Collective Karma & Individual Karma – Explanation with Examples!
A Male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna, I got your mail ID from Krishna today. I have a Spiritual query if answered I shall be thankful.
All living entities get happiness or pains as per their past karma. Now I am giving an example for clarification of my doubt as follows
Eg: Sometimes all of a sudden some terrorists come to some public place with guns and kill so many innocent people indiscriminately
Now I want to know whether the terrorists who killed so many innocent people made their bad karma for next life or it was written in karma of people who died to die in hands of terrorists.
If it was written in innocent people’s karma to die in hands of terrorists then the terrorists did not made their bad karma thought killing so many people. But if terrorists killed them making their bad karma for next life ,then the people who died suffered without fault of their Karma,then Karma philosophy turns wrong as death and pain comes without karma also.
I shall be thankful if my question is answered.”
REPLY:
I have already explained this equation nicely with some other examples. The devotees should read the posts of our site before asking any question. However, Let me use this question to write more about the Collective karma and Individual karma.
Krishna is the source of brilliance. His karma network acts as perfectly as possible.
(i) The Person ‘A” (Say, Son or Daughter) who is destined to suffer with a serious ailment or disability;
(ii) The Persons “B” and “C” (Say, Parents or Caretaker) who are destined to face the pain of maintaining and caring a person with a serious ailment or disability.
Krishna’s Karma network connects the above two or three persons nicely while giving the sufferings.
I have also written IN DETAIL about the COLLECTIVE KARMA of ALL THE PEOPLE IN A PARTICULAR PLACE.
Read those Posts here:
Are Massive deaths in Calamities & Pandemics due to karma of everyone? READ HERE!
Parents’ karma or Child’s karma – Which gives worries thru child? READ HERE!
When some accident or Nature’s Calamity or Pandemic happens, the karma of individual persons are suspended and many persons are affected and even die though they don’t have the individual karma of facing such pains or even death.
Collective Karma of all the people of a Village or town is superior than the individual’s Karma in that village or town.
So, when some accident or Nature’s Calamity or Pandemic happens, Collective karma of that Village or town dominates and hence even an individual who still has life dies or suffers.
For example, the ovid-19 Pandemic is the best example for Collective Karma of the whole mankind on the whole earth.
This means, the collective karma of the earth acted upon the people and hence even those who still have lifetime died because of the effects of Covid Virus.
One of my sister too died of Covid-19’s first wave and as per her horosope, she still had a few years of lifetime.
Because, in front of collective karma of the earth, her (individual’s) karma was suspended.
(Role of Free will in adding or avoiding karma! Detailed Explanation! READ HERE!)
Let me now explain your example:
(1) Sometimes all of a sudden some terrorists come to some public place with guns and kill so many innocent people indiscriminately.
EXPLANATION:
Terrorist attacks are the effect of Collective karma for a particular area where it happens. So, the karma of every person living there remain suspended and the whole population of that place face the collective karma of all the people of that place. They may be innocent or sinful, but everything remains suspended.
(2) Now I want to know whether the terrorists who killed so many innocent people made their bad karma for next life or it was written in karma of people who died to die in hands of terrorists.
EXPLANATION:
The terrorists added new serious negative karma of killing innocent people;
The people who died due to collective karma do not get ghost body and gets very good and comfortable next birth without the pains they faced in their previous birth.
Why?
It is a reward for them as they did not die as per their karma but died due to the collective karma of the earth (Place).
Of course, one or two persons out of the 100s of people who died would have had the karma of dying in the hands of terrorists, but they too have cleared that karma. But majority of people die because of the collective karma of a place.
(Three Types of Karma – Simple & Beautiful Explanation! READ HERE!)
(3) If it was written in innocent people’s karma to die in hands of terrorists then the killers did not make their bad karma though killing so many people.
EXPLANATION:
Terrorists add new karma for killing. The terroris misused the freewill (Freedom) given by Krishna to kill others. So, though a person is killed by a terrorist because of his karma of being killed, the terrorists add negative karma for implementing that karma.
Had the killer decided NOT TO kill anyone, he would not have killed that person and hence could have escaped from negative karma. He did not use his freewill positively.
So, the killer is subject to punishment.
(4) But if terrorists killed them making their bad karma for next life ,then the people who died suffered without fault of their Karma, then Karma philosophy turns wrong as death and pain comes without karma also.
EXPLANATION:
In this case, death happens though the individual does not have karma of death because THE COLLECTIVE KARMA OF THE PEOPLE OF AN AREA RULES OVER THE INDIVIDUAL’s KARMA as explained above.
Hope you are now clear with this simplest explanation that is the unique greatness of this wonderful Site.
(Doubts on the judiciary system (Karma) of Krishna – Explanation! READ HERE!)