[Advaita-l] Alas, the super power of Karma

[V Subrahmanian]

Bhatrhari says in the Neetishatakam:

ब्रह्मा येन कुलालवन्नियमितो ब्रह्माण्डभाण्डोदरे
विष्णुर्येन दशावतारगहने क्षिप्तो महासङ्कटे ।
रुद्रो येन कपालपाणिपुटके भिक्षाटनं कारितः
सूर्यो भ्राम्यति नित्यमेव गगने, तस्मै नमः कर्मणे ॥

Obeisance to that powerful karma due to which Brahma has been assigned the
position of a potter (who makes pots) in the Cosmic arena , Vishnu has been
cast into the miserable depths of the ten forms, Rudra has been made to go
begging with a bowl in his hands and Surya revolves constantly in the sky.

The verse is a satire on samsara where the activity of creation etc. is
inevitable and the gods who are involved in those acts are also under the
compulsion of being subject to the acts without any choice on their part.

जिस कर्म ने विधाता को ब्रह्माण्डरूपी पात्र के अन्दर कुम्हार की तरह सृष्टि
कार्य हेतु नियोजित किया, विष्णु को दशावतार रूपी कष्टतम कार्य में नियुक्त
किया, शंकर को हाथ में खप्पर लेकर भिक्षाटन कराया और सूर्य को आकाश में
निरन्तर भ्रमण कराता है, उस कर्म को नमस्कार है ।