All World
Gayatri Pariwar

How did life evolve? How does life express itself? According to the Indian Scriptures – the basis for life is contained in the accumulation of sanskars (impressions / traits with respect to morphology, physiology, and behaviour) stored in the chitta (subconscious mind), which envisages life accordingly. Science searches for the evolution of man in the inanimate elements, which has no scope for development in it. Growth and development are possible only by the animate. That is why the scriptures appear to be more relevant.

According to the western psychology, the person and his personality are assessed by his behavior. Effort is made to understand one’s imaginations and thoughts and beyond this the habits. According to Indian Philosophy, a person’s sanskars, which are stored in the chitta, are manifested as his personality. His life evolves accordingly.

Scientists studying human evolution have given their explanations on this topic in their own way. A deep understanding is necessary as to how the hereditary traits are transferred from one generation to next. The meaning of heritable traits is: automatic transmission of inherited traits from one generation to the next. For example, if the mother and father have black hair, their children will also have black hair. This is called heritable trait. Contrary to this, during the lifetime of a living being the attributes earned by them are called acquired skills/traits.

For instance, if a person uses a heavy hammer a lot then his arm’s muscles will be developed which is an acquired trait. In the beginning of 19th century, Lamarck, did a remarkable job in the field of evolutionary biology. He was of the opinion - ‘microscopic organisms appear spontaneously from inanimate materials and then transmute, or evolve, gradually and progressively into more complex forms through a constant striving for perfection.’ The ultimate product of this goaloriented evolution was thought by Lamarck to be humans. He believed that evolution was mostly due to the ‘inheritance of acquired characteristics’ as creatures adapted to their environments.

In 1859, Charles Darwin proposed a new theory of evolution by natural selection, in his book “On the Origin of Species”. According to him, evolution by natural selection is the process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. Changes that allow an organism to better adapt to its environment will help it survive and have more offspring. The main points of the theory are: the struggle for survival and the survival of the fittest. Darwin said that the effect of the environment is produced by indirectly eliminating adverse traits and by instilling appropriate traits in the special environment. In this way, there are small and ambiguous changes that occur which get accumulated over time. In this manner, many differences emerge in between the branches, even though they originated from one source. However, Darwin was unable to join all the links, despite having collected tons of information.

In the scientific theories of evolution of species proposed so far, only the basic physical aspects have been considered. There is a dire need to interpret it from the consciousness point of view. In Yogic texts, the theory of biodevelopment has been analyzed with great efficiency and subtlety. This theory is called the Law of Karma. It can be called the constitution of life, because it is the law of nature. In order to comprehend this we need to first understand karma. When we perform any action, without any resolve and without good or bad intention, then the karma is not created. There is a difference between action and karma. One gets the results of action immediately; whereas fruit of a karma returns in the long term. If a person is sitting near fire and his hand touches it, it gets burned; the result of this burning will not go from birth to birth. However, when our desires and emotions are added, attachment and hatred are associated, and our good and bad intentions are connected with some action over a long period of time, then its results mature in the form of karma. There are two aspects of karma - one is action, in other words how do we perform the action, and second is the intention, that is, with what kind of mindset and spirit we perform the action. Our good or bad intentions create sanskars.

Maharishi Patanjali was a visionary who possessed the knowledge of this world and beyond. He proposed the concept of progression of life in the form of fruit of action (karmaphal). According to him, any event that occurs in one’s life is the result of two things - one is sanskars and the other is fruits of actions. Maharishi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras explains the seeds of karma and sanskars in great depth. He says that when we do any work, our emotions, our good or bad intentions, and the pace of karma play a major role. The energy which is present in the action, the concentration, the eagerness, the vitality with which we have been working, or are working, and after we are done with that work, gets stored in our chitta (storehouse of every action and thought). It will ripen and give results according to the law of karma. It results in the destiny.

Maharishi Patanjali says – Our acts create latent tendencies in the form of seed in our chitta and when it sprouts, grows and bears fruit in the We are all one For there to be harmony and peace, everything must be balanced. And for there to be balance, there must be equality. And where there is equality, there will be justice. And where justice is honored and preserved, there will always be truth. Eliminate the concept of division by class, skills, race, income, and nationality. We are all course of time, then an event occurs in our life. This event might be good or bad, and based on this our life takes turns. When will this turn come, and what will be the outcome - is not predictable because there is a long gap between the action done and its result. There are some equations, some of which we can see, and some we can’t see. The three things that are major contributors to the system of Karmaphal are the chittabhumi, karmabeej (seeds of karma) and law of divine justice. It depends on whether your chitta is fertile or deserted. In the deserted land the seeds of your karmas take a while. The one, who has illuminated chitta by penance or good deeds, has fertile mindset and their thoughts and resolves become the seed of actions (karmbeej). Whatever resolution arises in their mind becomes the very karma.

In the very same manner if your chitta is burdened by sins and bad deeds, then the good deeds will take a while to sprout. In contrast to this, if your chitta is illumined due to the good deeds, then maturity of the inauspicious deeds is delayed.

There is action and its result, there is merit and sin, and there are pleasant and unpleasant events. Sometimes we associate with one or the other. They do not have any shorelines, there is no door through which anyone can get out and get away from them. As long as the nature prevails, this process will continue steadily. To be free from them, we must first become free from karma. We should also overcome all the past karmas. In this way, one can achieve a holistic development and the true goal of life – awakening of one’s true identity – Self Enlightenment.