Om-Tat-Sat; ‘Daata’ is in my remembrance!

Many times it happens in life that we seek answers to many questions. Many questions arise in our life, and we do not have any answers for them. Sometimes we ask ourselves and sometimes others too. But all those questions still remain unanswered. Qusetions, such as, what is life? What is the purpose of life? Are we just a occurance? Is there a God? What is death? Do we reborn? Have we ever been born before? What is Karma? And so on. Today we will discuss Karma and its effects, which should be a burning question for all of us.

What is Karma? Whatever you do, that is Karma. Even when you think, that too is an action. And, Karma can be good or bad.

And the second question about Karma is whether we bear the burden of the effects of our past Karma? Do we suffer from it? Will we benefit or suffer from the impact of all the actions done in this life and our previous lives whose consequences have yet not been realised? Can’t we eliminate the effects of our past Karma? Can’t we get rid of them? Is the effect of Karma eternal? Or, can it be eliminated?

We can divide the effects of Karma into three parts. One are goog Karma – actions performed under the influence of goodness. For example, sending good wishes to someone, helping someone, serving nature, helping poor, helping someone in need, speaking sweet words to someone, consoling someone, encouraging someone, etc., are all good actions which are performed under the influence of goodness. In simple language, all those actions that make your heart grow and chest wide are the actions performed under the influence of goodness. All those actions which give you satisfaction, give you peace.

The second type of effects of actions are from those actions which are performed under the influence of ‘Rajoguna’, Karma performed under the influence of passion can be good and bad both. Actions performed under the influence of passion could be motivated by any kind of passion such as affection, longing, grief, desire, frenzy, intoxication, lust etc. And when you do any work under the influence of passion you do it with your full force. You can be anyone such as a teacher, a businessman, a politician, a doctor, a saint, a sportsperson, a poet, a musician, a gardener, a carpenter, a potter, a listener, or anyone else. But when you do any work with passion, then you do that work with complete dedication at your full capacity.

As a sportsman, you want to go far in that game; you work hard to achieve your goal, which is good, there is no harm in it. But when you harm someone or cheat someone to achieve your goal under the influence of your passion, it becomes a wrong Karma. In that passion, to achieve that height, you may follow the wrong path and as such may perform bad actions. So, the actions done in ‘Rajogun’ can be good or bad. For example, suppose you are a student, you are studying, you are working hard, you must pass the exam, you must get good marks. And during examination, when you do not know the answer to a question, you desire to cheat and copy the answer from someone else. This becomes a bad action performed under the influence of passion even though there was nothing wrong in your passion. So, actions performed under passion can result in sound effects or harmful effects for you in the future because of those actions.

And the third type of the effects of actions are from performing those actions which are performed in ignorance – Action performed under the influence of ignorance. When you act in ignorance, you act, without knowing or understanding, without considering or judging, without thinking or analysing, and the effects of those actions are bad on you as they will be bad actions..

So, these are the actions performed under the influence of three types – actions performed under the influence of Goodness, actions performed under the influence of Passion and actions performed under the influence of Ignorance.

So the effects of our Karma on us would depend upon how we perform actions, under which influences and on what basis do we perform them. Now the question arises that how many types of actions we can perform under these three influences. How amny types of ‘Karma’ are there?

Karma are of three types.

The first type of action is good action – ‘Sukarma’. ‘Sukarma’ are all those good deeds which will give you good results.

And then there are other kind of Karma – ‘Vikarma’. ‘Vikarma’ means the wrong action, sinful actions. And the result of sinful deeds will obviously be bad. When you get the effect of such acts, then that effect will be painful and bad.

So, ‘Sukarma’ means good deeds, and ‘Vikarma’ means bad deeds.

 And the third kind of Karma is ‘Akarma’. ‘Akarma’ means all those actions which are not actions at all – ‘No action’. Now how can any action be inaction? How can an action be such that it is not an action at all? ‘No-Action’ means that after doing any action, there is no desire left in your mind to get its fruits. There is no desire at all either before performing an action or after performing it. For example, let us say that you were walking down the street when a handkerchief fell from someone’s pocket. You picked up that handkerchief, gave a call to that person, and returned the handkerchief. And the man took the handkerchief, put that into his pocket, and went away. And, you felt bad as the man did not even say ‘thank you’ to you. So, this deed of yours is a good deed but not an inaction, not ‘Akarma’. Because this action did not remain an inaction as a desire from performing that action popped up in your mind, even though there was no such desire when you were performing that action. Because the attainment of some fruit from performing that action awakened in you, it did not become an inaction and remained only a good deed.

