Theory of Karma

• Prarabdha Karma- When we are born, the pattern of death is emphatic. While gathering the new garment of a new gross body, we even carry a sachet of numerous neutral feats and its fruits, acquired in preceding lives. We use the elements of the packet, across the lifespan, and once they are vanquished, achieve a new garb for the next birth. But, there is an incessant flow of sukha and dukha (pleasure and pain), while going through a birth.

• Sanchita Karma- There are karmas which are accumulated in a ‘bank of deeds’, which can’t be accessed in a single birth. The deeds in the respective births are bifurcated into the hoppers to drums of prarabdha and sanchita karma, according to the potency of the acts. These karmas are ones, which are not ripened yet. We need some drastic births to cancel these.

• Kriyamaan Karma- The deeds which are accomplished for the mere survival of the physical form, in a particular birth are called Kriyamaan Karma. Breathing, eating, sleeping, and the rest of the basic activities entailing the survival of the body, do not yield any fruits, and are not supposed to be suffered. The cycle of cause-and-effect is completed in the corresponding birth. No deposits of the fruits for the future, NO SUFFERING OF THE YIELDS.

• Prarabdha Karma- They can be nullified and the state of Eternal Bliss can be enjoyed. There is no antonym of Bliss, this is an imperishable transcendental disposition of “Life”. Solution- Owning positivity, in our thoughts, our actions and our deeds, shall drift us across the raging ocean.

• Sanchita Karma- They can be reversed as well. Solution- If we get a Satguru, and if we realize that we are neither the body, nor the mind, the mind reclines into Divinity, on the deathbed, then all the deposits are rebooted to zero, and we attain Moksha.

Illustration

There were two villages, their jurisdictions were bisected by a river. In one of the villages, Baba Nanak visited one of those villages. The people of the other hamlet, had to cross the deep river, for meeting the Guru. There lived two brothers. For meeting the Guru, one of them completed his chores early, prepared his cart, took his family, and left for the other village, in the time of shallow waters in the river, received the blessings of Baba Nanak. The other brother, concluded his chores, and as he was not well-off, left for the village, on foot. Just as he commenced his journey, his slippers were ragged, and was forced to walk barefoot. About a yard away, a prickle pricked his sole. He pulled out the spine, using another spine. Blood oozed out from the wound, he stripped out a band of his garment, and bandaged the lesion. By the time, he reached to the banks of the channel, it was the peak time of the raging waters. He had to wait till the waters became tranquil again. After long hours of waiting, finally he swam across the river, and reached his destination.
He saw that his elder brother along with his family members, is sitting and listening to the sermons of Baba. Downhearted, he paid his deep respects to the Guru. It was the time of descending dusk, the sandhya, Brahma Muhurta. All the people were rejoicing in the Name of God, and Baba was meditating. After the evening offerings to the Lord (Langar), the younger one, drooped in tears, went to Baba, for settling his queries. He asked that his elder brother is terribly treacherous, and his life was full of unfair deeds, all sorts of bribery, theft, lies and the rest, conquered him. But, he, on the hand, highlighted himself to be pure in heart, and revealed to do good, and possessed benign nature. He was curious to know about the reason of the sufferings, he had to undergo while traversing the journey to meet Him. Baba Nanak recounted the entire set of occurrences, the man passed over, on His own, without being told about the kind of incidents. Intrigued by the divine power of empathy of the Guru, the man nodded after each phrase, in agreement. Baba said that when his slippers were broken, he was about to meet a grave mishap, but that got diminished to a material loss. Similarly, when the spicule speared his sole, he was about to die, because of his past deeds. But, since, his intention was pure enough, to meet a Guru, he was driven through a lighter path. The man realized the causes, but was not convinced by the benefits his brother could enjoy, despite his terrific deeds. Guru, politely, explained the theory. He said that his brother was as benign as he was in that birth, and he himself, was terribly malevolent, in his own preceding birth. His brother was reaping the fruits of his past good deeds, and he was reaping his malevolence. But, his brother didn’t reap his deeds of deceit in the corresponding birth and the man himself, was taken through a mild training, as their aspiration was clean; to meet the Satguru and got initiated into the path of spirituality. The Initiation cleansed their karmas, became the new born persons again, free of all the fruits and actions. It was the power of Guru, who created a reverse transformation in the destiny of his disciples.

Points to be remembered-

• Enjoying the pleasure, and melancholy, makes us suffer. Being surrendered to Thee is the best. NEITHER HAPPINESS NOR SORROW STIRS US FROM THE PATH, IF WE OBLATE OURSELVES TO THE GURU.
• We reap, whatever we sow. Only positive thoughts, actions and words shall make us free of the prarabdha. These thoughts and words can either magnify or rather shrivel out the aftermath of our deeds.
• Whatever we remember at the last breathe, we become the same. If we realize the Self, under the guidance of a Guru, we are freed from all kinds of fruits.
• There are hardly one of two people on the planet, who realize the Self, staying in the physical form, and their life flows, to cleanse the filth of fruits in the lives of the common man.
• ANECDOTE- People often quote that their main aim of life is to “do good to others”. Let us see, if it is possible to “aid a needy”. Once an old lady was carrying a lot of baggage, walking in a slumbering gait, on the pavement. A man, passing by the roadside, thought of helping the woman. As he asked for if he could help, the lady started yelling and calling for the police. She became afraid, and started screaming for the law to intervene. That man, was trying to do a good deed, but, he couldn’t. So can we help a needy? The answer is a big NO. First of all, we are supposed to do good to ourselves.