What is Law of Karma Part I

http://download.dadabhagwan.org/books/English/PDF/karma.pdf

There are certain presumptions for understanding the Law of Karma and how it works.  Two most important of these are, believing in Law of Reincarnation and Secondly, believing that We are a Soul(carrying impressions from our past lifetimes) experiencing human life.  If you don't believe in reincarnation and journey of the soul, then this is not meant for you.

Even if you believe in these, there is lot of confusion about how law of karma works.  Many people think that our current actions create our karma.  Whereas, the book Science of Karma published by Dada Bhagwan Foundation clearly explains the secret behind Law of Karma which is so precise, perfect and absolutely fair and Just.  Courts of this world may acquit a person as non guilty, but if someone has wronged somebody even in thought, then Law of Karma will definitely bring such a guilty person to justice either in this lifetime itself or in the next Lifetime (when people may wonder why such a good person is suffering).

The Book explains in detail that the World is being operated by Scientific Circumstantial Evidences.  Yes, nothing is happening in a hap hazard way.  There is a Law of Cause and Effect, a Rule, behind each and every happening in our life and all around us.  Nothing is by chance.  Things are happening automatically in a precise and exact manner as it should.  There is no partiality, no preference.  Pure Justice.  The principle is same, what we give out, we get back.  We reap what we sow.  Majority of human beings discount the fact that thinking intensely about something is as good as actually doing it.  It creates a definite karma.  Karma is very subtle.  It is not just action, but actual thought and intention behind that action, that is karma.  

what we are undergoing in this lifetime is result of action we did in past lifetime.   We gave exam in last lifetime, in this lifetime we are seeing and undergoing the result of that exam.   And while facing this result, what we are thinking and opining deep within is the new Cause we are setting in motion for which we will  get result in this lifetime (effect of effect) or in next lifetime.   So if someone hits me, it is the result of past enmity this soul had with me  in a previous lifetime - fruition of manner in which that soul had wanted to hurt me and couldn't do for some reason.  Now when we met in this lifetime, perfect circumstantial evidences were created that fulfilled the pent up wish of this Soul. Now what we both are thinking about this hit will set a new karma, the fruit of which we will get in this lifetime(effect of effect) or the next.  My subtle thought would instantly create a new karma if I  wanted to hit back that person which I will, either in this lifetime itself or in the next.  

This is the principle of Cause(action) and Effect(Result).  Action is not what we do with our hands.  Action is what we think, how we judge, our belief behind any outward action.  This cause is our inner intention (bhav) behind any action.  Action is visible but intention behind that action is not.  It is this intention behind our each visible action that binds karma which brings out result in next life time.  What we see is result ( of past karma, i.e.,   the intention)  what we think while undergoing the result is New Karma(new cause set in motion).   And this is definitely in our hands.  

If all is predestined then we need not do anything? -- It definitely doesn't imply that if all is result of past intentions, then we should take in all in the name of  justice.  No way.  Simply because we do not remember our past intentions.  Do we?  Therefore,  we need to take all necessary steps to do a job, take all required precautions to accomplish that job without causing any hurt /loss to anyone - with pure intention.  If despite all this, things go wrong, then know deep within that its result of our past karma.  Do your best till the last moment and yet if you fail, apply the keys of this spiritual knowledge to pacify your heart that it was not meant to be.  This way it doesn't hurt.  Book gives a simple example.  You cannot cross a traffic light with your eyes closed.  Look around carefully, if all is safe then cross.  Now if something happens, then its your destiny as ordained by you in a previous lifetime.

What is Intention?  It is the thought/belief/opinion/judgement that goes behind our each action.  Intention is so very subtle, intangible.  None can see our intention.  Only we know it.  and sometimes even we are not aware of it.  Because we act fast, without even thinking.  For example when we see a beggar and give some money, we think we are helping the beggar.  But actually we are helping ourselves.  We give because it makes us feel good/ happy. We feel less guilty that we have so much.........Think deeply.   

This intention is in our hands, our free will.  This intention creates our destiny.  'Why' we do something.  Our strong beliefs.  The label we give to certain actions .........  All our actions are aimed at helping ourselves only.  Even when we are doing service to others, we do it because it makes us feel good.  Isn't????  If we just do the charity and stay indifferent then its Okay (you will not create a new karma).  New karma is created the moment we mentally take credit for this service.   understand that what we are spending today is due to our strong intention to give set in motion in last lifetime.  Have you heard of those stories where family complained that the father gave away so much in charity without any reason.  Well what he did in this lifetime is call he made in his previous lifetime but couldn't do so for some reason.  He is doing it now.  

For example two persons may be giving 100 dollars in charity One, with the intention of getting praise while other person may be giving the same amount but intention is just to help quietly and move on.  For same actions our intentions could be  different.  Result would definitely be different.

