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1. GAHANA KARMANO GATIHI The track (GATIHI) of KARMA (ACTION) is mysterious (GAHANA). Lord Shri Krishna has himself proclaimed in Geeta that it is difficult to understand the intricacies and indefinite extent and shape of Karma (Action), as it is so complicated, intricate, zigzag, unfathomable, dynamic, inscrutable and mysterious because the life is such. The trail of Karma (Action) is jagged and intractable. Shri Sudama, a friend of Lord Krishna says about the complex nature of Karma as under: The working of Karma seems so complex We two, the students of the same Guru (Teacher). He (Krishna) became the king of this earth While I have nothing even to eat. He used to play with monkeys in Gokul And used to fetch wood at teacher's house. Now he sits on the throne today While I possess only a begging bowl and a stick in hand.
under which it is governed. In the same way, there must be some law which governs the administration of this whole, vast, infinite universe. The rising and setting of the sun in the east and the west punctually and strictly according to the time shown in Astrology, the harmonious movement of the earth, sun, moon, stars, planets etc. around each other on their predestined orbits and destined routes as shown in Asttonomy, the Inception, Maintenance and Dissolution of all the animate bodies and inanimate objects and things in the whole universe, the coming of winter, summer and monsoon seasons, the ripening of fruits, flowers, grass and shrubs on the earth, the proper existence of mountains, rivers, oceans etc., the working of the principles of specific gravity and relative density of objects and things on the earth, the evaporation of water from the sea to the sky, the formation of the clouds and their showering on the earth, the mysterious running of the cycle of birth and death etc. for the smooth and effective administration and execution of all these environments, there must be some strict law under which the whole infinite universe is governed.This law is known as the 'Law of Karma' as stated by Goswami Tulsidasji in his Ramayana as under: KARMA PRADHAN VISHVA RACHI RAKHA, JO JAS KARAI SO TAS FAL CHAKHA. The whole universe is governed by the 'Law of Karma' and the most important section and the fundamental principle of this law is JO JAS KARAI SO TAS FAL CHAKHA. As you sow, so shall you reap. Thus the 'Law of Karma' is the law of (1) action and reaction (2) cause and effect (3) effort and destiny. Action and reaction, cause and effect, effort and destiny are all equal and opposite.
of the Law of Karma are as under: (1) This law is Eternal: It has come into force with effect from the date on which the sun started rising in the east since the inception of the universe and it will remain in force till the end of the universe, the date on which the sun will stop rising in the sky. (These dates are not known and will never be known to anybody.) (2) This law is Universal: It is applicable to one and all the persons and creatures in all the countries in the world and the entire universe.Not that it is applicable only to Indians and that too only to Hindus because it was repeated and recited by Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Geeta on the battle field of Kurukshetra in India. It is applicable to all people from the human races, castes and creeds in the whole world. (3) This law is Applicable: In all the generations and eras of earthly cycles, Satyug, Treta, Dwapar and Kaliyug and in all the centuries - past,present and future. (4) This law is Totally Perfect: There has not been a single amendment in the law up-till now since time immemorial and there is not going to be a single amendment in the law till the end of the entire universe. There is not a single 'proviso' in the law. There is no such mention or words like 'Provided that' or 'Not withstanding anything contained in the Act' etc. (5) There is Not a Single Exception: In this law of Karma, nobody can escape the canons of this law. Even the father of Lord Rama (incarnation of the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God) could not escape his destined death due to the forced separation of his son Rama. Shri Rama also in due respect to this law, did not interfere by giving extension of life even to his own father Dasratha at least for fourteen years till his return from exile. The omnipotent formless (NIRAKAR) God, once incarnated in the human form (SAKAR) as Rama, he too had to humbly respect and obey the Law of Karma and he did not show any favouritism or partiality to anybody,even to his own father. The most important section of the law is JO JAS KARAI SO TAS FAL CHAKH)4. As you sow, so shall you reap.
The application of this law is beyond manipulation, intervention or corruptibility. The wrong doer will definitely be punished for his wrong deeds. Nobody can escape the penal provisions of this law. There is no escapement and no exception is allowed in its application. Similarly a pious man performing good actions will definitely be rewarded for his good deeds. Each and every good or bad action will have equal and appropriate reaction and will invariably rebound on the doer attracting just reward or punishment.
5. IGNORANCE OF LAW IS NO EXCUSE As a matter of fact, everybody is supposed to know and bound to know the law of the land where he lives. Ignorance of law is no excuse. If an Indian goes to America and drives the car on the left side of the road or without putting on a safety belt, the police will fine him 50 dollars. If he argues that he was ignorant of the law, the police will not accept any excuses and he will be asked to pay the fine on the spot and then study the law at his convenience. Similarly if an American goes to India and moves with a gun without licence he will be arrested by the police. His argument that in America no licence is necessary for having a gun will not be accepted. If a man puts his hand in fire innocently or through ignorance, even then the fire will burn his hand invariably. If you want to stay and live in America, India, England or anywhere, you are expected to know the laws and rules of those countries. Similarly, if you want to live happily anywhere in this world, you must know the Law of Karma under which the whole Universe is governed. Let us therefore now turn to examine and study the Law of Karma
stages as under (1) KRIYAMAN KARMA means an action done at the spur of a moment or time in the present tense which instantaneously bears fruit and results in reaction then and there. (2) SANCHIT KARMA (Cumulative Karma) means the actions done but not yet ripe to give fruits immediately or on the spot but take some time to get ripened. Such Karmas are kept in abeyance pending in the balance waiting for the opportune time to become ripe, to give fruits in future. Till then they remain in balance and are accumulated (SANCHIT). Until their fructification, these Sanchit Karmas would not be neutralised. (3) PRARABDHA KARMA means those actions, out of the accumulated Sanchit Karmas which have now become ripe and are ready to give fruits. They are commonly known as destiny, luck, fate, fortune etc. Let us understand the detailed meaning and the impact of the above three categories of Karma with illustrations.
