All actions performed by your body, mind, senses, and intellect are called karmas.
Avoiding to perform an action is also karma. There are voluntary karmas and involuntary karmas. Brushing your teeth every morning is a voluntary karma. Things that happen without the desire to do them are involuntary karmas. For example, a knee jerk or raising your hands to protect yourself from a falling object which falls on an ant instead and kills it. This an involuntary karma. Stepping on an ant while walking is an ‘involuntary karma’. Involuntary karmas are not accounted for.
As we are witness to the karmas that happen through our bodies, mind, spirit (at various levels of consciousness i.e. conscious, subconscious, unconscious and super-conscious) we take ownership of these karmas and hence become responsible for them. Intent is another factor which makes us accountable, or not, for our karmas. A judge sending a murderer to his death has a different karma and does not pay for it, but the murderer does. Both performed a similar act - both sent someone to their deaths. The difference is that the judge is doing his duty based on the rules in force. He has no emotional connect or personal agenda against the man convicted. He cannot stake ownership for his act.
An amalgamation of these karmas form the Balance Sheet of our Jeevatman or individual being. This balance sheet is the basis for our future destiny, that could span several lives.
The body is called the Karma Kshetra or the incarnation where the karmas are worked out, exhausted, squared up, so that the identity can become free of karmas. It is only when an entity is free of karma can it attain mukti which is freedom from birth and death, and finally moksha, which is non-existence and becoming one with the Supreme. In order to achieve this, the individual has to ensure that fresh karmas stop being generated.
This is easier said than done. Intellectually, one can read the last sentence and understand it, but practically it’s almost impossible to achieve! From the time we wake up to the time we sleep, we are engaged in karmas. Several lifetimes produce as many profit and loss accounts of karma. The amalgamation of these can be called the Balance Sheet of an individual to date-his/her current state of wealth.
To the best of my knowledge, even after our bodies die, we can perform good and bad deeds. Many spirits harm others, whilst some elevated ones help in doing good. Many saints have been known to be spirit guides to people across centuries. They communicate with people in their dreams, through mediums and other signs. My spiritual teacher continues to guide us by meeting his disciples in their dream state. Sai Baba has appeared to many of his devotees in their dreams and rewarded them with a darshan.
Let us look at the theory of Karma and how it works. We will examine the segmentation of the types of Karma.
According to ancient Indian wisdom, Karmas are divided into three segments:
1. The Kriyamana Karmas
2. The Sanchita Karmas
3. The Prarabdha Karmas
Kriyamanas Karma (current life karmas)
An instantly fructifying action done in the present tense, which does not get carried forward to the balance sheet and is exhausted there and then, is a simple Kriyamana Karma.
Where the cause and effect, action and reaction, and efforts and their fulfillment happen in the present tense and cancel each other out, where there is no carry forward. For example drinking water when you are thirsty neutralizes the cause of thirst by the quenching of the thirst, which is the effect. There is an instant reaction to the action of getting water to drink, the effort of drinking gives a result. These are self-balancing Kriyamana Karmas. Scratching where it itches, taking a medicine for a headache, going out for some entertainment, visiting a Spa, buying clothes you need, cleaning your room, driving a car, are some examples of Kriyamana Karmas.
These Karmas don’t create positive or negative obligations, and as there is nothing to be squared off-they are not carried forward.
Those Karmas performed in this life which will get carried forward to either a future time or a future life are called Sanchit Karmas or Karmic Assets. A Slightly deeper explanation of this is given in the last chapter on circle of life after life.
Sanchit Karma ( karmas carried to stored balances)
The sum total of the karmic assets and liabilities of your personal karmic balance sheet.
The only difference is that you cannot expect the assets and liabilities to cancel each other. The profits and losses are both carried down to the Balance Sheet and you cannot deduct one from the other. You have to suffer the negative balances and enjoy the positive ones. That is why life is such a mixture of happy moments and sad ones, and some very neutral ones. Diseases, emotional setbacks, relationship issues, losses in business, reactions to negative stimuli are a few examples of how a very lucky man or woman can be made to suffer in luxury with everything at their disposal. Their wealth, environment, status, success, etc. are the positive balances fructifying along with the negative.
The Karmic Law determines, that you need to both enjoy the profits and suffer the losses in your account. Sanchit Karmas fructify in order to exhaust themselves and reduce balances as and when they can. Their fructification is called destiny.
