KARMA (कर्म) VS ACTION
-Shree Basudeba Mishra Sharma
A scientist friend asked the meaning of: कर्म कर्मसाध्यं न विद्यते । वैशेषिक – १,१.११ । Literally it means, there is no proof to show that action gives rise to another action. But it appears contradictory to everyday observation. This was my reply.
There is a vast difference between Karma (कर्म) in Vaisheshik (वैशेषिक), which is much wider and more scientific, and Action in Action Theories in modern physics and mathematics.
In modern mathematics, action is defined as time evolution of motion as the integral over time of the Lagrangian (the nature and behavior of fluid parcels, also the motion of solid objects). It is the motion of a system using the principle of stationary or least action (which says that the action must be stationary for a physical path – physical fields and particles will sometimes take extreme values, which are maximal or minimal – a functional over paths that describe what is the motion of the system over a particular path). It is a very confusing and unscientific definition, because only forces can initiate action. After the initial action, the force ceases to operate and the body moves due to inertia at a fixed rate – hence least action – till another force disturbs it. It has the units of energy × time or momentum × length, and its SI unit is joule per second (like the Planck constant h) – the same unit as that of linear/angular momentum, which is highly unscientific. This motion, in Vaisheshika parlance, is one of the five types of Karma called Gamanam (गमनम्). But in modern science, it is often wrongly analysed and applied.
Acceleration (अतिशयाधानम्) and displacement (motion) are treated as nonparallel – the net force on the object is also in the direction of acceleration. This does not properly describe linear or circular motions, but deals with cases only where the object oscillates about a central point. When the displacement becomes zero due to friction and weight, the net force on the object is not zero, and this is not the equilibrium point of the oscillation. The weight of the object pulls it downward, which accelerates till it passes the equilibrium point and becomes zero in the opposite direction. This is the basic principle of pendulum, where time period remains constant. The maximum displacement between the equilibrium position and the extreme position of the pendulum is known as the amplitude of the oscillation.
In modern physics, action is a numerical value – a scalar quantity – an attribute of the dynamics of a physical system that describes how the balance of kinetic versus potential energy of a physical system changes with trajectory (also called path or history of the system as its argument, which has a real number as its result) as an input to the principle of stationary act ion. For systems with small values of action similar to the Planck constant, quantum effects are significant. Whether the path is determined due to inertia or application of force or properties of the object, are not specified, though each affect the path differently. Generally, the action takes different values for different paths.
KARMA (कर्म) THEORY:
Karma (कर्म), according to Vaisheshika, is defined as: एकद्रव्यमगुणं संयोगविभागेष्वनपेक्ष कारणमिति कर्मलक्षणम् । वैशेषिक-१,१.१७ । Karma is related to and is seen in every object individually and separately from others, devoid of any properties other than independently moving objects to couple or decouple with other objects or to another position. The minimum amount of Karma is the motion of the smallest perceivable particle (परमाणु – quarks) from its position to the adjacent position – which is the same as the extent (वयोनाध – mass) of the particle – which is called पारिमाण्डल्य. This is the same as the Planck’s unit.
Each Karma (कर्म) is momentary and discreet (भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसंज्ञित – the displacement that reveals changes in a body based on its inherent properties, is called motion – the duration of a moment may vary) and follows the sequence: –
- Work (क्रिया) starts due to weight, fluidity, application of force or contact with something (गुरुत्वद्रवत्वप्रयत्नसंयोगजत्वं).
- This leads to decoupling of the particle in which motion starts from the space occupied by it or from other substances (क्रियातो विभागः).
- Such decoupling leads to cessation of its relation from its previous position or from other substances (विभागात् पूर्वसंयोगः नाशः).
- This leads to coupling with the adjacent space or object (ततो उत्तरसंयोगः) in a continuum of positions due to inertia (संयोगविभागवेगानां कर्म समानम् । वैशेषिक-१,१.२० ।). One motion ends here, because the object moves away from the cause that led to the subsequent motion.
Karma is characterized by 11 properties (एकद्रव्यवत्त्वं क्षणिकत्वं मूर्तद्रव्यवृत्तित्वम् अगुणवत्वं गुरुत्वद्रवत्वप्रयत्नसंयोगजत्वं स्वकार्यसंयोगविरोधित्वं संयोगविभागनिरपेक्षकारणत्वम् असमवायिकारणत्वं स्वपराश्रयसमवेतकार्यारम्भकत्वं समानजातीयानारम्भकत्वं द्रव्यानारम्भकत्वं च प्रतिनियतजातियोगित्वम् । दिग्विशिष्टकार्यारम्भकत्वं च विशेषः ।।).
It acts as a catalyst to move the object (असमवायिकारणत्वम्), due to weight, fluidity, application of force or contact with something (गुरुत्वद्रवत्वप्रयत्नसंयोगजत्वम्) – factors that cause the object (एकद्रव्यवत्त्वं, मूर्तद्रव्यवृत्तित्वम्) to move at any instant (क्षणिकत्वम्). It ceases to operate after its function is over (स्वकार्यसंयोगविरोधित्वम्). Since it ends with its own after moving the object (it is detached from the object after the object is displaced), it can’t generate any further motion in the body (समानजातीयानारम्भकत्वम्). Since energy can’t be created or destroyed, it starts another motion either in the same base (like a train engine, which is joined to the bogies because friction reduces its speed and keeps it joined to the bogies), or another base (स्वपराश्रयसमवेतकार्यारम्भकत्वम्). But motion can’t create other objects (द्रव्यानारम्भकत्वम्), which requires interaction between two bodies (संशर बन्धनम्). It always acts in a fixed direction (दिग्विशिष्टकार्यारम्भकत्वम्) – be it up (away from a center), down (towards a center), or lateral movement of compression-expansion, or moving in any other way (प्रतिनियतजातियोगित्वम्).
