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Why doesn't the law of Karma apply to animals? || Acharya Prashant, IIT-Kharagpur session (2020)
Prakrati
877 views
1 year ago
Law of Karma
Choice
Biological Conditioning
Compassion
Responsibility
Liberation
Consciousness
Human Nature
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the law of karma does not apply to animals because they lack the capacity for choice. Animals are entirely dictated by their biological conditioning and physical nature, meaning they cannot act out of compassion or seek liberation. Since they have no option to act differently, they are neither rewarded nor punished for their actions. In contrast, human beings possess the unique ability to choose between their animalistic conditioning and higher values such as freedom, joy, love, and compassion. This capacity for choice brings with it a significant responsibility. While all animals of a species live in a similar internal state, human beings vary greatly; one may be compassionate while another is violent. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that humans cannot justify their actions by citing animal behavior, such as a lion killing for food, because humans have the option to choose non-violence. He defines a human being essentially as a decision-maker whose life is determined by how they exercise their choices. Therefore, humans must choose carefully, as they are held accountable by existence for the choices they make.