I understand Law of Cause and Effect in this way.  That there is something like a A Universal Super Computer that is automatically recording each and every intention (cause which will bring effect in future lifetime) we set in motion through our deep imbedded intentions behind every action we are being made to do today (effect of causes set in motion in previous lifetime).  It notes down my intense opinions and view points about everything this I encounter.  In other words, the way I am judging others. ( No wonder we are told not to judge others lest we be judged. ). Then in next lifetime it places a person with related persons, in one place, experiencing their judgements about each other until one understands how wrong they were.........

In their previous lifetime both thought how wonderful it is to use one's position to make easy money.  So in this lifetime, both will get chance to make easy money.   One person may take bribe and feel good about it while the other is taking(as a result of his past intention) but internally repenting about not being able to correct himself.  Effect/result of different new intention is different.  This is where our free will comes in.  The one feeling good would be getting bribe again but we all know what is the result of such an action when caught.  While the person repenting will not  find himself in such a tricky situation again.  Nature will keep him away from this kind of life because he has set a new karma of positive life.

Natural Laws are perfect and Just.  Whatever happens is Justice.  Since we do not remember our past, we often feel injustice.  But it is not so, Because law of cause n effect takes note of each and every subtle conversation going within us.  None is controlling these Natural laws. Its working, just the way Law of gravitation is working.   If we understand this Law, we can use it to our own advantage. Here, its been referred to as  Scientific Circumstantial Evidences.  At appropriate time, all evidences come together and an event happens.  Humans take credit for it which is a total blunder.  We are mere one instrument in grand scheme of things.  but we can make an important change.  We have power to change our future.  We are also part of this nature, made up of energy.  We have advantage of intellectual faculty which other species like anima ls do not have.  They understand love, are smart but their intelligence level is not as high as human.   Our thoughts are so very powerful.  If only we could correct ourselves, the moment we linger longer on a negative thought.  But are we so mindful all the time.  

A human can think and check and control his thoughts and intention.  But off late we see many humans stopping to use their intellect and sense of discrimination and going on sense less killing and other crimes.  Their behaviour goes down to animal level.  They could escape from  courts of this world but natural laws ensure that they pay for their wrong doing.  Payment is heavier if crime was done willfully and without remorse.  Little less if it was not   done willfully and happened accidently.  But payment is heavy for sure..   As per this book these are sticky karma you cannot escape even if you are in different body garment now.  This is a very deep science and cannot be explained properly in few lines.  In all the above discussions my view is simple...no argument...no disputation with views of others here.....I AM OK, YOU ARE OK.

https://download.dadabhagwan.org/books/English/PDF/karma.pdf

Vandana Ritik Mulchandani
Noida

The Science of Karma

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The book 'Science of Karma, ' published by Dada Bhagwan Foundation, states that in the Cause & Effect Cycle, the Effect is result of Cause set by us in motion.  Therefore whatever happens in our life is our own individual responsibility.  This Cause or Seed is our inner intention behind any Action. Action is visible but intention behind that action is not. It is this intention which brings out results. 

This intention is in our hands, our free will. This intention creates our destiny. For example two persons may be giving 100 dollars in charity - one with the intention of getting good publicity/ praise while other person may be giving the same amount but intention is just to help quietly and move on. For same actions our intentions could be different. Therefore results too would be different.  The first one will get mention is some newspaper while the other will be helped when he needs it ( not necessarily by the same person he helped).  But effect will always be there.

One person may take bribe and feel good about it however, the other person is taking bribe but internally repenting about not being able to correct himself. The first one will have to pay back in future because he is sowing seeds for negative result  while the other person is setting up a good intention which will ultimately make him a better human one day.  If these two reincarnate, in the next lifetime, the first one will have to pay back in someway for taking money where not required.  He will pay and feel cheated (he caused this suffering to other and had rejoiced) while the other person will not be accepting any undue payment(he had set an intention of not taking bribe).  This all is happening internally but world will say for the first 'poor fellow had to pay unnecessarily even when it was not required' for the second person response would be 'this man won't take what doesnot belong to him'.   

Have you not wondered when you see, a good man is suffering despite doing all good while a wicked man is successful and not getting caught.  This law explains behind the scene causes/reasons for this. However nature catches with wrong without fail.  So while good man  has an option to bear the effect by taking all his sufferings with internal knowledge of why it is happening. He may take all necessary action to stop his suffering which will stop the moment his account is settled.  But If he cribs and complaints, he will be caught in whirlpool of suffering.  Ancient Indian saints have therefore advised mankind to take all events in life with equanimity because of this reason.  

No body else is doing anything to you.  You are reaping result of your own actions.  Since you are ignorant about working of this law you feel cheated.  But once this law is clear you can check and control your inner working for a better future.

Effect of different intentions is different. This is where our free will comes in. 

Our intellect is supposed to be used, to discriminate between right and wrong and take necessary appropriate action. Because law of cause n effect takes note of it. None is controlling it. We ourselves are controlling it. In fact we are one of the controlling elements in entire scene. So many things are required for any event to take place. We are just one instrument who can make an important change. We have power to change our future. We are also part of this nature, made up of energy. We have advantage of intellectual faculty which other species like animals do not have. They understand love, are smart but their intelligence level is not as high as human. 

