Social responsibility and harmonious living.

A kingdom which was filled with abundance faced a severe famine for more than a year. Food became scarce to the people living within the kingdom as all the cultivation activities came to a grinding halt. The King of the region decided to distribute food to his subjects prepared from what was stored in the granary. Everyday breakfast, lunch and dinner was distributed to the people in the open ground.

One day as the King was distributing food an eagle flew above holding a venomous snake in its claws. From the mouth of the snake fell a drop of venom into the serving spoon that the King was using to serve food. Unaware of what had happened the King continued serving the food from the same spoon.

A few who consumed the poison laced food developed convulsions and one by one ten of them died within a few hours. The King and all those gathered there did not know what causes the death and the Kings physicians could not do anything. The people gathered there cursed their hard luck.

Now Chitragupta, the registrar in the court Yamadharma who keeps the track on the merits and demerits of the individuals was in a fix. He was confused as to who should be held responsible for the death of those ten people. It was not the fault of the eagle that carried the venomous snake in its claws as it was taking food to its hungry eaglets in the nest. The snake in the claws had no control on the drooling venom dripping out of its mouth. The King too did not know about the presence of poison in the food, if so he would not have served at all. So who has to be credited with the consequences of the deaths? Perplexed Chitragupta approached Yamadharma to request him for his guidance.

Yamadharma insisted the responsibility of the deaths and it’s consequences to be accounted to the Karma of the old woman who sat outside the Kings palace.

Chitragupta was surprised and confused how the old woman was connected to all this. He requested Yamadharma to clear his confusions.

Yamadharma said, “After that incidence many had been going to the King asking for help from him. This old woman sitting opposite to the palace would warn them if they eat anything given by the King they would die. She would say that the King of this kingdom had taken the contract to send people to yamaloka. The moment she told this, the people who had come there to pour out their woes and get some solution from their king would get demotivated and return back.”

Chitragupta asked Yamadharma, “How did the old woman got to know about the dripping poison? If she had seen it, would it not be her social responsibility to bring to the notice of the King and prevent the disaster???”

Yamadharma replied, “Chitragupta there are two kinds of people living on the earth plane, there is one section which react to a misfortunate incident by rushing forward to set it right. While the second section just enjoy the incident as an entertainment and have an immense pleasure in sharing the news with others. This old woman belong to the second section. This lot attract the Karma phala of the deed by being interested in spicing up incidence without having a heart to prevent it.”

Chitragupta agreed with what his master said. He further told his master that the worst thing to happen in the society was when mankind snub the social responsibility and yet have great expectations of a harmonious living.

How are Humans different from Animals???

I am a staunch follower of Karma Siddhantha (Doctrine of Karma). Many have questioned if Karma is applicable only to humans or also to animals. I wish to share what I understand on this.

This universe which I believe is emanated from Primordial Atom which Sanatana Dharma calls Hiranyagarbha. The emanation caused the existence of living as well as non-living.    

Now we have those which just exist like mountains, rock, sand and soil. Then we have plant life which exist and also can breathe. Then we have animals which exist, breathe and feel. Finally we have humans who exist, breathe, feel and think. Now let us understand that we humans can think contemplate and reason better because of Intellect which is the faculty of discrimination. (Note: discrimination of deeds we do as good and bad)

Animals are classified as Bhogayoni (Cannot perform deeds but have material body to experience) and humans are Karmayoni (Can perform deeds and also have material body to experience). Amazingly both have got this birth because of their Karma. Animals are satisfied with SEED (Sleep, Eat, Enjoy, and Defend) they only can only relish they cannot produce. They can eat they cannot grow. Humans are not so they relish and also they produce. This creation called humans use animals to produce (farming) Hence he can relish as well as produce. Humans have created devices to fly in air and surf on water. He does not have sharp eyes like that of an eagle but he has a telescope in the hand. If we contemplate on this we can understand the intricacies of Karma. Humans not only enjoy the reward of their past karma phalas but also can perform action for future also. Hence he is Karma yoni.