One Karma (कर्म) ends with work (कार्य) done (कार्यविरोधि कर्म । वैशेषिक-१,१.१४). This makes it one quantum (पारिमाण्डल्य) – now known as Planck’s constant h bar or h divided by 2π in case of angular momentum. Then the next Karma (कर्म) starts due to inertia (प्रथमक्रियानाशः → द्वितीयक्रियोत्पत्तिः). This sequence is treated as the universal characteristic of motion. The effect is work done (क्रिया) at one moment (क्षण – which is the minimum unit of time). What is seen as continuous motion is not one action, but a series of motions (hence hν, where ν is the frequency of the electromagnetic wave).
All motions are in waves only (तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषाम् – ऋग्वेदः १०.१२९.५) because there is no void and everything moves ahead by shifting the media sideways like pushing through a crowd. The more energetic you are relative to the medium (higher frequency – number of occurrences of a repeating event in a unit of time), the less will be your displacement (amplitude – a periodic variable, which is a measure of its change/variation in a given period such as time or spatial period – instant hurl (विक्षेप), and wave-length – distance between the two closest points in phase with each other – तटस्थ परिणाम) while moving in forward direction (दैशिक परिणाम – direction). In the quantum world, because of our inability to differentiate between the particle and its motion due to scale factor, we confuse it as wave-particle duality. Waves only pass on momentum and not move the object. Wavefunction has no physical or real meaning. It is a meaningless abstraction.
Karma (कर्म) can be of five types: उत्क्षेपणमवक्षेपणं आकुञ्चनं प्रसारणं गमनमिति कर्माणि । वैशेषिक-१,१.७. Literally it means: 1) moving away from a central point (तत्रोत्क्षेपणं शरीरावयवेषु तत्सम्बद्धेषु च यदूर्ध्वभाग्भिः प्रदेशैः संयोगकारणमधोभाग्भिश्च प्रदेशैः विभागकारणम्), 2) moving from a point away from a central point towards the centre (तद्विपरीतसंयोगविभागकारणं कर्मापक्षेपणम्), 3) compression (ऋजुनो द्रव्यस्याग्रावयवानां तद्देशैर्विभागः संयोगश्च मूलप्रदेशैर्येन कर्मणावयवी कुटिलः संजायते तदाकुश्वनम्), 4) expansion (तद्विपर्ययेण संयोगविभागोत्पत्तौ येन कर्मणावयवी ऋजुः सम्पद्यते तत्प्रसारणम्), and 5) all other motions (यदनियतदिक्प्रदेशसंयोगविभागकारणं तद् गमनमिति). Alpha decay, strong nuclear interaction, beta decay (emitted electron is compressed and locally adjusted), electromagnetic interaction (flows from high concentration to low concentration), are included in the first four types respectively. Modern action theory belongs to the fifth type of Karma – Gamanam (गमनम्).
The effects of action are divided into four categories as follows:
- उत्पाद्य – creation – generation of a body similar in property with the earlier body.
- आप्य – consolidation – simple assimilation, without any change in property.
- संस्कार्य–transformation due to addition leading to change in property. This includes inertia (संस्कार – गुणान्तर आधानम्).
- विकार्य- transmutation due to reduction of some parts leading to change in property.
Any event leading to the above effects is called an action (क्रिया).
The equations of motion of the system is wrongly derived through the principle of stationary action. In the simple case of a single particle moving with a specified velocity (actually inertia of motion – संयोगविभागवेगानां कर्म समानम् । वैशेषिक-१,१.२० ।), the action is NOT the momentum of the particle times the distance it moves, added up along its path, or equivalently, twice its kinetic energy times the length of time for which it has that amount of energy, added up over the period of time under consideration. This is because after the body moves due to application of force, it is disconnected to the source of the force and moves due to inertia only. The inertia so generated (गुणान्तर आधानम् – आधीयते स्थाप्यते यत् कर्म्मणि ल्युट्) takes into account the mass/weight of the body. Hence, velocity and momentum are not different from inertia of motion and should not be used superfluously. However, if the inertia is changed due to some effect, it generates acceleration (अतिशयाधानम्). For more complicated systems, all such quantities are added together.
Causality (कार्यकारणभाव) is universal. A cause defined as immediate temporal precedence (नियतपूर्ववर्त्ती). For this reason, effect cannot precede cause (कारणाभावात् कार्याभावः । वैशेषिक-१,२.१ ।). But cause can exist without effect (न तु कार्याभावात् कारणाभावः । वैशेषिक-१,२.२ ।). There are 13 types of causes. An effect may require more than one type of cause. Some could be material or constituent cause (उपादान समवायी कारण). Some could be catalytic cause (असमवायी कारण). Some could be instrumental cause (निमित्तकारण). When all necessary causes are present, the effect takes place instantaneously. Of these, objects are material causes of everything (द्रव्यगुणकर्मणां द्रव्यं कारणं सामान्यम् । वैशेषिक-१,१.१८ ।). Objects, by themselves, can’t generate motion (न द्रव्याणां कर्म । वैशेषिक-१,१.२१ ।). Since one Karma ends (at the next moment) before the object is formed, it can’t be instrumental in generating another Karma. The next Karma is generated due to inertia of motion (वेग) or coupling with some other object as an effect of the previous action, which has ceased to exist.
For this reason, it is said that there is no proof to show that action gives rise to another action (कर्म कर्मसाध्यं न विद्यते । वैशेषिक-१,१.११ ।).
