©"KARMA LINGA" by Bharat P. Bedi
PRAYER
LIFE TRUTH
I AM NOTHING
I AM MORTAL
SOUL IS ETERNAL
I AM Jf1UST BODY FOR THE SOUL
I AM ONLY THE MEDIUM
REAL IS THE SOUL
I AM THE RESULT OF PAST KARMAS
WHAT IS HAPPENING IS DESTINED
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WE CAN DEFINE
WHAT I ACQUIRE HERE IS NOT MINE
MY FAMILY MY RELATIONS MY WEALTH MY EGO
ACCUMULATED HERE ARE LEFT BEHIND
EXCEPT KARMAS, NOTHING IS MINE
KARMAS CREATED HERE ARE CARRIED BEYOND
SOUL & KARMAS ARE MATES
SOUL CARRIES KARMAS
BODY IS LEFT BEHIND
PRESENT IS GOD`S GIFT
TO MEND & REPENT
WHAT WE SOW WE REAP
GOOD KARMAS ENSURES BETTER NEXT LIFE
BAD KARMAS PULL US DOWN
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PREFACE
This is an attempt on my part to understand ways of life. I was wondering why we are born & living on such a beautiful planet called Earth. This cannot be a fully paid picnic with no strings attached. There has to be a reason & purpose behind it. There are so many creatures living on this planet. There has to be some connection between all.
We observe that no two persons are same. There is some difference between any two individuals. We have been preached that our karmas determine what type of life we will have. We have also been told that our body has a time period to it but our Soul is eternal & formless.
There are so many rituals & ways of praying but no simple explanation explaining the life cycle of Soul, Dharma, Karma, & Present life. There are votaries of Celestial beings, God & Creator. There are people who talk of Past life & Karmas, Present life & Karmas which will determine what quality of life or life form we will have in future life.
All these things are preached & given in religious texts but not explained in layman`s terms Or told in a way that every person can understand it. This is an attempt on my part to understand intricacies which govern our life.
I have tried to understand the mysteries of Accumulated past karma, Present karma, Karma which determine future life, Soul, Dharma, Soul as carrier of fruits of our karma to future life & the real decider of our life. This I have tried to write down in layman`s language.
Present life karmas overwrite
over our past life karmas (our DNA) to create an imprint for future life. Soul
is the carrier of the
mutated DNA to the next life form. In our terms it can be termed as virtual transmission of data from one place to another.
Real life is intrinsic but we are living an outwardly life that is materialistic. We waste our life in pursuit of acquiring things which adds no value to our life.
In my previous book titled “PERCEPTION – WHY ME” I had tried to explain that making certain changes in our way of thinking & attitude can make our life better.
It is an attempt by me to bring
to you what I could understand from reading religious texts, Satsang &
discourses of learned Gurus. I hope my efforts will help to understand our life
cycle.
There may be some repetitive words or implications for properly emphasising some points. Thoughts presented by me are my interpretations of life. Many may not agree with my view point but if we think in a reflective way then the logic of my thoughts will be clear. These are my personal thoughts & I don`t intend to offend anyone`s beliefs.
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SYNOPSIS—KARMA LINGA.
We hear a normal refrain that God is partial. He favours bad persons. A
good person who is pious, humble, helpful & charitable seems to suffer more
than a bad person who is corrupt, vile, greedy & brash but seems to live a
much happier life.
Is God partial? Truth is God has no particular favourites. We all are
his favourites because we are souls who have sinned in the world of God. As
punishment God has sent sinned souls to Earth or karma bhoomi for atonement.
While creating this world, God has formulated a self-regulating system
where we are governed by our karmas. God has set in a system of Dharma &
Karma. Every being living on this earth has to perform his deeds/karmas as per
the Dharma prescribed for its life or life form. Deviation from norms of dharma
& karma set up by God generates bad karmas. Strictly living life as per
God`s prescribed norms create good karmas.
God asserts only in extra ordinary circumstances. Routine life is
governed by karmas. Karmas are result of our action & deeds. It means that
we are solely responsible & creator of the quality of our future life or
life form. Duration of our life span upto the last breath is predestined by our
past life karmas.
Life always gives you back what you give out. Life is a mirror of our
actions. If we want love give more love. If we want kindness give more
kindness. If we want respect give more respect. If we want understanding give
more understanding. If we want forgiveness then forgive people who have hurt
us. If we want people to be patient with us then we should learn to be patient
with them.
DNA means Deeds done to satisfy Needs & fulfil Aspirations. DNA
decides the quality of life or life form we will have. DNA we get is because of
our karmas. Good & Bad karmas are the result of the means we adopt to
satisfy our needs & fulfil our aspirations. If we adopt just means we will
create good karmas but if we adopt unethical means we will create bad karmas.
Any work done on a computer leaves a virtual imprint in its system even
if it has been deleted or put in the recycle bin. Same way our present life
karmas leaves an imprint in our system which forms the new DNA of future life.
Every life form or life has a unique DNA. Our every deed & action leaves an
imprinted in our system. This imprint is the record of our good & bad
karmas during this lifetime. This modified DNA determines the life or life from
we will have in the next birth.
Soul is the carrier of this imprint of karmas as DNA for our next
birth. For us the life we are living is the real & only life but in reality
life is a continuous process. We don`t realise that our present life or body is
only a temporary place incarceration of our soul. Our life is bound by the rope
of our karmas. Till the time we are freed from the cycle of our karmas we have
to live on Earth – our Karma Bhoomi. Time or duration in one life form may get
over but our life continues. We have to keep on taking birth till we are free
of our bad karmas.
Our life is a combination of three parts i.e. Soul, Body & World.
Body is the medium through which balance between soul & materialistic world
is to be maintained. Just like a computer is equipped with an operating system,
various software & hardware. IOS or operating system is like our soul which
is loaded with software like DNA. Hardware is like our Earth which powers &
supports our system. We or our body is the benefiter & utiliser of all
these facilities. Software & hardware is programmed & installed with
the noble intentions that it will be used for betterment of life &
enhancement of knowledge just like God planned our life. But we have seen that
it leads to greed & vices.
Spiritual or Inner life—SOUL.
First part is our Soul. Soul is eternal till the time it is on Earth.
Soul shifts from one life to another life or life from carrying load of past
karmas like our personal assistant. Furthermore, according to our past karmas
soul infuses life energy in our senses & faculties at the time of birth.
Infusion of life energy is as per the dictates of our karmas. We are born with
drawbacks related to our past karmas. Physical & Mental defects &
deficiencies which some of us are born with are the result of our past Karmas.
Good karmas uplift our life from the present to a better life or life form
whereas bad karmas pull us down from our present life or life form. That means
we are solely responsible for the life we are living. What we sow we reap.
Living or Life part—BODY.
Second part is our Birth.Our body is the medium of the Soul. Our body
has a life time. We are bound by the shackles of our past birth but are given a
clean slate to start life afresh. That is why we don`t remember anything of our
past life or see what future holds for us. We have to face situations as it
unfolds. How we face the situations determines strength of our character &
grit of our convictions.
What defects we are born with we have to bear it. In the course of our
present life we may face many difficult & good times as destined by our
karmas. We can`t escape the consequences of our karmas but we can offset the
severity of effects by good karmas of present life. God gives us a fresh chance
to live life as per the norms laid out by him. Drawbacks & defects which we
face are like reminders to us of the follies which we committed in our previous
births thus creating bad karmas.
God has showcased various life forms such as insects, worms, reptiles,
animals, birds, aquatic animals etc. & also varied sufferings of human
beings for us to see what life we will have if our karmas are bad. We just observe
the surrounding instead of taking it as a caution to live a virtuous life
creating good karmas.
Materialist World—EARTH Third part is our beautiful Earth. God is very benevolent. God has
created this world with all the basic facilities required by beings to live a
comfortable life. All the natural resources provided by God for our
benefits & subsistence is equal for all the inhabitants living on the
planet. It is expected of beings to satisfy their basic needs & live within
their means. All beings/inhabitants live within their means except human
beings.
Our Earth is presented so beautifully that there is nothing in this world
which is useless or without a purpose. We get enamoured by it & let greed
take control of our senses. Instead of enjoying the goodies presented by God we
try to accumulate, acquire & control the resources. These traits create
friction resulting in imbalance in the system. Bad karmas are the result of
this avarice.
The real purpose of our life is to again go back to the world from
where we have come from. This means to again reconnect with our creator who has
punished us for our sins & sent us to Earth for atonement. We are so dear
to God that even in punishing us he has provided us all the facilities to have
a comfortable live & given us a body form, as per our sin, thru which we
can enjoy the splendour & beauty of divine nature. Instead of atoning of our
original sins we get enamoured by the lavish spread laid out by God. We try to
acquire & take control of material things thus resulting in creating bad
karmas.
