiva praliyate sukham duhkham bhayam ksemam  karmanaivabhipadyate

Lord Krsna said: It is by the force of karma that a living entity takes birth, and it is by karma alone that he meets his destruction. His happiness, distress, fear and sense of security all arise as the effects of karma.

UPDATE

Any action of jnani , is for loka sangraha(welfare of common good),and true sanyaasi swears 'Sarva bhootha hitham', on taking up the sanyaas , so may not cause a slightest harm to any creature in any way. Avatars of Lord had rescued(uddharan) people in misery. Here, when one sees an embodiment of Altruism, be it Lord or saint it is natural to resort to such an ocean of compassion, without an attitude of blame,as in the case of Draupadi resorting to shri Krishna If resorting/bhakti is a karma , then mercy is Karma-Phala.

BG 7.16 says

chatur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛitino ’rjuna ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī cha bharatarṣhabha
O best amongst the Bharatas, four kinds of pious people engage in My devotion—the distressed, the seekers of knowledge, the seekers of worldly possessions, and those who are situated in knowledge.

The distressed. Those who find that their pot of worldly miseries is overflowing, and they are unable to cope with them conclude that it is futile running after the world. Thus, decide to take shelter in God. Similarly, those who find that the worldly supports fail to protect them; turn to God for protection. An apt example in the Mahabharata was Draupadi’s surrender to Shree Krishna when Duryodhan and Dushasan tried to dishonor her in the courtroom of Hastinapur(commentary by Swami Mukundananda)

Ganesha Pancharatnam by Adi Shankaracharya says

नताधिकापदुद्धरम् । Who Extricates those who Surrender to Him from Difficult Calamities,

Shree Stuti by Swami Vedanta desika ,

Aapanna Aarthi prashamana vidhou bhaddha dheeksha:” Your Lord VishNu has taken a vow to quench the heat of sorrows (Prasamana vidhi) for those who experience danger (Aapath) which in turn leads to suffering (Aarthi). His vow is “Aapanna Aarthi Prasamanam” (Coming to the rescue of those bhakthAs, who are in distress due to the dangers to which they are exposed ).

ShivanandaLahari-

Yoga-ksema-dhuram-dharasya sakalalh-sreyah prad'odyogino drst 'adrsta-mato'pades a-krtino bāhyāntara- vyapinah sarvajñasya dayā-karasya bhavatah kim veditavyan maya Sambho tvam param' āntarnga iti me citte Smaräny anvaham
What am I to petition unto Thee who bearest the responsibility for both the present and the future welfare of beings; who art ready to confer all good (on devotees); who art the perfect revealer of all religions existing and yet to exist; and who art all-knowing and all- merciful? Always do I think of Thee in my mind as my dearest and nearest.