A human can think and control his thoughts and intentions. But off late we see many humans have stopped using their intellect and sense of discrimination.  They are going on sense less killing and other crimes. Their behaviour goes down to animal level. They could escape from courts of this world(because of their past accumulated good causes)  but natural laws ensure that they pay for their wrong doing either in this lifetime (if this accumulation is big) or in the next lifetime(then they will wonder what wrong did I do since they cannot remember what they did in previous lifetime). 

Payment is heavier if crime was done willfully and without remorse. Little less if it was not done willfully and happened accidentally. But payment is heavy for sure.. If you keep your hand on hot coals unknowingly does your hand not burn.  

As per this book, intense feelings of Anger, Hatred, Pride and Greed towards any person or thing will definitely bring a result in the next lifetime.  In current lifetime you are settling old scores with your present family, friends, neighbors, even strangers due to effects set by you  in motion in previous lifetimes.  No body meets you accidentally.  Everything around you is due to a reason.  Since you do not remember you remain ignorant.  Strong emotions form  'sticky karma' which you cannot escape even if you are in different body garment now. Look around for sticky karmic entanglements with your own family members.  You cannot escape them.  

These explanations had a bid impact on me.  This is a very deep science and cannot be explained properly in few lines. In all the above discussions my view is simple...no argument...no disputation with views of others .....I AM OK, YOU ARE OK.

Vandana Ritik Mulchandani

Noida

Laws of Karma

All the visible actions that take place through our body and five sensory organs i.e., eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin, in spiritual terms, is actually karmaphala – effect of a cause (and also effect of past life karma) set in motion by us. Real karma is not visible but subtle. The intention (bhava) that we create in us while partaking this effect creates karma which will bring its effect in the next life time. In this lifetime we are repaying and receiving the effect of all our bhavas we created – knowingly or unknowingly – in past lifetimes. We are reaping rewards of all our subtle thought processes. Natural forces arrange themselves in such a manner that ultimately we get whatever we had really intended for. However, due to ignorance of this law we are left wondering as to why things did not happen the ways we had planned to do.

Karmic law is a naturally occurring scientific spiritual law. It works as per certain specified rules. It is metaphysical in nature and cannot be proved in a laboratory. After understanding laws of gravitation, electricity, etc., human being used it to their own advantage. Similarly once we understand laws of karma, we can use it to improve our future and create our own destiny. Otherwise, we are like puppets in the hands of nature and flow with the current and go in whatever direction life takes us.

Only a foolish would close his eyes and cross a busy traffic road saying “I will be saved if it is in my destiny.” As an intelligent human being, we are supposed to do our best, as per our own standards, and also make efforts to improvise. If despite all best possible efforts things do not work out, then take it as destiny; wait for some time and try once again because only human being has 'Will Power' and 'Consciousness' which can be invoked to create or change one’s own destiny.

Why not take the remote of our life in our own hands? Make efforts to be the Master Karma Creator.

Vandana Ritik

Noida

Understanding Law of Karma

What are most of us doing in between Birth and Death - paying off our karmic debts, creating more karma and thereby ensuring that we get reborn again. Is this what life is all about. What is the difference between an animal and a human being. Persons seeking moksha are those who are disgusted of being caught in the cycle of birth and death and want to get out of it. We have to bear the fruit of all our actions good or bad. Even if we do all good work, we have to take rebirth to enjoy its fruits. Now that most of us in this spiritual path, know that as a soul we are eternal and cannot be destroyed, we do not end up in some trash after we die, we continue to live on in some form or the other, therefore, we have to be clear what we want after our present life - another life?(of what kind?) or enough is enough? In case we choose the first option we should know that the life between birth and death is determined by our karmas. In the later option, we need to know ways to erase our past karmic accounts and stop creating new ones with mind focussed in one final direction. As per religious scriptures, this kind of desire is over and above material desires. Lord helps to fulfil this desire provided we take the first step. In either case, understanding of the Karmic law is must because obedience to this law and using it intelligently holds the key to our future life.

How Knowledge of Karmic Laws helps us - Knowledge of Laws of Karma makes us realise that everything happening around us is not arbitrary, nothing is happening by chance.. Each and every event of our life, is due to the operation of certain natural laws, the Karmic Laws being one of them. Therefore knowledge of these laws is necessary to place our future under our control. It is simple, once we understand the law, we are equipped to use it for our advantage. This use of laws will be dependent on the amount of knowledge we have about these laws. All laws of nature are expressions of the divine nature, and we have to learn to live and move within them. Otherwise they move us as per their nature. We cannot stop working of these laws by any force. These are certain preset conditions, once we know them, we gradually learn to master them and work according to forces of nature and get the desired results accordingly. Otherwise we remain in control of these laws and move around as puppets.