In God`s creation there is nothing as good or bad. This is all
perception of individual mind. Good, bad, happiness, sorrow, threshold of pain
& enjoyment are different for all individuals. Good for one may be bad for
other. It is depends on how we perceive a situation or thought. Same way we
can`t quantity the value of happiness. A person with the barest of means can
live a happy & satisfied life whereas a very rich person will live a
troubled life in pursuit of more wealth. Similarly a person can be easily
troubled whereas another person can take the same situation casually.
When we feel the pain & sorrow of others plight then we can say
that God or good atman resides in the heart. Such a person will generally
create good karmas. Opposite of this trait will create bad karmas because greed
& self-interest will guide the deed.
We are balanced in pursuits of our needs when we are close to our inner
self but when we move away from our inner self we get enamoured by
materialistic pleasures. When we are close to spirituality our karmas will have
a sense of responsibility creating good karmas. When we move away from
spirituality, we tend to get attracted by materialistic things thus creating
bad karmas.
Dr.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, our ex-President, highly respected Scientist
& an eminent personality is a perfect example of a great person whose
humble upbringing didn`t deter him from achieving unbelievable success without
compromising on his integrity & self- belief. Accepting our situation &
living within our means doesn`t mean that we are not ambitious. In pursuit of
higher goals we should not feel disappointed & dejected with our present
state. This way we will lose our present happiness at the altar of ambitious
goals. Our aim & ambitions should be based on our grit & capabilities.
It should not be based on envy & jealousy of others progress.
We are living others life. Reacting to situations has become our way of
life. Instead of satisfying genuine requirements we fashion our needs looking
at what others have & not what we require. We behave according to what will
be appreciated by others. We should understand that we can`t satisfy everybody
& we can`t live as per others expectations. This way dissatisfaction will
set in as we will not be able to satisfy self or whom we want to impress.
We are living in a negative world. We don`t have faith & trust in
each other. Our first reaction on meeting anybody is of doubting that person`s
intentions & integrity. When we don`t trust anybody then how can we expect
others to trust us. This negative attitude deters us to have a deep &
meaningful relationship with anybody. This is the reason that there is so much
of mental trauma & depression because we live a lonely life where we are
unable to open our thoughts & feelings with others.
There is loneliness around because we are unable to maintain &
sustain relations. We feel happiness can be acquired in pursuit of
materialistic pleasure. We forget that pleasure is short lived whereas
happiness is lasting because it is not dependent on any object but has to be
from inside.
Just like we plan for our future by accumulating wealth & planning
to utilise & invest our money wisely we should also plan for our future
life by investing in good karmas. We can`t be sure that what we are planning
for future will fructify as planned but it is certain that norms laid down by
God are sure to fructify as planned. Only good karmas can give us a better life
& reduce the effects of bad karmas thus ensuring us freedom from this cycle
of life & death.
We always pray for a good & better life but some pray for Moksha.
The quality of life depends on which type of Yoni or life form we are born
from. Better the karmas better the life form we will be born from. Yoni
determines the quality of life or life form we will have. Human form is said to
be the most evolved & nearest to God.
Some pray to Linga, a form of Lord Shiva called Shiva Linga. Shiva
Linga is a symbol of male female reproductive organs. There are many reasons
for praying to a Linga but the two main reasons are:
1) for a better life or birth from an evolved Yoni.
2) To attain Moksha or be freed from this cycle of birth & death.
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ESSENCE
IT IS SAID THAT THE SPAN SPENT BETWEEN BIRTH & DEATH IS LIFE.
LIFE BEGINS WHEN SPIRIT/SOUL ENTERS THE BODY & ACTIVATES THE SENSES.
WE ARE BORN WITH OUR DESTINY AND WE CARRY OUR KARMAS ON DEATH.
SOUL IS THE SPIRITUAL PART OF A PERSON THAT IS BELIEVED TO CONTINUE TO EXIST EVEN AFTER THE BODY IS DEAD.
LIFE IS NOT THE TIME WE SPEND IN A BODY FORM BUT THE TIME A SOUL IS FORCED TO LIVE ON EARTH TO ATONE FOR SINS IT HAD COMMITTED IN ITS WORLD.
KARMAS DETERMINE THE LINGA YOU WILL BE BORN IN. LINGA MEANS THE SOURCE FROM WHICH OUR LIFE OR LIFE FORM WILL BE BORN IN.
HUMAN DHARMA IS TO BE HUMANE. KARMAS ACCORDING TO DHARMA OF A LIFE FORM CREATE GOOD KARMA.
THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF KARMAS NAMELY ACCUMULATED KARMAS OF PAST LIFE, KARMAS WHICH ARE FRUCTIFYING AT THE TIME OF BIRTH & CURRENT KARMAS WHICH WE ARE DOING IN THE PRESENT LIFE WHICH WILL GET ADDED TO THE ACCUMULATED KARMAS FOR FUTURE LIFE.
WE ARE BOUND BY ROPE OF OUR KARMAS. EVERY BIRTH IS AN OPPORTUINTY TO BE FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF KARMAS.
GOD HAS CREATED A SET OF DNA TO FIT EVERY SET OF SINS LIKE THERE IS A SECTION OF LAW FOR EVERY TYPE OF CRIME. IN OUR RELIGION IT IS SAID TO BE 84 LACS YONIS.
DNA IS A CHAIN THAT COILS AROUND EACH OTHER TO FORM A GENETIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, FUNCTIONING, GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF ALL KNOWN ORGANISMS AND MANY VIRUSES.
GENE IS A UNIT OF INFORMATION INSIDE A CELL WHICH CONTROLS WHAT A LIVING THING WILL BE LIKE. GENES ARE PASSED FROM PARENTS TO CHILDREN.
DNA OF A LIFE FORM IS SIMILAR FOR ALL BUT AN INDIVIDUALS DNA & GENES GET MODIFIED & MUTATED AS PER OUR PAST KARMAS.
AS MUTATION OF OUR PRESENT DNA IS CONTINUOUS THE FINAL IMPRINT AT THE TIME OF DEATH DECIDES THE LIFE A SOUL WILL HAVE IN NEXT BIRTH.
IT IS BEYOND OUR THOUGHTS THAT SOME UNSEEN & SUPER NATURAL FORCES ARE AT WORK. IT IS LIKE CELESTIAL POWER ISSUING AN ORDER TO THE SOUL TO CARRY OUT IMPRINT OF OUR KARMAS TO THE NEXT STOP ON ITS ONWARD JOURNEY.
WE CAN THINK AS AN ORDER BUT SOUL IS DUTY BOUND TO FOLLOW WHAT MODIFIED OR MUTATED DNA DICTATES.
SOUL IS CONTROLLED BY KARMA. KARMA DETERMINES MUTATION OF DNA. FINALLY MUTATED DNA DECIDES THE NEXT LIFE FORM OF SOUL.
OUR BODY IS LIKE A COMPUTER PROGRAMMED TO FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY. OUR EVERY ACTIVITY CREATES AN ENERGY FIELD CALLED KARMA. PRESENT KARMA OVER WRITES OVER PAST KARMAS TO CREATE A NEW IMPRINTED KARMA WHICH IS CARRIED BY THE SOUL TO THE NEW LIFE FORM DESIGNATED AS PER KARMA.
DATA OF MUTATED DNA IS TRANSMITTED VIRTUALLY FROM ONE LIFE FORM TO ANOTHER BY SOUL. IT IS LIKE HOW WE TRANSMIT DATA & FILES FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
STRESS IS THE MOST LETHAL ENEMY OF MANKIND.
STRESS LEADS TO FRAYED NERVES LIKE FRAYED WIRES WHICH DOESN’T SUPPLY A STEADY & UNIFORM POWER TO VITAL PARTS THUS RESULTING IN MALFUNCTIONING OF OUR SYSTEM LEADING TO MAJOR HEALTH ISSUES.
WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED WITHIN & LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS INSTEAD WE ARE ENAMOURED BY MATERIALISTIC WORLD.
NOBODY CAN CHANGE US ONLY WE CAN CHANGE OURSELVES.
DO WHAT YOU EXPECT OTHERS TO DO WITH YOU.
BE YOURSELF. WE TRY TO LIVE OTHERS LIFE OR TRY TO EMULATE OTHERS. IN THE PROCESS WE STOP LIVING OUR LIFE.
WE SHOULD NOT LIVE LIFE TRYING TO SATISFY EVERYONE. WE CANNOT SATISFY EVERYBODY AND IN THE PROCESS END UP UNABLE TO ENJOY & LIVE OUR OWN LIFE.
DO DEEDS WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
VICES MAY LEAD US TO SHORT TERM GAINS BUT SURELY LONG TERM LOSS.VIRTUES MAY NOT SHOW SHORT TERM GAINS BUT SURELY GIVE LONG TERM LIFE FULL OF BENEFITS.