Some time ago, around seven-eight days ago, I saw a man pulling a massive machine in the street on his hand cart and there was a speed barrier with a little more than usual height. So, the cart got stuck and the man could not pull his carriage. In the meantime, I saw that a motorcycle with two people on it came from behind. Suddenly the motor bike stopped and the man sitting behind got down, pushed the carriage past the barrier, got on the bike and went away. He didn’t even look book, not even towards the cart-man. There was no expectation even of receiving any thanks. So, it was an inaction. The person riding the bike did not desire any fruit from doing this small deed. So, this was ‘Akarma’.

Doing good deeds is good because the effects or results of good deeds will be good for us in the future. But the actions that we should do in our life are ‘Akarma’ so that we do not have any effect of our ‘Karma’ on us, and they do not bear any fruits in future, so as to be completely free from the effects of all our deeds.

The purpose and emphasis of religions should be that we perform ‘Akarma’. But religions are divided due to beliefs and ideologies, and are institutionalised. However, all religions teach us to perform good deeds depending upon their individual beliefs as to what ‘good’ is. But they do not teach to perform ‘Akarma’. And, if we do ‘Akarma’, we can move faster towards self-realisation and enlightenment.

Now there is another question about ‘Karma’ that whether the effect of our ‘Karma’ can be erased. Can those effects be eliminated or destroyed? Whatever ‘Akarma’ we do, they will certainly have no impact on us. But are the effects of our other actions, good and bad, eternal? Will we remain bound by our good and bad deeds until we bear their effects either in this life or in our future births?

‘Karma’ are not eternal and their effects can be erased.

How?

Through the power of knowledge.

Through the power of knowledge, we can destroy the effects of all our past ‘Karma’. Knowledge means ‘Gyan’ – the absolute clarity of things and facts. So, with the power of knowledge, we can destroy the effects of all our good and bad deeds. And the deeds done after the realisation of knowledge do not bear fruits, do not have any effects on us in the future.

But the ‘Karma’, whose effects have started bearing fruits at the time of realisation of knowledge cannot be destroyed. But they can be eliminated. The results or effects of all those ‘Karma’, which have started bearing fruits at the time of realisation of knowledge can be eliminated through restraint – through ‘Sanyam’. ‘Sanyam’ is the strictest and most important discipline of all disciplines and subjects, the most assertive discipline, through which even the effects of Karma that have started bearing fruits can also be nullified.

And what is ‘Sanyam’? ‘Sanyam’ is a triad of ‘Dharana’, ‘Dhyan’ and ‘Samadhi’.

‘Dharana’ means concentration, determination, and focus. Unless we master ‘Dhaarna’, it is not possible to progress towards ‘Dhyaan’. ‘Dhyaan’ means meditation. The intense meditation is only possible with mastery in concentration, determination, and focus. And, without successful profound meditation practice, we cannot experience the stage of ‘Samadhi’. ‘samadhi’ is when you begin to get absorbed in meditation. Samadhi means absorption. Where you forget yourself and get engrossed somewhere else where you are not even aware of your body. That’s why ‘Sanyam’ is the strictest rule, the strictest and highest possible discipline but is important.

On the path of spirituality, on the way of gaining knowledge and on the journey to self-realisation, it is crucial to remove or eliminate the effects of all ‘Karma’. Therefore, take another but conscious re-birth within this life by becoming a ‘Dwij’. And take your studies of spirituality furher. Become a ‘Dwij’. Take re-birth in this life, but with careful awakening, to fulfil the purpose of our life – the purpose of attaining liberation from life, ‘Moksha’. And when you destroy and eliminate the effects of all your ‘Karma’, there is no reason why you should be born again in life. I wish you the very best on your spiritual path!

Om-Tat-Sat;

…Param Dwij