There are natural laws and there are artificial laws. Artificial laws are local, variable and may have a penalty that can be escaped. These are man-made, could be enforced legally. Man likes to work within laws set by him since ancient times. Earlier Kings made laws and now we have Governments making laws which are to be obeyed in order to live in the society. However, even the King and the Government too have to in turn abide by certain higher mental and moral law, the law which acts automatically and is in nature of things as are the laws of electricity or law of gravitation which man has understood well and has learnt to use to his own advantage.

Karma is second most important universal natural law after the Law of reincarnation. Past life regressions and NDEs recorded by modern doctors are a proof of working of this law. Just because you cannot see it, it does not mean that it does not exist. We all have mobiles, laptops, satellites doing so much for us and their mode of operation is through signals. We know there are signals but have we seen them???? But they are there for sure and are connecting all of us. A mobile in my pocket receives a signal and I get a call. There is definitely an invisible world operating around us. We are mostly concentrating on visible world and what can be proved in a laboratory. Law of Karma solves mystery of rebirth and reincarnation. Karmas have a direct effect on our mind and consciousness. If we understand it well, it refines our intelligence which we can use to create our own destiny instead of becoming a mere product of destiny. Morever, it increases our faith, provides us security and makes us fearless. To know and believe that everything around us is working in order is a relief to human mind which is mostly full of doubts so far as his future is concerned.

Karmic law is a Natural Law. Natural law is a sequence of conditions, such a condition being present, such another condition will invariably follow. If you want to bring about the second condition you must find or make first condition and then the second will follow as an invariable consequence. These sequences vary when left to themselves, but if a new condition is introduced the succeeding condition will be altered. The first condition is called the Cause and the resultant second condition is called the effect. Karma is law of cause and effect. It is a natural law of justice. A person may escape getting penalty under the Artificial man made law but he cannot escape from the effect of cause it set into motion knowingly or unknowingly. Whether you put your hand in fire knowingly or unknowingly, it will surely burn your hand. So is this law. And as they say it, ignorance of law is no excuse.

Yes, natural laws are eternal, changeless, undying, everlasting, unbreakable and existing in the nature of things. As we learnt to reckon with law of gravitation similarly we have to learn to reckon with Law of Karma. And Nature can be won over only by obeying to it. It needs to be understood that people on earth may not be aware of each and every karma of a human being. But there is a natural universal force which keeps track of every thought, word and activity of each and every individual on earth. Some say it is Self judging Self and then deciding what action to be taken to pay off karmic debts in the next reincarnation. Thus, whether we are judging ourselves or some natural force is judging us, a man can control his own future in proportion to the amount of knowledge he has about the working of this law.

It is not so simple to understand the main concept of karma, 'As a man soweth, so shall he also reap'. One has to go deeper into its meaning. Karmic laws do not mean an eye for an eye always. Newton's third law of motion states that to every action there is equal and opposite reaction. Similarly, this law works on principle of Cause and Effect. Once a man sets a cause in motion, it will bring back its matching effect eventually. If you put your hand into a running fan, it will cause injury irrespective of whether you did it knowingly or unknowingly. If you helped someone you will get back the result sooner or later, though not necessarily from the same source. The result 'effect' will be as per the intention with which you 'caused' help to someone

It is not Punishment - The word Karma sounds like a punishment...because first thought that comes to mind is of fear. That I will get back what I have given out and as a human we know we have given out many negativities around us. We may have hidden our fears, insecurities and low opinion of self from the world but we cannot hide them from ourselves. And most of the human beings do not have good opinion about themselves and they love everything in the world but themselves. Inwardly, all are insecure and fearful despite being a huge success outwardly. Most of us have no relation at all with our own self. We do not have time to interact with ourselves...to check out what is going on inside us and what we really want. We are so very busy in life.

We as a human being give out so many things to the world. Some say Karma is interaction of our inner world with the outside world. Simply speaking Karma..it means action. Action of what? Of everything...our thoughts (yes thoughts, intentions), words and activities. Thought is the foundation of it all. It is said that about 70,000 thoughts cross our mind in a day and we do not remember most of them. However, some thoughts do catch our attention. Negative or positive, if we linger longer on few these thoughts, it persists and changes our attitude accordingly and then inspires us to take necessary steps to accomplish the same. Once desired result is obtained, we find mind dwelling on another thought. when our mind is dwelling on so many thoughts simultaneously it creates stress and if desired results are not obtained the result is horrendous. Most of us do not realise the importance of monitoring our thoughts. Some thoughts we cannot see because we do not want to see them or acknowledge them. They are not gone. These thoughts get stored in our subconscious mind. For example a smoker reads the warning on cigarette pack but he doesnot want to see or acknowledge it. Where does that go....It is stored inside his mind and keeps making him guilty and produce 'not feeling good' kind of feeling within him on and off. Now this needs to be dealt with by the smoker. Brushing away the dust under the carpet doesnot help in wrong run. We need to do inner cleaning everyday but we avoid. Some of us won't even think in terms of inner cleaning because our vision is so badly covered that we feel that none knows meaning of 'morally right' better than us.