son. At the time of this curse Shri Das'rath was not married and hence that curse could not be effetive immediately. His action (Karma) was therefore kept in abeyance pending as Sanchit Karma waiting for the opportune time to come. Subsequently, in due course of time, when Shri Das'rath got married, also got Rama as his son and then precisely just on the auspicious coronation day of Rama, the unholy sinful past action of King Das'rath immediately cropped up and he had to die because of the curse compelling the separation of his son Rama. And curiously enough, even shri Rama (the omnipotent God incarnate), in due respect to the immutable law of Karma, chose not to interfere by showing any favouritism to his own father in giving him extension for at least 14 years till he would return from the forest. Taking one more example from the epic Mahabharata, King Dhrutarashtra, when he lost all his 100 sons in the battle field, inquired of Lord Krishna as to why he met with such a disastrous loss even though he did not remember to have committed any such horrible sin during his present lifetime. Lord Krishna, out of respect and sympathy for him gracefully bestowed upon him divine vision so that he could visualise for himself the heinous act perpetrated by him in any of his previous births which was responsible for his current misery. Thus aided, Shri Dhrutarashtra discovered that fifty births back when he was a hunter of birds he once threw his burning net on a tree causing hundred small baby birds to be entrapped and burnt to ashes, while the remaining big birds flew away but they became blind due to the scorching heat of the burning net. The effect of this horrible sinful deed was that Shri Dhrutarashtra became and remained blind all throughout his present life and also lost his 100 sons. Shri Dhrutarashtra wondered and further inquired from Lord Krishna as to why that wanton and sinful act did not immediately rebound on him to punish him in the same birth or even during his immediately next birth, and why it remained dormant as Sanchit Karma for such a long period of fifty lifetimes. Lord Krishna smiled and replied that his past sinful deed had to wait for an opportune time up to 50 births during which time he could earn and accumulate enough pious deeds to merit him to be eligible to get a hundred sons in one lifetime so that his previous sinful Sanchit Karma could instantaneously confront him with the effects of his evil action. Thus, nobody can escape or avoid the punishment for his sinful actions even after 50 or five hundred births. Of course, the sinful deeds will remain latent and dormant as Sanchit Karmas waiting for the opportune time to confront the person. So long as the stock of his pious, meritorfous deeds is not fully exhausted, the sinful deeds will not be able to attack the person and will bide their time, but, in any event, will not allow the person to escape. His sins will
catch up with him at the most opportune time, and will definitely attack him even after hundreds and thousands of births. Thus there is neither delay nor any chaos or confusion in the realm of God. God is full of both mercy and justice. There are innumerable such instances and episodes in our scriptures and also in our day-to-day life propounding this doctrine of Karma that "as you sow, so shall you reap" the fruits either immediately or in due course of time as and when they become ripe either in the present life or in the subsequent birth or births to come. Suppose you are owed 500 dollars by someone who cunningly refuses to repay. Hence you file a civil suit against him for recovery. The court issues a demand warrant in your favour and the bailiff goes to execute that warrant. But he cannot recover the money because the debtor is currently bankrupt. However, the demand warrant will not, therefore, be cancelled, but will only be kept pending till the recovery becomes possible. Subsequently, if the debtor acquires sufficient money through some business, service or by heritage, the demand warrant will immediately be enforced and executed for payment to you. Perhaps, before the recovery of the amount, if the debtor dies, he can safely escape the execution of the order of this worldly court but his sinful debt (action) will be deposited in his Sanchit Karmas. Thus he cannot escape the divine court of God, as in his subsequent birth or births, he shall have to repay the amount, whether in terms of dollars, or in terms of service by becoming a bullock in your house in your next birth as a farmer.
suffering due to paralysis and other diseases.and desperately craving for freedom from his crippled body. But as soon as his Prarabdha Karmas destined to be enjoyed during his present lifetime are fully exhausted, he immediately becomes free from this body and again gets a new body to enjoy other new Prarabdha Karmas, say about 20,000 which have become ripe by that time to give him fruits. Unfortunately, while exhausting his predestined Prarabdha Karmas during one lifetime, he creates and accumulates many more new Karmas during the same lifetime which are again deposited in the stock of his previous Sanchit Karmas and this situation is repeated in every birth. Thus the vicious cycle goes on uninterruptedly increasing, instead of decreasing, the total balance of Sanchit Karmas at the end of each birth. The stock of Sanchit Karmas is increasing by leaps and bounds as the new accumulation is much more than the expenditure during each birth and there is no end to this process. Therefore, the cycle of birth and death goes on indefinitely and there does not appear to be any hope of chance for liberation of emancipation. Recognising this, Shri Shankaracharya has humbly requested God as under: PUNARAPI JANANAM PUNARAPI MARANAM PUNARAPI JANANI JATHARE SHAYANAM. IHA SANSARE KHALU DUSTARE KRUPAYA PARE PAHI MURARE. Repeated births and repeated deaths And repeatedly sleeping in the womb of mother This ocean of SANSARA is really difficult to cross OH GOD, kindly save me and help me to cross.
etc. and that you should be. But even if you want to be mean, crooked or dishonest you are at liberty to be so, of course, at your own risk and cost and then you must be prepared for the consequences. You cannot blame anybody nor can you escape from its effect. "As you sow, so shall you reap." As a human being you are totally independent to any action you choose. But mind well, independence implies responsibility also. The more the independence, the more the responsibility also. You and you alone are responsible for your own actions and none else. Once you are caught in any Karma, do not try to escape by blaming any one else or even God (see pare 18 also). Such unqualified independence is not given to animals, birds etc. which are of lower status because they possess only a functional mind - a lower intelligence but no wisdom. They, therefore, go about their activities only by intuition and instinct and they are controlled by nature, while you are the controller of nature. God has bestowed human beings with higher intelligence as well as wisdom. So if human beings misuse their intelligence and do not use their wisdom, they are liable to severe punishment according to the provisions of the Law of Karma. A dog will not eat a loaf of bread without smelling it thrice to ascertain whether it is congenial to his health. And even by mistake, if he eats it, he will immediately vomit it out because he is controlled by nature. Therefore, the dogs, donkeys, birds etc. do not suffer from diabetes, blood pressure, heart attack, Aids, etc. While a man who gets a hundred dollar currency note by corrupt, dishonest means he immediately puts it directly in his pocket without thinking that he will have to pay a thousand dollars to the doctor as a result of that sin. Let me quote one concrete instance to illustrate this point. A man committed two murders. In the case of the first murder, he could escape conviction by engaging a very intelligent and influential pleader. In the second case, he could escape by greasing the hands of the corrupt police officers with bribery. But in the third murder case in which, even though he was totally innocent of any crime, he was arrested by the police only on suspicion looking to his past antecedents and previous police records in which he was black-listed. Unfortunately for him the police could anyhow successfully secure most convincing evidence and witnesses to establish his guilt as a murderer without any shadow of doubt and consequently he was hanged. In such a case, we can say that his sins of the previous two murders committed by him could not have at that. time attacked him, probably because he might have got in stock certain other pious deeds (Punya Karma) also at that time
which would have prevented the sins of those two murders from attacking him. But, thereafter, as soon as he might have exhausted his pious deeds, the sins of his two previous murder cases, remaining in balance in abeyance as Sanchit Karmas matured as luck, fate, destiny (Pra-rabdha) attacked him and entangled him in the third murder case even though he was totally innocent in it. A man can cleverly and cunningly manipulate to escape from the court of this world, but in the court of God no influence or bribery is allowed and nobody can escape. Sometimes when we find an apparently innocent person being punished, we naturally feel that there is no justice in the realm of God. But it is not so. In fact, he must have escaped punishment in some previous offence cleverly or cunningly from the court of this world. But at the opportune time, his Sanchit Karma would ripen into Prarabdha from which he can never escape. No action is lost without reaction, no cause is lost without effect, no effort is lost without destiny, and no sin is lost without punishment in he Law of Karma. Taking an example from Shrimad Bhagvatam, King Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna was a very pious and noble king and a staunch devotee of God and saints. Even then unfortunately for him, one day he went very far into the forest and became very thirsty. In the interior of the forest, he went to the Ashram of the sage named Samik.The sage was at that time in deep meditation and therefore did not offer his solicitation to welcome the king. The king felt offended and in a momentary impulse of anger, he put dead serpent around the neck of the meditating sage and went away. Subsequently when the son of the sage saw this outrageous misconduct, he gave a curse that whoever was the wrong doer would die on the seventh day by a serpent bite. When the sage came out of his meditation, he felt very sorry for the entire episode and he himself informed the king about this irrevocable curse. The king,instead of trying to escape the effect of this curse, boldly accepted the curse as the natural and deserved consequence of his own grievous misconduct. He nobly declared himself as guilty of the sin. He was all powerful monarch and hence even the supreme court of his kingdom was not competent to frame any charge against him for any of his wrong deeds. The king, therefore, himself charge-sheeted himself for the offence committed by him and also himself prescribed the quantum of deterrent punishment to be awarded to him, just to set an example for other kings to refrain from insulting a saint. He did not offer any prayers to Lord Krishna for seeking relief from the
