Theory of Karma

Theory of Karma - Chapter 1

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.


2. THE LAW OF KARMA (ACTION)

As we know, for running the administration of any department o0r institution in this world, certain laws and rules are required
to be framed for its smooth and efficient day-to-day working. As for example, the Railway Department has got its own strict
laws and rules, Aviation Department, Revenue Department, Income Tax Department, Judicial Department, Public Works
Department and all other such Departments have their own rules and regulations for their smooth and efficient administration.
Even a small Village Panchayat, Taluka Panchayat or District Panchayat or a Municipal Corporation or a big State or a Country
Government - each one of them has got its own separate laws and rules 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 pre-destined orbits and destined
routes as shown in Astronomy, 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


3. DISTINCT FEATURES OF THE LAW OF KARMA

The main and distinct features and the important characteristics and criteria 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 favoritism or partiality to anybody,
even to his own father.

The most important section of the law is JO JAS KARAI SO TAS FAL CHAKH. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The application of this law is beyond manipulation, intervention or corruptibility.
The wrong doer will be punished for his wrong deeds. Nobody can escape the penal provisions of this law. There is no
escapement and no exception are allowed in its application. Similarly, a pious man performing good actions will be rewarded
for his good deeds. Every good or bad action will have equal and appropriate reaction and will invariably rebound on the doer
attracting just reward or punishment.

4. PARADOX IN LAW

However, in this world, even with a cursory observation around us, we find that so many wrong doers, black marketeers,
corrupt and crooked persons, smugglers and similar other dangerous mischief mongers and dishonest persons are merrily
enjoying all the amenities in life. They have at their command such indulgences as a beautiful wife, big bungalows, modern
cars, TVs and Videos, smooth sofa sets, comfortable beds and cots, delicious dishes and all other luxuries which modern
science and technology can provide. They can easily afford to have sumptuous meals and drinks on costly dinner tables,
beautiful bath rooms well equipped with showers and swimming pools, costly suits and shoes, big and fat bank balances, a
retinue of servants and what not.

On the other hand, the religious minded pious persons who strive sincerely to stay on the path of fairness within the norms of
legal, ethical and religious morality, cannot even make their two ends meet. They are found rotting in pathetic poverty,
deprived of even the basic minimum requirements and bare necessities of life like food, clothing and shelter.

In such a state of affairs, our faith in the justice and fairness of God is shaken to the core feeling that there is utter confusion,
chaos and total travesty of justice in the realm of God and that the Law of Karma is arbitrary and anarchic. As a result,
ultimately, we feel frustrated. This is only because we have not properly understood and minutely studied the Law of Karma.
Otherwise we would find that there is not even an iota of confusion, chaos or lop-sided justice in the realm of God.


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 license he will be arrested by the police. His argument that in America no license 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.
6. WHAT IS KARMA

The simple and succinct definition of Karma is that "each and every physical action or deed that you perform with the
cooperation of the mind, right from morning to evening, during the whole day and night, during the whole week, whole month,
whole year and during the whole of your life right from birth to death is called Karma".

For example, getting up, sitting down, taking bath, washing, walking, standing, going to job, doing business, crying, laughing,
awakening, seeing, not-seeing, joking, inhaling, exhaling, thinking, not-thinking, speaking, not-speaking, eating, not-eating,
drinking, not-drinking, smelling,not-smelling, touching, not-touching, grasping or throwing by hands, passing or not-passing
stool and urine, indulging or not indulging in sex, etc. - all these physical actions performed by all your ten senses, organs and
limbs,performed as influenced and propelled by the likes and dislikes, attachments and non-attachments and with the co-
operation of your mind and intellect are called 'Karma'.

All these Karmas are divided into three categories according to their 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.

7. KRIYAMAN KARMA
Generally, any action that you do at any time or moment in the present tense will give its fruit immediately and on the spot. It
is called KRIYAMAN KARMA. Any action is bound to have reaction, any cause is bound to have its effect and any effort is
bound to result into fixed destiny. This is the immutable law of Karma.

For example: (1) You drink water and at once your thirst is quenched, you got the fruit of your action of drinking and finished
with it. (2) You ate and immediately your hunger is satisfied, you got the result of your action of eating and your action is
exhausted and neutralised and the account is cleared. (3) You took your bath and your body is cleansed. You got the result of
your action at once, the cause resulted into effect and the account of action is squared, your action became quiet and subsided
and dissolved. (4) You inflicted verbal abuses on some one and he being thus provoked immediately gave you slaps on your
face. The account of give and take is cleared and closed on the spot. The law of action and reaction, cause arid effect operated
and ceased. All actions become quiet only by reactions. Every cause becomes quiet and subsided immediately only after its
effect has been experienced.

8. SANCHIT KARMA
However, there are certain Kriyaman Karmas which do not instantaneously ripen to give you fruits immediately. They,
therefore, remain pending in deposit waiting for the
opportune time to ripen and bear fruits at the appropriate moment in future. Till then they are kept in abeyance and get
accumulated. They are called SANCHIT KARMA,
(accumulated Karmas). For example (i) you took laxative in the morning, but will get resultant motions after a few hours, (ii)
you appeared in the examination to-day and will get your result after one month, (iii) you abused somebody to-day but he will
wait for an opportune time to take revenge after three months, (iv) you harassed or tortured your parents in your young age
causing a lot of anguish to them and your children will torture you in your old age,(v) you tried and laboured enthusiastically
with great devotion to become a proficient musician or a famous painter but before acquiring perfection you left your body.
Even then your labour of the present birth is not wasted. In your subsequent birth or births you will continue your efforts and
will definitely reach your goal of perfection and will get the fruits of your labour and devotion of your present birth.
Thus certain actions and efforts in the present (Kriyaman Karmas) do take time to ripen to enable them to yield fruits. Till then
they are stored away, kept in abeyance and get accumulated in the balance as Sanchit Karmas. But anyhow, every action will
have its reaction, every cause will have its effect and every effort will have its destiny determined in due course of time without
exception.
The millet seeds take Sa days to become ripe as millet corn, wheat seeds take 120 days to ripen and be ready for reaping as
wheat corn, a mango tree starts bearing fruits five years after sowing its seed, a jack fruit tree will start giving fruits after 10
years. Thus it takes time to germinate into ripe fruit, for the cause to be transformed into effect. This time varies according to
the nature of the seedlings and potentiality of that cause or action.