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Chapter 1
INCOMPREHENSIVE BEHAVIOUR
This beautiful creation of God is for all the creatures living on the planet. All the natural resources are free for lifetime for all without any discrimination. God has been very benevolent & generous to provide us with all the Life sustaining natural resources for free. Only care we have to take is to use the resources prudently.
We have been given one world to live & equal rights on all the natural resources. God expects that we should live as per our Dharma for peaceful coexistence.We have divided the world based on religion, caste, creed & race. In our greed for power we have created more enemies than friends. This has created bad karmas leading to imbalance in our system.
We are born with our destiny and
we carry our Karmas on death.
We have not been sent on a picnic
to enjoy all the beauty & splendour provided by God. There has to be some
reason for our presence on Earth. God has provided us with faculties &
facilities which are common for all creations.
Elements: Fire-Agni, Water-Jal,
Earth-Prithvi, Air-Vayu, Ether- Aakasha.
Senses: Touch-Skin, Smell-Nose,
Hearing-Ear, Taste-Tongue,
Seeing- Eyes.
God has no favourites. God has created a set of norms which everybody has to follow. Those who tread the path shown by God are beneficiary of his benevolence & those who deviate from the path are bereft of his mercies. We decide our fate. Splendour of wonderful nature, basic bodily functions, and general situation is common for all creatures. Every being has a laid down Dharma or way of life to follow.
Even with all the faculties & facilities common for all beings we see so many varied reactions from every individual.
There are many questions on life which are still a mystery &have no easy answer. In this book we will attempt to understand & unravel these aspects of our life.
When every Animal or being has
similar faculties & functions then why everybody is affected differently.
Most of the time we wonder, why
is it so.
Why do different beings react
differently to the same situation?
What is the guiding force that
compels them to do so?
Is it the surroundings they are
brought up in?
Is it family background &
upbringing that shapes their thoughts & thus their behaviour?
Is it their achievements or their
standing in society that determines their behaviour?
Is it their Ego or grandiose that
prompts them to behave in a particular situation.
Are these the factors or there is
a totally different aspect to Life.
Does life mean Birth & Death?
Is it called life? If this is
life than, why it is different for every being.
Why do we go thru various events
in life?
Do these events have any link
with our life?
Are these events fluke or random which have no basis.
What do we call the experience which we gain in this Span between birth & death?
What are the factors governing
our life.
Do we have any control over our
life?
Can we change the course of our
life?
Are we in control of
circumstances & situations?
What is the purpose of our
existence?
Why life is not same for all.
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Chapter 2
OUR PLANET -EARTH
God has created this beautiful world for benefit of all. Everything in this planet is of use to inhabitants of this planet. There is a purpose behind every aspect of this creation. There is abundance of beauty, wealth, natural resources & healing products provided to us by God. Nothing in this planet is a waste. One thing compliments other.
We are God`s creation & every creator always wants good for its creation. He has planned & provided for everything which can be of help to us. He has given us everything in abundance. It is for us to harness it in a productive way & utilise it as per needs. All beings, other than Human being, have a very limited perspective of life. Its life knowledge is limited to the area which he can survey. His development & his quest are limited to what is within his view. Other thing which compels him to explore is to feed his hunger & survival.
All other beings live like a frog in a well. As the frog can`t see beyond the well he feels that there is no life beyond the well. Humans are different. Humans have an evolved brain which has helped them to scale great heights. This knowledge has helped it to bring many improvements & inventions which helped to improve life in general. We have been able to harness natural resources for benefit of mankind. With the ability to better utilise resources we have manipulated & misused our ability to feed our greed. This has resulted in exploitation & erosion of gifts provided to us by God.
Like beings on land we have a whole world which is living in water. They are known as aquatic animals. They have a world of their own. Some of the aquatic animals have evolved themselves to adopt themselves to live on earth as well as water. Their body structure & living ways are very different from beings living on land but they also depend on all those elements provided by God. They also require air, water, light & other resources to survive.
Aquatic beings & beings living on land are capable of moving from place to place. They can move from one place to another as per their convenience in search of food & security. There is one living species on Earth which has limited mobility but is the balancing factor for proper functioning of this world.
Plant kingdom, Animal kingdom & Aquatic kingdom are the three operating kingdoms on Earth. Of the three, Plant kingdom is the fulcrum around which efficient working of all functions of the Earth depend. They are the silent warriors which guards us from all the impending calamities.
With creatures, God has also created foliage. Various varieties of plants, trees, creepers & other things are great provider of life giving resources. They are the support system for ecology & other creatures. All resources provided by God are life giver & supporter. All natural resource are common to all beings.
Whether an insect, reptile, bird, animal, fish, plant, tree, creeper or any being who is surviving on earth is dependent on the resources provided by God. God has not discriminated against any creature. Whatever he has provided is for the benefit of all. Every creature of God has equal right over resources provided by God. Greed of Humans have created imbalance in the world.
Trees give maximum to inhabitants of this world. Trees are the provider for all. Plant kingdom provides us with food, medicines, purity of air, buffer against natural calamities & a catalyst against many maladies. All this we receive from a miniscule seed.
A single seed provides us with
innumerable fruits, flowers, oxygen, wood & many more things which sustain
us.
We cut, uproot & chop trees for various purposes. All this atrocities we perpetuate because we know that trees will not retaliate. We know that they can`t move on their own & they heal themselves. Silently they bear all our atrocities & go on providing us all that we require. These attributes we associate with persons of higher values we revere in Saints, Gurus, Prophets & God.
Plant kingdom is the balancing factor for proper functioning of the Universe. Those evolved persons whose Soul were unable to transcend from Earth to its Heavenly abode are rooted to Earth as part of the Plant kingdom waiting for their turn to be free from this Karma bhoomi. Plant kingdom is not capable of movement on its own. Its mobility depends on humans, wind, water & other animals.
Plant kingdom is the stabilising factor of Earth. It is Earth`s Earthing. Foliage controls flow of water from entering from one dispensation to another. It helps keep Saline sea water from sweet river water & marshy shrubs act as barriers protecting land from water. It controls weather & purifies air to give us clean atmosphere to breath.
It provides fruits, flowers, herbs & much more for benefit of humans, animals, birds, bees, reptiles, insects & to all other creatures of this planet. Proper balance of our Ecological system depends on systematic functioning of Plant kingdom.
God has created all this for the benefit of its inhabitants. Except humans, all other inhabitants live within their prescribed limits i.e. Dharma. They live within their parameters & follow their dharma. Human`s dharma is to be Humane. Humans are the only creature that don`t follow their dharma. Humans have evolved brain which helps them to think beyond their immediate focus. This evolved brain is for betterment of self & society in general. Instead of using it for benefit of society we started using it for benefitting self. This greed leads to imbalance in resources & God creation.
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Chapter 3
WHAT IS LIFE
Life of our body is not to be termed as lifetime. Lifetime is to be calculated as life a Soul has to suffer trapped in a body on Earth till he is liberated or attains Moksha. Material things have a time bound life. Tangible things have a life span but intangible things are eternal like Soul & karmas.
Life is very simple. How we live life is dependent on us. We can have a peaceful & happy life enjoying every present moment or we can have a troubled life foregoing pleasure of the present for imagined luxury of future. We can live life within our means or fashion our life aspiring for things which others have. When we live within our means we are happy & enjoy the present. When we aspire to live others standard of life we stop enjoying what we have at present. We live life planning for the future but we are not sure what future holds for us.
Life
always gives you back what you give out. Life is a mirror of our actions. If we
want love give more love. If we want kindness give more kindness. If we want
respect give more respect. If we want understanding give more understanding. If
we want forgiveness then forgive people who have hurt us. If we want people to
be patient with us then we should learn to be patient with them.
At the time of birth we get a readymade family, a background by which we will be recognised with, a place called house, a social standard from which we start our life journey & a support system which will help us grow. We had not asked for it. We got all this on a platter. All this we get it free. From here it is up to us as to how to utilise this opportunity. God has given us a clean slate to start with. Now it is for us to improve on our karmas or waste this opportunity.
Life is a continuous process. It doesn`t start & end with our life. As we are not aware of our past & future life we think that what is present is the life. We have not been able to comprehend the true depth of this life circle or the laws of the universe. Till the time a Soul is trapped in an earthly body our life cycle continues. A body has a life span. It has to perish as per norms but to atone for his karmas the soul has to take a new body form.
In our lifetime we have experienced many instances where we are unable to comprehend the situation around us. We feel God is not doing justice. Good people are suffering & those who should be punished are enjoying. Karmas are at play. We see things as per our perspective. We can think & understand according to knowledge we have acquired. Our thinking is based on what we see & not what is at play as per celestial laws. Those who have a wider perspective of life will have a better understanding of a situation.