effect of the curse just as we common people generally do only when we are in trouble. He did not offer any such prayers to Lord Krishna reminding him of his close personal relations with him (1) that the father of Lord Krishna was the maternal uncle of Arjuna, the grand father of Parikshita; (2) or that Lord Krishna was himself the brother-in-law of Arjuna; (3) or that Lord Krishna was also the chariot-driver of Arjuna in the battlefield and had also been his friend, philosopher and guide; (4) or that Lord Krishna had with great compassion and mercy protected Parikshit against a dangerous weapon whiie the latter was in the womb of his mother; and therefore, he should once again save him from this curse this time also. Parikshit also did not pray Lord Krishna for protection like us saying that (1) this was only his first transgression or offence committed in momentary impulse of rage; (2) he was prepared to cast in concrete his solemn affirmation not to repeat such a grave offence ever again; (3) he was also prepared to give a generous donation for constructing temples etc. if he were to be relieved from this fatal curse. He had not tempted God, as we are often inclined to in dealing with corrupt officers and ministers. He fully accepted the blame for his offence and made no attempt to escape. He immediately renounced all worldly affairs, seated himself on the banks of the Ganges at the feet of the revered sage Shukdevji, determined to attain selfrealisation leading to Moksha i.e. emancipation from the cycle of birth and death. After seven days, the serpent (cobra) named Takshak could only bite his body (which he had already renounced) but could not harm his eternal soul. This is the correct method of facing the Prarabdha. Your own Kriyaman Karmas when they are matured-ripened and are ready to give fruits, they are known as Pr-arabdha (Destiny-fate-luck-fortune). God has given you full liberty to do any Kriyaman Karma with the best of your knowledge and wisdom. But when
they mature and their due consequences come before you, you should face them and accept them boldly and cheerfully without asking God to interfere to save you
now, but thereafter their present sinful deeds (Pap Karmas) which they are at present earning and accumulating as Sanchit Karmas will mature and ripen in due course and will start attacking them immediately after all their previous pious deeds (Punya Karmas) are completely exhausted. Till then their present sinful actions (Pap Karmas) will keep themselves waiting for the opportune time to come for their execution. Similarly, the fact that pious and honest persons of good morals appear to be suffering unhappiness at present is not because of their present pious deeds (Punya Karma) but that is because of their previous sinful actions (Pap Karmas) which they must have earned and accumulated in their previous births as Sanchit Karmas which have now matured and ripened as ill-luck. fate (Prarabdha) for this birth that they are suffering and exhausting in their present birth. Let them exhaust them all by sufferance and thereafter their present pious deeds (Punya Karmas) which they are at present earning and accumulating as Sanchit Karma which will be matured and ripened in due course will start giving them sweet fruits of happiness immediately after their previous sinful deeds (Pap Karmas) are totally exhausted. Till .then their present pious deeds (Punya Karmas) will remain in abeyance waiting for the opportune time to come to bring them happiness. Till then, one should have enough patience, courage, will-power, sufficient forbearance and full faith in this law and the law-maker (Almighty God). It is the most fundamental principle of this law that happiness is the direct result of pious deeds (Punya Karmas) and unhappiness is the direct result of the sinful deeds (Pap Karmas). There can never be happiness without pious deeds (Punya Karmas) and unhappiness without sinful deeds (Pap Karmas). Just for an example In villages, people keep storage tanks - barrels. storage tins, silo (known as Kothi in India) for the storage and preservation of corn grain. Corn grain is added in the barrel from the top and taken out when required through a hole at the bottom of the barrel. The barrel of Mr. A is full of barley (inferior corn) and Mr. B's barrel is full of wheat (superior corn). Now Mr. A is adding wheat from the top in his barrel and yet he is getting barley from the bottom hole. While Mr. B is now adding barley from the top in his barrel and yet he gets wheat from the bottom hole. Mr. A is, therefore, surprised and also worried as to why he gets barley even when he is adding wheat in his barrel
and why Mr. B who is adding barley in his barrel is still getting wheat from the bottom hole. But in fact, for Mr. A there is nothing to be surprised or worried. This happens because Mr. A is ignorant of the fact that he has previously earned and accumulated barley in his barrel and so long as that stock of barley is not fully exhausted he is not going to get from the bottom hole wheat which he is at present adding from the top in his barrel. He need not worry about it, but he should have more courage, patience and forbearance enough and should go on and continue adding more and more wheat so long as his previous stock of barley is completely exhausted. Thereafter he will definitely start getting wheat. While Mr. B shall be getting barley immediately the stock of wheat in his barrel is totally exhausted. In the same way we should gather sufficient patience and moral courage while suffering miseries which are the results of our past sinful deeds (Pap) and go on doing pious deeds (Punya Karmas) with great enthusiasm and full faith in God even during the period of miseries. Let the rascals, rogues and immoral persons rejoice today till their stock of previous pious deeds (Punya Karmas) are fully exhausted. Thereafter, they will definitely start getting miseries in future due to their present sinful deeds (Pap) which will ripen in due course. The Manager of the Bank is my fast friend. But when I send a cheque of even 50 dollars it is dishonoured because I have no sufficient Bank balance. While my neighbour. who has got very bad relations with the Bank Manager, has his cheque of even 500 dollars fully honoured because he has got sufficient Bank balance in his account. I should not, therefore, blame the Bank Manager. So long as I have no balance of pious deeds to my credit, I cannot draw a cheque of happiness and hope to have a happy life.
(2) RAJSIK (of selfish mentality and motives) (3) TAMSIK (of crooked or slovenly mentality
and motives) Prarabdha (Destiny, luck, fate, fortune) is unavoidable and irrevocable in the case of all these three types of persons. But the method of facing, accepting, suffering or enjoying the Prarabdha is different with different kinds of people. For example. Mr. A did one sinful action (Pap) as a result of which it is destined in his Prarabdha that he shall have to starve and go without meals for one day. (1 ) Now, if he is a SATVIK man (of pious mentality and motives), he will voluntarily observe a holy fast on a religious day-say, EKADASHI - chant the name of God, and keep his mind engaged in pious thoughts and prayers for the whole day. In this way he will willingly accept his Prarabdha of going without meals for one day and thereby he will neutralise his previous sin. Not only that but while thus mitigating and exhausting his Prarabdha he will also earn the fruits of new pious actions of voluntarily observing fast and chanting the name of God on a religious day. Such pious deeds will again ripen as a new good Prarabdha for him to enjoy subsequently. (2) But supposing he is a RAJSIK man (of pragmatic but selfish mentality or motives), one day for some very urgent and important work, he was compelled by his boss to labour for the whole day in his factory and the poor fellow could not find any time even to take his lunch and dinner and had to go without meals and starve on that day. Thus he had to face, accept, mitigate and exhaust the Prarabdha of his previous sinful action. (3) And, supposing he is a TAMSIK man (of crooked temperament or mentality and motives), one day he quarrelled with his wife merely for the sake of satisfying his crooked motives. Overcome by his furious anger he rashly skipped his meals during the whole day and in this way he suffered the Prarabdha of his previous sinful actions. In the process, he also earned and accumulated one new sinful action (Pap) which would again ripen as a new bad luck (Prarabdha) in due course of time, thus bringing more suffering in future. Thus a Satvik man faces his bad luck (Prarabdha) with pious mentality, the Rajasik man faces it with selfish mentality, while the Tamsik man suffers due to crooked mentality. But in all these cases, Prarabdha is inevitable and unavoidable because man is primarily responsible for his own actions.
