There is a foolproof divine justice system; we should stick to dharma at all times
Shouldn’t we wonder how this Creation goes on eternally? How is order maintained with so much diversity? We are all human beings alright, but there are so many races, cultures, religions, etc. How are eight billion persons coexisting? Then, there are other species, notably cows, dogs, birds, etc. There is some kind of equilibrium and the world goes on. There is so much connectivity between different areas of the world. Things grown, produced, manufactured, etc. are made available in different parts of the world. So much exchange of goods and services is there. How does order prevail in such a big world?
The answer is the Divine Justice System. It is what keeps us all going year after year for billions of years. What is this System? Who implements it? It is God mainly. He is assisted by gods and goddesses, material nature, who work under God’s superintendence. They follow rules made by God. Lord Krishna states, “Under My superintendence, the material nature gives birth to the world along with moving and stationary things. And on account of this, the world goes on.” God keeps us all going. He is, “Having limbs on all sides; having eyes, head and mouth on all sides; having ears on all sides, He is situated in this world pervading all.” (13.13) Those may be His manifestations, but, “This world is spread by Me by My unmanifest form.” (9.4) God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. As stated earlier, gods and goddesses assist God in this mammoth task. Of all, Shani devata requires special mention in the subject connection, because he is the god of justice, which is a crucial position. It is said that Shanideva is the god of karma, justice and retribution. He delivers results depending upon one’s thoughts, speech and deeds. He is very strict because he has to ensure that only deserving persons get rewarded and shirkers of duties get punished. This is exactly what is the ‘Karmaphala Principle’ is.
All our acts done by mind, words and bodies are duly recorded for future rewards and punishments. This is where the divine system differs from the human legal system. In the latter system, we look for instant justice; we have no patience. In our hurry, we ignore so many relevant factors. For example, a poor child steals some food. In our legal system, he is guilty of theft and fit for punishment. But in the divine system, the child may be forgiven, especially because society is not shouldering its responsibility of looking after its weaker section of children.
But no guilt goes unpunished, which is not true in the case of the human legal system. That is the reason criminals are not as afraid as they should be because they hope to escape punishment. It takes time in the case of the divine justice system because the totality of the crime has to be considered. A crime affects many. Consequences have to be taken into consideration. But, ultimately justice is delivered. Then, there is no reward to anyone at the expense of another. For example, a person applying for a prime job but not so deserving will not be favoured depriving someone deserving. For God, “I am similarly inclined towards all beings, no one is hateful for Me; and no one is dear, that is I have no preconceived and prejudiced notion towards anyone.” (9.29) Justice must prevail in all cases. Otherwise, how would confidence be there in the divine justice system, which is crucial for the Creation to exist?
God does favour His devotees but not at the cost of others. This is also important, otherwise, why would anyone approach God? For example, I turn to God for peace of mind. God has no difficulty in obliging me, if I become deserving in His estimation. Rather God bails out His devotees, who have developed God’s consciousness every time all time. (18.58) God finds a way not to go against ‘dharma’. There is nothing God cannot do; He is unlimited. So what did we learn? That there is a foolproof divine justice system, and we should stick to dharma at all times; we will be well served.
(The writer is a spiritual teacher, views are personal)
