Karma involved in adopting a child – Case to Case Details!
A woman devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare krishna prabhuji. We are trying to conceive a baby but it is not happening bcz of my husband low sperm count we tried naturopathy and ayurveda but we fail to conceive. Allopathy doctors said IVF is the only way. But it’s very expensive and unnatural. Sometimes I feel we can adopt a baby. Will adoption be good option as per shastra? If yes how to do that? Ifeel afraid that if i can conceive after the adoption how my husband will behave with that adopted baby?Pls guide us.
REPLY:
The Karma involved in adopting a child depends on why you adopt a child, i.e., for what purpose you adopt a child.
Let us See few cases of why a child is adopted:
(1) ADOPTING FOR THE CONTINUITY OF YOUR GENERATION:
Adopting a child for the continuity of our generation is not right as per the karma rules.
(How to stop children scrolling videos on mobile (devotional also)? READ HERE!)
Why?
If a boy and girl are destined to have no child to continue their generation, they should live accepting that karma.
That means, they may be very good persons now, but they might have acted severely to affect the life of a child or its parents in their previous birth (or) they might have prevented or stopped the birth of a child by aborting it.
Why abortion is objected by the scriptures and acharyas?
Abortion is a serious karmic act because, we block the right of that child to take birth and live for a certain years.
Because of aborting and preventing the child from taking birth and live in our previous birth, we would have added the karma of having no child in our next birth (current) to continue our generation.
So, we should accept that karma and live without a child throughout the current life.
By leading a life without having a child, we will clear our karma of having no child in this birth.
(Is marrying, but not getting children allowed for the devotees? READ HERE!)
So, we will have a nice child in our next birth. Or, if we follow devotion sincerely, we can even stop our births further.
If we adopt a child, we will violate our karma of having no child by getting a child got by others. The child whom we aborted in the previous birth will not get its justice. Only if we suffer without a child, that aborted child will get justice.
Karma is based on EQUATIONS and EQUATING the actions and reactions for those actions.
We will enjoy the company and benefits of having a child in this birth in spite of our karma of no child.
So, if we enjoy the company and comforts of having a child by adopting, Our karma of having no child will be postponed to our next birth.
That means, we will not have a child in the next birth too.
And, we will also not be able to adopt a child in our next birth as the conditions will be tightened that will prevent our getting a child through adoption.
Therefore, it is good to accept and face the karma of having no child in this birth itself if the purpose of adopting the child is to continue the generation.
Though one adopts a child, it may be his legal child, but only the genetically got child is the official member in the progeny, i.e, generation.
(2) GETTING A CHILD THRU TREATMENTS & PROCEDURES:
However, you can get a child thru treatments thru the sperm of husband only, not getting sperm donation that is a violation and polygamy. A single person’s 1 or 2 ml. of semen will produce 100 or more children. But the actual father is that sperm donor only. So, it is polygamy that is not permitted ethically.
Karma allows getting a child only after treatments or procedures for some persons if their child related karma was not that much severe in their previous birth.
A devotee once asked:
“Hare krishna prabhuji. Is taking medicines for diseases is also against karma? pls guide the right”
Reply:
Treatments will work only if one has the karma of getting cured thru treatments. You can get a child by any means, but strictly using the sperm cells of husband even thru modern techniques. Only if the karma expects you to spend for doctors to get a child, such situation will arise. So, getting a child thru treatments is allowed by karma rules. Even during Krishna’s avatar period, such treatments were there.
(3) ADOPTING TO HELP THE BABY:
Ok, If we adopt to add a good karma in our life by giving a good life to an orphan baby or poor baby by adopting him/ her, NOT TO CONTINUE THE GENERATION, will it give bad karma to us?
Reply:
You can either help the orphanages or you can adopt JUST TO HELP THAT CHILD without considering that child as your generation. Don’t try to continue your generation, by having a child by adopting.
Though you legally adopt, it is not your baby as per sastras. Only if got thru the hudband’s sperms, it is his child.
Point is, though you adopt a child, you can say that it is your adopted child, not your own child. You just got thru some paper works legally to avoid legal claims later.
Legal ownership need not mean real ownership.
So, adopting just to help that orphaned child without considering that child as your legal generation, adds good karma for you.
Instead, if you consider and publicize as if that child is the member in your generation, it is not correct as per karma rules. It will postpone the karma of no child in this birth to the next birth.
So, the conclusion is:
Adoption to continue generation / progeny is not right as per karma rules;
Adoption to support a child to stabilize in life and till that child starts earning is good karma and hence will good child in the next birth.
Hope you are clear about the Karma involved in adopting a child considering case to case!
(Is a Devotee Couple Avoiding Children for economic reasons right? READ HERE!)