Taking example from Ramayan, Shri Das'ratha (father of Rama) in his young age killed one innocent Brahmin boy named
S'ravana and hence his old blind parents cursed Shri Das'rath that he shall also have to die due to the separation of his 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.


9. PRARABDHA KARMA (Destiny, fate, luck)

There are heaps and heaps of lofty mountainful of unripe Sanchit Karmas piled up amounting to billions and billions of
millions i.e. innumerable Sanchit Karmas deposited

in balance at the credit of each and every person, earned and accumulated by him during his past innumerable births since
time immemorial. They do not become ripe to give fruits all at a time in one birth. Only a very few of them, say about 10,000
Sanchit Karmas out of this whole tremendous stock become ripe and ready to give fruits during one lifetime. They are called
Prarabdha Karmas (readily destined to give fruits commonly known as fate, luck, fortune, destiny etc.). Strictly according to
these Prarabdha Karmas a person gets a particular type of body, parents, wife, children, wealth, caste, creed, race, sex,
environment, etc. just appropriate to enjoy, suffer and exhaust his Prarabdha Karmas destined during his present lifetime.

He cannot leave his present body till he has fully enjoyed, suffered and exhausted all these Prarabdha Karmas during his
present life even though he is totally bed-ridden or 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.
10. ONCE CAUGHT IN KARMA, NEVER TRY TO ESCAPE

So long as you have not entered into any action (Karma) you will have no reaction. There cannot be any effect without a cause.
But once you have entered into any action (Karma) you are bound to face its reaction.When you create any cause it is bound to
have its effect.So, before doing any sort of action (Karma), you are free to think about its possible reaction or outcome. But
immediately after doing that Karma, you are not at all free to escape its consequences.

In this human birth, you are at a full liberty to do any good or bad action that you choose. You can be a good man, a noble man,
an honest man 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 self-realisation 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.

11. LET RASCALS REJOICE NOW
The most deterrent, prohibitive, irrefutable and irrevocable section of the law of Karma is "As you sow, so shall you reap'. In its
strict application there is no exception, no escapement, no influence, no favouritism, no interference, no corruption and
nothing of the sort. Not a single holy or pious deed (Punya Karma) would go without reward and not a single sinful deed-action
(Pap Karma) can escape without punishment under the provisions of this law. The law is very strict. The law-maker is also
equally strict, though he is very kind and just. The officers appointed for the implementation of this law are also very strict,
even though they are very pious, sincere, helpful and honest. (I shall introduce them to you later on; also see para 34).
In spite of all this, however, looking around in this world, we find, to our great surprise, that the whole world is in the most
chaotic condition and in utter confusion. Many rascals, rogues, smugglers, blackmarketeers, dishonest, immoral and corrupt
persons appear to be very happy enjoying all the amenities and luxuries and creative comforts in life and are found even rolling
in wealth at the cost of pious and honest persons striving to maintain a high standard of morality in the face of many miseries.
Such unfair state of affairs creates a lot of frustration in our mind and as a result we often lose faith in God and His justice.
Ultimately unfortunately due to our weakness of will-power or lack of sufficient forbearance sometimes we also stoop to such
immoral ways of living. In such dire circumstances, we should keep a little patience and should resist and refrain from going on
the wrong path and have a thorough, minute and critical study of the law of Karma which will make this position very clear as
under:

The immoral, dishonest and corrupt persons who are given to deception, deviousness and exploitation appear to be enjoying all
comforts and happiness in life. This is not because of their present sinful deeds but because they must have earned and
accumulated many pious deeds (Punya Karmas) in their previous births as Sanchit Karmas which have now matured and
ripened as Prarabdha (luck, fate, fortune etc.) for this birth and they are enjoying and exhausting them in their present birth.
Let them exhaust them all 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.


12. PRARABDHA (DESTINY) IS IRREVOCABLE AND UNAVOIDABLE

There are three types of persons in this world:

(1) SATVIK (of pious mentality and motives)

(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.


13. METHOD OF PERFORMING KRIYAMAN KARMA

The method of performing Kriyaman Karma is also different with different kinds of persons-Satvik, Rajsik. or Tamsik.

(1) A Satvik man performs action (Kriyaman Karma) with pious and noble mind, regardless whether he gets or not its fruit.
(2) A Rajsik man with selfish mind performs action (Kriyaman Karma) only after making it sure to get its fruit which he will not
give up.
(3) A Tamsik man with crooked mind will refuse to perform any action (Kriyaman Karma) unless he first gets its fruit.

