Originally Posted by
devotee
Namaste billcu,
Your question shows your lack of knowledge of both Jnan Yoga and Karma Yoga. Though both are not mutually exclusive, I would recommend that you should first try to understand the concept of Karma Yoga as your question belongs to that.
First of all the concept of sin in Hinduism is completely different from that in other religions. The whole universe is created and maintained under very strict laws of nature. There are right and wrong actions and there are mixed. Your actions are judged by your motives. What is right and what is wrong ? If an action takes you towards God, it is right. If it takes you away from God it is wrong.
I try to consolidate some of the teachings pertinent to our actions and fruits of actions i.e. laws of Karma :
a) Your actions are judged by your motive and not by just the mechanical action. If you kill your enemies (even thousands of them) in a war to safeguard your country ... you are not punished but rewarded with your place in heaven. (Ref : Bhagwad Gita)
b) Indulging in any act for sensual pleasure will lead to misery in the long run as it is taking you away from God. Any distance from God will push you into misery. So, sex outside marriage surely will lead to misery and sufferings. In fact, sex with spouse too should be checked and controlled ... otherwise, this would also lead to unhappiness and sufferings. Too much focusing on sex in marital relations makes the marriage strained and makes the bonding superficial limited to physical level which creates occasions for psychological and spiritual conflicts.
c) Please remember that God doesn't punish us for our wrong acts. It is the ever applicable Laws of Nature (also called the Laws of Karma) which automatically come into play to create sufferings for us for our wrong actions. The same laws work to create beneficial opportunities for fulfilling our desires if we perform the Right Actions. Sincere prayer to God can alleviate sufferings and can also show us path out of our sufferings.
d) Laws of Karma are applicable to us only till we are not Self-realised. Self-realisation roasts all seeds of Karma and doesn't allow bearing Karmaphala (fruits of actions).
OM