Taking another converse example of Mr. B, supposing he did one pious deed (Punya Karma) as a result of which it is destined that he will get 100 dollars some day when that action is matured and ripened as Prarabdha. (1) Mr. B is a Custom Officer at an international airport. One day while checking the baggage of a smuggler, he found items of questionable legality. But when the smuggler gave him a bribe of 100 dollars, he allowed the baggage to go without checking. Thus he enjoyed the Prarabdha of his previous pious action by getting 100 dollars. But being a Tamsik man, he earned it by crooked means and thereby he created a new sinful action (Pap) which would again mature and ripen as a new bad luck (Prarabdha) which he will have to face in future-say by giving 200 dollars to a doctor for the treatment of his leg injured in an accident. (2) However, if he is not a Tamsik man but a Rajsik man, he would refuse to accept the bribery of 100 dollars and take legal action against the smuggler. In that case his Prarabdha of getting 100 dollars is postponed for some later time, but it will not be lost. This Prarabdha will not rest till he has anyhow reaped the benefit of 100 dollars. One day, he unexpectedly purchased a T.V. Set on payment of only 400 dollars even though its reasonable market price was 500 dollars, as the dealer charged him 100 dollars less only because he happened to be a customs officer. Thus he got the benefit of 100 dollars due to his previous good deed (Prarabdha). (3) However, if he is a man of Satwik temperament, he would refuse to take indirect advantage of his post by paying 100 dollars less. In that case, his Prarabdha of getting the benefit of 100 dollars would be postponed for a while, but again it will not rest until he actually gets 100 dollars in his pocket by some other means. A few days later, one passenger in a great hurry forgot on his table a purse containing 1000 dollars. From the identity card found in the purse, he immediately ran down to the house of the passenger and gave him his purse. The passenger was delighted and raptured with joy. Being overwhelmed with gratitude he most humbly, gratefully and with great satisfaction gave him a reward of 100 dollars for his nobility. Thus while enjoying his Prarabdha of getting 100 dollars, he also earned one new pious action (Punya Karma) which would in turn ripen as a new Prarabdha bringing him further joy and happiness.
Thus the Satvik man enjoys his good luck with pious mentality by satisfying others, the Rajsik man with selfish mentality gets his good luck in bargaining with others and the Tamasik man by torturing others. In any case destiny (Prarabdha) does not rest until the person has suffered or enjoyed and exhausted it
take it pack and will refund the amount paid by you. (2) The dealer of Rajsik articles, like crockery, wrist watch, electrical goods etc., after purchases he will give you a cash memo with a specific instruction printed therein that the articles if found defective or damaged after going home will not be taken back and the money will not be refunded. (3) the dealer of Tamsik articles will not at all show you the goods unless you pay in advance as entrance fees etc. Just as it is in the case of movie cinema theatres, strict doctors, lawyers. prostitutes etc.
nothing more or less. A king, though he is extremely pleased with his servant, cannot promote him to a very high post with a fat salary as it is not in his Prarabdha. Even though it would rain for all the 24 hours all the year round, the tree of Palash will bear only three leaves and not more. During spring season all the trees beget fresh leaves but the tree of Kerda does not get any leaves. For that, spring is not responsible. During daytime all the creatures are able to see in the sunlight but the owls cannot see anything at all because it is so destined in their Prarabdha. For this the sun cannot be blamed. In the monsoon it rains equally everywhere without any favouritism to anybody but the poor bird known as CHATAK hardly gets a few drops of water - in his gaping mouth during the whole monsoon season because it is so destined in his luck and the monsoon is helpless. Destiny (Prarabdha) is irrevocable and nobody can wipe it out or erase it. It is a common belief amongst us that on the sixth day of the birth of a child, the Goddess of Destiny named Vl,DHZ;TA comes at night to chart the life course of the new-born child and writes the destiny as to what is going to happen during the whole life of that child on the white, yellow, and red papers which we keep arranged for her to write. Nobody can see this goddess and read what she has written. But anyhow in any case even if the belief is correct. the Goddess Vidhata, appointed for doing this job, cannot favour anybody by adding or subtra,cting or manipulating any item from the Prarabdha that is destined strictly according to his previous Kriyaman Karmas done by him in his previous births which have now matured and ripened as Prarabdha to be enjoyed or suffered during his present birth. She cannot be bribed. There is no corruption, bribery or favouritism in the law of Karma under the Realm of God. You are eligible and entitled to get only that much which is specifically destined in your Prarabdha. All your efforts will be futile and will fall flat even if you run and run day and night becoming crazy and hankering for attracting and accumulating money and wealth more than what is destined in your luck, fate (Prarabdha). Only running here and there without Prarabdha will not fetch more wealth. At the same time be sure that whatever wealth is destined, you are definitely going to get it not because of your running but in spite of your running. A dog is running helter skelter from one street to another for the whole day, and yet he does not become wealthy only because of his running. On the contrary only because of his more running for bread and sex door to door and street to street in crazy madness he is being beaten many a time. The dog runs after bread and
sex with his four legs while a passionate person is also found running with the four wheels of his car in restless activity. It makes no difference between animals and human beings if both of them are running madly after only bread and sex. The main point, the gist of this observation, is that your Prarabdha in your present birth is the direct effect and specifically based and shaped on the Kriyaman Karmas of your past births. Even if you aspire and strenuously strive you cannot get anything more than what is destined in your Prarabdha under any circumstances.
given, how to use them as instruments for noble ends with a discriminating intellect is dictated by one's freedom of choice and effort. Even if destiny dictates whether one would pass or fail in an examination, it is incumbent upon him to satisfy his conscience with sincere and diligent efforts and try for success. Whether one earns a little less or a little more is left to one's destiny. However to earn one's livelihood with honesty and sincerity or otherwise is a matter of personal choice and effort. Happiness does not depend upon how much money and wealth one can acquire. Often money acquired through devious means ultimately brings a lot of pain and anguish in life. Many amongst those who have built their riches by dishonest, sinful practices find miseries creeping into their life either through destructive habits and wrong actions of their children or even through shocking shameless behaviour of their spouses. If one comes into some means and wealth by a good stroke of destiny, then he ought to avail of the opportunity by turning it into an instrument for personal spiritual progress. If one has to suffer some mental deprivation then also one should th~nk of turning that circumstance to his advantage to achieve the same goal of personal, spiritual progress. If dest,ny provides a man with a good loyal wife then that should become the means for his spiritual progress. If, on the other hand, fate snatches away the spouse and leaves one a widower, then still one ought to put that circumstance to good purpose for the sake of his spiritual progress. Whatever destiny provides or does not provide him in the form of physical health, wealth, wife, children - whether in abundance or lacking in any of these areas - one should strive to turn to his advantage through personal efforts at attaining spiritual upliftment. Without consciously causing anguish to any one else, without compromising one's morals or principles for the sake of flattery or subservience to the whims of the selfish, unscrupulous persons and without going against one's own conscience, whatever little can be attained, one should find and feel contentment and abundance in it.
present when matured and ripened becomes Prarabdha (destiny) in future. Efforts and destiny, cause and effect, action and reaction are equal and opposite but not in opposition to or in conflict with each other. Thus Purushartha (effort) and Prarabdha are not opposed to each other but they are supplementary as well as complementary to each other. The Purushartha when ripened and matured becomes Prarabdha in due course of time and hence they do not come in clash with each other at one and the same time. Their fields, spheres of operation, are different. Prarabdha provides pleasures and pains during the present birth whereas Purushartha prepares groundwork for future circumstances for providing pleasures and pains in subsequent birth or births. Thus Purushartha is the architect of one's own Prarabdha.