For example

(1 ) A Satvik doctor treats his patient with a pious motive as a part of his duty without any consideration but his patient
willingly pays him 10 dollars which he receives with thanks.
(2) A Rajsik doctor treats his patient with selfish motive with a specific condition that he will charge 10 dollars after treatment.
(3)A Tamsik doctor of crooked motives refuses to treat his patient unless he first gets 10 dollars in his pocket.
All the three types of doctors do get 10 dollars but their method of getting the fruit of their respective Kriyaman Karma is
different. The Satvik doctor gets 10 dollars after satisfying the patient. The Rajsik doctor gets 10 dollars in bargain, while the
Tamsik doctor is given 10 dollars by the patient reluctantly without satisfaction.

Same is the case with the dealers of Satvik, Rajsik and Tamsik articles, goods and services.

(1 ) A dealer of Satvik articles like ghee (butter) will allow you to see it, taste it, smell it and then purchase it if you are satisfied
about its genuineness. And even after going home if you feel any doubt, he will 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.


14. YOU GET ONLY THAT MUCH WHICH IS DESTINED TO YOU

Your Prarabdha of this birth is destined just appropriately and proportionately equal to your efforts (Kriyaman Karmas) of your
past births; and strictly according to this Prarabdha you get your birth in a particular specific country, caste, creed, and race.
God is not whimsical to throw you anywhere without any reason. Your birth in any caste or creed or race or in the womb of a
particular mother is not accidental but is strictly according to your deeds in your past births which are now matured and
ripened as Prarabdha as stipulated in the law of Karma. If perhaps you are consulted and given a choice before your new birth,
you would naturally choose to take birth in the family of Rockfeller in America or in Birla or Bil Gates family in where
immediately on taking your birth you would be the owner of so many cars and bungalows and tremendous wealth and fortune.
Likewise everybody would like to have a similar choice including the persons who were rascals and rogues in their past births
and then you can imagine the confusion and chaotic condition of the world.

Strictly according to your quantum of Prarabdha you get appropriate caste, creed, race and sex, appropriate body, appropriate
parents, husband, wife, children, relatives, neighbours, boss, business, service, wealth, health and all such other environments
in the present birth and during this present life span you have compulsorily to enjoy, suffer and exhaust all your Prarabdha
according to your debits and credits with them incurred by you during your past births; and as soon as these debits and credits
are cleared and all your obligations are fulfilled and your accounts are cleared-closed with them, your obligatory ties are
unglued and they will automatically be separated.

You will get only that much which is destined in your Prarabdha and 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 Kriyam-an 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.
15. THEN WHY MAKE ANY PURUSHARTHA (PRESENT NEW EFFORTS) AT ALL

Some people misunderstand that when we are the slaves of our Prarabdha (destiny) and when we are not to gain anything more
or less than what is destined or when we are sure to get what is destined in our Prarabdha, then why should we make any
Purushartha (new efforts) at all and bother and labour unnecessarily. Such pessimistic, fatalist, fanatic believers say that if at
all it is so destined to pass or fail in the examination we will surely pass or fail according to our Prarabdha. Then why should we
unnecessarily wreck our nerves, bother and make any Purushartha (new efforts) for that examination ? Let it happen what is
going to happen as destined in our predetermined fate without troubling and muddling our brain for nothing. Such deluded
fatalists (Prarabdhawadis) have not properly understood the real meaning of the words Prarabdha and Purushartha as
prescribed in the law of Karma.

It is indeed true that one would get only what is destined for him. However it behoves one to make a clear and proper
distinction between where it is appropriate to be resigned to one's fate and where it is more appropriate to exert personal
efforts. Securing a job is a matter of destiny, but having secured one, to sustain it with sincerity and diligence is a matter of
personal efforts. To obtain a beautiful house is shaped by destiny, but to be able to maintain it properly is a matter of personal
effort. To acquire or come into wealth is dictated by destiny, but how to use that wealth for a good purpose is a matter of
personal choice and effort. To beget healthy children is a matter of one's destiny but it requires perseverance and personal
efforts to give them good training and inculcate in them noble values. Sure, one will acquire only such a job or wealth or family
as determined by one's destiny. But whatever one is 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.


16. PRARABDHA AND PURUSHARTHA ARE NOT AGAINST EACH OTHER

Yesterday's Purushartha (efforts-Kriyaman Karma) is to-day's Prarabdha (destiny) and today's Purushartha (efforts-Kriyaman
Karma) is to-morrow's Prarabdha (destiny).
Purushartha (efforts) of the past when ripened and matured become Prarabdha (destiny) of the present and the Purushartha
(efforts) of the 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.


17. WHERE TO APPLY PURUSHARTHA AND WHERE TO RELY ON PRARABDHA ONLY

Of course, a parson gets only that which is destined in his Prarabdha. To get a job or business in life is Prarabdha. You will get
only that type of higher or lower job or business which is destined in your Prarabdha. But to carry on that job or business with
efficiency, honesty and sincerity requires Purushartha. You will get only that much wealth which is destined in your Prarabdha,
but to utilise it for worship and wisdom instead of recklessly wasting it after wine and women requires your present
Purushartha.

A person has multifarious and numerous wants, desires, needs, requirements, likes etc. in his life.

(1) He wants material acquisitions like bungalows, furnished with costly furniture, sofa sets, cots, etc., a car, gold, money, good
food, clothes, radio, TV, video etc. and what not. All these unlimited worldly materialistic objects for easy and comfortable life
for sense gratification are known, in one word, as (ARTHA) Wealth.

(2) Then he requires wife, children, relatives, friends, good health, capable organs and senses etc. with whom he can enjoy his
wealth. This 'desire to enjoy' is called KAMA.

