Karma (noun): A force or law of nature which causes one to reap what one sows; destiny; fate.

Revenge (noun): Any form of personal retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some perceived harm or injustice.

Retribution (noun): Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

My friend Srikar and I were having a discussion on Karma and revenge when he told me an interesting story that I shall elaborate now…

Once, a Guru with his disciples were walking towards the bank of a river. Along the way a group of boys passed by and they picked on one of the disciples, making fun of his attire and his bald head. The disciple spoke not a word in retaliation. The boys went ahead and got into a boat to cross the river. When they reached the middle of the river, strong currents overturned their boat and all the boys drowned in the river. On seeing this, the Guru turned to his disciple and scolded him, ‘Why couldn’t you say something in retaliation? Your small act of revenge could have saved them from their Karma.’

In this way Srikar justifies his need for revenge. If someone harms him he prefers to harm them back to protect them from greater damage or so his belief goes.

It is a funny theory but surprisingly all religions have it in some way or the other, because that is how the laws of the world are. The world has a moral order in which it is built. If we break that order there is a consequence that has to be borne. To say it in the words of William Barclay:

“Break the laws of agriculture –your harvest fails. Break the laws of architecture –your building collapses. Break the laws of health –your body suffers.”

Whatever you do will have a pleasant or an unpleasant rebound effect. That is the law of nature whether you attribute it to a god or not.

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My dad is a naval officer. During his tenure in the defence, his compassion towards his subordinates had earned him fierce loyalty in their ranks. Every time I meet one of them they speak very highly of my father and of how well he managed the workings of the departments under him. And more than once I have been told that the blessings on my parents will be reaped by their children.

Many seniors to show their power and control over their inferiors withhold some of their privileges. This not only happens in the defence but also among civilian ranks. When someone under them is denied in some manner or the other and are unable to retaliate in any way, in their helplessness they can only cry out to their God. And it is their God who listens to their cry. When God comes to fight your battles, the retaliation goes beyond the basic moral laws of Karma, or so my father says quoting stories of God’s revenge that he knows of personally. And so my father says to me that the best way to judge a man is to see how he treats his subordinates.

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I shall now mention another case here. A friend I know of, tries out the Christian way of dealing with enemies…she forgives them. She quotes the words of Jesus thus:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the sinners doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than the others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”    –Mat 5:43-48

Forgiving enemies is a hard bargain for anyone, sometimes even as good as impossible to do so. When I asked her how she did it she told me something like this:

‘When someone hurts me, my first reaction is anger. I keep myself from retaliating and instead speak of my sorrows to my God. Speaking and crying it out is just one part of it. While most people wish for evil done to their wrongdoers at this point, I pray for the strength to forgive them. It is not easy at all. But surprisingly strength does come and slowly in that calm state of mind you can put yourself in their shoes and understand the reason to their behaviour. Once you understand that you begin to feel sorry for them. Then it is much easier to forgive, it is easier to bless them and it becomes easier to move on.

‘Once I have given up on my personal vendetta, the revenge is taken up by God. There definitely is a divine justice but it is not something that I am looking forward to or rejoicing in. Most times I don’t even know of it. But the most beautiful result of this is that the relationship is somehow mended. They invariably come back and the relationship is at times better than what it previously was.’

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So whether it is waiting for Karma, crying for God’s retribution, forgiving your enemy or plotting your own revenge, the one common thread that connects everything is the need for a human to be justified with a result. It is an egocentric thought to expect the universe to be responsible for the pain you’re going through, or a God in his infinite magnitude to right the wrongs done to you. You need a result, not just an explanation, but a definite result. The result is what brings an order in life and a hope for the future. The hope that what goes around comes around, not to us, not at all, but to others, always to others.