Faith is Important
(Tattvaloka , November 2008)
The śāstrās mention different fruits (phalam) for different karmās. Nowadays, many people doubt whether what the śāstrās say is correct, because they have not attained the desired results.
Bhagavan says in the Gītā
अश्रद्धया हुतं दत्तं तपस्तप्तं कृतं च यत्। असदित्युच्यते पार्थ न च तत्प्रेत्य नो इह॥
It means that karmā undertaken without faith will not yield the expected result. If there is no desired result, we must understand that the karmā has not been done with due faith.
Is it right to condemn the śāstrās as false, merely because one has not got the desired result for an action done without any faith, that which has to be done with proper faith?
No, it is absolutely wrong. The śāstrās are never at fault. It is the proper faith that is important in doing karmās.
Some may ask, “What is faith”?, Sankara Bhagavatpada has said:
शास्त्रस्य गुरुवाक्यस्य सत्यबुध्याऽवधारणा। सा श्रद्धा कथिता सद्भिः।
Unshakable conviction in the śāstrās and the words of the guru is called faith. Activities performed with such faith will definitely yield fruits.
The Puranas point out that Daksha Prajapati reaped adverse results from his yajñā because he performed it without due concentration and faith.
One has to undertake karmās with total faith in the śāstrās and guru vākya if the desired objective is to be achieved.
Bhagavan again says in the Gītā:
श्रद्धावान् लभते ज्ञानम्।
That is, only the one who, remaining in the proximity of the guru, takes the guru’s initiation with utmost faith will attain jñāna.
Hence, faith is an important aspect of human life.
Let all attain grace by performing karmās with such earnestness.