in one word are known as (DHARMA) ethics. (4) And ultimately even after satisfying all his above wants, he will still feel lacking and vacuum in life and then he will ardently crave for Moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death). Thus all the human wants, desires, likes, requirements etc. are categorised into four categories in our scriptures as under: (1 ) DHARMA (ethics, religion) (2) ARTHA (wealth-unlimited worldly materialistic objects) (3) KAMA (enjoyment - Desire to enjoy wealth for sense gratification) and (4) MOKSHA (Liberation-emancipation from the cycle of birth and death). For (1 ) DHARMA and (4) MOKSHA, a man should always constantly do Purushartha (efforts) and should never leave it to Prarabdha. As for (2) ARTHA and (3) KAMA he should totally leave them to Prarabdha as he is going to get only that much of wealth (ARTHA) and enjoyment (KAMA) which is destined in his Prarabdha (luck, fate, fortune) and nothing more in spite of all his Purushartha (efforts). But unfortunately due to the ignorance of this law of Karma he goes in the wrong direction and ultimately he has to lose everything at the end of his life. Instead of making any Purushartha (efforts) for (1) Dharma and (4) Moksha, he totally neglects it or leaves it to Praradbha only. While for (2) Artha (wealth) and (3) Kama (enjoyment), he strives all his nerves and makes strenuous efforts (Purushartha) all throughout his life day and night and crazily hankers after them even when he is not going to get anything more than that is destined in his Prarabdha. Thus he fails in both the ways in life by making efforts in opposite and wrong directions. Human body is given to acquire all these four : (1) Dharma, (2) Artha, (3) Kama and (4) Moksha, in proper sequence. Hindu religion and its scriptures are not against having Artha (wealth) and Kama (enjoyment of wealth). A man is supposed to be and should be wealthy enough but that wealth must be earned and accumulated only
and only through the medium of Dharma-ethics, through pious deeds and not by unethical crooked means and sins. That is why Dharma is given number 1 (one) in the sequence and wealth comes second. Wealth earned through the medium of Dharma (ethics and pious deeds) will lead you to worship and wisdom. While the wealth earned by unethical means and sins through crooked ways would lead you to wine and women. With the wealth acquired through the medium of Dharma he is permitted to enjoy all the amenities of life and satisfy his KAMA, of course. within the limits of Dharma. This permission is given not to fall into the pit of passion and to indulge and stoop into the enjoyment for sense gratification; but just to make him realise that it is unsatiable and therefore he should try to overcome it. Ultimately when he will realise the fruitlessness of enjoyment for sense gratification which is insatiable immediately he will realise the fruitfulness of Moksha. Consequently and subsequently he will renounce and will turn his face for self-realization and liberation from the cycle of birth and death i.e. MOKSHA which is the final target, the ultimate goal and also the main purpose for which he is gracefully given the human body by God.
Geeta that his right (ADHIKAR) is only to perform his action to labour but he has no claim or right on the fruit of it in the form of a dollar, he would at once ask me to read Geeta for myself alone after first giving him cne dollar (which is the fruit of his labour). The correct interpretation of the above statement in Geeta is that you have got the authority (control) in doing your action i.e. you are totally competent and independent to do any action you like but then you have no claim (control) on the fruit of it. That means you are not competent enough and you have no power or authority to escape or avoid facing the resultant fruit of your action. You are independent to do any action, of course, at your cost and risk, but then you must be prepared for the consequences. You have full control (ADHIKAR) over your actions but no control whatsoever over their results (Reactions). I am your guest. On the dinner table you offered me a sumptuous dainty dish containing various items like Dudhpak, pudding, vegetables, cereals, condiment, papad etc. etc. Now it is my duty and responsibility, and not yours, to see and decide which items are congenial to my health for consumption and which items are injurious to my health which I should not eat. If I go on eating voraciously more and more Dubhpak and beans, you will go on offering only those items more and more even though over-eating them would be injurious and create trouble in my stomach. I am independent to overeat, of course at my risk and cost, any item that I relish more, but then I must be prepared for the consequent effect thereof. Then, thereafter, if I start running frequently towards the latrine due to diarrhoea as a result (effect-fruit) of my over-eating (cause), I and i am alone responsible for that and not you. Then I cannot blame you or anybody else. I am not competent and I have no authority, (ADHIKAR) control or powers to escape the results (fruits) of my overactions.
subsequently ripened and matured in due course of time and come before us as Prarabdha in subsequent birth or births which we are bound to exhaust by taking many more new births endlessly stretching ad infinitum. Thus this vicious circle would never allow us to be free and secure Moksha which is the ultimate goal of human life
Yoga is an art of discernment and prudence in the indulgence of daily activities. The method to wipe off completely all the Kriyaman Sanchit and Prarabdha Karmas is prescribed as under: (1) First of all you should control your present Kriyaman Karmas which is within your powers and competence. You should perform only those Kriyaman Karmas which would not be accumulated as Sanchit Karmas during your present lifetime (see para 23). Thus you ptop the flow and do not allow any new Karmas to be accumulated increasing the present stock of your Sanchit Karmas which you have earned during your past births. (2) Then all the Sanchit Karmas in balance earned and accumulated uptill now because of your past deeds should be got completely burnt in the fire of knowledge (jnanagni - self realisation - see para 40). (3) And the Prarabdha Karmas have to be exhausted only by enjoying and suffering them during this lifetime in the present birth (see paras 32 to 37).
would be horrible and would bring disastrous effects in your life. So you cannot and should not stop doing your Kriyaman Karmas. At the same time, if you perform any Kriyaman Karma it will be a bondage. If you do even pious actions you will come in bondage with a smooth golden chain in a golden cage of happiness and if you perform sinful deeds you are in a bondage with a rough iron chain in an iron cage of miseries. In short every Kriyaman Karma (action) is a bondage. Thus on one side you cannot stop doing Kriyaman Karmas even for a second under any circumstances; while on the other hand if you do any Kriyaman Karma either good or bad, pious or sinful, you get bondage in a golden or iron cage of Prarabdha. In order, therefore, to avoid this complicated and paradoxical situation and to be free from the bondage of Kriyaman Karmas, the only alternative is to go on performing such Kriyaman Karmas as can be completely enjoyed and exhausted during the present lifetime only and which may not remain in balance for accumulation as Sanchit Karmas for the next birth or births. The real key is to perform only those Kriyaman Karmas (with proper dexterity and discretion) which would dissolve away instantly upon dispensing their due consequence during the present lifetime without adding to the burden of Sanchit Karmas to be reckoned for subsequent births.
detachment, likes or dislikes etc. (5) Actions performed without any ego of a doer; (6) Actions performed for the good and benefit of the society at large with a benevolent motive. (7) Actions performed selflessly with devotion unto God (NISHKAM KARMA).
wrong deeds which he has performed without any bias in mind due to any sort of aversion or attachment, likes or dislikes or ego. Hence, at the most he may be awarded some instant retribution, light or severe punishment or be beaten or may be sent to a lunatic asylum for improvement. Thus he gets punished for his Kriyaman Karmas during the present lifetime and therefore they are not added as Sanchit Karmas for punishment in their subsequent births. Nobody can be punished twice for the same offence.
added in their Sanchit Karmas for their subsequent births. Dev Yoni, super human births are also Bhog Yonis. They only enjoy pleasures in the paradise being the matured ripened fruits (Prarabdha) of their pious Sanchit Karmas accumulated in their past births. But then when they are completely exhausted immediately they again return to human bodies.