In spite of repeated reminders we fail to understand that our body is made of 2 parts - Physical & Spiritual. Physical is the life form which can be seen & touched. Spiritual is the soul which gives life to the body & is formless. Spirit/Soul is incarcerated in a body form allotted as per karmas. We are living a life of our past karmas. All our actions, reactions, emotions, thoughts & their implications are carried out thru bodily functions whereas our teachings teach us that it is our Soul which is eternal & undestructive. Whatever be the effect of our efforts, our bodily faculties are the experiencer of those effects. We assume that our body is do all of all our deeds.
As a life form we are made up of Past karmas & Soul. God has given us a present by which we can atone for our past. Soul is the fulcrum around which our past & present come together. Nothing can change the past. There is good in between in the form of Soul.
Present is the chance to change the course. If we are not enticed by this materialist world we can create good karmas. This good karma can help us to live a better future life.
We have been taught that birth & death is not in our hands. It is not true. Everything in this world has some meaning or connection. We are bound by our past birth karmas. We are born in a particular setup because of our past karmas. The parents we get are result of our past karma. But the future is in our hands. How we live our present life will decide about our future life. In fact our life & death is in our hands but not of this life but our next life. Our present life karmas decide our future life.
Like in our present life, God or Almighty or The Creator has also some laid down norms for smooth functioning of the Universe. God has provided us all that are required for us to sustain ourselves. Nature is full of supplies to give us food to sustain, minerals to prosper, raw materials to create, medicines & herbs for health. Everything provided by God is of benefit to us. Land, Water, Sky & many such natural resources are providers to sustain this world.
This world has all the facilities for us to live a comfortable & peaceful life. All the natural resources are common for all the inhabitants. What is required by a human being for survival is also required by an animal, insect, worm, aquatic animal, birds, plant & reptiles. These natural resources are perennial & never exhausting. These life giving resources are free for all inhabitants of this universe.
There are many instances in life which we are unable to comprehend or understand. We wonder why such things happening our life. Many a times we wonder about sufferings to ourselves or to people we know. We experience innumerable good & bad instances in our life. We wonder what we have done to deserve this. We are unable to co-relate instances with our present predicament. We wonder who we are, what we are & why we are here. Are we the person or being as seen as a body form or are we the unseen & formless energy that is known as the Spirit or Soul.
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Chapter 4
EARTH – KARMA BHOOMI
Why we are here living on Earth.
Earth is called Karma Bhoomi.
There are many theories on evolution, many explanations in religious texts about our existence, many thoughts propagated by religious gurus & thinkers on the way we should conduct ourselves according to our Dharma n Karmas & many cosmic theories about our universe. There have been innumerable explanations & theories regarding our Dharma & Karmas but no easy explanations or guidelines showing how to go about it in life. We hear & read about Dharma/Karma but not about what they mean to our present, past & future life.
This is the place where superior beings who have sinned in their world are incarcerated to atone for their sins. Earth is the prison for the enlightened souls who have sinned or acted against the norms prescribed in their world. They are formless & called Soul. Our faculties are unable to sense their presence but feel their existence. Various beings/body forms of life are the compartments where the soul is incarcerated as per his Karma/Deeds.
The idea of Earth itself justifies of a life form superior to us. We all have been taught that there is a superior being or life form which controls us. We have been taught that he is the Creator, Provider & Destroyer. When we talk of superior beings, we can`t think of one person or being. It has to be a place inhabited by life forms superior to us.
We have been taught that our Gods, Avatars, Saints, Religious Heads/Gurus are highly evolved superior beings who have come from up above or higher world inhabited by Gods. We revere them & keep them on higher pedestal than us. We try to emulate their behaviour & thoughts. Gurus preach & teach us the righteous path led by them & extoll us to follow. Our History, Mythology & Religious texts illustrates of instance where Superior beings have taken birth on Earth to guide & show us the right path, the enlightened path of The Almighty. We pray & look upon these souls for guidance because they have set an example for us mortals to follow on how to live a righteous life.
No religion teaches hatred but love for all & to be Humane. All religions on Earth had a propagator whom we call a Messiah or Prophet or Messenger of God. We look upon them in reverence & treat them as God. We follow their teachings as Gospel truth & their life as the proper way to lead an ideal life. We believe that Prophets/Saints are sent by God to lead us to the right path. I have read many religious texts, heard many discourses & read many books. Mostly they talk about our Dharma & Karma. Our Dharma is determined according to our body form. For every body form there is a prescribed way to conduct/behave. Dharma of Humans is to be Humane.
Earth is called Karma Bhoomi, the place where our Karmas/ Deeds decide our destiny. Here what we sow we reap. Good for good Bad for bad. We expect immediate result. We don`t understand that it is culmination of series of Karmas/Deeds during the lifetime. It is not net of good & bad as the end result. Our balance sheet determines the life we live. If good deeds outweigh bad deeds, than we will lead a better life but we will also have to suffer for our bad karmas.
Net effect determines the Quality of our life. Every deed has its consequences. We are accountable for all our deeds. The effect is over a lifetime. Some deeds/karmas effects are felt during the present lifetime. Some are carried forward to future life. Karmas are carried forward as DNA to a new life. Karmas are our deeds. How we behave or react to situations are known as Karmas. Positive Karmas are those which are as per accepted norms of Dharma. Negative Karmas are deeds for benefit out of greed, to harm others or which are not as per Dharma. An ideal life is one full of Karmas as per our Dharma.
Dharma is the norm of behaviour as per Birth & body form. Karmas are the deeds we perform in a body form. When our Dharma & Karma work in tandem then we move up the ladder of creation. Human form is said to be the closest creation to God because of its evolved faculties & intellect. We are the greatest culprit of the Creator. Humans have destroyed the balance created for smooth functioning of the Universe. Our greed & our intellect have tried to control all the resources for our benefits leaving no room for other creatures & beings to enjoy. This has created bad karmas. We carry the load of bad karmas to every birth.
We wonder why reaction & emotion of every being is different from one another. This is the effect of our karmas. Every situation, every action, every facilities of Nature & every faculty of body is same for all human beings. Even then every individual`s reaction to a given situation varies. Any situation will have varied response from all those who had experienced it. Some will be panicky, some analytical, some casual, some dismissal and things like that. This type of varied behaviour is typical of Human beings.
Karma is at play here. Karma determines the life form we are born in and sufferings which we will be facing in life. Dharma is the way of life which we should follow in a particular body form. Karma determines our life form & Dharma determines our upliftment. Animal beings live normally according to the Dharma of their life form. Human beings are the ones who generally deviate from their Dharma. They have analytical & individual way of thinking.
Humans have an evolved & analytical brain. An analytical brain tries to analyse every situation & come to a conclusion according to his knowledge. Animal behaviour in a particular body form is similar. All Lions will behave similarly to a particular situation. Similarly all animals born in a particular body form will have same reactions to a particular situation. Difference between different life form is because of their Dharma & their Karma. Other life forms generally have a low life span. Their brain is not highly evolved & analytical. As they rarely deviate from their Dharma they move up quickly to a higher life form.
We use all that has been provided by God. Instead of being grateful, we have started destroying natural resources. Greed has taken over our sense of responsibilities. Humans are the destroyer & exploiter of Gods gifts to us. Other beings live according to their Dharma. Only humans have deviated from the prescribed Dharma or norms laid out by God. Those who act against the norms have to be punished according to law. Law of land is laid down in writing but law of the Creator is embedded in nature.
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Chapter 5
LIFE EXPERIENCE
Few true life experiences are
given below to ponder on life.
These incidents are elaborated to
ponder on our life & what triggers such type of suffering.
Why do we go thru various events
in life?
Do these events have any link
with our present life?
Are these events fluke or random
which have no basis to reality.
Intermittently, these thoughts trouble our mind. Given below are some real life experiences which can give some idea of life.Are we reaping fruits of present life or are we facing consequences of Karmas of previous life.
Our family friend & Doctor was a very kind hearted person. His fees were very reasonable & many a times he would give free medicine to needy& poor people. He was the elder son of the family & the main earner. He had 2 brothers,2 sisters & elderly mother. He was provider for all. All needs of his married sisters& brothers were looked after by him. He was a kind soul & deserved to live a very happy & fulfilling life. Fate had different designs. Wives of 2 younger brothers died young leaving their wards for him to take care of. His wife fell ill to a mysterious ailment which had no cure. Suddenly she succumbed to her ailment. Mother expired. He suffered 2 strokes which left him partially paralysed. His practise suffered so also his income. Those who had faith in his abilities would bring new patients & also take his medicines. From his bed he would diagnose. It was an uphill struggle to survive, especially after his wife’s demise. The only thing which gave him strength to carry on was to see his only son capable of standing on his own feet. He left for his heavenly abode at the age of 59 years. A noble soul who lived a very troubled life.
A world renowned Heart specialist whose patients included very wealthy businessmen, Politicians, Actors & other high profile personalities suddenly died of Cardiac arrest/ heart attack at the age of 56 years. Imagine a Doctor became a victim of the same ailment for whose treatment he was renowned for. Who could have imagined such a fate?