So a Jeevi (Individual Soul) chooses to be born in either of the yoni by their own Karma. Jeevi keep on moving from one yoni or the other but it is only the Karma done in human life which is linked to Punya (Merit) or Paapa (Sin) depending on the deeds performed. As already mentioned humans alone have the ability to discriminate and so can perform deeds which bring him merits and if he misuses this faculty he commits a sin. This makes him to take birth in Bhogayoni. This merit or sinful deeds performed leaves an imprint on the Subtle Body (Body-Mind Index). This is called Samskara (impressions), if the Samskara of noble deeds outweighs the Samskara of sinful deeds one gets a human birth. Here one has to understand that it is an opportunity to seek liberation, so if the Samskara of selfless life become super strong then one gets liberation i.e. Moksha.

Another question is: If yoni janma is according to Karma, how did the first janma happen? This question seems to be logical but the misconception here is that “I” will be born as Sreeram Manoj Kumar again. The movies and non-fiction novels have made us think that the person is going to be born as the same in the next birth, worst is that in some movies both the characters are donned by the same hero. This is causing confusion among us. The subtle body remains and needs a body to experience the unfulfilled ambitions and untold desires. It can be in the form or an animal or a bird or a reptile or a man or a woman. There is nothing like a file kept on Sreeram Manoj Kumar since eons. This is not the first time that Sreeram Manoj Kumar (which “I” am identified now as) has got a birth but has obtained body countless times before and may still happening. The Jeevi in me has many Samskara (impressions).  One may ask what the Samskara were obtaining at the time of beginning of Kalpa (Creation). At the beginning of creation Samskars pertaining to previous Kalpa (Creation) was already there. This creation is flowing like a river which has no beginning or end. Creation and dissolution of the world keeps on occurring like day and night. It keeps on rotating like a wheel……Am I Right??? 

Take a little care about Karma…..!

1.Renounce Retaliation:

When Karma is yielding the Karma Phala which I deserve there is no need for me to be the instrument to return a karmic reaction to someone else. If I retaliate I will be creating a new unseemly karma to face in the future.

2. Stop Blaming:

Karma Phala generally manifests through others, and thus it is easy to blame others instead of understanding the intricacies of Karma. I am, through my past actions, the creator of all that i am experiencing in the present. I am the cause while others whom i think are responsible are mere instruments for returning my Karma Phala to me.

3. Avoid Consequences:

Quite often my actions are based upon an emotional reaction to what someone has done or said to me. The consequences of such actions are often not clearly and carefully thought about. If I contemplate over it I will observe that the consequence of harming others with my action in the present is for me to be harmed again in the future by someone else’s actions. This behavior creates an endless cycle of being harmed and harming others, which is only stopped by considering the consequences before acting and not harming back.

 

4. Alleviate Past Karma:

Once the consequence is taken care, my life will be sublime enough to focus on ridding myself of karmas of the past, mitigating them, meaning to make less harsh, painful or severe. Wise handling of karma begins with the decision to carry the karma I now have cheerfully, and not add to it. A firm decision to live in such a way as to create no new negative karmas is a sound basis for living a religious life, for following the precepts of dharma and avoiding that which is adharmic.

5. Seek the Guidance of Absolute:   

               

Karma Phala has to be endured inevitably. Yet its impact can be made to be less so that I can tolerate it. For this I need to have the Divine Grace. He is the knower of all. It is best to be guided by Him. He can place me at a very caring situation when I have to endure with my past Karma Phalas. All I need to say is I am at your mercy.      

6.        Accelerate Karma:

Why should I wait for many births to achieve spiritual maturity when I can achieve in this birth itself? This is the idea behind accelerating karma. When I begin performing regular daily sadhana, preferably at the same time each day, my individual karma is intensified. By this conscious process of purification, of inner striving, of refining and maturing, the karmas come more swiftly, evolution speeds up and things can and usually do get more intense. Nothing to worry it is natural and necessary. That intensity is the way the mind experiences the added cosmic energies that begin to flow through the nervous system.