Destiny is the movie of your life. I have always seen life as a movie, made a long time ago, but watched and witnessed in the present. The Sanchit Karmas are the amalgamated content from which the screenplay is derived. Based on this content the script evolves. It has interactions with others where old debts need squaring off. If the lead actor has a more positive Balance Sheet, then he or she is born in a good family which is wealthy (in material, mental or spiritual wealth).
The lead actor would also have a very positive horoscope. Physically, he or she would be attractive, strong, mentally agile, intelligent. If the Balance Sheet were to be extremely strong, the lead actor would or could have a great sense of morality, be philanthropic, have spiritual inclinations and often be intuitive.
An actor who is born lucky would go through good education, live in a great environment, have a wonderful family and friends, could be lucky in love, marriage and relationships. He could have a successful career, acquire material wealth, be an intellectual, become a great teacher, be a practitioner of spiritualism, do public service and be an inspiration to others. If the actor adds to this great luck, a lot of effort or purushartha, he could attain spiritual powers, abilities to heal and bless others. If this actor was a male, he could well be Krishna, Gautam Buddha, Raja Janak (father of Lady Sita of The Ramayan fame) or King Rama, or thousands of others who have shared a similar script. Of course, the movie would need to be released. For it to be released it would need free theatres and an available date of release.
Now here I believe, we stumble upon some interesting twists. The date of release (the birth time of the child would have a luck of its own).
A person’s destiny works according to the movement of his stars. It follows a pattern of favourable periods, negative periods, a mixture of both. A person is born at a particular time. That moment is a Muhurat. The Muhurat has a particular star chart frozen for that moment. The planets are positioned at various angles, in juxtaposition to each other. The science of astrology determines how and what are the trends of the person’s or that moment’s future. Besides there is a constant movement of the planets during a person’s lifetime. This is his or her dynamic star chart and also affects his or her life. The play of rays at different angles of the planets, their conjunction and the co-relationship with each other, create the specific vibration that helps to make an event happen, a feeling arise, a coincidence take place, a thought process get evolved, leading to a fulfillment of destiny or a fructification of the Sanchit Karmas.
Going back to the movie theme, we get very few super lucky actors, so naturally the screen play has to have a mix of good and not so good luck. Where the balance of karma is not so positive, the screenplay would be a mix of good fortune in bits and suffering in lots. The suffering could be a combination of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual in nature. Every movie would have laughs and tears.
Whatever be the script, the lead actor has the opportunity to use his or her initiative to do better deeds than what may come naturally to him or her. So the locations may remain the same and so may the sequences of events, but the actor can act less nasty, more kind, think philosophically, have a positive attitude and achieve better Profit and Loss Accounts in this life. The next movie could be a luckier one. Maybe in the last few movies, the character did not do enough.
If the actor’s conditioning or role-play in most of his characterizations has been a negative type, the chances are he or she will have that as a trend, even in this role in life. He may be successful in being an effective Mafia Don, earn a lot, have great influence, pots of gold, enjoy life at a material and social level, but earn a lot of negative karmas whilst exhausting a lot of positive ones. The next role in the forthcoming movie might be a tragic one!
Prarabdha Karma ( Karmas to fructify in this life)
The karmas that will fructify during a person’s lifetime, in the form of his or her luck are Prarabdha karmas.
Unfortunately for good luck, people mostly don’t notice it, are not grateful for it and often take it for granted. Others believe their good luck is a result of their hard work, clever thinking or being at the right place at the right time-a coincidence.
Though our luck is predetermined and so are our Prarabdha karmas, how we accept that luck is a game to play. Today’s fortune is yesterday’s effort, so today we have an opportunity to sow the seeds for the next crop while we enjoy this one.
Most people’s Prarabdha Karma involves hard work, humungous efforts for either commercial sustenance or social existence. Everyone is not so lucky to have the luxury of doing good deeds or practicing charity. It is not easy for most people to make a concerted effort to add to their Profit & Loss Accounts.
In large cities individuals become consumed in operational management what with long commutes to and from work, and follow ups at home. Here is where you can use your ingenuity and attitude to do the same thing differently and sow future seeds. Whilst at work, one can be nice to others, do small good deeds, be helpful, etc. (refer to positive P&L below).
Little gestures can accrue lots of good Kriyamana Karmas. Similarly, if we are Karmically wealthy, we may be blessed with material wealth in this life. It is up to us to either use that wealth to enjoy only luxuries, spend lavishly on our homes, hold extravagant functions or to do a balancing act and give back a part of our wealth to society via philanthropy and insure ourselves for a better future. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are two illustrious examples. At home, the Birlas, the Tatas and many other illustrious families have balanced their act. Most religions teach this theory of giving back and many people who sincerely follow those religions do that and benefit.