(3) Even after being fully saturated by the above two (i) ARTHA-wealth and (ii) enjoyment, he feels vacuum and then he desires
to follow ethics - religion by performing certain functions-say (YAJNA) sacrifice, giving alms, donations etc., (TAPA) penance,
going to pilgrimage etc. All these 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.


18. FREEDOM OF ACTION - NO FREEDOM TO ESCAPE REACTION

There is a categorical statement in Geeta (with an imperative direction) that
KARMANYE VADHIKARASTE MA FALESHU KADACHANA meaning your authority (ADHIKAR) lies only in doing your
action but never on the fruit of it. People misinterpret its meaning that you have to labour or do your job and perform your duty
without any initiative, any expectation or desire to get in return any fruit (labour charges, emoluments etc.) either in terms of
money, commodities or service. This interpretation is not correct. Nobody would like to work without any desire or expectation
to get in return anything like emoluments, labour charges etc. for his work. Only the thieves and such other wrong-doers would
do their wrong deeds, theft etc. without any desire to get any punishment as a fruit of their wrong deeds.

If I do my job sincerely for the whole month in my office, I have got a right to demand my pay as a fruit of my work (KARMA) at
the end of the month.

I ask a porter to carry my baggage to the Railway Station and as a fruit of his labour he would naturally demand one dollar from
me. At that time if i give hin a long lecture (instead of a dollar) on the above statement of 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.


19. NO SUBTRACTION OF SINFUL DEEDS FROM PIOUS DEEDS

Sometimes we find people labouring under a wrong impression that if they perform 100 pious deeds (actions) and 30 sinful
deeds (actions), then those 30 sinful actions will be subtracted from those 100 pious actions and thereby there will remain only
70 pious actions in balance to enjoy and will be free from suffering the results of those 30 sinful actions. This is wrong
arithmetic so far as the law of Karma is concerned. They shall have to enjoy good luck, pleasures as a result of their 100 pious
deeds and also shall have to suffer bad-luck, pangs as a result of their 30 sinful deeds. Thus they shall have to enjoy and suffer
the pleasure and the pangs as results of total 130 pious and sinful actions.
20. BODY IS A NECESSARY INSTRUMENT FOR ENJOYING OR SUFFERING THE FRUITS (EFFECT) OF
KARMA

Happiness is the result of good deeds and miseries are the result of bad deeds and for enjoying happiness or suffering miseries
you must have a body. Body is the only instrument through which you can enjoy happiness and for having a body you must go
into the womb of a mother and take birth. After enjoying or suffering and exhausting the fruits of happiness or unhappiness
(Prarabdha) in your present birth, you have to immediately leave your body, that means meet death and go again into the
womb of another mother for getting a new body by taking a new birth for enjoying new Prarabdha Karmas which are the
ripened and matured fruits of your Kriyaman and Sanchit Karmas ready to give you happiness or unhappiness according to
your good or bad actions of your past births. Thus the procedure of getting a new body called birth and leaving the old body
called death is inexorably and repeatedly repeated in the beginning of every birth and at the end of every death. And this cycle
of birth and death is going on unabatedly, eternally and endlessly and hence there appears no scope or hope for getting
MOKSHA i.e. Iiberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Coming into the womb of a mother for taking birth is the most torturous punishment where we are confined in a very small
dark and dirty room (womb) for almost nine months suffering a rigorous imprisonment. Leaving the body at the end i.e.
meeting death is also a very treacherous situation. Our actions, both good and bad, are responsible for our bondage and we are
pulverized in the cycle of birth and death. That means, every action either good or bad is a bondage. Of course, good deeds bind
us with a smaoth golden chain in a golden cage by giving us happiness while bad deeds bind us with a rough iron chain in an
iron cage by giving us miseries in life. But in any case, either in a golden. cage or in an iron cage, bondage is a bondage and it
does not allow us to be free to acquire MOKSHA i.e. Iiberation from the cycle of birth and death.
So long as a single Kriyaman, Sanchit or Prarabdha Karma is pending and Iying in balance in your account, you are bound to
take births. Unfortunately, instead of reducing our Sanchit and Prarabdha Karmas during lifetime in one birth, we, on the
contrary, create many more new Kriyaman Karmas which are further added increasing the stock of our Sanchit Karmas which
are 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.
21. THEN WHEN SHALL WE GET MOKSHA ?

During your lifetime you acquire and possess innumerable worldly materialistic objects and things like bungalows, cars,
money, wealth and what not for your insatiable sense gratification by ceaselessly doing Kriyaman Karmas all throughout your
life. But you are getting and amassing all these things only for losing them ultimately and you remain spiritually bankrupt at
the end of your life.

The main purpose of having a human body is to acquire MOKSHA i.e liberation from the cycle of birth and death and secure
union (YOGA) with God from whom you are separated. That is the only final target and ultimate goal of human life. It is within
the means of every person to unshackle himself from the mortal bondage, merging his essential self into the supreme universal
reality. What is more, every person has also the freedom of choice to accept this as his goal, because in the ultimate analysis he
is surely an intrinsic part of the same Supreme Reality and is irrefutably destined to be merged into the same, thereby
achieving true salvation which is the birthright and essence of the soul. But you cannot get MOKSHA so long as there is a single
Kriyaman, Sanchit of Prarabdha Karma Iying in balance in your account. Therefore, for acquiring Moksha what you should do
is that you should perform and act so carefully, tactfully and skilfully during your present lifetime that you would be sufficiently
capable to successfully wipe out completely all the Kriyaman, Sanchit and Prarabdha Karmas anyhow before you leave your
present human body. Then and then only you will not be required and compelled to have again any new birth and death. Thus
you can easily come out from the cycle of birth and death once and for all. In this way you can secure union (YOGA) with God
which is the ultimate goal of life.
Such tactful and skilful handling of Karmas with prudence and proper discrimination is precisely called Yoga (union with God)
as defined and enunciated in Geeta- YOGAH
KARMASU KAUSHALAM
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).


