There are two types of actions - good and bad, virtuous and sinful, auspicious and inauspicious, material and divine.
Good actions are those related to God, while bad actions are those related to Maya. The same distinction applies to the definitions of virtue and sin, though few truly understand this.
There are many types of sins, such as lying, deceiving others, and stealing. Similarly, there are various kinds of virtuous deeds.
The consequences of virtuous and sinful actions depend on the recipient. Take lying, for example: while the act of lying remains the same, its consequences vary depending on whom it was told to. The outcome corresponds to the spiritual state of the person against whom the sin was committed.
The same applies to charity - it matters to whom you give charity. For instance, suppose you gave twenty-five thousand rupees to a person of tamasic nature because he persistently pressured you for it. However, if he used that money to buy a gun and murder a noble person, your charity would lead you to hell after death. Likewise, if you gave charity to a person of rajasic nature and he spent that money on food, drinks, and luxury, you would receive rajasic fruits. If you donated to a person of sattvic nature, you would attain heaven for some time after death. However, if that same charity were given for a cause related to God or for a saint, you would receive the grace of God.
Thus, the fruit of an action depends on the recipient, not just the action itself. That is why the scriptures and Vedas state, "deśe kāle ca pātre ca" - one must carefully consider the place, time, and recipient before performing any action.
The Bhagavat states concisely:
"brāhmaṇeṣvapi vedajño hyarthajño'bhyadhikastaḥ" -
Giving charity to a Brahmin is the best among all embodied beings.
However, the merit of donating to thousands of Brahmins is equal to the merit of donating to one Brahmin who is knowledgeable in the Vedas.
And the merit of donating to thousands of such Vedic scholars is obtained by giving charity to one Brahmin who also understands the meaning of the Vedas.
"arthajñātsaṃśayacchetā tataḥ śreyānsvakarmakṛt" -
Even greater fruit than giving to thousands of such Brahmins is obtained by donating to a Brahmin who is capable of removing doubts.
Even greater than giving to thousands of such Brahmins is donating to a Brahmin who practically follows the duties prescribed in the Vedas.
Even greater than donating to thousands of such dutiful Brahmins is giving to one who performs actions without attachment, offering everything to God.
And most important of all is the one who has attained God. Any charity done for such a person with body, mind, and wealth yields the highest benefit.
Similarly, sinful actions are also graded according to the recipient.
If you speak ill of a sinful person, it is not considered a great sin.
If you speak ill of a rajasic person, it is a slightly greater sin.
If you speak ill of a sāttvic person, it is a great sin.
But if you speak ill of God, it is a very great sin - this is called nāmāparādh.
An even greater sin than this is speaking ill of a saint.
"viṣṇu sthāne kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ guru sthāne pramucyate"
An offense committed toward God can be pardoned by the Guru. However -
"guru sthāne kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ vajralepo bhaviṣyati" -
An an offense committed toward a devotee or Guru cannot be forgiven even by God. God makes no compromise in this matter.
For example, when Sage Durvasa committed an offense toward Shri Krishna's devotee Ambarish, God set His Sudarshan Chakra after him. Durvasa was a Brahmin sage, a great ascetic, possessed all siddhis (mystic powers), and was even the Guru of Shri Krishna. Yet, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva - all refused to help him. They told him to seek forgiveness from the one against whom he had committed the offense. Even God Himself could not pardon him. Finally, Durvasa fell at the feet of the Kshatriya king Ambarish and wept. Only then did the Sudarshan Chakra stop pursuing him.
Thus, the magnitude of both sins and virtues becomes lesser or greater according to their recipient. Understanding this principle, one should serve with body, mind, and wealth carefully. One must not be careless about this.
Just as in the world, even an illiterate villager is punished by the government if he commits a crime -
He cannot plead, "I am uneducated. How would I know the rules and laws?"
Similarly, we cannot ask God, "How would I know who is worthy and who is not? I have not studied the scriptures and Vedas. How could I know the definitions of sin and virtue?" The response will be - "You should have approached saints to understand these things. You were given a human body for that very purpose. Why were you careless?"
The fruits of virtue and sin are received strictly according to the recipient.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Kamna Aur Upasna - Hindi
Hello True Happiness! - English
There are two types of actions - good and bad, virtuous and sinful, auspicious and inauspicious, material and divine.
