IS ORGAN DONATION ALLOWED AS PER THE SCRIPTURES?
Chetana asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Prabhu. I am a medical student . I support organ donation and also body donation to medical students for practice. But many people especially villagers are against this organ donation like recently I heard somebody was telling if I donate eye I will be born blind. I do not know how far these myths are correct. Is it right if we donate our body and do all the ritulas that are done for dead person. Prabhuji , can you please comment on this topic according to your view or scriptures.”
REPLY:
Our scriptures did not write either supporting or prohibiting these things because our scriptures did not imagine these things.
They generally speak about the effect of every action and also about Jeevakarunya (Mercy). So, we should decide these organ donations based on two things:
(i) Jeevakarunya : Helping a suffering person. This gives good karma and good rebirth.
(ii) Not killing or hurting the body of a person to help others. If killing or hurting involved, it adds negative karma for donors and those who allowed it.
Let us see how the karma is involved in organ donation:
A person “A” has the karma of losing his vision because he had made a person “B” blind in his previous birth. However “A” treated that person “B” and cured that person in his previous birth.
So, “A” is destined to lose his vision and regain it through treatments. So, he loses his vision now.
Now, I donate him my eyes after my death. He gains his vision. So, as per his karma, he has regained the vision.
In earlier days, the people approached the saints if they lose vision or face any diseases. Now a days, in kaliyuga, such pure saints are less. So, the hospitals take the role of curing the diseases.
So, if there is a cure in medical technology WITHOUT HURTING the donor, it can be accepted.
I donate my eyes after my death only. After death, my body is just material made of five material elements soil, water, fire, air and empty space. Body has a value only until the soul lives in it.
Sanatana Dharma does not give importance for the body. It is based on the soul.
Only if we disturb anyone using our body, we face sins and punishments. If we hurt our own body to help others, it is also a cause for negative karma.
After our death, our body is used for some good purposes. We do not do any harm to anyone or we do not cure anyone by affecting our body or life.
So, eye donation can be allowed. ONLY IF THE RECEIVER HAS THE KARMA OF GETTING CURED WITH MY EYE, MY EYES WILL BE USEFUL FOR HIM. IF THE RECEIVER HAS NO CHANCE OF GETTING HIS VISION, NO DONOR CAN HELP HIM.
Thus, the methodology of getting cured is also decided by the karma.
If “A” is destined to get vision because of me, he will get back his vision.
In medical technology, still there is no chance of getting back the vision if the person had no vision by birth.
If the vision is lost in the middle of his life, he can be treated and he will get his vision, IF HIS KARMA ACCOUNT ALLOWS IT.
Because of this logic, eye donation after death is allowed.
With the similar logic, if any other organ is used after our NATURAL AND FULL DEATH, ie, AFTER THE STOPPAGE OF HEART, it is also allowed.
Let us take donating a kidney. The Lord has given two kidneys because the work load for kidneys are high. It cleanses entire load of blood. So, if we donate one of our kidneys, we give extra load for our lone kidney. So, when that kidney is affected, we lose our life. Had we not donated that kidney, we would have lived. Therefore, we have reduced our life time fixed by the karma. In this same episode, we aquire some good karma for helping a person who had defective kidneys. But, since we have strained our body allotted by the god, we will be given one more birth. In that birth, we may face some kidney related issues and we too will get cured with the treatments.
In the case of organ or blood donation, the genetic mix happens. Our genes are those that were derived from our lineage of parents, grand parents, etc. So, genetic mix also gives rebirth if you get money or expect fame or feel some pride in donating them.
See, unless our karma network permits, we can’t extend anyone’s life. Only if your karma allows, you can get cured with organ transplantation.
The Point is that if we help with our organs or blood without making our own body defective, it is not sinful and it is allowed. If it affects your body itself, that means you are disturbing the body given by the Lord and reduces its life time. So, you get another birth.
(After death, what is the time required to take rebirth? How to know? READ HERE!)
ORGAN DONATION AFTER the BRAIN DEATH OF A PERSON
See, this is a serious sin and adds severe karma.
Brain dead condition is not actual death. ONLY WHEN A PERSON’S HEART STOPS, IT IS THE ACTUAL DEATH AND THE SOUL WILL GO OUT AND ALSO THE SUPERSOUL, ie, PARAMATHMA WILL LEAVE THIS BODY.
When a person is under brain dead condition, though he can not do anything, the soul and supersoul (Krishna) will still be in his body and that person is alive.
Until the heart is functioning, he is alive. This is final. No review in this. It is the karma of the family of that brain dead person to protect him till his heart stops because they would have made anyone inactive in their previous birth and hence they have been given such a son with brain death.
So, if you take the organs from him, that means, you are stopping his heart forcefully that is also a killing as per karma rules.
Of course, here too, you are helping 3 or 4 persons to get new life by getting the organs of that brain dead person. The matter does not end here. His relatives are escaping from the duty of taking care of that person till he dies.
Just because a living person is useless, can we kill him?
Who are we to kill a person who can not work and speak?
Will we kill a person who speaks and thinks, but remains static on bed without movements after an accident?
Brain dead person is also alive. Only his brain has become ineffective.
So, the following two organ donations are not permissible as per the karma theory:
(i) Taking organs from a brain dead person because we kill a person to keep 2-3 people alive.
(ii) Hurting our own body after donating organs to others because it gives rebirth.
(KARMA AND DISEASES: Which Karma gives which diseases in next birth? TREAD HERE!)
Permissible Organ Donations
(i) Donating anything after our natural death is permissible. It will not give rebirth since we do not hurt our living body.
(ii) Donating the bood limitedly is also permissible until our body is not affected, though it too will give rebirth to face the good karma of helping others. If you donate some blood DURING AN EMERGENCY REQUEST without expecting the praise or money AND WITH AN UNATTACHED MIND, you will not get rebirth. Because, you have helped in an emergency without expecting anything back including praise or good benefits from god.
(iii) The above permissible organ donations should be done on emergency without expecting any favour or praise to avoid karma. If expect something, it adds good karma and hence gives rebirth.
(iii) Other forms of organ donations hurting our body is not permissible.
Hope you are clear now.
(WHAT ARE THE RULES OF DHAAN (DONATING) TO GET THE MERCY OF KRISHNA? READ HERE!)