Let me get some Good Karma

Saving a Butterfly for Good Karma

One day as I got into the lift at my workplace and noticed that One of my colleague was standing in a stiff and funny way. 'What's wrong with him', I thought and then I noticed that he is having a butterfly sitting on his shoulder."What are you upto Mate ?." I asked him, trying to not disturb his mood of whatever that he is upto.Looking a little bit embarrassed and proud my colleague replied." Oh, You see ! Found him trapped in the lift.Obviously, he is in the wrong place. I am going to take him out of the building and leave him in the nature. Let me get some Good Karma". I thought this is a good act by my colleague. If someone wants to bestow kindness, there are so many ways he can.Man is endowed with a higher sense, which is different to the animals. For animals in the jungle, the laws are different. There, the strongest will survive. But, laws of human beings are different.It is not the survival of the fittest but, Live and let live. It is showing compassion and taking care of other living beings suffering in the world.What could be the intention of my colleague - I wondered. Because, most of the times people consider Karma to be something straight forward and black and white. Also, some people visualize it as a dramatic event of equal justice, ' An eye for eye' etc.I also remember seeing a movie, long time ago where the villian is a Mafia Don and getting people killed.Once he hears the news of someone dead, he dramatically saves a Ant or a insect drowing in a glass of water or somthing and says something like ‘One killed and another saved.It is now even..Ha ha ha’ Actually, it is not so. The laws of Karma are so intricate and difficult that even the most knowledgeable persons are sometimes bewildered. Bhagavad Gita advises the same thing. There is a story of  a King Nrga in Bhagavatam who performed a wonderful Fire sacrifice and donated a lots of Cows to brahmanas but, had to take birth as a lizard for a simple mistake of donating same cow twice.Similarly, we see a rich person who has practically everything like fleet of Cars, Bank balance and a huge mansion can only eat so much or may be cannot eat sweets due to health reasons, or he might have a 20 bedrooms but, cannot go to sleep suffering with insomnia. So, the Karma for a living entity as Mahabharata explains, especially an evil deed is like a indigestible food in the belly- which is its own punishment, if not experienced in this life will follow us to the next life. No one can escape the laws of Karma (Not even by suicide)

So, it is completely wrong to consider that one wrong act or deed can be counteracted by another noble act or a good deed.

An Evil Act - Law of Karma

As per Bhagavad Gita chapter 2 and 3 Krishna explains karma, akarma and vikarma. Karma Yoga is essentially acting, or doing one's duties in life as per his/her dharma, or duty, without attachment to results – a sort of constant sacrifice of action to the Supreme. It is action done without thought of gain. In a more modern interpretation, it can be viewed as duty bound deeds done without letting the nature of the result affect one's actions. Krishna advocates Nishkama Karma yoga (Selfless Action) as the ideal path to realize the Truth. The most important theme of Karma Yoga is not focused on renouncing the work, but doing the work in the spirit of detachment and sacrifice.

Thus, there are various paths or Yogas explained in Bhagavad Gita like, Karma Yoga which is further subdivided into Sakama Karma Yoga which is performing a work with a God Consciousness but there is still an attachment to the fruits of the work, and Nishkama Karma Yoga where one is completely detached from the fruits of work with God as center.

Lord Krishna, advises Arjuna to fight without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat and informs him that by this he will not incur Bad Karma, Vikarma or Sin. And, then further on Lord Krishna talks about various other yoga, like Jnana Yoga, Dhyana or Ashtanga Yoga and  finally Bhakti Yoga, which is the devotional service to God.

If you spit into the Sky, it falls into your Eye

This is a old saying from Jamaica and surely, there are similar saying in all the languages. For every action there is equal and opposite reaction aka Karma.Nothing happens by chance.Whatever you experience or happening in this life are the consequences of your actions from your past life which includes this life and countless previous lives.

You don’t need to get angry at God or try to threaten God that I will not pray to you or why are you doing this to me, what have I done to deserve this etc. If you spit into the sky, the sky is not affected but, it is the person who spat gets it back.

In the Canto 7 of Srimad Bhagavatam, we see that Prahlad a small boy of 5 years is harassed by his demoniac father in numerous ways. The reason was that he was worshiping Lord Narayana who Hiranyakashipu considered as his enemy. So he tried everything, to harm, kill the little boy by throwing him into a fire, a room full of snakes, boiling oil, throwing him from a cliff, walking elephants over him. And, what did Prahlad do?. He did not say – Oh God, why are you doing this to me.I am afterall your devotee ? I will stop praying you. He was totally undisturbed and brave, not resisting in any of the acts his father did on him. The Lord took  personally care of him by saving him from all the inconveniences and dangers posed by his Hiranyakashipu.