they expect themselves to be free from the results of their wrong deeds. But there is a mandatory provision in the law of Karma that every action has got reaction, every cause has got effect and every effort does result into destiny. If you sow, you must reap, and as you sow; so shall you reap and you cannot escape. Any good or bad action brings happiness or unhappiness and for enjoying this happiness or suffering unhappiness you must have a body as an instrument and for having a body you must compulsorily go into the womb of a mother. Thus you have to rotate in the cycle of birth and death. In this way each and every good or bad action (deed) is a bondage. At the same time you cannot do without doing any action in life, otherwise your normal life would be crippled, come to a standstill, stranded and even terminated as discussed (in para 22) above. In that case you do not find any hope to be free from the cycle of birth and death which is the ultimate goal of human life. Now in order to avoid this critical contingency, and if you really and ardently desire to be free from the cycle of birth and death which is tremendously torturous and terribly troublesome, the only course open to you is to ceaselessly and selflessly go on doing your actions, deeds, job whatever destined to be done by you as a part of your duty allotted to you for this life by the grace of God for the sake of God, so that your inner soul and God would be pleased with your actions. You should not be crazy or hanker after or be mad to get the fruits of your actions, but whatever fruits God would kindly and lawfully give you for your actions in the form of destiny you should willingly accept them as God's grace and enjoy them or suffer them boldly without any hesitation. This is called Nishkam Karma. All the creatures and creations of nature in the entire universe are doing this sort of Nishkam Karma without any selfish motive and with full devotion and service to the higher purpose of God. The sun is given the duty to give light. The rivers are doing the work of supplying water, the trees are giving you fruits and cows give you milk free of charge. The fish keep the water clean and the wind destroys pollution from the atmosphere. For all these various services they do not demand, like us, any pay, promotion, increment, dearness allowance, medical allowance, touring allowance, gratuity etc. nor do they enjoy any casual leave, earned leave, half-pay leave, medical leaveetc. and never go on strike. Every creature in the universe is supposed to be and bound to be active and sincere to the humanity at large in the realm of God. Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Mohamad the Prophet, Swami Ramkrishna, Swami Vivekanand, Swami Ramtirth and so many such exalted souls and saints have ceaselessly striven during their entire life span for the service of the humanity only for the satisfaction of their inner soul and for God, without any selfish motive like amassing wealth, bungalows, cars.and such other worldly materialistic objects for their
sense gratification. Those who have worked with the zeal of missionary spirit have never demanded any pay and those who are crazy and mad only after pay have never worked with missionary spirit in life and therefore they are coming in the clutches of the cycle of birth and death. Liberation from selfish desires and wants amounts to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Saintly persons ceaselessly working for the service of the humanity at large selflessly for the satisfaction of their inner soul only and God, are considered to be liberated. This is how you control your Kriyaman Karmas and do not allow them to be accumulated, matured and ripened as Prarabdha which is responsible for your subsequent birth or births. Now let us examine how to control and exhaust our Prarabdha Karmas of the present life.
vision and intellect, as well as its specialised skill, only to drive itself headlong into the mouth of death. At the same time, the snake enjoys its good fortune (Prarabdha) of a sumptuous feast, without any effort whatsoever, to satisfy its hunger with a relish. As another example, when a rabbit or skunk predestined to die a crushing death, sees a car passing by while crossing a country road, instinctively it rushes headlong straight into the wheels of the speeding car, impelled though he is by a desire to save himself. Thus the very effort (Purushartha) motivated by his desire to save his life, instead becomes the cause of his destiny driven death. If he had refrained from making any effort to cross the road, his life would have been spared. But at that moment his instinct would inevitably predispose him to making the fateful run for his death. Such is the compulsive force of destiny (Prarabdha) in its predeterminence over mental faculties. Let us take one more example of how mind and intellect become, as it were, a slave to bring about the inescapable fruits of one's past actions. Suppose a rich and prominent businessman is confronted with an urgent mission to make an overnight trip to negotiate a lucrative business deal. Upon inquiry with the local airlines he finds that the only flight to his destination that evening is already fully booked. Being both resourceful and determined to carry out his mission, he spends the major part of his day making several phone calls, using the full weight of his wide influence to obtain a seat on the same flight at any price. Finally to his great satisfaction, he persuaded the airlines manager to get himself replaced for another passenger by offering to pay double the normal fare and also to compensate the passenger thus deprived of his reservation. Within minutes after the plane takes off into the air, it crashes down with a fierce explosion leaving no survivors. Thus the very assets of the businessman, his material affluence and his social influence which would normally become the means for his well-being instead became instrumental in his tragic and violent destruction. Such is the absolute supremacy of Prarabdha over the mind and intellect. Whatever is pre-destined for you, either your Prarabdha will drag you to the right place at the right moment to make it a reality for you, or it will come running on its feet to wherever you are hiding. In any event until your pre-destined fate has become a reality for you, you cannot escape from the clutches of Prarabdha. Even the most exalted souls of pure impeccable character and intellect become victims of convoluted thinking when it comes to reaping the consequences of their Prarabdha Karma. Even Shri Rama, the incarnation of Vishnu, became enamoured of the extremely improbable sight of a golden deer. Indeed, when adversity
born out of fateful destiny comes knocking at the door, even the most astute mind develops a confused and fuzzy intellect. In the entire creation of all the myriad species, nobody has even heard of nor seen a golden deer. Notwithstanding this, Shri Rama succumbed to the temptation of chasing the golden deer. Indeed when the moment of downfall arrives, the intellect becomes perverted. Ravana was a very learned king. He was accomplished in the knowledge of all the four Vedas, and also was the supreme devotee of Lord Shiva. He was so powerful that all the nine planets were under his sway and subjugation. Even such a learned and mighty king became the victim of warped and twisted thinking. It was his Prarabdha Karma which led him to the self-destructive temptation of scheming for the abduction of Rama's wife, Sita. This fatal lapse on the part of Ravana again graphically illustrates the principle that when the moment of downfall arrives, the intellect of a wise man indeed becomes perverted.
(2) Stars, planets and demigods; (3) Astrology (Jyotish); (4) Chanting the name of God (Ram, Krishna etc.); (5) God himself.
class. If the butter-milk taste is very acute, terribly sour, you can add a few cups of water and make the sour taste milder so that you can tolerably drink it. (3) If your Prarabdha is mild. you can completely wipe it out by acute Purushartha just as you can completely abolish dirty yellow patches on the tiles of your bath room by using acid or strong detergent chemicals. (4) The very mild Prarabdha can be wiped off even by ordinary Purushartha just as it is possible to wipe off ink drops on your room floor by a simple brush only. Anyhow, you should ceaselessly go on doing Purushartha all throughout and never go back and abandon it at any stage. If your Prarabdha is mild or very mild, it will be wiped off by simple or intense-acute Purushartha. lf it is thus not wiped off, do not worry; go on and continue striving with very acute Purushartha at least to make your acute Prarabdha mild or diluted. However, inspite of your very acute Purushartha, if you cannot bring about any change in your Prarabdha which might be very acute, then quietly and cheerfully undergo and suffer it with total submission and absolute resignation to God. In that way you can exhaust your very acute Prarabdha through endurance of suffering. After all, your Prarabdha is nothing but the ripened and matur- ed fruits of the previous Kriyaman Karmas of your own. Hence nobody else, not even God is responsible or to be blamed.