Swami Vivekananda has said that it is very difficult to live with a clear conscience. If anyone has ever lived with a clear conscience throughout his life than that person is the most successful person in the world in spiritual terms.

Each of our thoughts has energy and the moment we think, we start giving out vibrations in the atmosphere around us and draw a response from the Universe. If we continue to think same thoughts again and again and that too intensely and with emotions, the outcome manifests itself sooner or later...this lifetime or next lifetime...but could be spoken or unspoken, conscious or unconscious.

We do not abuse a person openly but if there is an intention/thought of doing so in our mind, then it is karma. We are sowing a seed and if we continue to abuse this person mentally in our mind and not conveying it thinking ourselves as holy or victim (since the person holds a strong position in our life and we are not able to retaliate) we are mistaken. Karmic laws, like any other laws are real, existing and natural. Newton found them way back when he said 'to every action there is equal and opposite reaction'. How it works? Today A buys some food for B in order to help him. B will do it for someone else, who will do it for another....and one day someone will buy some food for A to help him out. It may happen in few hours or months or lifetimes, but it will happen. A will get back what he gave out.

Karma is what is actually going on inside us and not what we am doing outside. 'Why' we are doing something is more important and relevant in karmic laws than 'What' we are doing. In karmic philosophy our outwardly activities are of least importance. The most important thing is our inner intentions and reasons of thinking, speaking or doing something. We get results based on our real intentions behind any of our actions - thoughts, words or activities. If a mother is feeding her baby thinking in her mind that 'today I am taking care of you, tomorrow you take care of me' then she is sowing a negative karma. This is not karma of service and love to baby but karma of selfishness. Many parents hit out at their small children in name of discipline without realising that they were hitting out knowing fully well that the small child is dependent on them and is unable to retaliate. The same child when grows up rebels against his parents because now he is in a position to retaliate. We normally do not hit out at person who is stronger than us, isn't, then why a child? No wonder we have elders complaining that their children do not take care of them in old age. It is result of karmic seeds sown by them. If a donation is made with the intention of getting publicity, the publicity will be got but it will be much lesser compared to result of what the person had got if the donation was made with pure heart with the intention of help. You give our help you get back help. Not necessarily from same person but from someone else, whom the Lord chooses (who owes you from some past karmic account). This is called Cause and Effect.

The karmic laws are always precise and unpartial. However there is time gap between cause and effect. For example, we plant different variety of seeds, some of them give fruit immediately, some years later and some wither away. The food of these seeds are our true intentions. We may cheat the world but we cannot cheat forces enforcing karmic laws. A Hitler will have to pay for his 'wrong intentions' this is ensured by karmic laws. None is spared. Haven't we seen good people suffering in life. It is their time to endure effect of the causes they set in force. Tomorrow it could be our time to endure the effect. Therefore we should not look down upon people who seem to be going through bad times because today it is their day, tomorrow it would be ours. To err is human and we all have made many mistakes knowingly and unknowingly. So many times we don't even realise that we have hurt someone simply because we are looking at the situation from our point of view. We do not check our intentions. Mostly we are saying and doing things as per prevalent fashion, social customs and traditions. People with strong conscience know it in their heart that they have done something which they should not have but they say ' I didn't want to do it but I had to do it despite knowing that it was wrong(as per their own conscience)'. This will give back a negative effect.

How to break free this Karmic Cycle - The Bhagvad Gita advises us to (1) do work without any desire for its fruit; and (2) do not have feeling of do-er ship in mind. Do it for God as we are instruments of God. Wise have advised us to take everything with equanimity. Offer all our thoughts words and activities to God. We create karma when we do things for 'I', my family, my relatives, my livelihood. This type of thought binds that karma to us. In order to be free, ancient scriptures have advised that we should do all our activities thinking them to be done in service of God and not for ourselves. Sai has advised us to watch the show of the world as third person. HE wants us to be the 'drishta' (the witness) of the whole drama around us where we too are playing our part due to karmic reasons.

We have to love ourselves and others too. However, being kind and sweet to all does not mean that we have to become a 'doormat'. We have to maintain our dignity, respect and love ourselves, act out in our best possible way (trusting our own inner instincts instead of taking advice from all and sundry everytime) and then leave the result to God. Maintaining a caring and helping nature does not mean that I need not be stern with wicked and manipulative people. God doesnot want us to cross a busy traffic signal with eyes closed. God wants us to use our own mental faculties, follow our heart and keeping wise intentions carry out our day to day activities. Each one of us have different level of intellect, we have to act according to our own intellect if we are convinced that it is correct. We may seek advise in case of doubt but ultimately decision has to be ours because it is our karma and therefore our responsibility. None else is responsible for my karma. Whatever is happening in my life is my own responsibility and shirking from it and blaming someone else will not help. Laws are Laws and ignorance of law is no excuse. However, a mentally challenged person will suffer less for a negative karma compared to the same karma performed by a person of normal intelligence because he chose to ignore reasoning.