22. HOW TO CONTROL KRIYAMAN KARMAS ?
CAN WE STOP PERFORMING THEM AT ALL ?
You cannot stop or refrain from performing Kriyaman Karmas in your lifetime. If you stop it, your life would be stranded and
crippled. To keep the body and soul together you have to eat, drink, sleep, pass urine, stool and many other activities to keep
your body and mind sound and fit to work. If you stop your physical activities and stop seeing, hearing, smelling, eating,
speaking, touching, walking, passing urine-stool, sleeping, breathing etc. the physical metabolism would cease to function and
you will stoop into life-negating activities. And then you cannot earn your livelihood for providing even the bare necessities of
life for keeping your body and soul together for performing your journey of life. Your action of stopping the physical and mental
activities will also be the negative forms of your actions. If you do not see, you will fall in a pit and break your legs. If you do not
hear the horn of a car while crossing the road, you will meet with an accident. If you do not eat, drink, pass urine, stool etc. you
will shortly meet with an unnatural death and your journey of life will be terminated.
Thus if you stop doing your Kriyaman Karmas even for a moment it 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.


23. WHICH KRIYAMAN KARMAS DO NOT ACCUMULATE AS SANCHIT ?
The following are the Kriyaman Karmas which will ripen and mature and give you fruits only during your present lifetime and
will be completely exhausted before you leave the present body and will not remain in balance at the end for accumulation as
Sanchit Karmas for your subsequent births.
They are -
(1 ) Actions performed innocently in childhood, immatured minor age;
(2) Actions performed in unconscious, insane and intoxicated state of mind;
(3) Actions performed in other than human life;
(4) Actions performed without any bias in mind due to attachment or 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).
24. ACTIONS PERFORMED IN CHILDHOOD, IMMATURED MINOR AGE

If a child in immatured minor age innocently in a playful mood does grievous injuries to somebody, breaks window glasses, or
costly.crockery, damages important things and documents, makes dirty some costly articles, photographs and pictures or even
by a freak of accident . he pokes a sharp Knife in somebody's throat just out of fun causing his death etc., for all such
mischievous and dangerous activities and tragic accidents he is not prosecuted in the criminal court of law and sentenced to
jail. At the most he would be severely punished or beaten by his guardians there and then and for a serious offence he would be
tried in a juvenile court and would be sent to a Remand Home for improvement of his vicious criminal mentality. This is
because while doing such mischievous or criminal activities there was no sinister motive involved and he does not know his
responsibility as he is still not mature enough to understand the consequences of such mischievous and wrong deeds as he has
performed devoid of sense dominating influences, without any bias in mind due to attachment or aversion, likes or dislikes,
RAGA or DWESHA, or ego (AHANKARA). Even a document signed by a minor is considered ultra vires, illegal, null and void in
the court of law. A minor child or adolescent is not given a right to vote in franchise because he is unaware of the consequences
thereof.

For such wrong deeds he may be punished during his lifetime and then these Kriyaman Karmas (actions) would not be added
in his Sanchit Karmas for his subsequent births.


25. ACTIONS PERFORMED UNDER UNCONSCIOUS, INSANE AND INTOXICATED STATE OF MIND

A lunatic, mad man is totally unconscious about the consequences of his 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.


26. ACTIONS PERFORMED IN OTHER THAN HUMAN LIFE

Animals, birds, beasts etc. in their births lower than human beings, only enjoy their Prarabdha which are the ripened fruits of
the Kriyaman and Sanchit Karmas of their past births and they leave their body immediately after their Prarabdha Karmas are
exhausted. They are called Bhog Yonis.

Their present actions are initiated and propelled only by instincts and intuitions and they are controlled by nature which does
not allow them to perform any new Kriyaman Karma which would be added to their Sanchit Karmas for their subsequent
births.

If a dog or a snake bites a person causing his death, it cannot be prosecuted for murder in a criminal court. It is the Prarabdha
of that person which propelled the dog or snake by intuition to bite him and make him meet with such a destined death. This
does not amount to be a new Kriyaman Karma to be added as a Sanchit Karma in the account of that dog or snake.

A donkey kicks somebody just to defend himself against some danger suspected by him as he has no other weapon to defend
himself. And in his so doing (kicking) if somebody is injured, the donkey would be beaten and punished there and then, but he
cannot be prosecuted in a criminal court. Civil and criminal laws and penal codes of courts are applicable only to human beings
and not to animals, birds etc. who are lower than human beings.

If cows or buffaloes etc. enter into a field and damage the crops, their owners are liable for punishment or compensation under
the Cattle Trespass Act and not the
animals who actually trespassed. At the most they can be beaten there and then and thus they suffer the fruits of their present
Karmas and thereafter they are not again
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.