cannot relieve you from jail till your destined period is over; or else he would be dismissed from his job.In the same way, these stars, planets and demigods are the representatives of God almighty, and if you worship them respectfully by observing and following certain prescribed rituals, they would infuse solace, courage, peace of mind and inner strength in you to endure the sufferings which are destined in your Prarabdha and give you all mental peace so that you do not feel mental torture or anguish while suffering your fate. Hanumanji will not give you a son if it is not destined in your Prarabdha to get one in this life even if you try to bribe him by offering him sweets, fruits or flowers. He would only sympathise with you and perhaps cut a joke by saying that being a bachelor himself he has not got a single son in stock to spare one for you. You should be satisfied with whatever you get through your Prarabdha
your utmost Purushartha. Astrology shows you the right direction in which you can make efforts (Purushartha). Thus astrology cannot change your Prarabdha which is the predetermined path in the journey of life, but it can give you proper caution and guidance how to carry on your life journey smoothly with least possible trouble while facing your Prarabdha with your utmost Purushartha in the right direction shown by astrology. However, if the time of birth is not accurately noted to the nearest fraction of a second, or if there is a slightest mistake in calculations, it would amount to a difference of thousands of miles in the position and movements of stars and planets and then the resultant predictions would be wrong. That is why even though astrology is a perfect mathematical science, the commercialized astrologers are almost always found to be bluffing.
chanting the name of God, they are also speaking lies a number of times in a day or practicing dishonesty, cheating, black marketing, smuggling, corruption, adulteration, debauchery or similar misdeeds in their daily life. In such cases chanting the name of God would not at all help them in facing their Prarabdha despite the fact that 'RAMNAMJAP' - chanting god's name is undeniably powerful enough to completely abolish at one stroke all your sins in Prarabdha and make you free from the greatest 'disease of birth and death' known as BHAVROG. Only chanting the name of god by mouth and simultaneously doing sinful and immoral deeds by hands will amount to hypocrisy which will again be a very grave sin to be added in your Prarabdha.
sense of the term. On the contrary such external transformation and window dressing may sometimes invoke ego and hypocrisy. The main qualifications of a Bhakta (devotee) are clearly described in the twelfth chapter of Bhagwad Geeta and if you possess these qualifications then and then only you are a real Bhakta (Devotee of God) and then in your case God is fully prepared to take all the responsibilities of your Prarabdha completely on his shoulders making you totally free from ail the worldly worries. Lord Krishna has made a categorical and irrevocable promise in Bhagwad Geeta that-'Even if a man of most vile conduct worships me with undistracted devotion, he must be reckoned as righteous for he has rightly resolved. By abandoning evil ways in his external life and by the power of his internal right resolution if he repents after he commits the sin, he is freed from sin; if he resolves that he will never commit the sin again, he will be purified.' The evil of the past deeds cannot be washed away except by his turning to God with undivided heart. 'Let one feel daily repentant in mind, reflecting over misdeeds committed and practicing austerity and vigilance. By this will he be free from sin.' Karma never binds completely. The sinner in the lowest depths of degradation has the light in him which he cannot put out, though he may try to stifle it and turn away from it utterly. God helps us, fallen though we be, by the roots of our being and is ready to send His rays of light into our dark and rebellious hearts. The very consciousness of our imperfection and sin betrays the pressure of the Divine on our hearts. Tukaram asys, 'Fallen of fallen, thrice fallen am 1; but do Thou raise me by Thy power. I have neither purity of heart nor a faith firmly set at Thy feet. I am born of sin. How often shall I repeat it ? I am void of understanding, needy and worse than needy. I cannot steady my mind, I cannot control my wayward senses. I have exhausted effort; peace and rest are far from me. I have offered Thee perfect faith, I have laid my life at Thy feet. Do now as Thou wilt, I can only look to Thee. O God, I trust in Thee, I cling firmly to Thy feet. It is for Thee to deal with my efforts. O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.' The publican, in the parable, prays from the depth of his heart. This verse does not mean that there is an easy escape from the consequences of our deeds. We cannot prevent the cause from producing its effect. Any arbitrary interference with the order of the world is not permitted. When the sinner turns to God with undistracted devotion, a new cause is introduced. His redemption is conditional on his
repentance. Repentance, as we have noticed, is a genuine change of heart and includes contrition or sorrow for the past sin and a decision to prevent a repetition of it in the future. When once the resolution is adopted, the transformation of the lower into the higher is steadily effected. If we believe in human effort, the growth may be hard. Error, imperfection and self-will are difficult to overcome, but when the soul gives up its ego and opens itself to the Divine, the Divine takes up the burden and lifts the soul into the spiritual plane. Tulsidasji says, 'A piece of charcoal loses its blackness only when fire penetrates ft.' there are no unforgivable sins. Once we place ourselves in the hands of the divine, we cannot fall into utter darkness. Shri Rama promises To him who seeks my protection even once and requests help of ME saying 'I am yours' I shall give him fearlessness from all beings. But your prayer and repentance must be sincere and spiritual. God looks not at the oratory of our prayers, How eloquent they are, Nor at their arithmetic How many they are, Nor at their geometry How long they are, Nor at their logic How methodical they are, But he looks at their sincerity How spiritual they are.
respect. If anyone else comes to know what he is about, then that in itself will become a hindrance in his search for the Truth. This is why Jesus Christ had proclaimed that even your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. Even your prayer must be so silent that apart from God, no one else can hear a word of it. It may well be a matter of conjecture whether our prayers in fact reach the ears of God. But it is often a fact, not a conjecture, that everybody in the house and neighbourhood do hear them for sure. We may not perhaps care about whether God indeed hears our prayers, but it is of supreme importance to us to ensure that our relatives, neighbours and friends have no trouble hearing them. It is our general tendency when the saints and scriptures advise us that we should be more discreet about our selfless and righteous actions than about our self-serving or sinful actions. In fact, there is a lot of merit and wisdom in what they are advocating, for ordinary human psychology dictates that the fear of being exposed is the greatest deterrent to committing any criminal action. Indeed, one of the most important tenets in the operation of the law of Karma is that any action, righteous or unrighteous, becomes neutralized as soon as it is exposed and publicized. It does not have any future value, whether on the credit or debit side, once it is announced or otherwise becomes a part of public knowledge. Thus, for example, when you make a donation for a worthy, charitable cause, if all the fuss accompanies your act of charity, such as its announcement through the press, pictures or plaques, then such an exposure and publicity cancels out all the merits of your good deed. Having been thus neutralized, there is no question of such a good deed being laid away to return wilh sweet fruits at a later date as your good Prarabdha. There is an interesting story about King Yayati in the Mahabharata. He had accumulated innumerable merits through such pious deeds as penance, charity, religious sacrifice (yagna) etc. Thanks to these merits, he earned the privilege of becoming the Lord of the Heavens (INDRA). His predecessor Lord Indra himself welcomed him with fanfare and with great respect and humility offered him his own throne. The Lord Indra started narrating with profuse adulation, King Yayati's meritorious deeds to the large and captive audience before him. Addressing the king directly, he pointed out in the open court, every one of the king's good deeds contributing to his merits, getting the king's nod and approval with self-assured pride at every step. When the long and effusive recitation of all the king's meritorious deeds was finally,
