No innocent should be punished and no one deserving should escape it. Nature is fair to all and gives ample chance to rectify our mistakes

It is true that all our lives we seek punishment for those who insult, cheat, harm us, etc. We alone are generally unable to do so, because this creation was not made that way. As far as punishment is concerned, God has held it to himself. This is not like a principal disciplining a student, but more. It is also more than what the law can do, because many are never brought to justice in present life. We can agree that there is apparent injustice, and we cannot do anything about it. We get angry because wrongdoers escape punishment and good people suffer.

Let us analyse and find out what actually happens. The system must be based on justice. It is. And the system is foolproof. No one deserving punishment should escape. There are two parts in this. One is why it cannot be done the way we want, i.e., instant or quick punishment to the alleged offender. The other is how it is efficiently done.

Let me explain why it cannot be done. A chance to reform oneself is given. What would we like to happen if we were offenders? Let's be honest. We, like everyone else, make mistakes willingly or unwillingly. We realise what we have done, and are sorry about it. We are prepared to apologise, compensate etc. Shouldn’t we be given a chance to do that? If there was instant punishment, this opportunity would not be there. As a matter of fact, we are given plenty of chances to rectify our mistakes, because that is fair. Lord Krishna states, “Having limbs on all sides; having eyes, head and mouth on all sides; having ears on all sides. It is he (God) who pervades all of this world.” (13.13) The system is foolproof.

There is another consideration. What would instant punishment do to other members of the offender's family? Suppose he or she deserves capital punishment. What happened to the family, who were not guilty? The crime was done in anger or lust. Aren’t many connected to us? Divine authorities must consider this important fact. They do because creation must go on fairly. The system cannot function if some stray crime causes unnecessary disturbance. There is another consideration also. It may be more painful for someone who has been wronged if immediate punishment is administered. For example, a husband beats his wife, and deserves harsh punishment. If the husband is punished immediately, it will inconvenience the wife further.

Now we come to some details about how justice is administered. Essentially, it is based on the ‘Karmaphala Principle’, which is : “What you sow you reap.” Isn’t that fair? In this administration of justice our past lives and the present life are taken into consideration. This is i.e. what we have been doing and what rewards and punishments are due to us.

As we can see, people from different backgrounds have different natures. Some are kind, some are cruel. However, all have faults in their natures. Only liberated persons are almost fault-free and are preparing for liberation in the present life. God is very active in their lives. Divine authorities control all others. For example, a person is given a good soul as a reward. To punish, one is given a soul that is less good than that which is good. Since most of us have not yet achieved liberation, we live mixed lives; well-mannered people also get punished in life. And so-called bad people also have many successes in their lives.

This process is quite complicated. Lord Krishna has described it as: “The intricacies of action (Karma) are very difficult to understand.” (The Gita 4.17) Therefore, let us not be drawn into judgement about others; why someone must be punished and now. It is all done in a systematic way that covers the present and future lives. No one is denied what is due to him or her and no one escapes the punishment.

(The writer is a spiritual writer)