For this reason only, Lord Buddha said ' Believe nothing, no matter who said it, not even if I said it, unless it agrees with your own reasoning, your own common sense'. Karmic laws pay accordingly. A blind person did not see a frog in grass and stepped over it and killed it while a person with perfect eyesight saw the frog and still stepped over it. If he immediately regretted, he might get less severe return but if he shows no remorse, he is likely to pay back strongly for causing suffering to the frog. Whether we knowingly or unknowingly put our hand in fire, it will burn our hand. So is the working of karmic accounts. The karmic accounts are settled no matter what. If you helped someone unknowingly, you get help back from a person who did not actually intend to help you. If you harmed someone unknowingly, you will be harmed similarly.

Swami Sadanand said that "Intense tapas(austerity), samadhi(spiritual absorption), mantra sadhana(repetition of name), the (obtaining) grace of God, selfless service, satsanga(company of saints, sages, pious people) create a powerful positive karma in a short period of time and this can neutralise the effect of previous negative karmas". These include Sanchita Karma(accumulated ) and Kriyaman Karma(potential). However it is difficult to get rid of 'sticky karma', the Prarabdha(active karma) which are like arrows already in flight and will get exhausted only after we bear them.

All Spiritual Masters of the World teach us the same thing.  Even our own Ascendent Master Sadguru Saibaba of Shirdi has tried to explain the same thing to us.  If we follow and practice words of Holy Masters, they can help us invisibly and transcend us from all the Karmas and free us from the karmic bonds. In an instance in Sri Sai Satcharita, Sai gave an assurance in this regard by effecting a gift of 'dhotar' to his dearest devotee. We too are his devotees. However, it is our choice what we want. Do we want better circumstances in our next birth or we want no rebirth at all but want complete freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Sai has said that his treasury is full and he can give so much but people do not want liberation instead they want worldly comforts and thereby they get stuck up in the cycle of birth and death. If like Arjuna, the seeker, we neither want to enjoy pleasures of this world nor do we crave for honor of the heaven, Sai just wants two pice of Faith and Patience to take us out of this Cycle.

Sri Sai Satcharita is full of incidences where in the above aspects of laws of karma are contained. Saibaba often advised his devotees that to do karma is in your hands but the fruit is not in your hands. Give up the feeling of Doership because wire puller is some other higher force....the SELF which lives in each of us. As human we could be lacking in the Will Power to use karmic laws to our own advantage. Sai has advised his devotees to leave aside the cleverness and just remember him. 'Sai Sai' mantra will help us wherever we are. The story of Chenbassapa and Veerbhadra is a proof how Sai came to help Basappa (frog) from the jaws of Veerbhadra(snake). But we have to do our part of being a good devotee. What can Shirdi do if 'devotee is sleeping indolently' and not following and practicing the advise of his/ her chosen Sadguru, who is always working on us and changing us internally.

Knowledge backed with intelligence should be practiced while performing duties of the various stations of the life. When faith and patience is added to it, then the devotee is totally under the protection of Sadguru Sainath (spiritual master) for he loves us unconditionally. No doubts about that.

Vandana Ritik Mulchandani

Noida

How does Karmic law works?

Whatever is happening to us in this lifetime is 'effect' - outcome of 'causes' set by us through our inner intentions in our previous lifetime(s). 

All our outer actions, which are visible, our sufferings, traumas, enjoyments, riches or poverty, career, status, fame and fortune and even the food that we eat all are result of our inner intentions (causes) set in motion by us, consciously or unconsciously in previous lifetimes.  Negative thoughts bring negative results while positive thoughts bring out positive results.

Now while enjoying or suffering these effects, what we are feeling and thinking, is creating our new set of causes which will bring out their effect in next lifetime.  Anything unexplanable happening in your life is result of a past karma which you do not remember now.  Good or bad events, all are outcome of our own karmic accounts which are now being settled.

Wise men have, therefore, advised us to face good or bad times in life, in a detached manner.  We should not feel elated or feel pride if we succeed in our endeavors.  Likewise we should not feel depressed or sad if we are faced with calamity in life.  Face all with equanimity - in a state of calmness and self control. 

Know in your heart why this is happening.   Since it is not in your control right now, face it, pass through it.    However, be careful of what you are thinking now because it is charging a new karma.  It is here that we have a free will, to decide how we are going to face the situation and ultimately make our destiny.

Remembering God all the time, while passing through ups and downs of life,  is a perfect way of creating a positive and good karma.  You get what you focus on eventually.

Vandana Ritik

Noida

Karma with Dharma

Any idea, intention, thought or deed is Karma i.e., the Act. If you look at it closely you will realize that majority of our karma is creation of our thoughts and ideas that keep invading our mind again and again. Every such karma(cause) embraces within, its hidden fruit(effect). This means karma and its fruit cannot be separated for any individual. Breathing, eating, sleeping, walking, talking etc all are karma. Thinking is the biggest karma. When we get a thought in our mind the universe starts to receive and starts working towards it. If that thought persists in our mind it becomes reality but if we start having doubts about result of that thought, it fails.