exhausted, acknowledged without hesitation or false humility by the king, Indra immediately pointed out matter-of-factly 'O king, now all your merits have been publicly acclaimed in your own presence, and you have also accepted the lavish accolades (applauses) offered to you in this court. In this manner you have fully received and enjoyed the rewards of your good deeds. Hence you must now vacate this throne, since the qualifications which earned you this throne and this kingdom of heaven the weight of your pious deeds-have now evaporated. In the same fashion, if we publicly acknowledge our sins or misdeeds with complete honesty and sincerity, then we are set free from the adverse Prarabdha resulting from them. Thus, for example, Mahatma Gandhi fully revealed in his autobiography the many misguided actions he had committed during his youth, stealing a few bidis (cigarettes) from the pockets of his father's servants to experiment with smoking, dabbling with meat eating, a half-hearted visit to the whore house, stealing petty cash from his father's pockets, giving in to the over-powering and lustful desire for intercourse with his wife while his own father was about to breathe his last in the same house etc. Such honest and unsolicited admission before the whole world made in complete candour released him from the adverse consequences (Prarabdha) of his actions. In the like manner, other exalted souls in recent times such as Bhikshu Akhandanand and Gandhiji's staunch disciple Shri Thakkar Bapa, have also shown noble and exemplary courage in fully confessing to their adulterous misadventures in their written self-documentaries. By purging their own soul through such public confessions and with full self-contrition, they have unburdened themselves from the onerous Karmic effects of their misconceived actions. Even such great sages as Vyasa and Narada have courageously and uncompromisingly admitted to the so-called blemished and dubious past of their own mothers, thereby exposing themselves to public censure and ridicule. But ironically, their very courage and candour in exposing the truth spared them from public ridicule, while those of us who painstakingly strive to hide our blemishes and misdeeds committed consciously but stealthily have to carry the full burden of the painful consequences just as soon as they catch up with us
leave our present body so that there would then remain not a single Karma in balance in any one of these three categories at the end of this life binding us to take any new birth henceforth and thereby finally we become free completely from the cycle of birth and death which is the final target and the ultimate goal of human life. The Kriyaman Karmas performed by you during your past millions and billions of births which are still not ripened and matured and have also not become ready to give you fruits up-till now till to-day are all Iying accumulated in countless numbers as Sanchit Karmas. These Karmas (actions-deeds) are already committed and hence now it is beyond your control to make them undone. Once the gun is fired and the bullets shoot out, they can never return back again in the gun and unless these bullets hit somewhere at some time, they will not stop, cease and subside. Same is the case with these Sanchit Karmas. You do not know them at all and it is beyond human imagination to know how many they are and when and in which subsequent birth or births they will be ripe and be matured and come in front of you in the form of Prarabdha. You are completely in the dark so far as the Sanchit Karmas are concerned and even if they are ripened and matured all at a time and come in front of you face to face in the form of Prarabdha it is absolutely impossible for you to exhaust them not only during the span of one lifetime but even after taking millions and billions of births to come. This is an extremely disastrous and equally pitiable plight (see para 8 also). The only course, therefore, prescribed and open for you to annihilate this cumbersome and hopeless position is to put fire to these lofty mountainful heaps of Sanchit Karmas by Jnanagni (fire of knowledge) which would burn them all to ashes instantaneously.
changing every time while knowledge is eternal and real. Even if you can quote the names of all the mountains of America, or all the rivers of India, or the production figures of all the gold mines of Africa and Australia, or the population figures of all the cities of Europe and Asia, or if you can give eloquent speeches with comments on the constitutions of all the countries of the world, or even if you are the Manager of the World Bank, or the President of UNO - You are only a part of the encyclopedia of information and not of 'Knowledge' and hence you cannot be called Jnani in the real sense of the term unless you know your own original eternal real self. Jnani means the person who has the knowledge of his own real eternal self and who has realised as to originally and eternally who is he during all his past and present births. He is known as Prabuddha (the awakened soul) and all his Sanchit Karmas would be burnt in the fire of Knowledge (self-realization) as soon as he is awakened. For example, a man got a very long dream between 1.00 to 1.30 a.m. (midnight) in which he committed a murder. After a long trial in the dreamland criminal court for about three years (of course between 1.00 to 1.30 a.m.) he was sentenced to a rigorous imprisonment for 20 years and was sent to jail where he started suffering terrible physical and mental torture. In such a treacherous condition, according to the time span of dream life, about four years elapsed (of course between 1.00 to 1.30 a.m.). One day the jailer, in his furious temperament and rage started beating him with an iron rod so mercilessly that blood started oozing on his back, and in a frightened tone he screamed so loudly that his dream was broken and he woke up. Immediately and instantaneously he became totally free from all punishments and he found himself safely and quietly Iying actually in his soft bedding. As soon as he realised his own original self that he is purely a pious, innocent man and not a murderer, prisoner, his Sanchit unexpired imprisonment of 16 years of his dream life was instantaneously totally wiped off apd burnt in the knowledge of his original self. Now the jailer of the dream world will never come to take him back to the dream jail for finishing his Sanchit unexpired jail period of 16 years as it is already finished and expired immediately when he awoke. In the same way the present worldly life span between your physical birth and death is also nothing but a relatively long dream in which your pangs, pains and pleasures are totally false and unreal (Mithya) just as those in your dreams. You are in fact continuously dreaming your pains and pleasures in your worldly life span and you are changing your dreams of happiness and sufferings one after the other according to your past Sanchit Karmas becoming ripe in due course of time in each worldly
life span called births in numerous different creeds. When the dream starts, you yourself are not newly born in that dream world and when that dream is broken or ends, you yourself do not die in and from that dream land. In the same way in this world when you get a new body, you yourself are not newly born and when you leave your old body, you yourself do not die. Thus there is no birth or death of your own original eternal soul. Your old body goes to the grave and not you - your eternal immortal self; you yourself continue eternally and changelessly in all your ever changing different mortal bodies. Life is real, life is earnest And the grave is not its goal; "Dust thou art to Dust returneth" Was not spoken of the soul. I slept and dreamt that life is beauty I awoke and found that life is duty. The ultimate duty of a human being is to strive for realization and emancipation.
shivering, replied with fearful eyes that he was a goat and craved for mercy to let him free. The big lion's heart overflowed with sympathy and pity for the illusion and misconception in the mind of the lion cub and assured him that he was now totally safe in his hands. Then the big lion tried to convince the lion cub that he was his kith and kin possessing the same type of face, features and body of a lion by birth and never that of a goat. The big lion asked the lion cub to go along with him to a pond and showed him his reflection in the water which was completely resembling the face, features and form of a. Iion's body. Thus the lion cub was successfully convinced that he was a lion, nothing but a lion and not a goat. With this self-knowledge and realization the lion's cub immediately became free from all the illusion and instantaneously became a lion which even otherwise actually he was by birth. He had not to do any action for painting his body as of a lion or perform any rituals for converting his body as a lion from that of a goat, and no other action was necessary. Only realization and knowledge of his own original self was sufficient to make him a lion. Immediately he also roared like a lion which made him totally free from all the Sanchit fears of a goat which he was inculcating in his mind up-till then. If you also, by the grace of God, happen to come in contact with a lionlike Sat Guru (a bonafide spiritual master), then only he can make you realise your own eternal immortal real self. Then only you can burn all your Sanchit Karmas in the fire of Self-Kriowledge (Jnanagni). Just as all the wooden logs, whether dry or wet, long or short, round or rectangular, thick or thin or of any shape or size when put in the blazing fire, one and all of them would be consumed and turned to ashes - in the same way, all the interactions and reactions to the material activities - all the Sanchit Karmas whether of pious or impious activities, whether in the making or fructifying or already achieved of 'a priori' - one and all of them would be completely burnt to ashes in the fire of Knowledge (SelfRealization). The person so self-realized in his complete knowledge, becomes free from the cycle of birth and death which is the ultimate goal of having human body by the grace of God. Awake, arise and stop not till the goal is reached.