The Guilt Factor
Whilst we do positive things, we feel a sense of satisfaction, whereas negative acts make us feel guilty and often we develop a low self opinion. Guilt is a sure-shot way of willing ourselves negative karmas by accepting the doer-ship of the action. A better way to deal with guilt is to pile on a lot more good karmas to overshadow the minus ones. It is important to have more Karmic profits and minimum losses. In the last chapter on “circle of life after life”, we will figure out how these karmas are stored in our chitta or consciousness and how they get converted into impressions in the form of a secret code called samskaras. It is amazing how this code gets triggered off into Karmas
The power of delusion is called MAYA.
What we perceive, we believe. For us that is reality. So is every mirage until we discover otherwise. For a turtle, the world is different shades of red. For some animals, it’s black and white, for humans it’s made of seven colours. We do know that the seven colours are only 1/7th of the entire spectrum of light.
We can see or review the past. The future is yet to be created. Yet Nostradamus saw it hundreds of years before. This shows us our limited intelligence. We perceive with our five senses. That is analyzed by the mind. There is a power called intellect which discriminates the thoughts and perceptions of the mind.
According to the Indian scriptures all that we see, perceive and believe, falls within the circle of Maya. Our existence and our identities are also nothing more than a projection sustained by the mind. The existence of three states of waking, dreaming and sleeping are also a part of that delusionary reality.
The Ancients believed that the only way to know reality was to transcend the senses, the mind, and the intellect, and that’s when we would discover the eternal truth. The oneness of this cosmos, the Supreme Consciousness which today is here-say and a partially believable possibility-an experience beyond duality.
Within the circle of Maya, we live in acceptance of the duality of right and wrong, left and right, good and bad, all these being delusions of our mind’s projection-taking us further from the truth that consciousness is one. Where duality is accepted & perception is taken for reality, the karmas have a positive and negative connotation .
You enjoy the positive Karma and suffer the negative. Unless of-course, you learn how to transcend the law of Karma. People have always asked as to who judges these Karmas and allots us reciprocative lives? There are various theories propounded by different races.
I believe the Supreme Consciousness programs the play of Karmas in order to help each of its individual fragments to square off their balances. As each fragment of Consciousness is a breakaway from the whole, it is also in the cycle of things for it to re-merge at point x or at least carry the tendency to reconnect.
From the one to multiple and from the multiple back to the one – you can call it Moksha. (ek se Anek aur Anek se Ek) The individual fragment of the Supreme is called a Jivatma. (In common parlance, the soul, the ego, the ‘I’ principle).
Maya in Sanskrit means ‘that which is not’. It is a deluded state wherein each individual soul, under a sense of false identity considers itself to be separate and distinct from the Supreme Consciousness and the rest of creation.
A parallel example explaining the same would compare one’s consciousness to water, which over time was altered to drinks such as beer and cola by means of adding additives and adulterations. Similarly, our consciousness over time was fragmented to futile possessions and identification, such as name, religion, status and social bonds among others.
Maya is thus an epiphany that has the power to liberate the soul. Realization of adulteration leads to its eradication resulting in pure water. Likewise, realization of futile possessions within oneself and around us results in finding one’s true consciousness.
The Ancients believed that the only way to know reality was to transcend the senses, the mind and the intellect and that’s when we would discover the eternal truth and cross over the enforcing power of delusion.
Though the concept of Moksha sounds like a simple process, it does not really work out to be one. Individual entities often widen the gaps and the Karma philosophy backfires more than becoming a solution.
Fame, self importance, worldly significance, attachments-etc. make us believe that we are special, different from the others, not one of the whole. Even doing good deeds can give a person pride in himself or herself. This too can fortify the sense of ‘I’ principle. The ego gets glorified and hence the gap widens. The separate identity gets more fortified life after life with conditioning and it becomes impossible to peel the layers off the onion of conditioning, and the show goes on from one life to another.
The Jivatma is surrounded by five Sheaths of consciousness called the Koshas. Unless one does not learn to climb the ladder of consciousness from one Kosha to the other, one cannot surmount the ego. Explanation of the five Koshas is given for your reference in the Last Chapter called AFTER THOUGHTS.
A Personal Tale
I thank the stars for my getting Arthritis and suffering it for 10 years, because it became the excuse for my turn around from a one way ticket to hell (metaphorically speaking), to a flexi pass that could take me everywhere. I met a spiritual Guru who cured me in a minute flat and also showed me a pathway to follow. Without my sickness, this may never have been. This experience made me sensitive to the fact that I needed to evolve spiritually and to serve others.