Motivational Speaker of repute, fitness freak, marathon runner, Gynaecologist of repute & Pioneer in Laparoscopic surgery collapsed & died of cardiac arrest while preparing for Mumbai Marathon. As per routine practice for years, few days earlier he had full medical check-up. All parameters were okay & he resumed training for the marathon. He collapsed on the road & died. A fit & fine Doctor, who had a strict regimen for overall fitness, died in such a way.
15 years ago one of my childhood friend & colleague had Bypass heart surgery. Since then he had yearly medical Check-up to monitor his heart & other bodily functions. In February he had full body check-up, blood tests, X-ray & all. All reports were normal. Within a month he started feeling breathless. Fresh medical reports indicated last stage of lung cancer. One month old report had not suggested any deviations. How can a person develop last stage lung cancer within a month of check-up? Was destiny at play or there were lapses on the part of doctors. Anyways, due to delay in diagnosis, my friend suffered a lot before he succumbed. It was a very sad end to a very lively person.
My friend & colleague was one of 3 daughters of an educated middle class family. She was qualified & employed in a Nationalised Bank. In spite of all the good qualities needed for a person to have a happily married life she opted to remain a spinster to look after her parents & the only daughter of her deceased sister. She had voluntarily opted for such life. Never did she show any remorse for her decision. Her life was totally devoted in caring for her aged parents & about education & upbringing of her niece. She was very good at work & very particular about her dietary habits. She avoided spicy, oily, junk food & restaurant/outside food. When we had office party she would be very choosy. Other admirable quality she had was she would be one of the first to volunteer to help her friends, acquaintance & colleagues. In short, she had all the qualities to live a long & peaceful life. She was careful about her diet, had exemplary nature, dutiful, God fearing & peace loving. When in her early fifties, her life took a dramatic turn. She was diagnosed with advanced stage of stomach cancer. There were no prior indicators to her ailment. For 6 months she underwent all the trauma & pain which goes with the ailment. She literally went through hell. Even in that condition, when friends would go to meet her, she greeted everybody with a smile without complaining about her trauma & condition. Just a day prior to her demise, we had visited her in the hospital. Her condition was bad but her mental faculties were still active. She inquired about our family & health of our mutual friends. Even on the last days of her life her mental faculties were very sharp. She recognised everybody & enquired about their health. Who would have imagined that a person who was so careful about her diet & eating habits would die of stomach cancer?
A very nice, helpful & noble friend of mine was from a very humble background. Hard work, sincerity & eagerness to help others had brought him to a reasonable level of financial security. The only drawback in his personality was his nonstop chatter. He would not allow anybody to speak. Whether anybody listened or not he could go on talking & giving his point of view. We would always ask him to keep quiet but in vain. Suddenly he was afflicted by a disease which is rarer than rare. The disease chipped away at his senses & faculties. The first thing he lost was his speech. His end was pathetic.
There are many more such
incidents which we have experienced in our lifetime. We are so busy in our
pursuits that we don`t ponder on these incidents & learn from it. If we
devote some time on pondering & observing people around us then we can get
a deeper insight on life.
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Chapter 6
DRIFTING FROM REAL PURPOSE
When we see all that is happening around us & wonder what is the reason for it. We fail to comprehend the purpose behind the events. Why there is sufferings for some & happiness for others. Why some get all the benefits with least efforts & some struggle very hard but still are bereft of any benefits. We are made to believe that our destiny is in our hands. If we are sincere in our efforts we can achieve anything. We can touch the sky.
In a sense, that is true. Destiny is in our hand but for the next Life. If we are sincere in our efforts & clean in our hearts, we will get benefits of our efforts. But it will be as per our past deeds. We may feel we are not getting our proper dues. Good past deeds combined with our present good deeds will give us a very good life. If our past karmas were bad then we are bound to suffer in this life. That is the reason why we don`t get the desired rewards for our efforts.
Good Karmas of present life can soften the severity of past karmas effects. We have to suffer for our past sins but the suffering`s severity will be reduced due to our present good karmas. The benefit of good deeds gives us the power to bear the bad effects of our past karmas. We have to suffer for our past karmas but the effect is softened by our good karmas.
Our life is made up of three layers--Past, Present & Future Karma. Karmas of previous Birth, Karmas of present Birth & Accumulated Karmas for future Birth. Past Karmas determine the life form in which we are born & the quality of life which we will live. We will have to bear the consequences of our Deeds. As we don`t remember anything of our previous birth we are unable to comprehend that what we are not aware of can determine & control our life & destiny.
We have read the story of a person who sat on the wrong side of the branch to chop & fell to the ground. The idea behind his actions was right. He wanted to chop a branch. But his decision was to sit at a particular place & chop was wrong. He was laughed at & warned by people but he did not listen. He fell & hurt himself. Then he realised his mistake. Same is the case with us.
There have been so many Saints, Prophets, Avatars, Religious Gurus & Texts which have been trying to teach & take us to the right path. We listen to their satsang/preaching & read religious texts but when time comes we do what we want to do. We do what can give instant benefits or satisfy our material cravings. We forget about all the righteous things which we have been taught. Then when time comes we repent. God has shown us the path but we don`t want to take it because we can`t see the immediate result.
We have to change our thought process. When we see a happy successful person we envy their luck. A downtrodden unhappy person will evoke sympathy from us. In both the cases we say it is karmas play. Even after realising this we don`t learn anything. For short term gains we create bad karmas. We aspire to be like others who are better off than us. We envy those who are more successful & live a better life than us. We try to reach that position & in the process we are unable to enjoy what we have got.
A person who is grounded in reality tries to live within his means. As he is aware & has accepted the fact of his situation he tries to adjust his needs as per his capabilities. Those who aspire to succeed & sincerely work hard to achieve it without compromising on their integrity are the ones who don`t deviate from the righteous path. They don`t lose sight of their goal but they will not try to achieve it by hook or crook. In the long haul they may not reach the aspired target but whatever they achieve they will be happy with it because on the way they have not compromised on their conscience or their principles.
If we accept our position & are ready to work hard without compromising on our principles in any given situation in life then it can be said that we have followed the Dharma & created good karmas. Good karmas generate good vibes. Good vibes brings satisfaction. Satisfaction brings stability. Stability brings peace. Peace brings tranquility. All this can be achieved without spending anything. We have to be our natural self & just follow the righteous faith.
Greed, jealousy & avarice can lead us to faster benefits but on the way it takes away our peace of mind. All these unethical means can gives us faster results but generates bad karmas. We don`t give a thought to these things. We just want to acquire material things. The means we adopt to acquire have no meaning only the end matters. As we think of only the present life we just want to acquire & own materialistic things. Materialist pleasure seems the ultimate. In the process we generate bad karmas which ultimately affect our future birth.
In future when we envy others good fortune or pity others plight we should remember that karmas of past birth are at play. We have been taught that what you sow you reap & future is in our hands. But it is not clearly defined & explained that we are living a life which is the result of what we had sown in our past birth. Karmas of past life define the future of our present life.
Our life is spent accumulating material things even when we are aware that we can`t carry material things with us. All materialistic things including our body are left behind after death.
Soul & our karmas move to another birth & body form. Karmas determine the body form. Good karmas will give a better life than this & bad karmas can lower us to any lower life or body form. Lower body form means any form which is lower than a human form. It can be an insect, worm or any animal which fits as per our karmas.
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Chapter 7
DUALITY OF BODY & SOUL
Everything in this world is God`s creation & God`s presence is in the form of Spirit/Soul in every life form. It is the purest thing in our life. Souls are higher life forms nearest to God. As higher life forms they have higher standards of morality. Simplest of error in their morality are taken as sin. Sin has to be punished. For their sins they have been sent to earth to atone. They have been given a life form as per their sins. Human form is said to be closest to God.
It is said that if the source is pure then even a fraction of it is pure. Even if the soul had sinned in its own world it is purer than any being on Earth because it is a part of the purest of the pure. Any particle of gold is as pure as the original block. Even our religious texts state that all beings, Earthly or Celestial, are bound by their karmas. Thus to atone for their karmas they have to take birth thru a Yoni on earth. They become bound by the cycle of life & death. Here on earth they atone for their sins& show us a way of life which can lead us to the righteous path.
Life of Creatures on Earth can be counted from a second to many years. But we are not aware of life of celestial beings. Our religious texts state that a human`s lifetime is a fraction of time of celestial beings. By this method it would be impossible for us to determine their lifetime. In our lifetime we go thru many trials & tribulations which may be a fraction of time spent by a celestial being`s life. Thus a soul`s lifetime in our body will be a passing fraction in their actual world.
