The Law Of Karma Applies To All
It is mentioned in the Scriptures that our so called Avtaars and great personalities could not escape the Law of Karma.
I have read that for an incarnation of God, to don the human body, He has to acquire the alloy of ‘Maya’( The world of illusion).
One of the Laws that pertains to ‘Maya’ is the ‘Law of Karma’.
Allow me to give you a few examples.
Once King Dasharatha, was out on a hunting spree. He was so proficient in the art; that he could aim, at his target, only by hearing a sound.
On a certain trip, he mistook a young boy as a deer, and fired!
The boy died.
This young boy’s name was Shravan Kumar.
This young boy was a devoted son. His aged parents were blind. He was carrying them over his shoulder on wicker baskets, to a pilgrimage center that his parents so wished to visit. The boy had gone to get drinking water for his thirsty mother and father, when he was mistaken for a deer by King Dasharatha, and fired upon and killed!
King Dasharatha repented for his hasty action, but the old parents cursed him.
They prophesied that King Dasharatha would give up his life pining for his son, just like the two old helpless people were about to do.
Those who have read the Ramayana are aware that King Dasharatha died pining for his son Rama when the latter was banished to the forest for 14 long years through no fault of his.
Allow me to give you another example.
Sri Rama, during his sojourn in the forest killed King Bali..
Bali had unjustly banished his brother Sugreeva from the kingdom and had forcibly taken his brother’s wife for himself.
Rama promised to help Sugreeva get his kingdom and wife back.
A battle ensued.
While Sugreeva and Bali fought, Rama shot an arrow from behind a tree and Bali was killed.
Some argue that Shri Ram should have allowed the 2 brothers to fight without intervention from his side. And maybe He should not have not shot the arrow from behind the tree.
(Shooting from behind a tree is symbolic. We may think that we fight and win all the battles of life but it is actually God’s unseen hand that is behind our victories).
While Bali lay wounded he asked Rama to take care of his son.
Rama wanted to bring Bali back to life since Bali felt repentant of his previous deeds. But Bali being a good soul, who had been deluded for a while, feared that he may not have the opportunity of dying in the Lord’s arms if he chose to recuperate from his wounds this time.
Bali died with a smile on his lips.
I said earlier that “While Sugreeva and Bali fought, Rama shot an arrow from behind a tree and Bali was killed”
That action had to have a reaction according to the Law of Karma.
When Sri Rama incarnated as Sri Krishna, the latter was shot at by a hunter who mistook him for a prey.
That shot proved to be fatal for Lord Krishna. When the hunter became inconsolable due to his careless act, Sri Krishna calmly said that the hunter was not to blame.
It was the rightful reaction. Sri Krishna had killed Bali during His incarnation as Shri Ram and now Shri Krishna was to leave the body because of the hunter!
To Krishna death did not matter as He believed that the Aatman (Soul) is imperishable.
You might ask that did Krishna not have the power to NOT be subjected to the Law of Karma?
And I say to you, that maybe He did, but He probably wanted to set an example, of how to take the inescapable with equanimity.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar believes that Rama and Krishna went through a gamut of human experience in order to make us realise that God need not be a distant concept; God can be one among us…
The concept of avataar is common in the East in countries like India, China, Japan, Korea and Nepal. Nripo Narayano Hari: the king is regarded as the avtaar of Vishnu. Vaidhyo Narayano Hari: The doctor too, is venerated as Vishnu-avatar…the avatar is like a mother going to her child; there is greater emotional bonding…Your love for God becomes authentic when you are assured of His love for you. In the Bhagavad Geeta it is Krishna who first tells Arjuna “You are dear to me”, which enabled Arjuna to surrender…
…Since ages, we’ve been striving to reduce the gap between ourselves and God. There are two ways to do this: One way is to elevate humankind towards Divinity …The second way is to bring God down to human level in avatar form…Whenever you feel immense respect, wherever you get a glimpse of Divinity, know that it is avatar…
Shakun Kimatrai 