Where did the phrase “What comes around goes around’ originate and what does it mean?

The phrase ‘What goes around comes around.’ is said to have been originated in the United States when it was first seen in print in 1974, in a book by Eddie Stone, ‘Donald Writes No More.’ However, according to etymologist Barry Popik, it seems the first documented appearance of phrase ‘What goes around comes around’ was in the 1962 book ‘Burn, Killer, Burn!’, a semi-autobiographical novel written by Paul Crump.

In any case, the principle of karma that this phrase tries to explain i.e. ‘as you sow, you shall reap’, has been around for centuries and is found in texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and Bible.

Say one person did wrong to another. The general habit is that the other person chooses to react by paying it back in the same coin. This is where the phrase ‘what goes around comes around’ comes handy and it encourages positivity within us, saying, if kindness and politeness is what you want to come to you, let the same go from you.

There’s a famous and very inspiring story of a sage and a scorpion.

A scorpion fell into a pool of water. Seeing this, the sage immediately put his hands into the water, picked him out and placed him safely in the dry area besides the pool. However, the scorpion bit him hard and while doing so, it again fell into the pool. The sage once again saved his life by removing him out of water and placed him safely on the side. And the scorpion once again delivered his bitter sting onto the hand of the sage. This happened several times. A passer-by was observing this very carefully. He witnessed how every time when sage saved scorpion’s life, the latter only caused him pain. The hands of sage were bleeding and yet he never refrained from repeating his act. The curious passer-by asked sage why was he doing so; why was he trying to save the scorpion who only injured him in return of this good deed? To which the sage replied, “If a small being such as scorpion does not forget his nature of stinging me every time, how can I being a human-being forget my nature of being compassionate and kind?” What the sage sent (karma of kindness) is what he will receive (kindness in return as fruit of his karma) at the suitable time.

By paying the wrong, back in the same coin, one feels he taught the opponent a lesson; not the least aware that doing so, he actually invited suffering for his own self in future. The law of Nature does not see why you did it, it only sees what you intended. The principle of karma is ‘what you give is what you get’. By giving something that you didn’t like to receive even once from the other person, you send an invitation for it to come to you many more times from Nature, would that be wise?! By going for revenge, it will only come back to you one day.

Param Pujya Dadashri explaining the principle of karma, says:

“If you yell, “You are a thief!” into a well, what happens? You will hear the word’s echo. What does the well illustrate here? It tells you that the world is your own projection. Everything you encounter is your own design. If you don’t like to hear this what comes to you, then say, “You are a king!” instead; so that you will then hear, “You are a king” in echo. Say that which you would like to hear. Give what you would want to receive. That is the principle of karma. Karma means action. What is reaction? That is the echo. All reactions are like ‘echoes’ of your previous actions; the fruits will be inevitable… Karma is like the fruit of a mango tree. The mango will yield the tree and the tree will yield the mango and the cycle continues. Karma disperses the seeds of karma on and on.”

What binds karmas visible action or the inner intent?

Generally, people believe that their visible action creates karmas; but this is not correct. The outer conduct is, in fact, a result of karma which was sown by you in your previous life and in this life when the karma ripens, it will unfold. However, concurrently you are charging new karma through your inner intent, which will give its effect in your future life. Depending on your intent at that given time, this can be in form of merit or demerit karma. This is how the cycle of perpetual life continuous.

An illustration of karma being bound:
If you happen to walk past a homeless person and a thought arises in your mind:

• ‘Poor man he must be short on his luck that is why he has to suffer such hard times. Let me help him in whatever way I can.’

Alternately, you could think:

• ‘Why does he not look for a job like everyone else and try to earn a living to overcome his present misfortune? He is a burden on the society; no one should help him.’

In the first case, you will bind merit karma for your intention is good. And the latter will produce a demerit karma which will bring you misery, for your intention was negative. In this way during the course of human life, one is continuously charging and discharging karmas, even whilst he is asleep. Sow seed what you would like to reap. Every single intent is a new cause karma and the effect will always follow.

“If you give the slightest pain to any living entity, then in the form of pain, the pain-giving-karma will give you its ‘fruit’. So, think before you hurt any living being”.

Can one stop binding karma and be liberated for forever?

Categorically yes! By attaining the knowledge of the Self from the Enlightened being!!!

As long as one believes he is the doer, he continues to create new projects and suffer the consequences of the past life karmas. To believe, “I did it!” is the false imposition, and that is why one binds karma. Nothing will touch you, as long as you do not hold the belief, “I did it”. The truth is that you are a pure Soul. After acquiring the knowledge of Self with the grace of the Enlightened One, one realizes that ‘the body is the doer, I am not’. When the awareness of, “I am not the doer,” is firmly established in your conviction, new karmas will stop binding and new causes (karma) will not be created; the old karmas will only discharge.

If people understand the principles of karma, they would understand the principle of liberation.

With the belief of doership, there is karma. If you are not the doer, then no matter what the body does, you will not bind any karma. This is the essence of all the scriptures.