27. ACTIONS PERFORMED WITHOUT ANY BIAS IN MIND DUE TO ATTACHMENT (RAGA) OR AVERSION
(DVESH), EIKES OR DISEIKES ETC.

A murderer commits murder of a person whom he hates with great prejudice, bias, aversion (Dvesh) etc. and thereby he cuts
and takes away a man's life. The magistrate orders him to be hanged to death and thereby he also cuts and takes away a man's
(the murderer's) life. The effect of the Kriyaman Karmas of cutting, reducing or taking a man's life in the case of both the
murderer and the Magistrate is the same. However, the Kriyaman Karma of the murderer will be added in his Sanchit Karma
for his next birth or births because his action is propelled and motivated by his aversion (Dvesh), hatred, prejudice etc. for the
murdered person. While the magistrate has han.ged the murderer to death without any bias in mind, hatred, prejudice, dislike
or aversion for the murderer, he has simply acted only as a part of his duty within the limits of law and hence his Kriyaman
Karma will not be added in his Sanchit Karma for his subsequent birth or births.


28. ACTIONS PERFORMED WITHOUT ANY EGO OF DOING-DOER

In a battle-field (crusade) a warrior slaughters so many persons under the orders of his commander-in-chief as a part of his
duty to kill the enemies, dangerous to the society at large, and hence this action of the warrior, void of any ego, does not bind
him in the cycle of birth and death. Devoid of self-pride arising from l-doism when one takes activities within the norms of
fairness, justice and righteous conduct, in the spirit of his self-apparent duties, then he is not trapped or enslaved by such
actions. Only those Kriyaman Karmas wrapped up in self-pride and sense of self-importance and performed with egoistic
mentality are added as Sanchit Karmas and they are to be faced as Prarabdha when matured and ripened in subsequent births.


29. ACTIONS PERFORMED WITH UNSELFISH,BENEVOLENT MOTIVE FOR THE GOOD AND WELFARE OF
THE SOCIETY AT LARGE

Generally, to tell a lie is considered to be a sin. But if you tell a lie with a bonafide, benevolent, humanitarian, unselfish, pious
motive for the good of the society at large it is not binding in the cycle of birth and death.

Taking an example from Mahabharata, King Yudhisthira who had earned a reputation as a dedicated champion of truth and
was famous for his truthfulness had never told a lie during his whole lifetime. But only once, during the Mahabharata war, a
critical situation arose in which Lord Krishna himself compelled him to make an ambiguous announcement against his will:
'Ashvatthama is killed in the battle.' In fact, an elephant named Ashvatthama was killed and not the son of Guru Dronacharya
whose name was also Ashvatthama. But on hearing this announcement from the mouth of such a most famous truthful person,
Yudhishthira who had a spotless reputation as a synonym for Truth, Guru Dronacharya took it to be the gospel truth that his
own son was killed and he immediately left the battle field which made it very easy for Yudhishthira to win the war. If
Yudhishthira would not have made such an ambiguous, misguiding and totally false statement, there were no hopes for him to
win the war and defeat the rascal kings who were horribly dangerous to the society and the country. This action (Kriyaman
Karma) of telling a lie on the part of Yudhishthira and the abetment thereof on the part of Lord Krishna was not considered as a
sin because it was done with the most bonafide and humanitarian, benevolent and pious intention to get rid of the rascals from
the earth.


30. ACTIONS PERFORMED SELFLESSLY WITH DEVOTION UNTO GOD (NISHKAM KARMA)

Generally, people at large performing any action, any job or business etc. do expect and desire to have some reward or fruit of it
and that is but natural and there is nothing wrong with it also. Nobody would like to work totally without any sort of
expectation of any reward or fruit of it. Only the rascals, rogues, thieves, smugglers etc. do not desire to have the result or fruits
of their wrong deeds in the form of punishment. On the contrary 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.
31. THE INTELLECT FOLLOWS ONE'S PAST ACTIONS

In the matter of suffering or enjoying pre-destined fruits of one's past actions, a person is helpless, therefore his mind
mechanically and instinctively follows the natural consequences of his past actions. Whatever destiny (Prarabdha) has thus
been carved out of his own actions, his mind becomes pre-disposed to manifest precisely such destiny. Even his intelligence
and special skills perforce drive him in the direction of realising his destiny, shaped as it is by his Prarabdha Karmas.

We sometimes come across amazing examples of people with sharp and incorruptible intellect falling a prey to apparently
trivial temptations or lapses of mind, which ultimately bring them great misery and anguish. Unbelievable and mind boggling
as these mental indiscretions appear to be, they are merely illustrative, perhaps dramatically, of the irrefutable and compelling
force of Prarabdha chasing the intellect for its fruition.

As an example, suppose a mouse, in the course of its nocturnal hunt, chase for food, comes upon a tantalizing fruit basket Iying
in a dark corner of the house. Driven by irresistible desire for enjoying a sumptuous feast of various fruits, the poor mouse
spends the whole night applying all its God-given skills in carving out a big hole through the basket. But no sooner has the
mouse managed to penetrate its mouth through the layers of cane and grass than lo ! a snake, trapped since seven days inside
the basket, snaps at the mouse and swallows it down as if just waiting for this opportunity to satisfy its hunger. Thus the
inevitable Prarabdha (fate) of the mouse goads it to use all its sharp 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.


32. YOU MUST FACE YOUR PRARABDHA

All the Prarabdha Karmas which have been pre-destined for your present lifetime, you are bound to face them. You can neither
escape from them, nor can you leave your present body as long as a single Prarabdha Karma remains in balance. Suppose
someone, according to his pre-destined Prarabdha has been suffering from paralysis, completely bed-ridden even passing his
urine and stool in the bed and barely able to cope with all the physical torture, even though he is craving for immediate relief
through death, still he will not become free from his burdensome body unless one and all his Prarabdha Karmas are totally
exhausted. His Prarabdha is the ripened and matured fruit of his own Kriyaman Karmas and they are not transferable to any
one else. Whatever sins he has committed willingly while laughing he has to suffer them weeping. There is no other option.
Even his parents, doctors, wife, children, relatives, friends etc. are also helpless in making him free from his Prarabdha.

