Articles
KARMIK ACCOUNT
I was asked to write for the Chandrabhaga publication and my thoughts began wandering. I remembered the days when my husband used to guide me in the subject matter and in editorial work and immediately felt a sense of loss and helplessness. I was on my own now and there wasn’t anyone to be my partner in writing. These had been many joint endeavors in our life and suddenly destiny chose to leave me midstream to careen across the rest of my life on my own. Well the TRUTH is, while my heart grieves for my companion, he seemed to have reached THE DESTINATION ahead of me and actually ahead of many. Isn’t that the ultimate ‘truth’? I see two sides to the coin here- I live a worldly life caught up in ‘Maya’ and as a material witness and I also see that my husband has escaped this and has reached the final ‘destination’ that we all are enroute. So if we all are passengers in life’s journey, then why grieve for someone who has reached ‘the destination’ before many others? Aren’t we all sooner or later going to get there? As I sorted through my husband’s now insignificant, material belongings, my eyes fell on a long sheet or paper jammed in his diary. It was his horoscope, his “Janam Kundli”. I couldn’t help but read it and was mesmerized by the predictions. “Madhya Ayu”, it read-A chill went down the back of my spine and I got goose bumps reading the ominous prediction. This was written at the time of his birth and obviously somebody and somehow his life span was predicted. So does a child at the time of his birth, come into life with an accountable period?
On what basis did his soul get this life span? Could we account this to the “LAW OF KARMA”? Nothing happens by chance in the spiritual world. It is the spiritual law that governs this world and it is done through the universal spiritual law of action and reaction that we commonly call the “Law of Karma or Action”.
KARMA is of three types. 1- Positive action is called “SUKARMA”, which is beneficial to the soul. 2-Negation action called “VIKARMA” which causes sorrow and unhappiness to the soul.3- Neutral action called “AKARMA “ are the routine action that are done as per the need to live life which do not carry any reactions so no fruit as good or bad. Body perishes; the soul carried forward the impressions of all the Karmas done in every life birth after birth for the whole Kalpa. Kalpa is a cycle of four Yugas, i.e. Satya-yug, Treta-yug, Dwapar-yug, and Kali-yug, in other words qualitatively called Golden-age, Silver-age, Copper-age and Iron-age. The new Kalpa starts with Satya-yug i.e. the Golden-age with all freshness, happiness, peace and purity all around.
Whatever bad karmas we perform, sorrow we causes to others whether by action or thought, injustice we inflict on others- we are bound by eternal law of Karma to settle those accounts by experiencing the same sorrow and pain that we have caused to others or to the environment through our various actions. For example – if one deceives other to acquire wealth to get richness, Karmic law ensures that he surely loses everything the same manner as he has acquired it. Even when one hurts somebody by his/her actions or words it is sure he/she gets the same torture in due course by some body or the other. We often have heard anecdotes that any torturous action done by the son to father is repeated in the same way by his son when he becomes the father. This is the basis of the serene Spiritual Law of Karma as Karmic justice is never denied, but may be delayed.
Our actions originate in mind as thought. Thoughts spread vibration & influence the surrounding atmosphere and return the same vibration to us. Therefore, if we send negative vibrations of hare, envy and jealousy to others, the same will return to us. It means that each person is the builder and architect of his own destiny. All our account gets imprinted in the soul. Soul feels pain when anything goes adverse to any of its original quality. Thus soul gets pain and sorrow as the reaction of the reverse deeds because it is the adverse to its original seven virtues of Peace, Purity, and Power/Energy.
Urge for knowledge, Happiness, Bliss and Love. At present time when the material and body conscious mankind indulge in lust, anger, greed. They accumulate the accounts of Kukarma which keep compounding birth after birth enhancing the unhealthy environment and thereby deteriorating the quality of the souls. It is believed that “GOD makes man like Him”. But the soul being influenced by the accumulated sins has become blind, confused and devilish in search of pleasure and happiness. If one looks around, one can see many examples of cruel, heartless actions that have befallen humans and morality is lost.
The Soul is immortal and reborn according to the fruit of his Karmas. This is a Diving Law. There is no deviation from this law. There is no excuse for any action being performed unknowingly. Like, when one puts ones finger in fire either knowingly or unknowingly, the finger will get burnt. Once has to face the result. Therefore intense alertness is required which is also known as soul consciousness. Soul=Mind + Intellect resolve.
The uplift oneself from the down ward fall one has to withdraw from negative thoughts and self-realization is essential. When our attention is directed inward we experience the power of silence and we realize inside us another existence that is, ‘we are souls’. We are innately pure, peaceful, loving and blissful having all the qualities of our Father, the Supreme Soul. Through periodic and regular checking of the quality of thought we can change negative thoughts into positive thoughts without entangling the mind in any addictive patterns of thinking. By this practice the soul develops controlling power, ruling power and will power.
The person becomes the Master of the self. Once the soul consciousness develops, virtues of the soul are expressed in natural ways in action and that become positive & blissful actions(SUKARM) that can safe-guard sanity, sanctity and serenity of the society and eliminate hatred , animosity and blood sheds etc. . Slowly and gradually peace, purity and prosperity will spread to every nook and corner of human world. Time rotates. After night day comes, after darkness brightness comes, web follows tide, after Kaliyug Satyug will surely come, the soul will regain its lost power and virtues when all around smile will prevail in all lips.
Buddhism says Karma is Action which brings result. Karma is intentional, conscious, deliberate and willful action. Karma is of three types: 1-Kushal Karma, 2-Akushal Karma and 3-Neutral Karma.
Wholesome Karma is the skillful karma which is beneficial to self and others that spring out of renunciation, love, kindness, compassion & wisdom. Akushal Karmas relate to realized via the body, speech and/or the mind. The Akushal Karmas of the body are killing, stealing & sexual mis-conduct of the speech is lying, slander, harsh speech and malicious gossip and of the mind are greed, anger & delusion. By avoiding these ten unwholesome actions, bad consequences can be avoided.
Law of Karma is very finely tuned & balanced, so as to match effect with cause, to take in account the subjective and objective conditions that determine the nature of action. At death we have to leave everything behind, our property & our loved ones but our Karma accompanies us like a shadow. Buddha said nowhere on earth or heaven can one escape one’s Karma.
Islamic belief says all human drams are played at the will of GOD as opposed to present and past actions. In other words ‘Law of Karma’ functions in accordance with the will of GOD. It is Allah who rewards good actions and who is the source of infinite justice. Everyone who believes in Allah, who listens to the voice of his and her intellect and conscience, knows that Allah is the source of justice and he pays us back in full. Those who produce a good action will receive ten like it. But those who produce a bad action will only be repaid with its equivalent and they will not be wronged.
There may be differences in religion but they all conclude at the same result, that we must consciously try to do the right thing whether it is as our Karma or as in other religions, the word of God, Karma is teaching tool for realization of our positive thoughts and negation thoughts and actions which benefit our lives as well as others, also it accounts for the errors of our ways.
It is a wonder: the soul being just a sentient tiny point of light and might, believed to reside in the middle of the forehead in center of eye brows. A doctor of Global Hospital in Mt. Abu has proved it as a very intense tiny point in thalamus in the middle of brain and named it as God’s point.
I was jolted out of my thoughts by a knock at the door. A calm feeling or warmth and comfort came over me at the thought of my beloved being in good hands. I had visualized him smiling in a beautiful world where all karma is AKARM, where there is no account to be carried forward.