7. Burn the Resultant Karma:

I can burn up the seeds of  Karma without ever having to live through them. What I need to do is find the seed and dissolve it in intense inner light. Just do a good work and channelise the result to Absolute. Hence we had this habit of ending a good deed by uttering “Sri Krishnarpanamastu”

Sri Krishnarpanamastu!!

Scientific theory for Karma Siddhantha

Hinduism believes in concept of Punarjanma (Rebirth) and also Karma Siddhantha (Doctrine of Destiny) which is unique to this religion. It simply says Karma of previous births (Purva Janma Karma) also gets added to the present Birth and life pattern goes on accordingly.

A European lady came to Kanchipuram and met Kanchi Mutt Acharya (Old Swamiji) and discussed the Karma Siddhantha. When the Paramacharya was explaining her she asked for scientific proof. She said, “Swamiji, religion accepts as such all happenings whereas science demands proof for everything around us”.

Swamiji told the lady to visit all maternity hospitals in Kanchipuram and get a note on all those who were born and asked her to meet him in the evening.

Lady did so and met Swamiji in the evening. Swamiji asked what did you see in the hospitals, to which Lady replied “Swamiji, I saw varieties of new born babies some were short, some were long, some fair, some black, some with physical defects, some blind, some had rich parents, some had poor parents, some sick and crying and some healthy and laughing.”

Swamiji asked the Lady, “What do you understand from it. These children just born have not done any Karma (action) so far but then, why are they born differently. This is explained by Karma Siddhantha it is due to their Karma (Resultant Fruit) of previous birth that they are born differently. If not for Rebirth everyone would have born same as the source was the same.”

European lady got her answer and thanked Swamiji for enlightening her.  

I had a particular question about karma and the way it works. I understand that karma is for us to learn to take responsibility for our actions. But there is another dimension to it too. Let's say someone is born blind or is crippled from birth because of past karma. Does that mean that they will always be like that from lifetime to lifetime???

As I understand Karma Siddhantha, every Karma has a definite start and an end. This is called Prarabdha Karma Phala it starts at birth and ends with death and it is inevitable that an individual has to endure it. It is like the arrow which is left the bow, it has a start and it ends at the target. Generally any karmic trail should end with current life, but consider a terrorist who has blown off several people in the previous life. Obviously he will have to endure the result for several lives until the Karma seed is destroyed completely. That is Sanchita Karma (Accumulated Karma Phala). It is the arrows in the quiver, which is fired one at a time. In this situation the disabilities may be over several lives, though not necessary but it is a possibility. It is very difficult to tell. Also if the Agami Karma (the result of present action) is good then Sanchita Karma gets dissolved. “Mysterious are ways of Karma” says Sri Krishna to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita.

The whole lot of Sanchita Karma can be destroyed by attaining the Knowledge of Brahman. It can be greatly modified by entertaining lofty, divine thoughts, and doing virtuous actions. The sure way to sever the cycle of birth and rebirth……What Say???