Help to alleviate their suffering, help them to learn about progressing and sharing the concept of ‘service’ or sewa with others. This was my initiation into good deeds and wealthier existence. Many people evolve because their karmas in the past helped them develop the attitudes of positive living, empathy, philanthropy and an inherent desire to do good deeds and make others happy. The experience of suffering often inspires you to alleviate the suffering of others. (The conditioning of the past helps us to build Attitudes of the present.)
After the Kalinga war, where he defeated his rival and rivers of blood flowed, the Indian emperor Ashoka relented and embraced philanthropy and philosophy. He adopted the teachings of Lord Buddha and devoted his life to the service and spiritual upliftment of his people.
“Work I must for the common weal, and the way to achieve, is by effort and dispatch; to this end I toil to discharge my debt to human beings, and to make some happy; in this world, and the next.” (Ashoka took to Buddhism and spread it as a religion across South East Asia).
This translated quotation got stuck in my mind ever since we studied History in School. It is one of the most brilliant on the subject of Karmayoga. The last line “in this world and the next” shows his desire to help people prepare for their future lives as well. Spreading Buddhism and creating prayer houses was a step in that direction.
The spiritual Guru who cured me, taught people single-mindedly, to perform Sewa or Service. He wanted it to be a mission statement for each of his disciples. He personally spent most of his days serving people. He worked for the Agricultural Ministry as a Soil Surveyor and had an average income. Yet he invested hours in meeting people, healing them, teaching them. There were people waiting to meet him before he went to office, at his office entrances, on his return from office-the people never stopped wanting his time. Magically, he managed to do all this. He would make his disciples assist him, teach them powerful mantras, help them to evolve mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
When he found them evolved enough, he would invoke in some of them the power to heal others, besides serving people in other ways. He created over 500 spiritual healers in different parts of India and in a few other countries . Even today, more than two decades after his demise, thousands of people visit his Samadhi to ask for his grace. Thousands visit his disciples’ homes across the country for similar reasons. The disciples do not charge any money to the visitors for service rendered.
It was almost a one point programme for himself and his students -SEWA! I have seen judges, parliamentarians, businessmen all work on his farm and contribute their labour as SEWA. I have also seen 30 year olds healing people of various physical disorders. These were disciples who knew very little or almost nothing about spiritual subjects or religion. Seeing philosophy come to life, made it easier for an atheist like me, to subscribe to him as a master and get entrapped into the subject.
Guru means remover of darkness.
A Guru means remover of darkness. A person who plays the role of guru takes upon himself or herself the task and mission of reducing the ignorance level of their disciples. The ignorance here refers to ‘AVIDYA’ which is one of the five kleshas or stresses/confusions that affect the human mind. This is given in more detail in the write up on Kleshas.
(Later in the book in AFTER THOUGHTS.)
Getting a Sadguru (right teacher), is supposed to be like getting a lottery, because a competent guru takes upon himself the responsibility of ensuring the success of his disciple, with the endeavour of passing on to them all his knowledge and abilities. There have been several great Gurus like Guru Vasistha, (who was also the teacher of Ram), Jesus, (who had eleven brilliant disciples), Guru Nanak, Buddha, Rama Krishna, and so many illustrious teachers who helped to awaken the inner knowledge of their disciples. These teachers are not from India alone. There have been a host of them across countries, and through history, including the great Greek teachers like Aristotle, Plato, Chinese teachers like Lao Tse, Confucius, Muslim teachers like the Prophet Mohammed, Khalil Gibran, the list is long and illuminating. Every religious teacher has said almost the same thing in different words-all have advocated good deeds. The commandments of Moses have different names and numbers in various languages and cultures. The truth is one, the presentations many. Add to that, variable time zones, different characters, varied geographical locations, separate languages and what do you get? What does it spell? RELIGIONS !
Many people evolve without the help of a Guru or spiritual guide. They read religious or spiritual books, practice philanthropy, chant mantras or prayers, do service by affiliating with NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations). They sometimes even attend classes to study the scriptures and holy books, if possible to interact with like-minded people on these subjects. They become well informed about the spiritual world and its dynamics.
Their intellect helps them to understand the laws of Karma and inspires them to do all such things that enrich them and to avoid acts that pull them down. It is a do-it- yourself method but sometimes it works.