Soul is the only aspect of our Life which has no Form of its own. Soul is Pure & is said to be part of the Creator. It is formless &acquires form as per Karmas of the form it had acquired in previous birth. Soul is a higher life form which had sinned in the eyes of the Creator & has been punished to live in a form destined as per the Sins. Soul is righteous & the link between Past & Present life form. Soul always guides us to the right path. Inherent quality of soul is Godly.
Soul is link in all life forms bridging between past & present life. Soul is the carrier of footprint of past life karmas. Every activity is recorded in our system thus overwriting our present life karmas over our past life karmas for future life. This footprint is carried forward by the soul to the next life. Bad karma footprint will give a lowly life form or a life full of sufferings. Good karmas will give a better life form or a life full of comforts.
Soul gives life to a body but it is formless. Modified DNA determines the life a soul will live. DNA of Humans are the ultimate & nearest to the originator. As life progressed DNA has gone thru many changes because of Karmas. Mutation of DNA denotes a life form or a quality of life in a particular life form. Every activity creates an imprint which gets recorded for future life. Karmas can be broadly classified as Physical, Mental & Spiritual. Karmas that hurt or touch the heart & soul of the sufferer are said to be cruelest. Punishment or Atonement is as per severity of karmas.
Past life regression therapy has shown links of our present suffering to past life experience. There are many instances in our life for which we don`t have any plausible explanation. We may have Phobia of certain things, we may be repulsive towards some, our behaviour pattern could resemble certain animal or our thinking is influenced by some situations. All these point out to the continuity of life from one life form to another life form. If we minutely observe we will find many traits in us which we can`t logically explain. The plausible reason can be residual imprint of past life left on our present DNA.
Our life consists of past karma effect which are inevitable & we have to bear it. Soul gives life to our body form. Present is a gift from God which we have to live as well as we can. Present life is like a blank cheque or a blank paper given to us. We can fill it with good karma or bad karmas. When we lead a life as per Human Dharma then our life will be of good karmas but if we pursue materialistic pleasure & life full of vices then our life will be full of bad karmas.
Our body is made up of senses. The world is full of treasures which entices & enthralls us with splendour/beauty. All Creation of God has two sides of everything. Beauty of its creation is to be enjoyed & experienced. Senses are the means by which it can be achieved. We get so enamoured by the beauty that instead of it being a source of peace it becomes a vice that brings with it all the bad Karmas.
Soul is inherently a Godly influence which acts as a conscience keeper. Its basic quality is being righteous. Soul always guides us on the right path but we get so enamoured by materialistic pleasures that we stray from the right path. Our conscience tries to pull us back but we get so addicted to material benefits that pleasure becomes our prime target. We move away from the righteous path of enjoying intrinsic tranquility to indulging in materialistic pleasure creating bad Karmas.
In spite of all the preaching & teachings, Humans tend to go astray. They get ensnared & enticed by Maya/Illusion. God has provided us with Senses & Nature for our benefit but we become slaves of our Senses & get controlled by materialist things. Maya or Illusion is the term used for material objects & things. Our Greed determines our way of thinking & our behaviour. Surreal world gifted to us is full of beautiful things for our benefits. Instead of enjoying it we get enticed towards them because of our desire to control & own these things. When Maya/Illusion/Surreal world starts controlling our senses then it becomes a Vice.
Everything in this world has double effect – Positive & Negative – Good & Bad. Every creation of God is for benefit of Beings. We misuse the gifts of God. Instead of enjoying we try to manipulate these gifts for personal comforts & benefits. Things provided to us by God creates conflict & animosity between individuals/ countries / communities /religions because of our greed & not the fault of the gifts of God.
When we walk on the righteous path we create good karmas. Accumulation of good Karmas has a positive effect on our present life. We cannot escape to bear the brunt of our past karmas but by good karmas in our present life, we can reduce the severity of its effect. We will face hardship in life but we will have the inner strength to cope with it in a better way.
When soul leaves a body it
carries imprint of new DNA in which it has to give life. The new DNA or
modified DNA is the result of all the good & bad karma done in the past
life. When a soul enters a body form it activates all the senses &
faculties of that body. Modified DNA decides which senses & faculties
should work optimally & which with dimmed effect. Modified DNA is prepared
by imprint of karmas. Severity of bad karmas will decide with what drawbacks we
will be born. We have seen child born with deformity & deficiency. It is
payback for his past life karma & also part of sufferings of parent`s
pending karmas.
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Chapter 8
WHAT DECIDES LEVEL OF LIFE
If we observe life around us we will realize that most of our thoughts & reactions are based on automatic reflexes & preconceived notions. In built reflexes are basically fear, safety, defence, hunger & procreate. These behaviour patterns are common for all living beings, whether human or animal.
All creatures whether it is an insect, reptile, bird or any living being values his life. The moment it feels danger to self it retaliates or takes defensive action to save itself. The creepiest & most repulsive creature, in our view, also values their existence. We humans feel proud of our self & our intellect. We think we are superior beings but we forget that every being values his precious life & guards against any attempt to destroy it. There are in built reflexes & responses in every being on earth.
We are aware that animals have very limited intellect but we have seen many animals can perform many functions which are taught to them. Even in their natural habitat they are able to judge safe distance, sense danger, choose right food, know how to procreate, how to defecate as per male/female, protect & feed their offspring and many more functions necessary to live. This shows they have an active brain which helps them to judge distance & calculate time to avoid danger.
The only difference between human & animals is that humans can improve & change their present settings but animals cannot think beyond their immediate needs & surrounding. Whatever they do is within their limitations & cannot improve from their present standing.
We also believe that only humans use language to communicate. It is true that we can have written & verbal communication but it is not true that animals don`t know how to communicate. Each & every species of animal has its own way of communication between themselves. Humans can read, write & record their events but animals are unable to present their language. Their language can be termed as of sign & sound.
We humans are not conversant with their behaviour. Every region & country has its own language. We don`t know every language & many a times are unable to communicate with each other. Same is the case with animals as we are not aware of their language we cannot communicate with them. They can`t speak a language which we understand but still they communicate with each other.
There is a soul in every life form. It is formless, shapeless, weightless & not visible. It is the source of God & it gives life to any form. Every being has a life span. Life span can be for a few seconds to many years. Karmas determine the life a soul has to live in a particular life form. Human form is said to be the highest life form for a soul to have on Earth. Every life form is a prison cell for a soul in accordance to Karma. Severity of karmas decides how low a life you can live & for how long.
If our karmas are worth a life of a dog then we will be born a dog. Dog`s lifespan is from 12 to 20 years. It may cut short thru a ghastly accident or ailment. A dog has many varied life. A street dog, a pet, pet of poor or a rich person etc., etc. If a dog`s past life had some good karmas then he would live a cushioned life as a pet otherwise he will bear many sufferings as a stray or street dog. It lives a life full of suffering from many ailments, humiliations & other uncertainties.
Even after bearing so many hardship & sufferings an animal never leaves his path of Dharma. It lives according to dharma proscribed for that life form. That is the reason that there is regular upliftment of lower life forms. Similarly if our deeds were worth living a creepy lowly life in a dirty place then we will be born as a lowly creepy creature living in some slime or dirty gutter.
Animals have a limited level of intellect. They live their life within their parameters. They rarely deviate from dharma of their body form. Thus they move up from their body form till they reach human form. Their elevation is rapid & mostly upward. Age of other life forms is of much lesser duration than of a human being. Thus their upliftment is swifter.
An animal will bear all the hardship but never leave his dharma. But when a human being is faced with hardship he tries to find ways to escape the trouble. A human`s dharma is to be Humane. Humane means to tread the righteous path which is full of truth, piety & compassion. Humanity is the first casualty in trying to alleviate one`s suffering. When we try to find ways to ease our suffering, we don`t worry about right or wrong. We take the easy way out which may not be as per norms. This leads to bad karmas.
God has given us an evolved brain
for pious deeds but in our greed we use it for devious deeds. That is the
reason we are unable to move up from this life cycle.
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Chapter 9
PARENTS & GOD
Parent, Human or any Being, takes upon himself the responsibility of guiding their offspring in such a way that he can sustain himself & live life in the right way. No parent would like his ward/child to tread on the wrong path. Parents take it as their moral responsibility to guide their ward on the right path.
Like any Parent, God or Supreme Being or Divine Authority or Creator has provided us with all the facilities required to live life according to Dharma prescribed for living beings. We have been provided with senses, elements & nature to live a comfortable life. The creator, like our parents, has provided us with all facilities/ faculties. We have to live life according to Dharma to enjoy the facilities/faculties provided by the creator.
Period needed by animals to teach their wards is very short. It depends on their intellect/brain capacity & their life span. Shorter the life span shorter the period required by Parents to train their offspring. As their area of operation & their Deeds/Dharma is limited for survival they need to train only for food & defend themselves.
Animals & other beings guide their offspring till they are able to fend for themselves. Mother takes upon herself the responsibility of preparing her offspring. She fiercely protects, teaches how to fend against adversaries/foes & guides the younger ones to search for sources of food.