Good actions are those related to God, while bad actions are those related to Maya. The same distinction applies to the definitions of virtue and sin, though few truly understand this.
There are many types of sins, such as lying, deceiving others, and stealing. Similarly, there are various kinds of virtuous deeds.
The consequences of virtuous and sinful actions depend on the recipient. Take lying, for example: while the act of lying remains the same, its consequences vary depending on whom it was told to. The outcome corresponds to the spiritual state of the person against whom the sin was committed.
The same applies to charity - it matters to whom you give charity. For instance, suppose you gave twenty-five thousand rupees to a person of tamasic nature because he persistently pressured you for it. However, if he used that money to buy a gun and murder a noble person, your charity would lead you to hell after death. Likewise, if you gave charity to a person of rajasic nature and he spent that money on food, drinks, and luxury, you would receive rajasic fruits. If you donated to a person of sattvic nature, you would attain heaven for some time after death. However, if that same charity were given for a cause related to God or for a saint, you would receive the grace of God.
Thus, the fruit of an action depends on the recipient, not just the action itself. That is why the scriptures and Vedas state, "deśe kāle ca pātre ca" - one must carefully consider the place, time, and recipient before performing any action.
The Bhagavat states concisely:
"brāhmaṇeṣvapi vedajño hyarthajño'bhyadhikastaḥ" -
Giving charity to a Brahmin is the best among all embodied beings.
However, the merit of donating to thousands of Brahmins is equal to the merit of donating to one Brahmin who is knowledgeable in the Vedas.
And the merit of donating to thousands of such Vedic scholars is obtained by giving charity to one Brahmin who also understands the meaning of the Vedas.
"arthajñātsaṃśayacchetā tataḥ śreyānsvakarmakṛt" -
Even greater fruit than giving to thousands of such Brahmins is obtained by donating to a Brahmin who is capable of removing doubts.
Even greater than giving to thousands of such Brahmins is donating to a Brahmin who practically follows the duties prescribed in the Vedas.
Even greater than donating to thousands of such dutiful Brahmins is giving to one who performs actions without attachment, offering everything to God.
And most important of all is the one who has attained God. Any charity done for such a person with body, mind, and wealth yields the highest benefit.
Similarly, sinful actions are also graded according to the recipient.
If you speak ill of a sinful person, it is not considered a great sin.
If you speak ill of a rajasic person, it is a slightly greater sin.
If you speak ill of a sāttvic person, it is a great sin.
But if you speak ill of God, it is a very great sin - this is called nāmāparādh.
An even greater sin than this is speaking ill of a saint.
"viṣṇu sthāne kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ guru sthāne pramucyate"
An offense committed toward God can be pardoned by the Guru. However -
"guru sthāne kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ vajralepo bhaviṣyati" -
An an offense committed toward a devotee or Guru cannot be forgiven even by God. God makes no compromise in this matter.
For example, when Sage Durvasa committed an offense toward Shri Krishna's devotee Ambarish, God set His Sudarshan Chakra after him. Durvasa was a Brahmin sage, a great ascetic, possessed all siddhis (mystic powers), and was even the Guru of Shri Krishna. Yet, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva - all refused to help him. They told him to seek forgiveness from the one against whom he had committed the offense. Even God Himself could not pardon him. Finally, Durvasa fell at the feet of the Kshatriya king Ambarish and wept. Only then did the Sudarshan Chakra stop pursuing him.
Thus, the magnitude of both sins and virtues becomes lesser or greater according to their recipient. Understanding this principle, one should serve with body, mind, and wealth carefully. One must not be careless about this.
Just as in the world, even an illiterate villager is punished by the government if he commits a crime -
He cannot plead, "I am uneducated. How would I know the rules and laws?"
Similarly, we cannot ask God, "How would I know who is worthy and who is not? I have not studied the scriptures and Vedas. How could I know the definitions of sin and virtue?" The response will be - "You should have approached saints to understand these things. You were given a human body for that very purpose. Why were you careless?"
The fruits of virtue and sin are received strictly according to the recipient.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Kamna Aur Upasna - Hindi
Hello True Happiness! - English
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