Early one morning, Guru Nanak, accompanied by Mardana, went to the river Bain for his bath. After plunging into the river, Guru Nanak did not surface and it was reported that he must have drowned. The villagers searched everywhere, but there was no trace of him. Guru Nanak was in holy communion with God.
The Lord God revealed himself to Guru Nanak and enlightened him. In praise of the Lord, Guru Nanak uttered these words-“There is but One God. His name is Truth. He is the Creator, He fears none, He is without hate. He never dies. He is beyond the cycle of births and death. He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning. He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True. He is also True now”. (Japji)
These words are enshrined at the beginning of the Sikh Holy Scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak did not believe in the Trinity of Gods, or that God can be born into human form.
A Guru can manipulate the Karma of his Disciples
A Sadguru can help his disciples get positive Prarabdha Karmas (current fructification) by making his disciples do Tapasya (penance) and Seva in the present. By adding a huge load of positive karma, strictly avoiding the negative, and by committing to a lifestyle that will keep the karmic assets increasing and liabilities reducing, the Guru can even give the disciple benefit of his sanchita (unfructified) karmas in this life, thus rebalancing the equation, in favour of the disciple.
Maybe where money is really required and cannot be managed without, some other form of relief may arrive out of the blue in the form of a temporary relief, just to tide over a situation. If the disciple is to have a physical ailment, probably the effect of the ailment could be reduced.
Basically, the grace of the Guru may not stop the rain of bad luck, but it could provide an umbrella, by neutralizing the negativity of the planetary effects. By adding to the Aura of the disciple, his ability to resist the negative rays gets enhanced.
Does that mean that a Sadguru can change a person’s destiny to an ideal life? Can someone, thanks to a Guru, find his existence suddenly become hunky dory? Where bad luck just vanishes and good luck just sets in? I don’t think so. But what I have been witness to, and what is not easily believable is as follows :
A Guru can make his disciple die in his dream-state. He can give his disciple a new lease of life and extend his/her present lifespan by several years with circumstances that may seem to remain the same, but the experience of life can be very different. That includes perception and reaction of the disciple concerned. It means the negativity may get rounded off. For example, if the disciple has to endure a financial squeeze, his will power will also enhance simultaneously. This helps to control the mind and achieve a higher level of consciousness.
The power of the mind, it is said, can move mountains. This, of course, means a person can, through Sadhana and his or her Guru’s grace, achieve abilities that are supernormal.
A connection between the disciple’s energy and the Guru’s energy bank would form the umbrella we referred to earlier. There are several such instances that I have noticed take place in my life, and that of many of Gurudev’s disciples, whom I have closely known.
Guru’s umbrella
In the late 80s I had gone to meet Gurudev to take his blessings. I woke up much earlier than normal and again fell asleep on a chair. I saw a vision of my wife lying on a flat surface and she was surrounded by a couple of people with masks and strange knives. I thought they were going to kill her. The feeling in the dream or vision was that her end had come. I felt a strange presence behind me. When I turned around, it was Gurudev. He looked amused. He said, “Son, what do you want?” I said I left the decision to him. The vision vanished. I woke up and remembered the vision. It was as real as real can be.
A few years later, my wife was going to deliver a baby. There were complications, the waterbag had burst and the doctor said they needed to perform a cesarean. It was New Year’s eve, the operation was set and my wife was prepared for it. The doctor went up to his home in the same premises, to spend a few minutes with some visitors. My wife delivered naturally. I suddenly remembered that vision of men in masks with knives around her. I realized it was men in green and they had surgical knives. It could be an absolute coincidence and a figment of my imagination-or it could not.
Defective Vision or Defective Accident?
Another incident that I can never forget is, one day I was lazing in the courtyard of his house sitting on some rubble in the afternoon. I felt slightly sleepy and when my eyes shut, I had a vision. I saw myself moving and I saw a cycle cart cross me on the road. Next, I found myself lying on the road in a half sitting position. My left sleeve was torn and my hand had bruises and I was bleeding. My trouser also was slightly torn and there was a mild bruise. The vision passed and I couldn’t make much of it.
A couple of hours later Gurudev’s driver was going to Delhi for some work on a scooter. I thought I would tag along just for the ride as I was feeling bored. I went to Gurudev’s room and asked his permission to go. He was uncomfortable. He asked, “Why do you need to go?” in Punjabi. Being a convincing speaker, I came up with a few logical reasons. He relented. He blessed me with both hands, and off we went on a scooter, catching the breeze.
We had hardly travelled ten minutes when at a crossing, I suddenly saw the same cycle cart I had seen in the vision a few hours back. It was like Déjà vu. I knew what was