Acharya Vaani
prArabdhakarmajasyaiva viShabhaxAnmR^iteriva |
prAptasyApyanivartyasya ki~ncidbhuktasya saMvidA |
upamarda iha proktaH | A.V 3.4.4
When a person attains aparoxa j~nAna, all his past karma gets destroyed except the prArabdha karmAs which are to be destroyed only by their phala bhoga. There is a shastraic injunction ‘brahma hA kshayarogI syAt’ - a person who commits brahma hatya will be inflicted with kshaya roga. As a result even an aparoxa j~nAnI will have to suffer from kshyaya roga due to his prArabdha karma. But, due to the power of his knowledge, he need not endure the kshyaya roga in the same way a normal person would have to. Neither can he remain totally un-affected by it. Though he has to suffer from kshaya roga, the intensity or the duration of the kshaya roga will be reduced due to the power of his knowledge. In shastraic terms this reduction in karma phala is known as upamarda.
Here one may question, according to the shastraic injunction ‘avashyamanubhoktavyaM kR^itaM karma shubhAshubhaM’ - the results of prArabdha karma have to be necessarily endured by everyone. Therefore, how can there be an upamarda of the karma phala? To this we reply, when some one partakes poison, normally he will die. But not always. He could be saved by some poison-curing mantra or medicine. Similarly the entire phala of prArabdha karmas should be normally endured. But not necessarily. upamarda is possible due to the power of knowledge. So, it should be understood that the shastraic injunction ‘avashyamanubhoktavyaM kR^itaM karma shubhAshubhaM’ is a general injunction applicable to non-j~nAnIs. upamarda of karma phala should be understood to be applicable to j~nAnIs.