However, there are certain factors which can help you to a certain extent in facing your Prarabdha if you know how to avail of
their help.

These factors are :-

(1) Purushartha means efforts (Kriyaman Karmas) done in the present life;
(2) Stars, planets and demigods;
(3) Astrology (Jyotish);
(4) Chanting the name of God (Ram, Krishna etc.);
(5) God himself.


33. HOW FAR PURUSHARTHA HELPS IN FACING PRARABDHA

There are four categories of Prarabdha

(1) Very acute Prarabdha;
(2) Acute Prarabdha;
(3) Mild Prarabdha;
(4) Very mild Prarabdha.

(1) So far as very acute Prarabdha is concerned you cannot change it at all inspite of your very acute and intense Purushartha
(efforts) during this lifetime. Your birth through certain parents in a certain country, community, caste, creed, race or sex is not
accictental. God is not so whimsical as to throw you anywhere in any way he likes. It is the result of your very acute Prarabdha
which is completely unchangeable. You cannot change your parents and your kith and kin. You cannot change your masculine
body into feminine and vice versa. You cannot change your sons, daughters or relatives in your present birth in spite of your
very acute efforts, as they are the results of your deeds-actions creating debits or credits with them in your and their previous
births which have brought you together in this present life. Hence you cannot be separated and none of you can leave your
present body unless your previous accounts of give and take with one another are completely cleared during this birth.

(2) So far as acute Prarabdha is concerned, it cannot be completely wiped off, but at least you can make it mild or diluted by
your very acute efforts (Purushartha) in this birth. If it is destined for you to suffer a severe blow of a stone-throw to hit your
forehead, you cannot completely escape it but you can, by your very acute effort (Purushartha) break its velocity and thereby
reduce the intensity a,nd quantum of injuries. If it is destined for you to fail in your eimination by your very acute Purushartha
(efforts), you can at least pass in the third class instead of first or second 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
matured fruits of the previous Kriyaman Karmas of your own. Hence nobody else, not even God is responsible or to be
blamed.


34. HOW FAR THE STARS, PLANETS AND DEMIGODS CAN HELP IN FACING PRARABDHA

The stars, planets and the demigods are the most pious and honest officers appointed for the implementation of the law of
Karma. They are not at all corrupt as we imagine them to be. If you perform certain rituals to worship them, they would help
you by making your inner will-power, forces and inclinations pious enough to face and endure your Prarabdha, but they cannot
totally relieve you from your Prarabdha.

If you have committed a theft, the policeman will lock you up in jail under judicial orders. But if he happens to be your friend,
relative or acquaintance or if you behave properly and respectfully with him, he would naturally give you all possible relief by
supplying you some more cigarettes to smoke, or by offering you tea, coffee etc. as and when you desire. He would even make
sure that you get sufficient food to eat, a good bedding to sleep on and all other such amenities within the limits of law just to
make your jail period easier and more comfortable. But he 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.


35. HOW FAR ASTROLOGY CAN HELP IN FACING PRARABDHA

Astrology (Jyotish Shastra) is a perfect science based on elaborate mathematics. It is a part of Vedas and it is known as
UPAVEDA. From the exact position of the stars and planets at the time of a child's birth and from their subsequent movements
during the life journey of the child right from his birth to death, an expert astrologer can foretell the predetermined ups and
downs and many other episodes and incidents during the journey of his life.

Just as a man performing his journey on a highway road, the caution signs and boards posted on the roadside from which he
can know in advance that, say, from milestone No. 45 to 52 the road is in a dilapidated condition and hence he should be
careful enough to drive his car slowly or make use of the detour-diversion. The caution sign posts will not repair the broken
road, but they do give you proper guidance and caution in driving your car carefully on risky paths. I n the same way an
astrologer, by elaborate mathematical calculations of the movements of stars and planets, can foretell that during your age of
45 to 52 years there are predetermined certain odds and risks in your life journey so that you would do well to be cautious
enough and to try to avoid or mitigate such odds and risks which would otherwise put you into greater hardships.

Jyoti means light. Just like a battery-torch in your hand throwing light on the road at a distance can help you to see the
obstacles or pits in the way. Of course, the battery will not remove those obstacles or pits, but it gives you an insight to
safeguard yourself against those obstacles by 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 pre-determined 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.


36. HOW FAR CHANTING THE NAME OF GOD (RAMNAMJAP) HELPS IN FACING PRARABDHA

It is said in the most unequivocal terms in all the religious scriptures that chanting the name of God (RAMA, KRISHNA, JESUS
etc.) only once can definitely abolish all your sins of millions and billions of births, and it is absolutely correct also. But if you
once chant the name of God (RAMA, KRISHNA etc.) and thereafter do any sinful action or deed, those sins which are abolished
by chanting RAMNAM will all again automatically come back and totally fall upon you.

As for example, in a very dark room if you switch on a fluorescent tube light only once, it will absolutely abolish all the darkness
which was there since time immemorial and will fully enlighten the whole room. But immediately thereafter if you switch off
the light instantaneously all the darkness dispelled will again come back in toto.

If you take a bath only once, your body will be totally clean, but thereafter if you again fall in the dirty mud, your taking the
bath will all go totally in vain.

While chanting the name of God (RAMA etc.) how can you do any sinful deed, and while doing any sinful deed how can you
chant the name of God? Both these actions cannot be done at the same time. And if you go on chanting the name of God and
simultaneously continue doing sinful and immoral deeds also, it will annount to nothing but hypocrisy which is again a very
serious sin. That is why even though we find people 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.