Karma can be classified into Sanchit (past accumulated Karma), Prarabdh(karma being experienced in present lifetime) and Kriyaman(karma which will bear fruit later). Thus karma consists of all our actions or thoughts not only in this birth but also all previous births put together. Karma cannot be erased. Karma cannot be avoided or changed. It can be exhausted only by experiencing it. You pay your past debts and be free.

No karma can produce absolutely good result and no karma can produce absolutely bad results. An action can be good for one person and at the same time it may be having a bad impact somewhere else in this universe. We should try and perform that type of karma which produces maximum good result and minimum bad result. It is here Dharma comes into picture. Karma performed with Dharma will do the trick.

Dharma is said to be the righteousness which results in maximum benefit for the person concerned as well as the society. Human beings have to live collectively and perform day to day karma. Therefore, Dharma-Karma would be that action, thought, idea which gives benefit to the subject as well as to the society in general. This means that we will have to keep a watch over all our thoughts.

Controlling of mind - If the thought is not positive, we have to discard it immediately otherwise it will start to manifest itself. Mind cannot remain idle. It has to think and think which is its very natural function. Wise men have said that we should focus our thoughts on God. Chanting God's name is well known in our scriptures but we always feel that in modern society having beads in our hands and chanting god's name does not go with our social image. Also we feel that this kind of activity should be done in old age, after retirement. But NO! NO! NO! What will be left of our life at that age.

Why not we start and do it today with little modification. Everytime we find we are bit free (that's the time mind starts to play), we should mentally start chanting God's name (any God we believe in). This way our mind will get a direction and its energy will be channelised positively and keeping with your modern image the outside world will not even know what your mind is doing. The biggest benefit is that no negative thought will cross your mind because mind is already busy in something of greater value. After some time, when you start feeling the benefits of channelising your mind like this, you will not even bother what the world thinks and your life will reap the benefits of positive thoughts.

It is true that the quality of our external life depends upon how healthy we are internally. And our internal health depends upon our basic thoughts. Thoughts are the starting point for any event, incidence and happenings in our life. We thus create our own reality.

If we follow Dharma before performing a Karma, life would be on right track. For following Dharma we have to make our thoughts as well as ideas very pure. We have to understand that every thing pervading this universe has emanted from one source and We all are children of that one same divine source or energy which we call God. In fact, that tiny spark of God is within each of us. It is very difficult to understand this if we do not have proper guidance. But if we are keen, our inner divine consiousness itself takes us in right direction, right place and at right time. Our thoughts create our reality.

Therefore, if in our thoughts we have sought guidance and help from God and repeatedly we are seeking it with full faith and are waiting patiently to receive it, the universe will set out in motion to bring the same to us when we are ready and fit enough to receive it. Why do we have to wait to get old to receive it. Why not now? Once we imbibe this in our day to day life all our Karma will be in accordance with Dharma and everything will happen just the way we( the God) willed it.

Vandana Ritik
New Delhi

What is Prarabdh (our Destiny)

Soul - A soul has to take on a body made up of five elements to come to this earth. It is said that soul has to take birth to learn and to experience each and every aspect of human emotion without forgetting its original state i.e, purity, love and bliss. It is through this human life that a soul can finally merge with the holy divine Supreme from which it was separated millions of years ago. In every birth, the soul strives to reach the perfection so that it can get enlightened and become aware of the truth about oneness of the universe i.e., ALL IS ONE. All souls are the tiny part of that Supreme Divine Power thereby implying that all souls have that tiny spark of Supreme Spirit within. However, after taking human birth, in ignorance, the soul cannot recall its original state, gets entangled in the earthly enjoyments and forgets its mission of self realization and subsequently the God realization.

Karma - In its human form the soul cannot sit idle. It performs various karmas to get on with the life, becomes attached to materialism over and above spiritualism. Whether the karma is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it is immaterial. The universal law takes note of all the actions a soul performs to carry out its earthly existence. It is said that all such karmas accumulate and become Sanchit Karma(Accumulated Karma). It is said that all our karmas are recorded and stored in our Akashic records. A soul cannot merge with the spirit unless it has worked out the cause and effect of its Karma because universal law functions flawlessly and impartially. When the soul is reborn again, it brings with it some portion out of this Sanchit karma to work out in the present birth. This portion of karma is called Prarabdh. It is said that seventy five percent life of a soul is preordained and a soul has no say in it. Soul has to bear it whether it brings wordly happiness or worldly sadness. For the balance twenty five percent life the soul can use its God given freewill which creates Kriyaman Karma(Active Karma). These kriyaman karma also result in accumulating more Sanchit karma.


