What is Sin ?

‘Sin’ is an act of making someone or yourself to suffer at the time of committing ‘it’ or later on. In some of the ‘sins’ – we might not find anyone suffer out of it but, it is just due to our lack of insight. For example if ‘you’ do ‘smoke’ then right at the moment of smoking you feel the ‘kick’ out of smoking but, later on you might get some type of ’cancer’ and you will suffer [for more info read  - Why Smoking is a Sin ? on this site]. The same is the case with any type of ‘sin’. In many cases of ‘sin’ we don’t see someone suffering right in front but, someone will suffer later on or at a faraway place as in the case of ‘prostitution’ or ‘watching movies'. In many cases we fail to notice the ‘sufferer’ of our actions, as we are mentally not sharp enough to realize and moreover the ‘victim’ need not be a human beings but, any other ‘life form’ too.

If someone suffers due to your act, that you do knowingly or unknowingly – then ‘you’ have to suffer accordingly. The ‘sin’ you did onto them will undoubtedly come back to you later on and according to the ‘law of Karma’ , the ‘law of action’ – of the Hinduism you will suffer due to the same sin that you did to the same extent with interest too,, if it is delayed. The ‘law of Karma’ is similar to the third law of Newton that states that – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

It has been mentioned in the Hindu scriptures that the ‘law of Karma’ is inexorable and indomitable of evasion. Once you do act of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – there is no way to escape it, the Hinduism stresses that even the lord can’t help you escape out of it, such is the power of action.

Hinduism claims that – whatever ‘good’ or ‘bad’ you do with your ‘thought’ or ‘tongue’ or ‘body’ will be returned to you through the same channel. For example if I kick someone, in future the same kicks will be given to me by someone else or through the same individual. If I ‘scold’ someone then it comes back to me later on and if I mentally think ‘ill’ for others then in future this will make me to suffer in mind. This is retold in the age old saying –whatever you sow that shall you reap. If it takes more time to get back then the results too will be more, this is similar to the growth of money in a ‘fixed deposit’.

This concept applies not only to the ‘bad’ done by you but, to the ‘good’ actions as well. The ‘good’ and ‘bad’ need not be ONLY towards the human beings, but towards any living being will count. One might escape from the ‘law’ after committing a ‘crime’ but, the universe will not spare you and the results of your actions will be delivered to you without any doubt.

Another quality with the ‘sin’ is that – while doing ‘it’, it gives you happiness but, later on it fetches you ‘tears’.  But, unlike this the ‘good’ will give you pain while doing ‘it’ but, later on it gives you ‘joy’. In the ladder of life, climbing [doing good] is painful but, if you reach the top you will feel the joy out of it but, sliding down [doing sin] is easy but, later you will not be pleased.

The ‘law of action’ also says that – if you do the same ‘bad’ to different people the ‘sin’ you get back will be different and this will depend upon the ‘maturity level’ or the ‘sensitiveness’ of the person you act upon. If I hit a bad man I will get relatively less 'sin' than hurting a good man.

In some cases, I might not get the ‘sin’ due to hurting others. For example, if a ‘police’ man beats a ‘thief’ will the police get the result back? The ‘law of action’ says not so because, what he did is part of his job.  Similarly, is a mother sinning if she beats his wrong doing son? Not at all! Because the mother is hitting her kid only for his ‘good’. These are the exceptions given in the scriptures on the ‘law of Karma’, the law of action.

So, nothing is unscientific or baseless in the religions or scriptures saying something as bad and commanding you not to do ‘it’ for doing some ‘actions’ [sins] will make you suffer later on and not only that, you will be pushed down on the ladder of life, the ladder of evolution if you commit such forbidden actions, or ‘sins’.

So, if the religions or scriptures are saying something as ‘sin’ or to forbid certain actions then it is always better for us to abandon such actions though we might fail to understand the wrong or bad behind such actions. Jesus or Ram or Krishna or Buddha or the scriptures are meant only for our good and not to make us fools or to restrict our freedom for no valid reason, after all the scriptures were not written by the politicians to cheat us !