37. HOW FAR GOD HIMSELF HELPS IN FACING PRARABDHA

God is rightly said to be very kind. But people do not know that he is equally stern also in punishing the wrong doers and sinful
persons albeit of course with a benevolent and merciful intention to improve them. God is very keen to help you in facing your
Prarabdha provided you turn your face against the passionate desires (lust) for the worldly materialistic objects for your
insatiable sense gratifications which compel you to commit sinful actions-deeds; and then confess all your sins committed up-
till now open-heartedly with tearful eyes and start behaving properly hereafter in right earnest in obedience to his orders
keeping your face towards Him only.

The sun is very keen to give you full light provided you face towards him keeping your windows open. But if you keep your
windows closed and do not allow the sun rays knocking at your doors to peep in, you and you alone are responsible for dashing
your head in the darkness for which you cannot blame the sun who is helpless in your case. The sun never wishes you to remain
in darkness in his presence.

Absolute resignation, total submission and perfect devotion to God which is known as BHAKTI YOGA can invoke full courage
and will-power in your inner self for cheerfully facing your Prarabdha. The most simple definition of BHAKTI (devotion to
God) is to please God by your moral and ethical behaviour and pious actions strictly according to his orders and instructions
which are vividly described and enumerated commonly in all the religious scriptures of the world. Simply having a long beard
or a clean bald head, putting on white or saffron robes and wearing such other uniforms (garbs) or pasteing and smearing
different religious trade marks on the forehead for recognition as to which school of thought you belong-all this apparent shows
and signs only, without any inner transformation, do not amount to BHAKTI (devotion to God) in the real 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.

38. IF YOU MUST SIN - PUBLICIZE IT ALL OVER. WHEN YOU ACT SELFLESSLY DO IT UNANNOUNCED
AND STEALINGLY

Stealing is definitely an Art. Putting aside its moral implications, we can readily concede that it is indeed one of the most
difficult Art Forms. For a thief, if he is true to his name, he must accomplish his act in such a manner that not a soul around
comes even to smell what he is up to. Not only that, but he must be very alert and vigilant enough to discern the precise
location of the valuables in pitch darkness all around him. Then he must go about his nocturnal mission so stealthily that there
are no tell-tale signs left behind him.

The seeker of Knowledge and Truth is like a thief in one very significant 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.


39. SANCHIT KARMA

So far, in all the previous paragraphs, we have discussed at length, how to control Kriyaman Karmas by Karmayoga and also
how to exhaust all the Prarabdha Karmas by Bhakti Yoga during this lifetime.

Now let us discuss how to finish with all the Sanchit Karmas before we 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.


40. WHAT IS JNAN (KNOWLEDGE) AND JNANAGNI (FIRE OF KNOWLEDGE)

Jnan (knowledge) means the real knowledge and realization of one's own self as to who am I and to know one's own self in
reality which is the ultimate goal and the noblest aspiration of mankind. All other worldly and earthly knowledge of
materialistic objects and subjects like Science, Physics, Chemistry, History, Technology, Geology, Biology, Psychology,
Physiology, Astrology, Philosophy, Geography, Mathematics, Economics, Politics, languages and all other faculties of all the
universities of the whole world is only called 'information' and not knowledge in the real sense of the term. Informations are
always 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.


41. ONLY TO KNOW (KNOWLEDGE) IS ENOUGH; NO ACTION NECESSARY

A newly born cub of a lion, whose mother died immediately after giving him birth, was reared and brought up amongst the
herd of goats by a shepherd. Naturally, therefore, since his very birth the lion cub was all the while under the illusionary
impression that he was a goat. From the very childhood he was walking like goats, speaking like goats, eating, drinking and
doing all his activities and gestures absolutely exactly like goats as all throughout his life he remained and lived and behaved
like goats. The illusionary impression and idea that he was only and perfectly a goat and nothing else but a goat was so strongly
inculcated in his mind that there was no question of his thinking even for a while that he was a lion by birth. Mentally he was
completely a goat.

One fine morning, when this lion cub was moving about with other goats in pasture land, a big lion came roaring behind them
and thereupon being terribly frightened all the goats including this lion cub started running helter skelter and hither thither to
save themselves from the clutches of big lion. The big lion was astoundingly surprised to see the lion cub running along with
the other goats in fear. He, therefore, let free all the goats allowing them to run away and only chased and caught hold of that
lion cub and asked him why he was afraid of him. The lion cub, while 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 lion-like 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
(Self-Realization). 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

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Theory of Karma - Chapter 1

Theory of Karma - Chapter 4

Theory of Karma - Chapter 6

Theory of Karma - Chapter 7

Theory of Karma - Chapter 8

Theory of Karma - Chapter 10

10. ONCE CAUGHT IN KARMA, NEVER TRY TO ESCAPE

Theory of Karma - Chapter 11

Theory of Karma - Chapter 20

Theory of Karma - Chapter 21

21. THEN WHEN SHALL WE GET MOKSHA ?

Yoga is an art of discernment and prudence in the indulgence of daily activities.

Theory of Karma - Chapter 22

CAN WE STOP PERFORMING THEM AT ALL ?

Theory of Karma - Chapter 23

Theory of Karma - Chapter 24

24. ACTIONS PERFORMED IN CHILDHOOD, IMMATURED MINOR AGE

Theory of Karma - Chapter 31

31. THE INTELLECT FOLLOWS ONE'S PAST ACTIONS

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