Prarabdh - Outcome of Prarabdh are those happenings in the souls earthly life which happen without any or little effort. Soul feels happy when it gains materialistic comforts, pleasures and position in life but it gets totally baffled when it loses the very same possessions unexpectatedly, without any explainable reason. Soul does not realize that this is the fruit or effect of cause of its Prarabdh in this lifetime. For example, we find a good human being doing all the best for the world but yet suffering from a deadly disease, a selfish person getting success in almost any activity it undertakes. All this is happening due to Prarabdh of these souls


Imagine how it could be when different souls come together in a lifetime and form a family. Each soul has its own Prarabdh and its own individual journey. But universal law is perfect. It arranges the soul groups so affectively that one soul’s Prarabdh matches with the Prarabdh of other souls. Thus souls living in a family life not only perform their respective earthly duties but also work out their Prarabdh together. This way they keep coming back on earth again and again, learn their lessons and help each other to work out their balance karmas till their last earthly desires has been fulfilled. The soul discards its human body once its Prarabdh of current lifetime is worked out completely. However, Maya plays such a strong role that it takes ages for an ignorant soul to work out all its karma and realize that the Supreme Divine Power is nowhere else but within.

How to work out Karma - The biggest question is how can the effect of Karmas be effaced? Man's actions or karmas are the manifestations of his thoughts. Karma is any action, thought, feeling, emotion generated by mind of a Man. The mind, by projecting thoughts to sense-organs, enjoys pleasures. It, more or less, identifies itself with these thoughts and pleasures. At that time, it does not think of any thing else. In actual, the earthly thoughts and impulses should be converted into the zeal for securing internal bliss and happiness after attaining a perfect balance between materialism and spiritualism. In simple terms, soul must perform duties required to be performed in its earthly lifetime with a sense of detachment i.e, without feeling sad about losses and without feeling elated about gains. But then it is easier said than done.

Meditation - Meditation is one way for the soul to connect to the higher self. Shirdi SaiBaba advised mankind to look inwards. The soul should find a quiet place, close eyes and meditate. The purpose is to withdraw all the five sense inwards, make them inactive because these senses have been given to the soul to see, hear, taste, touch and enjoy the external world only. The practice of meditation in solitude consists in reverting and raising internal spark of the soul to try to reach the high self. It is said that the seat of that spark is at midpoint behind the eyes called Third Eye or Krishna / Christ Consciousness. When such a condition begins to supervene to some extent, as a result of performing the meditation practices, the working of Karmas, both internally and externally, is automatically enfeebled. On getting some bliss and joy internally, and on witnessing the love, grace and mercy of the Supreme Being, the meditators’ mind is, of itself, detached from the world and its pleasures. The pleasures of the world become insipid. The situation is the same, however, its effect on the meditators mind changes. The soul finds peace in all the situations it finds itself in whether good or bad, it doesnot matter anymore.

After this, the longing for progress in meditation, and higher and higher bliss, goes on increasing. Worldly desires are curtailed. The soul always gives priority to the will, grace and mercy of the Supreme Being in whatever he does. It subordinates its desires to the will of the Supreme Being. Thus the soul is entangled in Kriyaman(active) Karmas very little or not at all. This cuts short the chain of its Karmas.

Prarabdh Karmas, which are unfolding in this very life will be very much mitigated by the grace and mercy of the Divine Spirit. This way the soul is able to withdraw from the eyes, it goes on getting detached from the body and the world. In the wakeful state, the seat of the spirit is behind the eyes. It is here that pains and pleasures are felt and Karmas are performed. Therefore, as the spark of soul is withdrawn from here with the help of spiritual exercises, pains and pleasures cease to be felt. In this way, the effect of Prarabdh Karmas is lightened.

As to the Sanchit Karmas, that are stored in Akashic records (mind-sky/ collective universal consciousness) in the form of seed-impressions. They will fructify in a future life. As the soul penetrates these records in its ascent to higher regions, the Sanchit Karmas appear in the form of thoughts and impulses. They come into play for a short while only and are obliterated and finally the Sanchit karma are also cleared off.

If one has the grace of Sadguru (special messengers of God like Jesus or Saibaba), it will not take long for a soul to achieve the desired results. With Guru/ God’s grace, the soul realizes that meditator, object of meditation all are ONE.

Bhakti (devotion) - As per Sai Satcharita (book containing life and teachings of Shirdi SaiBaba) taking the road of devotion ( towards any one particular God of your choice) is the easiest way to get free from the Karmas. A mind cannot sit idle but if we give it some wise thought, say, chanting ‘Sai Sai’ (you can substitute this with name of God you believe in) always, get rid of feeling of doership and surrender all our actions, thoughts and ourselves to our God, we have taken our first step towards working out our karma fast. Saibaba(God) will work internally and remind the soul of its purpose of taking human birth. This doesnot mean that the soul will not have to work out the Prarabdh. Saibaba(God) will not come in the functioning of the universal law but will make the soul strong enough that it will not feel the effect of Prarabdh i.e, soul will not be ecstatic when it gains and will not feel depressed when it suffers. God or spirit guides and angels will grace us with strength necessary to work out our Prarabdh easily. This is what we mean when we say that God works out the karma of devotees. But then are we willing to work for ourselves, absolve ourselves of our Prarabdh the way Baba(substitute with the name of God you believe in) has advised us.

Vandana Ritik
New Delhi