An animal lives a life within his given parameter. As his intellect is on a lower scale his Karmas/Deeds are limited to the Dharma associated to his body form. Rarely do an animal deviate from his destined Dharma. He reacts only to situation which threatens or which are required for survival.
Humans have a longer life span than most animals. Humans need longer time to teach their offspring. Basic instinct to survive can be taught in a shorter time but as humans have a better evolved brain it needs other training to survive. Basics start from the day a child is conceived. Parents start taking care of their own intake. Intake includes eating & drinking habits, thoughts & behaviour. It is believed that development of the child starts from the womb.
Contrary to animals, Humans have a longer life span & better intellectual. Humans have a higher evolved brain & it works to always elevate itself. In its quest for gaining knowledge & pride in its achievements, Humans tend to move away from the right path. Progress & achievements has inflated human`s ego. In its quest for higher achievements, humans tread on any path that may benefit them. Most of the time, it is the wrong path. Our Ego diffuses our vision for what is right or wrong.
Humans are the only beings capable of using all the faculties provided by the Creator. God has provided us with senses, perfect body, elements & nature to live a perfect life. The only thing expected of us is to be Humane. Basic Dharma of a human being is to be Humane. Of all the creation of God, Humans are said to be the most evolved life form which is closest to God. It is sad to note that of all the living beings, only humans don`t follow their prescribed Dharma.
Child`s grooming starts from the day he is born. Parents & other family members start training him about surrounding, culture, etiquette, community living, etc., etc. All this is to make the child socially acceptable & make the child to understand acceptable norms/parameters for living in a civilised society. All this is to make the child an ideal person.
After initial training at home, the child is send for further education, development & growth to school, college & other institutions for gaining skills which can give him advantage to live a better life. Parents try to give their best so that their ward can live a balanced life. Socially acceptable, economically upward & Humane.
Parents strive & struggle to make their ward a perfect Human being. A being that follows the path of Dharma as laid down thru ages & coupled with good Karmas/Deeds is said to have lived a life which has elevated him from his present life to a better after life.
Parents try to inculcate all the good values in their wards. They preach, teach & impart knowledge so that their ward should progress on the right path. But does it happen as perceived? All our efforts seem to go awry. We are unable to comprehend where we have gone wrong.
In spite of all our efforts we see our wards go ashtray. We feel frustrated & lost. We try to find reasons for such behaviour. We had planned an ideal life & future for our child. Somewhere down the line things don`t work as planned. As our Parents, God or our creator feels the same about us. That is the reason at regular intervals he sends Prophets/Avatar, Saints & Evolved souls to guide us to the right path. Like a shepherd, our Creator /God / Parent, earthly or heavenly, always tries to herd us to the chosen path.
We wonder what has gone wrong in
our grooming & upbringing. We forget that our life is a series of our past
& present Karmas. Net result of our positive & negative karmas is how
our present & future life will be. Dharma & its corresponding Karma
determine our DNA. DNA chronicles our life. DNA is footprint of our Karmas.
What we experience & face in life is determined by our Karma.
******
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Chapter 10
CREATION FOR IMPROVEMENT
Creation is generally for enhancement of quality from present dispensation. When we want to improve on the present we create/invent. All creation & invention is with a thought that it will help in easing life. This holds good for a short time. Instead of taking benefits we start misusing it. Things which started as beneficial become vices for us. Instead of enjoying the benefits we become slaves.
Computers, Mobiles & Net are the latest craze of mankind. The aim behind it was to ease work, save time & have heightened accuracy. The purpose was very noble. All creations start with a basic idea. Germ of that idea starts growing on us as we start utilising the creation. We come to know the drawbacks & shortcomings. We strive to improve upon it so that we can benefit more & more from it. Improvement on the basic concept is always to make it easier for us to use & to enhance its capacity for our benefit.
Technology has been a big boon for rapid growth of society. The person who had conceived the idea of computer & mobile had thought of only the good use they can be employed for. How it will help mankind & simplify difficult task. This invention started with noble thought. Initially this new technology helped mankind immensely. To improve upon the original thought new thoughts were implemented to make the technology more efficient, accurate & user friendly. Innovations were so fast that what was affordable for affluent few & big organisations were now affordable for common man also.
Gradually everybody could afford the technology. As usage grew the applications also grew. Initially what was used for calculation & computation was used for all daily uses. Everything became digital from banking, shopping, booking, paying bills & many many more facilities. A small idea slowly touched every aspect of our life.
As uses increased so also corruption of its facilities increased. Noble idea of benefitting & simplifying lives of mankind has now become a major source of crime. Those who planned for good uses of technology had not expected that it can be used to defraud people.
Intention of creation & creator is always noble. It is on the users to use it ethically or not. Creator always shows the right path which is righteous but for illegal & faster gains we employ unethical ways to get it.
Same is the case with our Universe. God had all the noble thoughts in creating this world. He has meticulously planned everything for our benefit. There is abundance of everything for every being on earth. All natural resources are provided for use of all. Greed overtakes need of some to manipulate things for personal benefits. Greed leads people to take to illegal means to acquire wealth. Just to own more than others they employ unethical means. This creates imbalance in society & nature.
Origin was with the basic. As we started to use it we encounter some drawbacks which we tried to improve on it as per our convenience & needs. As knowledge improved we became aware of various aspects of its usages. Good use as well as Bad uses. Creation was for betterment & benefits of all but many use it for bad & unethical deeds.
We are not aware of our past life & we are not sure about what future holds for us. God gives us a clean chit to chart out our life. If we were aware of our past then we would spent our life either rectifying our mistakes or eliminating our hurdles. We are given a blank canvas to improve upon. It is upon us to make good use of it or destroy it. Creators thoughts are pure that is why he gives us a platform for growth. It is the user which determines the worth of that work.
A blank paper & pencil is of no use to an animal. An infant or a small child will try to scribble something on it which will not be very legible to the child or grownups but the same blank paper & pencil`s worth is known to a person who knows the value of it. God has given us a clean life with no memory of past but only a future which we have to chart out. We have to face situations as it unfolds. How we face the situations determines strength of our character & grit of our convictions.
As we move forward we will encounter many obstacles & many options in life. They may be ethical or unethical. Choice is left to us. Ethical will give us good karmas & unethical will give us bad karmas. Unethical ways to acquire things by any means will lead us to employ ways which will not be in norms of Dharma.
God has created this world with the best of all facilities for benefit of all creatures living on this planet. He has provided us with all that is required to enjoy & survive. It is for us make maximum use of these facilities. Things start going bad when greed makes us want to control the resources for our benefit.
Instead of proper use we try to
exploit & manipulate situation. This creates imbalance in proper
functioning of system.
******
Chapter 11
DNA== DEEDS-NEEDS-ASPIRATIONS
DEEDS – NEEDS - ASPIRATIONS means DNA. DNA means deeds done to fulfil ones needs & aspirations. The way deeds/ karmas are done to fulfil ones needs & aspirations becomes the crux of formation of our basic DNA. Every form has got a unique footprint of formation that is called a DNA. A human`s basic DNA will be different from a dog, cat, lion or any other animal. Same way all dogs basic DNA will be different from any other animal`s basic DNA.
A human`s basic DNA is similar but every individual has an unique DNA within the basic DNA. This is because every individual`s birth is the cause of their karmas. Karmas are the cause of slight mutation of every individual`s DNA. This mutation is in the form of Genes a person is born with. This is my understanding of DNA thru reading, preaching & teaching of learned masters & texts. How we go about achieving our goals & requirements is the core of our life. Deeds/Karmas are our actions which includes what & how we think.
DNA
decides the quality of life or life form we will have. DNA we get is because of
our karmas. Good & Bad karmas are the result of the means we adopt to
satisfy our needs & fulfil our aspirations. If we adopt just means we will
create good karmas but if we adopt unethical means we will create bad karmas.
Any
work done on a computer leaves a virtual imprint in its system even if it has
been deleted or put in the recycle bin. Same way our present life karmas leaves
an imprint in our system which forms the new DNA of future life. Every life
form or life has a unique DNA. Our every deed & action leaves an imprinted
in our system. This imprint is the record of our good & bad karmas during
this lifetime. This modified DNA determines the life or life from we will have
in the next birth.
How, where, when, in what condition & circumstances we are born is a mystery. Karmas/Deeds determine our Birth. Absolute or lack of any Physical attributes, utilisation of Senses, our own suffering or suffering of our near & dear ones or any other attributes relating to our life i.e. every aspect of our life is effect of our Karmas. Our birth, parents, relations, surroundings, sufferings (ours & all those who are connected/affected thru us) are all connected by the thread of our Karma.