Games Destiny Plays

Samarth Ramdas Swami and Ranganath Swami were Saints of an equal spiritual level. However, the lifestyle and prārabdha of both was vastly different. Samarth Ramdas Swami used to wear only a langotī (small loincloth), used to ask for alms in five homes, then show Naivēdya (Food offered to the Deity as a part of ritualistic worship) at 12 noon to the Deity and only then have lunch. Ranganath Swami, on the other hand, used to wear rich clothes and wristbands. He had rings on all his fingers. He would travel on horseback. All this was arranged by his devotees.
Once, Ramdas Swami’s disciple Kalyan Swami asked Him, “Maharaj, why is there so much difference in your style of living and that of Ranganath Swami, when both of you are Saints?” Ramdas Swami said, “Come, let us visit Ranganath Swami”, and they set out to meet Ranganath Swami. Coincidentally, Ranganath Swami had also set out to meet Ramdas Swami. Both met on a hilltop. Ramdas Swami asked Ranganath Swami to sit on a rock and he, along with Kalyan Swami, went to ask for alms. After some time, Ramachandra, a minister of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, passed by the same hill. He saw Ranganath Swami sitting on a rock in the hot sun. Watching Swami, who generally travelled on horseback, sitting on a rock in the hot sun, he immediately set up a tent around the Swami and put up a shade. His group then set up tents all around and camped there. He instructed his people to prepare a feast with five delicacies.
Samarth Ramdas Swami and Kalyan Swami returned after asking for alms. They saw huts everywhere on the hilltop. For a moment, Kalyan Swami thought that they had lost their way. On seeing Samarth Ramdas Swami, the minister respectfully greeted Him and took Him to Ranganath Swami’s tent. There, all of them had their meal and then returned to their respective abodes.
Samarth Ramdas Swami said to Kalyan Swami, “We made Ranganath Swami sit on a rock and went to ask for alms. But a tent was erected around Him and He got a feast with five delicacies. Ranganath’s prārabdha has materialistic comforts. Asking for alms and the lifestyle of a fakīr are in my prārabdha. There is no difference in the knowledge that we have.”

Agami Karma OR Prarabdha Karma

Karma Siddhantha tells us that it is due to the Prarabdha Karma phala that we are experiencing the fortunes and misfortunes in this life, and then what is Agami Karma?

How can we differentiate between the Prarabdha and Agami Karma?

The first and foremost difference is that the Prarabdha Karma is yielding the results and the Agami Karma is adding to the results. Prarabdha is always understood as Karma Phala that is the result of what was done in previous life.

An analogy will help understand better:

Mahatma Gandhi was shot by Nathuram Godse.
It was decided at the time of his birth (though no one would ever know before the event happen) that Mahatma Gandhi had to be shot at on January 30, 1948 at 5.17 pm to bring an end to his life this is his Prarabdha Karma.

But was it the Prarabdha Karma of Nathuram Godse to shoot at Mahatma Gandhi is the question?

NO, it is not the Prarabdha Karma but it is his Agami Karma, How will it be Agami Karma?

Mahatma Gandhi would be shot at on the particular time is the event to happen but who could do it or press the trigger is the act of anyone. Nathuram Godse took the initiative and he was very well aware of what he was suppose to be doing and the consequences. This makes his act a pure Agami Karma. The Agami Karma in him (Nathuram Godse) was triggered by the three gunas at the time of the event in him.

Bhagya, the Fortune

In Kathopanishad Lord Yama explaines to young Nachiketa that in every life of an individual two paths namely Shreya and Preya appear as the ways to achieve the Bhagya, fortune. The noble choose the path of Shreya which takes him towards Enlightenment, while the week choose Preya which bonds them to Samsara.

Karma Siddhantha tells exactly the same, the Bhagya which is destined to come will always come, but we have to do our work without the intentions of accquiring the same. But for the Bhagya to materialize we have to do work and this work we do should be Dharmic.

This anology will help understand better:

Let us suppose a farmer is bound to get Rs.10000 the following day. And let us visualize the possible two ways he could get it:

1. The farmer may be Dharmic and would get Rs.10000 through the effort of selling his agricultural product in the market.

2. The farmer may enter his neighbour house and rob it from the safe without getting caught.

Here the Bhagya of the farmer was to get Rs. 10000. How he could manage it is purely his Agami Karma.

In the first way we find that the farmer is not bound to have added to his Sanchita Karma anything, but in the second he has been in obligation to his neighbour in his future life.

Well one may say the farmer may get caught and undergo punishment but the fruit of one act can never be nullified by the reward of the other.

Karma Siddhantha tells that every action has got its won rewards, no reverse action can nullify it. So if a person does something bad and thinks of nullifing it with a good act it is not possible.

Karma Siddhantha never justifies act of "ROBIN HOOD" robbing from the rich and giving it to the poor. Robbing from the rich yields a sort of karma phala and giving it to the poor would yield a different karma phala and these two karma phalas has to be experienced in the following birth not in this present birth.