Answer
We are responsible for whatever activities we perform, and others are responsible for the activities they perform. The laws of material nature operate in a very precise manner.
If I perform pious activities, I will receive the reactions for those pious activities. If I perform sinful activities, I am responsible for those actions and must undergo the reactions resulting from them.
Karma does not work like a bookkeeping system in which debit and credit entries simply cancel each other out, leaving only a net balance to be considered. The laws of karma do not function in that way.
Every action we perform is taken into account by higher authorities, and the appropriate result for each action is awarded accordingly. The Supreme Lord, through His divine arrangement, determines when a particular reaction from our past activities will manifest. We do not control when or how the reactions to our past deeds will mature.
The scriptures explain that for sinful activities there is a process known as prayaschitta, or atonement. For certain specific sinful actions, specific forms of atonement are prescribed.
However, Srimad-Bhagavatam explains that this process of atonement is not the most effective way to become completely free from all sinful reactions. The reason is that we have been wandering in material existence for countless lifetimes and have accumulated an immeasurable number of karmic reactions. It is practically impossible to identify every sinful action, determine the prescribed atonement for each one, and perform all those acts of atonement.
Therefore, the Bhagavatam recommends a superior process. It teaches that by engaging in pure devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, one can become completely freed from all sinful reactions. There is no need to separately perform atonement for every individual sinful act if one sincerely takes shelter of the process of pure devotional service.
Regarding the statement in The Nectar of Devotion that recommended activities can counteract sinful activities, it is important to understand the distinction being made.
There are three separate categories:
Sinful activities (papa) – actions that produce undesirable karmic reactions.
Pious activities (punya) – actions that produce favorable karmic reactions.
Atonement (prayaschitta) – specific corrective practices prescribed to counteract particular sinful actions.
These are distinct categories and should not be confused with one another.
Pious activities do not simply cancel sinful activities. Rather, pious activities generate their own favorable reactions, while sinful activities generate their own unfavorable reactions. Both sets of reactions remain and must be experienced unless they are destroyed through a higher spiritual process.
Atonement is different from ordinary pious activity. Atonement is specifically prescribed for counteracting certain sinful reactions. Therefore, when the scriptures speak of counteracting sinful activities, they are often referring to prescribed acts of atonement, not to ordinary pious works.
Ultimately, however, the scriptures repeatedly emphasize that the most practical and effective method for becoming completely purified, ending material bondage, and returning to Godhead is pure devotional service. By sincerely engaging in devotional service—especially hearing about Krishna, chanting His holy names, remembering Him, and serving Him with devotion—one gradually becomes freed from all karmic reactions and attains spiritual perfection.
Therefore, there is no contradiction in the scriptures. The different teachings apply to different levels of spiritual practice. Atonement is one method prescribed for specific sins, but pure devotional service is the highest and most comprehensive process for complete purification.