Similarly, in life we face bad things rather than questioning God, we need to question ourselves why this is happening. Treat others like the way you want to be treated. Definitely, it is not due to your Wife, Boss, friends back biting you. And generally, the tendency is that once you get used to this Habit of blaming others, sometimes those people can't or won't find anyone else to blame and then they turn to the unseen God.

So who is to be blamed ?. The answer to this can be found in Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 11, Chapter 23 The Song of the Avanti Brahmana which comes as a part of Lord Krishna’s Instructions to Uddhava called as Uddhava Gita. The brahmana who lost all his wealth, betrayed by family members, homeless and roaming as a beggar makes these famous statement “Neither mortal persons, the demigods, the soul, the ruling planets, the reactions of work nor time are the causes of one’s happiness and distress. Rather, the mind alone is their cause, because it is the mind that makes the spirit soul wander in the cycle of material life. The real purpose of all charity, religiosity and so forth is to bring the mind under control. A person who has already composed his mind in meditation has no need for these other processes, and for a person who is incapable of fixing his mind they are of no practical use”. Thus, the Avanti Brahmana became sober by developing a spirit of detachment and became a mendicant and spent his life roaming the world chanting the glories of God.

Random thoughts on Karma, Bad Luck, Destiny

Seagull

Random thought. Suddenly remembered about this guy from long time ago. So, one day he was speeding and got a ticket, then an other and finally, lost all points to drive. His licence is suspended. Then, it was a hot summer day and this guy was standing outside his house. Then, he thought instead of standing, he would sit in his car - of course holding the bottle of Victoria Bitter - a beer that he was drinking. Then, from nowhere the Police came and guess what, a double offence. Trying to drive a car, when the licence is suspended and then at the same time consuming alcohol. This Guy tried his best to convince the Cops that he was not Intending to drive the car and was only sitting in it because, its too warm inside his house. But, to no avail. And, then guess what? He was so annoyed that he wanted the break the laws because, he was fined when he wasn't guilty. So took his car out and within 5 minutes,(I have no idea how it happened) he went and hit a Police car near the traffic signals i, e when he was trying to cross the before the traffic lights turned Red...I never knew what happened to this poor guy. I am not being judgemental and not giving my opinion because, I never knew this guy before and only heard about him from a friend. What do you think is the reason for the mess he was in..Well, it could be due to his bad luck (which is due to his bad karma) or simply being negligent, careless and taking things for granted?

It is said that, two factors influence the outcome of all acts: endeavour and destiny. Without both there is no success. A man who does not work but who depends on destiny alone will be ruined. Rabbits does not line up the tigers mouth - A minimum endeavour has to be there. Sometimes, however, despite one’s best endeavour, destiny delivers only adverse results.     Why ? Because, with your previous actions you have accumulated this karma.

If everything is pre-destined, then why work? Law of Karma is coming perfectly, everything will be accordingly, finished. Then why work? Actually, we have created our own destiny according to what we have sown; accordingly, we are going to get results. Even then, the choice is yours as to what you want to do. Because of your karma, right in front of you, you have got a glass of milk and a glass of liquor. This was your karma and you got, now the choice is up to you. You want to drink this or you want to drink this. But once you put it in your month, then you have to wait for the reaction. But before you do the action, the choice is always there. The Lord never takes away the independence of choice.

In Bhagavad Gita 4.17, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna this - "The intricacies of action are very hard to understand.Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is."

There is an incidence from Shastra, once Dhritrashtra asked Krishna, Krishna why am I suffering? First of all, I was born blind; I did not get my kingdom and right in front of me, all my hundred sons perished. Krishna told Dhritrashtra, my dear Dhritrashtra, fifty life times ago, you were born as a son of a hunter. One day you climbed up a tree and with a pointed stick you blinded the father bird in the eyes and then you set fire to the nest where hundred siblings of the bird were there and they were all roasted alive. Therefore, this lifetime you are born blind and right in front of your eyes, your sons have been killed. Dhritrashtra asked a question, Krishna, but why fifty lifetimes. You could have given me punishment then and there and got finished-off my account. Why did you wait fifty life times to do that? Then Krishna explained, He said, my dear Dhritrashtra, to get one son, you have to do so many good Karmas.

This is the concept of delayed Karma. Therefore, it is very important to know the laws of Karma and live a pure and simple life; otherwise, we are getting ourselves entangled.

There is so much more to write about Karma but, for today I will stop here. If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to post. Regards