Concept of Sins and Rewards

Hinduism
• Sins - paap
• Rewards - punya

• Hindus believe in “karma” and the rules of karmic

success or failures which have adverse effects on
their lives. It is believed, deep seated in the mind of
almost every Hindu, that “as you sow, so shall you
reap”. No one can pay for your sins except you and
that no one can redeem you of your sins either.
 Karma
• Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains causality
through a system where beneficial effects are derived from
past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful
actions
• This create a system of actions and reactions throughout a
soul's reincarnated lives forming a cycle of rebirth.
• When the cycle of rebirth comes to an end, a person is said to
have attained moksha, or salvation from samsara. All
incarnations are not human. The cycle of birth and death on
earth is said to be formed from 8.4 millions forms of life, but
only in human life an exit from this cycle is possible.
• "Karma" literally means "deed" or “act”
more broadly names the universal principle of cause and
effect, action and reaction, which Hindus believe governs all
consciousness.
• Karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own
destiny.
• Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return
unexpectedly in this or other births. We produce Karma in four ways:
• through thoughts
• through words
• through actions that we perform ourselves
• through actions others do under our instructions
• Actions performed consiously are wighted more heavily than those
done unconsciously.
Hindu scriptures divide karma into three kinds:
• Sanchita - accumulated karma
It would be impossible to experience and endure all Karmas in
one life. From this stock of sanchita karma, a handful is taken
out to serve one lifetime.
• Prarabdha - Fruit-bearing karma
portion of accumulated karma that has "ripened" and appears
as a particular problem in the present life.
• Kriyamana - everything that we produce in current life.
All kriyamana karmas flow in to sanchita karma and
consequently shape our future.
• Only human beings that can distinguish right from wrong can do (kriyamana)
Karma. Animals and young children are not creating new Karma (and thus
can not affect their future destiny) as they are incapable of discriminating
between right and wrong.

• However, all sentient beings can feel the effects of Karma, which are
experienced as pleasure and pain.

• Only in human life we can change our future destiny. After death we loose
Kriya Shakti (ability to act) and do (kriyamana) karma until we are born
again in human body.

• Only as humans, are we in position to do something about our destiny by

doing the right thing at the right time. Through positive actions, pure
thoughts, prayer, mantra and meditation, we can resolve the influence of the
karma in present life and turn the destiny for the better.
• Tulsidas, a Hindu saint, said: "Our destiny was shaped long
before the body came into being.“
• As long as the stock of sanchita karma lasts, a part of it
continues to be taken out as prarabdha karma for being
enjoyed in one lifetime, leading to the cycle of birth and death.
• A Jiva cannot attain moksha (liberation) from the cycle of
birth and death, until the accumulated sanchita karmas are
completely exhausted.
 The Role of Divine Forces
• Several different views exist in Hinduism regarding the role of
divine beings in controlling the effects of karma
Vedanta view
• a Supreme God is ultimately the enforcer of karma but humans
have the free will to choose good or evil.
• In these theistic schools, karma is not seen merely as a law of
cause and effect, a view espoused by Buddhism or Jainism, for
example, but dependent on the will of a personal supreme
God.
• A good summary of this theistic view of karma is expressed by the
following: "God does not make one suffer for no reason nor does
He make one happy for no reason. God is very fair and gives you
exactly what you deserve."
• Karma is one explanation for the problem of human suffering; a
soul reincarnates into an appropriate body, which is dependent on
karma and this is said to explain why some persons never get to
see the fruits of their action in their life time and why some
children die when they have committed no sin.
• a person has to reap the fruits of one's personal karma and may
need to undergo multiple births from plants, animals to humans
 Mimamsa view

• reject any such notions of divinity being responsible and see

karma as acting independently, considering the natural laws of
causation sufficient to explain the effects of karma
• According to their view, neither supreme God nor does lesser
divinities exist; rituals alone yield the fruits of karma; thus,
they believe that the karmas (rituals) themselves yield the
results, and there is no Supreme God dispensing the results
 Mitigation of bad karma
• It is believed by Hindus that if a sin is
committed, it must be removed through
penance, sacrifice and repentance before that
person can find a peaceful union with God and
the supreme maker. It is also believed that, sins
will be committed by humans because as
humans, we are who we are.
Mitigation of bad karma
• However there are prescribed ways of removing these sins and
receiving liberation for salvation and final Moksha. Examples
of how bad karma can be mitigated include following :
• dharma, or living virtuously
• performing good deeds, such as helping others;
• bhakti yoga, or worshiping God in order to receive grace
• conducting pilgrimages to sacred places, such as
Chidambaram Temple or Rameswaram to get grace of God.
• Examples of getting God's grace are further illustrated below:
• The story of Ajamila in the Bhagavata Purana
Ajamila had committed many evil deeds during his life
such as stealing, abandoning his wife and children, and
marrying a prostitute.
But at the moment of death, he involuntarily chanted the
name of Narayana and therefore received Moksha or union
with God, and was saved from the messengers of Yama.
Ajamila was actually thinking of his youngest son, whose
name was also Narayana. But the name of God has
powerful effects, and Ajamila was forgiven for his great
sins and attained salvation, despite his bad Karma.
• Yama (Sanskrit: यम) is the lord of death in Hinduism

•Yama's name can be interpreted to mean "twin", and in

some myths he is paired with a twin sister Yamī.
• Yama is also the lord of justice and is sometimes referred to as
Dharma, in reference to his unswerving dedication to maintaining
order and adherence to harmony.
• Yama can be loosely related to the Greek deity Hades or Pluto, the
god of the underworld.
• Yama is assisted by Chitragupta

• Chitragupta (Sanskrit: चित्रगु प्त, rich in secrets) is a Hindu God

assigned with the task of keeping complete records of actions of
human beings on the earth, and upon their death, deciding as
regards sending them to the heaven or the hell, depending on their
actions on the earth.