Will the investors get Negative Karma for Company’s wrong acts?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna. I see a lot of people doing investments everywhere. I had a question. If someone invests a certain amount in a company and the company ends up using the money for questionable things like wars, fake products and etc, would the person who invested also get the negative karma? I think they would because they trusted the company with their money. Thank you and Hare Krishna.”
REPLY:
Yes, Sure. The investors get Negative Karma for Company’s wrong acts if they invest knowing that the company is doing wrong.
Because direct investments in the companies are expected to be made with full awareness after making analysis.
Before investing even the layman analyses and compares the interest rates offered by different banks and companies and then invest in a bank/company that offers highest interest rate among all.
(Are investments in Shares & Mutual funds by devotees allowed? READ HERE!)
He also evaluates about the safety of his investment also wisely.
Not only that. He evaluates whether the investment offers monthly returns or quarterly returns or annual returns or cumulative returns.
If a person is wise to evaluate the above factors, why did he fail to evaluate the products or services of that company?
So, he has invested after knowing that the company deals with a prohibited product or service.
In case he had invested without knowing about the products or services of that company, it can be forgiven if he withdraws his investment immediately after he comes to know that the company deals with a prohibited product or service.
So, the point is that innocent or ignorant violations are always forgivable if that person realizes later and feels for his wrong investment out of ignorance. Known violations are not forgivable and have to be faced with the reactions.
So, it is the duty of every investor to know what the company is doing to give you the returns in addition to knowing the interest rate, safety, tenure, etc.
Ok How investments in the companies dealing with the prohibitted products and services add negative karma?
It is the karma rule that supporting a wrong person adds negative karma to us.
(Is the devotees doing business for profit good? READ HERE!)
Because, by supporting a wrong guy, we encourage him to involve in more and more wrong activities.
So, we have to share a part of the karma accrued by his sinful activities.
Let me give another example:
Twenty years back, oneday, I was waiting for bus in the bus stand.
A beggar came begging pitifully. I offered Rs.5 to him as he was old.
He went away after getting it.
My bus came after 10 minutes. When my bus crossed a wine/ liquor shop, I found that beggar buying alcohol bottle. The money I offered him was used to drink liquor.
So, I would have added some forgivable negative karma because I supported him out of innocence.
Such innocently added karma will go just by chanting the Lord’s name 108 times.
However, Had I offered alms even after knowing that he is using begged money for drinking, I will add karma that is not forgivable, but to be faced with the reactions.
This is the system followed by the karma network.
(Harmful & Harmless Betting & Gambling for the devotees! READ HERE!)
Now, a very important question should be asked by the devotees after reading this reply. Before they ask, let me reply now itself.
We invest in the Fixed deposits or mutual funds. The banks use our money to give loans to businesses. If the bank offer loan to a prohibited business, will that negative karma come to us?
Wow. What a question I asked myself? (Ha Ha)
No. Why?
Because, firstly the banks should not give loans to prohibited businesses. We invest in the banks with that faith only.
So, if the bank offers loan to a prohibited or illegal business using our money and using wrong documents tyo show the business legal, the bank manager alone will add negative karma. Not the depositors.
Same applies for mutual funds. If the fund managers invest in illegal shares, the karma goes to them, not to us.
Because, we invest trusting that the bank or Fund managers invest in legal businesses.
But, when we directly invest in companies, we invest knowing that it is doing prohibited business. In case we had invested without knowing the activities of company, it is forgivable with simple sadhanas.
Hope you are now clear about how karma network works in deciding whether the investors get Negative Karma for Company’s wrong acts.
(PROHIBITED INVESTMENTS FOR DEVOTEES & THE REASONS! READ HERE!)