Karma Does Not Discriminate Based On Age

Karma will not punish the small girl. She was young and didn't know what she was doing.
Karma will punish only those who hurt or do evil things to others intentionally.

 

Yes, actually, according to a story I read, the parents are liable for the karma of their children till a certain age. There is even a story for this. A sage was subjected to humiliation once due to mistaken identity and he made an investigation into why he had to undergo the ill treatment. Upon digging up his karma records, he found out it was due to him torturing a bug when he was a toddler. The sage thought it was too harsh as he was a kid and didn't know right from wrong. He actually seeked an amendment to the laws of karma. From then on, kids up to 8 years? ( I am not sure ) were exempted from bad karma, whatever karma was accrued, it went into their parents' account. Because it is the parents' duty to correct their kids. So yeah, karma does change according to age.

 

He might be slow developer, but he/she can follow instructions. If they cannot they can be controlled at least. I have seen some kids killing bugs for no reason. Just they found one and decided to stomp on it. A bug that is somewhere out in the open, not in the house. When I was a kid, I used to kill ants (very small like 4 or 5 years). I don't remember what happened but I stopped later. Now I don't do it at all. It just is disgusting to me. The last I remember I did something similar was when I dissected a frog. I remember it very vaguely. All I am saying is, children may be slow learners, mentally challenged but they do have a sense of good and bad, especially, when they are told by parents. I have heard that mentally challenged kids are even more sensitive and emotional than normal kids. So I don't think it is dependent on learning abilities but the training and environment in which they grow up. Also, their own personality to a good extent.

 

I read long ago that until four or eleven or even twelve years old, karma will not act on them. Another school of thought says, until the kid knows the effect of his or her action, right or wrong, bad or good - karma past and or present will not touch such kids.

But it is said birth itself is due to karma: and born with silver spoon in mouth is past karma or prarabda karma. If child doesn’t cry immediate of delivery mother is worried. That too is attributed to karma. Children born with defective organs. Is it due to parents’ karma or child’s?
Let me make a digression here for knowing how karma acts irrespective of age after waiting for several births:

Another definition of karma says, what ever action one perform it is karma. One action leads to another. One karma leads to another. Actions leads to good or bad. And what is good Karma now can also be bad karma a while later. Karma always waits to act according to epic Mahabharata. I read it in Quora.

Here Lord Krishna explains:

• What was Dhritarashtra’s karma that he lost all all his children?
  Yes, Karma of Dhritarashtra led him to lose all his son.
  I have read two stories about it both are almost similar.
  
  After losing all his sons in a war, Dhritrastra bowed down before Lord Krishna and prayed. “Oh, Lord! There cannot be anyone in this world who is as unfortunate as me. I was born blind, I never saw my children’s faces and I don’t know how they looked like. I never did anything wrong in my life, I was limited by blindness. Why did I still have to go through this terrible punishment? What wrong did I do?”
  
  Then Lord Krishna explained the law of karma to Dhritarashtra, He said, ”There are three types of Karma- Kriyamana -karma, Sanchita Karma & Prarabdha-Karma. Kriyamana Karma is what we do in everyday life and the result we face in a few days. Rest two karmas are related to each other, They stay and get accumulated. Prarabdha Karma is part of sanchit karma that means a collection of past lives karma.
  
  After describing the karmas, Lord Krishna gives him a divine vision to see his previous births. Dhritrashtra discovered that 50 births back, he was a ruthless hunter and once just to have some fun, he threw a burning net on a tree full of birds. Thus causing 100 young birds to be burnt to death. While the remaining birds managed to escape, they became blind due to the scorching heat caused by this fire.
  
  Due to the effect of Sanchita Karma, he was destined to remain blind in this Life and also lose his 100 sons.
  
  After listening to Krishna’s enlightening explanation, Dhritrashtra inquired “Krishna why did I not get punished in that birth itself, or the next birth, for the great sin that I had committed? Why now?”
  
  Lord Krishna smiled enigmatically and said,” Your Karma had to wait for an opportune time for 50 Births. During which time you could earn and accumulate enough pious deeds to attain the merit of being born a king and have 100 sons in one lifetime. The Sanchita Karma accumulated over the last 50 births would influence your life as Prarabdha Karma and could then instantaneously confront you with the effects of that evil action.”
  
  According to the second story, Dhrtrastra was a hunter in one of his previous birth. One day when he was trying to kill a bird, the bird flew away. He tried so many times to kill it but every time it escaped. So just to seek revenge he climbed the tree and broke the nest of that bird. There were a hundred eggs in it. After this, he took more births as a tapas and did many pious things so he can get a hundred son in one of his birth. This is the reason he born blind and never saw his children as the birds never did.
  
  Whichever version of the story is right, the purport is that-
  
  Karma is the divine law of cause & effect by which every thought, word & deed justly return to us in this or future life. We learn to be compassionate, knowing that each experience, good or bad, is the self-created reward of prior expressions of free will.

Kaikeyi was granted two boons. Ok it is good. But she sought exile for Rama & coronation for Her own son Bharat. These were bad. Laksmana cut the Thadagai’s nose. This is karma of both. Because of it, Ravana came incognito as hermit & abducted Sita. This too karma of both.

Thanks and Regards.
God Bless all that includes Ravanas & Thadagais.

 

I feel Karma is so complicated, it is better to not try to understand it, rather it is better to not question it. I definitely believe in it. I believe in a few things people perceive as 'superstition'. Because some incidents have happened for me to be so. But it is also true that one should not get too deep because they may end up doing more damage to themselves than good. I do things based on an instinct and logic. Of late I have found that there should be balance between the two. There should be a pinch of instinct not too much of it. Too much instinct is superstition.