KARM

Karm is that where the ritualistic actions specified by the Vedas are strictly followed, but without any devotion to God. The stipulation in karm is that the procedures described in the scriptures should be carefully followed, without even the slightest deviation.

The Vedas state that if there is an error in the pronunciation of even one syllable of a Vedic mantra, the performer of the sacrifice will be harmed instead of being benefited. Once, a demon forced some Rishis to perform a sacrifice. The mantra to be chanted in the sacrifice was, “Indrashatrurvivardhaswa”. The meaning of the mantra is that the enemy of Indra, the demon, should grow in power. The Rishis retained the original mantra, but changed the scale of singing one syllable in it. The demon had no idea of the musical scales of chanting the Vedic mantras, so he was unable to detect their ploy. The sacrifice was completed, and God agreed to give the reward according to the mantra that was sung. However, when the demon attacked Indra, he was fatally struck. While lying on the battlefield, the demon said, “God is supposed to be perfectly just and unbiased, but this is a blotch on His name. He did not increase my power in accordance with the yagya.” In reply, there was a voice from the sky, and God spoke to Him, “You did not know that the syllables of Vedic mantras have musical scales attached to them. The Rishis had changes the scale of the mantra, ‘Indrashatrurvivardhaswa’, so that it meant that the power of Indra should increase.” The result was that Indra was victorious. This is the outcome of karm that is performed without strict compliance to the rules of the Vedas. And if karm is performed strictly according to the Vedic injunctions, then the result is heaven, which has been previously explained as impermanent. Thus, karm or the performance of ritualistic actions specified by the Vedas has been condemned in various places in the scriptures.