सर्वारम्भा हि दोशेण धुमेनाग्निरिवावृताः -- Works are always followed by their defects and demerits just as the fire is enveloped with smokes. -- Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 18, 48.

No event can occur without having a definite cause behind it. To trace the causes of events and to become familiar with the conditions under which an effect is produced have always been the aim of the various branches of science and philosophy.

It can be shown that every action however minute or trivial it may appear to us, being conditioned by the universal law of causation, produces different effects visible and invisible and affects the whole world of phenomena either directly or indirectly.

This universal law of causation is called the law of Karma. Under the sway of this all-pervading law of Karma , there is no room left for a chance or accident. What we call happening by chance or accidental is in reality the product of some definite causes which we may not know or cannot trace on account of our limited knowledge. The causes might be on the moral or spiritual planes, but we seek only on the physical plane. That which appears to be supernatural or Pro­vidential to an unscientific mind, is natural to a scientist or a philosopher whose concep­tion of nature is larger and more universal.

In this world of relativity within the limitations of time and space, it is impossible to find any action which is absolutely good or which produces a result that creates no discord or disharmony in any shape or man­ner in any part of the world. It is impos­sible to find any work producing absolute evil effect, without causing some kind of good somewhere. Ordinarily, in judging a result when we see the prepon­derance of good over evil, we call it good and where evil predominate we say, that action is evil, wrong or sinful.

(..To be continued, 1st of a seven part series).

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