[Chaturamnaya] The Problem of Evil - 3 (Solution)

[S Jayanarayanan]

Sankara explains that the Ishvara is perfectly JUST, with not a trace of
partiality or cruelty in His rule of the world. The so-called "injustice" or
"inequality" that is perceived in the world does not take into account
the (unperceived) fact that the living creatures have had a past life and are
merely reaping the effects of their own past actions in the present.
So the Ishvara has created the world in accordance with the past Karma of
the presently living creatures.

For an individual:

   Past body  +  Past Karma  ---Ishvara--->  Present body

Since various individuals have acted differently in their past,
their present situations are also different. No blame attaches to the Ishvara.

Swami Gambhirananda’s translation follows.

---

{BSB 2.1.34 continued}

tasmaadvaiShamyanairghRRiNyaprasa~NgaanneshvaraH kaaraNamityevaM
praapte bruumaH - vaiShamyanairghRRiNye neshvarasya prasajyete .

Vedantin: To this we say, "No partiality or cruelty can be charged against God."


kasmaat ?

How can this be so?


saapekShatvaat .
yadi hi nirapekShaH kevala iishvaro viShamaaM sRRiShTiM nirmimiite syaataametau
doShau vaiShamyaM nairghRRiNyaM cha .
natu nirapekShasya nirmaatRRitvamasti .
saapekSho hiishvaro viShamaaM sRRiShTiM nirmimiite .
kimapekShata iti chet .
dharmaadharmaavapekShata iti vadaamaH .
ataH sRRijyamaanapraaNidharmaadharmaapekShaa viShamaa sRRiShTiriti
naayamiishlavarasyaaparaadhaH .
iishvarastu parjanyavaddraShTavyaH .
yathaahi parjanyo vriihiyavaadisRRiShTau saadhaaraNaM kaaraNaM bhavati,
vriihiyavaadivaiShamye tu tattadbiijagataanyevaasaadhaaraNaani saamarthyaani
kaaraNaani bhavanti, evamiishvaro devamanuShyaadisRRiShTau saadhaaraNaM
kaaraNaM kShavati .
devamanuShyaadivaiShamye tu tattajjiivagataanyevaasaadhaaraNaani karmaaNi kaaraNaani
bhavantyevamiishvaraH saapekShatvaanna vaiShamyanairghRRiNyaabhyaaM duShyati .
kathaM punaravagamyate saapekSha iishvaro niichamadhyamottamaM saMsaaraM nirmimiita iti .
tathaahi darshayati shrutiH - 'eSha hyeva saadhu karma kaarayati taM yamebhyo lokebhya
unniniiShata eSha u evaasaadhu karma kaarayati taM yamadho niniiShate'
(kau.braa. 3.8) iti .
'puNyo vai puNyena karmaNaa bhavati paapaH paapena' (bRRi. 3.2.13) iti cha .
smRRitirapi praaNikarmavisheShaapekShameveshvarasyaanugrahiitatvaM cha darshayati-
'ye yathaa maaM prapadyante taaMstathaiva bhajaamyaham' (bha.gii. 4.11)
ityeva~njaatiiyakaa ..

"Because of His taking other factors into consideration." Had God created this
erratic world by Himself, irrespective of other factors, He would be open to these
charges of partiality and cruelty. But in His isolation (from these) He has
no creatorship, for God makes this unequal creation by taking the help of other factors.

What factors does he take into consideration?

We say that these are merit and demerit {dharma and adharma}. No fault attaches to God,
since this unequal creation is brought about in conformity with the virtues and vices
of the creatures that are about to be born. Rather, God is to be compared to rain.
Just as rainfall is a common cause for the growth of paddy, barley, etc., the special
reasons for the differences of paddy, barley, etc., being the individual potentiality
of the respective seeds, similarly God is the common cause for the birth of gods, men,
and others, while the individual fruits of works associated with the individual
creatures are the uncommon causes for the creation of the differences amont the
gods, men, and others. Thus God is not open to the defects of partiality and cruelty,
since He takes other factors into consideration.

How, again, is it known that God creates this world of high, low, and medium conditions
in accordance with other factors?

"For so the Vedas show" in, "It is He indeed who makes him perform virtuous deeds whom
He would raise high above these worlds; and it is He indeed who makes him perform
vicious deeds whom He would cast below these worlds" (Kaushitaki Brahmana 3.8),
"It becomes virtuous through good acts, and vicious through evil acts"
(Brihadaranyaka 3.2.13, 4.4.5). The Smriti also shows that God's dispensation of
favour and disfavour is contingent on the specific merit of the work done by
each creature, e.g. "In whatever way men worship Me, in the same way do I fulfill
their desires" (Gita 4.11), and other texts of a similar import.