MUST Philosophy + traduction Fr

Action is the relative change of position or place of an object. When an object is transferred from one place to another, or when an object acquires a new position temporarily or permanently leaving its former position, we call it an action. When an overweight person loses weight after strenuous physical exercise, it can also be called an action because he or she now occupies less space than before.

No action can be performed in the absence of the will. Will [[is the original form or]] initial stage of each action, and is thus called the primary action. One may think that actions such as the beating of the heart, sleeping and awakening occur independently of the will, but this is not so. In these actions, too, the will plays a dominant role.

In the mundane sphere some actions depend on the unit will and some on the Cosmic Will. Human beings move according to their individual wills but the wind blows according to the Cosmic Will. Actually, most of the actions which human beings supposedly perform by their own will are directly guided by the Cosmic Will. Some actions are performed by the indirect human will, such as the beating of the heart. When the indirect will ceases to function it should be understood that oneʼs individual saḿskáras (reactions in potentiality) have been fully exhausted. Under such circumstances a person is sure to die. This death is called the final glorious death (mahámrtyu).

Most people who commit suicide do not have the direct will to survive. However, their indirect will remains partially active, sustained by the desire to be free of the untold sorrows, miseries, and humiliations of this life. Deep within they cherish an indirect desire to acquire a new, dignified life in another world after death. This desire is the work of the indirect will. Their indirect will seeks a way to escape the ignominy of humiliation and build a new and better life in the future. Their will did something in the past for which they must undergo their present humiliation.

The Macrocosmic Will is eternally active behind the creation of this universe. This Supreme Will of Parama Puruśa is termed Shambhúliuṋga in philosophy.

An action which is done independently is called pratyayaḿulaka karma (original action). Suppose one has a desire to go to Calcutta and then actually goes there. This is an original action because to go or not to go to Calcutta depends entirely on oneʼs will. But an action which one is obliged to perform mechanically under pressure of circumstances is called saḿskáraḿulaka karma (reaction to the original action). In these actions it is the indirect will and not the direct will which functions. The original deed which was performed by the direct will is later expressed as a reaction by the indirect will. Your indirect will forces you to become a tool to restore the equilibrium in the universe which was lost due to your original action.

In sámskáraḿulaka karma individuals have no free will, but are slaves to the dictates of the indirect will. Suppose a person commits a theft by his free will. As long as the reaction of the original action of theft is unexpressed, his indirect will remains in seed form as reactive momenta. But the moment the indirect will finds a congenial environment it expresses itself, resulting in the thief either being arrested by the police, or having to undergo some punishment or humiliation. This is how the thief reaps the consequences of his previous action of theft.

Good reactions to good actions are experienced in a similar way. One will have to reap the consequences of oneʼs past actions until oneʼs saḿskáras are exhausted. If oneʼs previous deeds were virtuous, life will be blessed, but if they were wicked, one will be branded as a sinner. Only when all good and bad reactions have been expressed do the bondages of vice and virtue snap open.

All actions, whether introversial or extroversial, crude or subtle certainly lie latent in individuals in seed form as potential reactions. One day, with the help of the indirect will, they will be expressed in the external world. Suppose one harms someone. The reaction of oneʼs action will lie in potential form until the proper time and place arrives for its expression.

Even if one does not harm anyone physically, but simply thinks of harming someone, saḿskáras will still be created. Whatever feelings one may have for a person, good or bad, will certainly cause a reaction. That reaction will remain in potential form in the subtle mental sphere until the opportune time arrives for its expression. This is why wise people look upon this universe with an attitude of equanimity and pray for the welfare of all. Sarvesám mauṋgalam káunkśe. People who fail to do this will have to suffer endlessly for their mean-mindedness.

Human beings strive to acquire objects which satisfy their desires and avoid those objects which displease them. They only pursue those things which give them pleasure. Because of this psychology, human beings do not want to listen to bad news, see horrifying images. When they cannot avoid a painful situation they immediately close their eyes. This behaviour is a good example of how action depends on desire. To separate action from desire is impossible. If desire is compared to an earthen pot, then the water inside the pot is comparable to pratyayamúlaka karma. The water inside the pot assumes the form of the pot, that is, the action representing the water takes the same form as the desire representing the pot. The process of withdrawing the water-like karma from the pot-like desire is termed sádhaná (the process of attaining liberation). The action which assumes the shape of the pot-like desires is called karmáshaya (bundle of saḿskáras). The course of human life is determined by the nature of oneʼs bundle of saḿskáras.

As a rule, the bundle of saḿskáras that is continually formed until the moment of oneʼs death in this life, is exhausted through saḿskaramulaka karma (non-original actions) in oneʼs next life. Generally, the bundle of saḿskáras does not fully ripen during a personʼs life unless there is a disconnection of the sensory organs, motor organs, práńendriya and mind. Thus the actions performed in one life are not experienced as reactions in the same life.

Human beings undergo reactions according to the nature of their original actions. If someone harms a sick person, a saint, a person who has taken shelter with someone, or a honest person, he or she will immediately undergo a reaction of the same intensity. This is because sick, infirm and saintly people never obstruct the original actions of wrongdoers. Whatever the original actions of a person may be, good or bad, reactive momenta are bound to be created Until all these potential reactions are expressed, liberation or salvation is impossible.

“Until all the reactions of actions, good or bad, are exhausted a person cannot attain salvation in hundreds of lives. Just as people bound by golden or iron chains feel the pains of bondage, similarly people undergoing good or bad reactions will have to accept them.”