If karma works, why are so many evil or corrupted people successful?

Question

The world have so many evil or corrupted people who are successful.

If karma is applicable to people, why do good people have to struggle?

Answer 1

This is not difficult to explain from the Karma and rebirth doctrine of Hinduism.

When you say a person is corrupt, you are only seeing the conducts and acts of the person in the current life.

This in the scriptures is known as the Vartamana Karma.

But, there are Sanchita Karmas (accumulated over previous births) as well as Prarabdha (which are commenced or ready to bear fruits).

Both these two Karmas were done by the Jiva in it's previous births, so we don't have any clue as to how they were (good or bad).

If you say a visibly bad person is leading a good life then that only means his Vartamana Karma is bad but he is carrying very good Sanchita and Prarabdha Karmas which are bearing their fruits in his current life.

See, the various relevant verses from the Devi Bhagavatam given below:

36-38. No soul is independent; every one is under the effects of one’s own Karma. The Pundits that have realised the Truth, say that Karma is of three kinds, Accumulated, Present, and Prârabdha? This whole world is due to Kâla (Time), Karma (action) and Svabhâva (Nature); unless the proper time comes, even the Devas cannot kill men. The men are killed on account of some cause, immediate; but the Great Time is the real Destroy

3.20

6. The Karmas done by Jîvas are of three kinds :-- auspicious, inauspicious and mixed (partly auspicious and partly inauspicious); of which the auspicious is the Sattvik Karma, the inauspicious is the Tamasik Karma and the mixed, is the Râjasic Karma. Thus have been said by the Sages.
7. These three again are subdivided into three. They are Sanchita (accumulated), Bhavisya (impending in future) and Prârabdha (commenced). All these Karmas are in dwelling always with the body

4.2

18. Vâsudeva said :-- O blessed one! I now tell you what is truth and the matters connected with truth. 19-20. Effort, application and manifestation of energy are certainly the duties of man; but their effects are all under the Great Destiny or Fate. The Pundits knowing the ancient lore say that there are three kinds of Karma mentioned in the Purânas and Âgamas :-- First, the Sanchita Karma (done in past births); the Prârabdha Karma, the Karma already done; and the Vartamân Karma (Karma in hand).

19. The Karma, auspicious and inauspicious, done in many previous lives and preserved in seed forms, remains always inherent in a human soul. Urged on by this Karma, the Jîvas quitting their previous bodies, enjoy Heaven or Hell as effects of these, their own acts. 22-23. According to their good or bad works, the Jîvas acquire the higher happy body and enjoy various pleasures in the Heavens, or they take up very painful vicious bodies and suffer various pains in hell.

20. The Prârabdha Karma, those acts out of all the previous acts done in previous births that are fully mature and ready to yield their fruits, cannot be averted; their effects must have to be experienced and then they can die away; they cannot be expiated by penances or any other remedial measures. Therefore you must hand over unconditionally your new born babe unto the hands of Kamsa.

4.21

So, the Hindu concept of rebirth and the three different kinds of Karmas well explain the situations like "good people but still facing troubles in life" or the opposite scenario.

Answer 2

Before you can say evil people are successful, we need to define success. Is money called success or is the power to control called success? The more successful you are the more egoistic you will be,the more egoistic you become your life will become miserable. Bhagavad Gita says "Don't perform the action expecting a favourable result. Surrender the results of your actions to lord and accept what lord gives you". This will remove all your sufferings and you will find peace.

Answer 3

This is a very good question that often arises in most of our minds.

As Sri Krishna says in Gita (16/17)

"gahana karmano gatih" meaning understanding the ways of karma is very difficult.

Hindus also believe in rebirth :(Gita, 2/27)

"who dies must be reborn and who is born must die".

We have another popular saying:

"Avasyameva bhoktavyam kritam karma shuva-ashuvam/maa bhuktam kshiyate karma kalpakotisatairnapi//"

meaning : No one not escape from the fruits of good and evil deeds. Without enjoying/suffering it can not be lessened even in crores of kalpas.

But we do not apparently see that happening aroud us. Sri Ramakrisha points out:

This world is His maya. Activities of maya are very puzzling, nothing can be clearly understood! (Kathamrita, 2 March 1884)

As Sitaramdas Omkarnathji used to say, many corrupt people are successful because they are now *getting fruit of good karmas in some previous lives. The bad deeds will yield evil results surely as soon as the store of the fruits of his good deeds ends, may be in this life or in some next lives.

Good people who are struggling but not getting desired results do not have enough stock of fruits of good deeds of previous births. But their good deeds will surely bear good results in future.

Also, “ Yato Abhyudaya Nishreyasa Siddhihi sa Dharmaha ”--so dharma gives both success and liberation while adharma may yield only worldly success..

Good people also struggle because

sreyascha preyascha manushyametatau samparitya vivinakti dhirah/sreyo hi dhiro'vipreyaso vrinite preyo mando yogakshemad vrinite//(Kathopanishad) meaning : 'Sreya'[That leads to Truth] and 'Preya'[That leads to happiness] come to every individual. The good (intelligent) ones accept the 'Sreya' and the people with lower intelligence embrace the 'Preya' for material well-being. (Reference :Stavakumanjali, Swami Gambhirananda, Udbodhan,page 63).

So as per the Upanishad, good people do not accept the path that leads to short term success. They always embrace the just path that leads to the Truth.Rejecting 'Preya' will mean suffering in the short run.

As Swami Vivekananda writes in a beautiful poem poem to the then king of Khetri:

Not a work will be lost, no struggle vain,

Though hopes be blighted, powers gone;

Of thy loins shall come the heirs to all,

Then hold on yet a while, brave soul,

No good is ever undone.

Finally I quote Sri Ramakrishna (Kathamrita, 25 Feb 1883)

Who will be able to understand His doings?...Success and failure are all in His hands. Here one prostitute got liberated while dying consciously beside the Ganges.(Udbodhan ed.page 140)

Reference: CW https://advaitaashrama.org/cw/content.php

Answer 4

Is life all about 'all that happens to us' or does it also include what we learn from it? If Karma was all that is required to explain whats going on then what happened to the first guy who got his money robbed even when he never robbed anyone else's money? The drama is not only about what happened to you but also what you learn from it. Karma takes care of 'what happens to you' to be fair as per what you do in the span of all the lives your soul lives, but doesn't ensure what you learn. Suppose if bad happens to you without any reason good will also happen without any reason so that you realize the higher truths of life. All that we need to learn from karma theory is to do good to others and move on. I don't say that bad will happen to you even if you are good, but I say that we need to do good, and that's the intention of karma theory. It is for you to know that GOD is unbiased and helping you to prosper.
Ask yourself what comes out of that struggle. A stage will come when karma theory will make no sense when you surpass duality. This theory is just to keep you going towards self-improvement.