Every action or reaction in our present life is recorded in our system and carried forward as DNA for next birth. Basically there are 3 types of Karmas: Mental, Spiritual & Physical. Karmas are energy fields we generate because of our actions. Karmas done by our physical action affects us externally. Mental karmas run deep scarring our heart & mind. Spiritual karmas are those which touch our inner most self & stirs our soul. Gradation of our sufferings depends on the type of karmas we had.
How we have lived our previous life is the determining factor for our present birth. Our present DNA is because the deeds/karmas we have earned for fulfilling our needs & our aspirations. If we had used unethical & illegal means to acquire our objects then we had created bad karmas. With bad karmas if we had intrinsically hurt the soul than our bad karmas effects will be multiplied. Thus we may be born in a setup which will have many drawbacks.
We will suffer due to these drawbacks. We may be born with some deformity, physical, mental or lack of some faculties. We may be born with a DNA which may have some lacunas which may be punishment for our karmas. If our karmas were really bad then with bad DNA we may also have deformity of genes. Thus our life is interlinked & interwoven with destinies of many.
God has created a set of DNA to fit every set of sins like there is a section of law for every type of crime. In Hindu religion it is said to be 84 lacs yonis. Our karmas determine the set of DNA where we will fit in. Severity of bad karmas increases when we inflict mental & spiritual trauma. This is like various sub section of laws which are applied as variance to main section. This variance is in the form some deformity of Genes in our DNA. Mutation of DNA in accordance to karmas will form a parameter in which the modified DNA will fit. First parameter will be the main set of DNA then the set-up which fits the severity of karmas. This way we are born in a particular set-up or family within the main set.
Every being in this Universe has a role to play according to karmas. Every being`s life is in some way or other accountable for others karmas. God has created this universe in such a way that one person`s karma is punishment for that person as well as for all those who will be associated with that person by relation, acquaintance, friendship, associates & by any other means. This is God`s way of making everybody accountable in this life.
Every incident in this life is fulfilment of some commitment or atonement of some karma. We have seen infants with serious ailments & suffering many hardships. We are unable to understand why a child is going thru so much of trauma. He has not even seen life or done any karma so that he has to suffer for misdeeds. We pity the child`s conditions & sufferings of parents & relatives. We don`t realise that past karmas are at play. Quantum of his karmas will be atoned by sufferings in a short life span but the real sufferers are the parents & relatives who will be reliving the pain throughout their lifetime.
We have seen many cases where very old, infirm terminally sick people surviving for many many years. They suffer immensely & are the cause of trouble to all family members. What is the reason behind their trouble & them troubling their family members? We are not able to comprehend the situation. It is karma at play of the old person & suffering of the family members. Similarly we see young & healthy people suddenly collapsing & dying.
Our body is made up of 2 parts – Soul or Atman & Physical body. We see suffering of the body but we have not seen any effect on the soul. Soul is formless & non destructible. Our body is the material part of our existence. Any physical deficiency at the time of birth or during our lifetime is the effect of bad karmas. The suffering which agitates our mind or psyche or heart or which troubles us internally is the suffering of the soul.
What mental or psychological trauma we go thru are the soul`s suffering. We had inflicted such type of trauma on others in our past birth. Physical & mental are our accumulated bad karmas. Our body & our soul are the experiencers of our karma. These are the two chains which coil around each other to form the DNA. DNA`s generally replicate & create a transcription as required.
This is all cycle of karmas at
play. Everything in this world is with a purpose. Nothing in God`s creation is
useless. Everybody`s life is intertwined with someone or other for purpose of
past karmas. Like parts of a machine, we have a pre-set of various forms of
DNA. Like cogs of a machine our mutated DNA will settle into a pre-set of DNA
which matches our karmas.
******
CHAPTER 12
LAWS & NORMS OF NATURE
We as a community have a laid out set of principles which we follow. This can be said as tenets which govern our social behaviour of what is right & what is wrong. We are social animals & if we want to be part of the society we have to abide by its rule. Those who rebel or behave contrary to laid down norms are punished & ostracized. Same is the rule of law. Law is generally for the whole country. Crimes committed against the society are laid down & those who commit crimes are tried & punished as per the laid down norms. Those convicted thus have to be incarcerated as per the gravity of the crime.
Every society, every religion, every sect & every country has a set of rules which govern our society. Every individual has to follow these tenets & have a way of life which is in agreement to the existing laws. Generally all societies follow a principle law that is good for community living, well-being of citizens, maintenance of harmony & development. Those who act against it will be punished in accordance to prescribed norms as to the gravity of the crime.
A person who commits a crime as per law of the land is sent to jail as punishment. In jail he starts a new life. If he is sensible he will realise his mistake & change for the better or if he is un-repented then he will create more bad karmas. A repented person will come out a better person who will have a better after life. An un-repented person will fall deeper in the malaise & will live a degraded life.
We have all played a game of marbles. We feel proud when we have a good stock of marbles before we start a fresh game. How we play the game will decide whether we were able to accumulate more or lose from what we had before. Same is the game of life. We start with our bundle of karmas. In this lifetime we accumulate karmas. If we are able to add to our good karmas then we will have a better next life but if we add more bad karmas then our next life will be lower than this life.
Our society is governed by a set of rules & regulations. There are laws governing every aspect of our life. There are various types of crimes & laws to punish those who are guilty. There are Criminal, Civil, Company, Constitutional, Personal & many more types of Law. Every type of law has many sub section according to the type of crime & severity of crime. Even a particular type of crime has many sub sections according to the motive, purpose, the way it was committed & how it was committed.
We have to pay for our deeds. In this world it is as per laid down norms of the society & laws of the country. Every country & community has some laid down rules & regulations. For every type of crime there is a law governing it and a prison designated for it. A murder convict can be tried for murder under various clauses of law. It can be murder, manslaughter, premediated murder, murder by torture, by poison, etc. All are murders but they are counted as different types of crimes & will be tried under different sections of law carrying different punishment.
Punishment is determined as per laid down norms & precedence. A designated judge hears the arguments of the accuser & accused`s lawyer. After applying his mind the judge pronounces his judgement based on the evidence put in front of him & arguments of the lawyers. The judgement is as per Judge`s understanding of the case & his assessment. Judgement is based on laid down norms but it is based on understanding of the case by a Judge, a Human mind.
A Judge proclaims a judgement on his understanding of the case & how the case was presented to him. Chances of error are there in both the scenario. Sections of law & punishment awarded will be accordingly. There can be many interpretations of a law to a particular section. A murder accused can be tried for murder, manslaughter, homicide & many other sub sections. Severity of punishment will be as per section applied.
Jail or incarceration is for atonement of sins. A person who realises his mistake will come out as a reformed person but if a person is unrepentant then he will continue his bad ways. There was a chance to improve & lead a good life. We decide what life to live. If we don`t mend our way we go on collecting bad karmas which go on adding to our bad record. Our record will determine severity of punishment. A seasoned criminal will be liable for a much severe punishment then a first time criminal.
A first time offender is dealt
with some consideration but a repeated offender is not shown any leniency
because he is termed as a hardened criminal. Prison time is for reform,
repentance & realisation. Same is
the case with our life. We have a Dharma to follow to lead an ideal life. When
we don`t follow that path we create bad karmas which makes us an offender
worthy of punishment for our sins.
******
Chapter 13
NORMS AS KARMA & DHARMA
In the laws of the universe it is the norms laid down by the creator. They are called Karma & Dharma. Karma is the deed we do & Dharma is the way of life. Every being on earth has a set of Dharma that is, set of parameters within which he has to do his duties. Karmas are deeds which a person does to perform his duties. If he works within the parameters than his karmas will be good but if he does something which is not in line with his dharma then his karmas will be bad. These bad karmas will make him punishable under the divine law.
Karma is energy generated in doing daily chores. There are three types of karmas – Physical, Mental & Spiritual. We have a DNA according to our past life karmas. Whatever karmas we do in our present life overwrites on the present DNA to present us an updated DNA for the life we will live in the future. It is similar to over writing on a CD/DVD/Pen Drive or any Disc.
A computer records everything for future reference & transmits inputs to anywhere in the world. A computer is programmed to record, compute & analyse what we feed it. If we want to send data to some other place we don`t have to carry a hard copy or physical copy of that data. We just have to transmit a soft or virtual copy of the data to a place where we want to send to.
This is called virtual world where activity is not visible but transmission of data is possible. Data & information can be transmitted from one place to another or multiple locations invisibly or through air waves.
Every moment of our life is being computed & recorded. A computer emits data whereas a body stores data & records it in our system. It emits the final outcome of our karmas as a command to our soul to carry to the next birth.
Just like data & information in a computer can`t be seen & touched by naked eyes & hand the data of our karmas which overwrite & mutate our present DNA as footprint for our future life & carried forward by our soul to the next life can`t be seen or felt.
Our life is a combination of three parts i.e. Soul, Body & World. Body is the medium through which balance between soul & materialistic world is to be maintained. Just like a computer is equipped with an operating system, various software & hardware. IOS or operating system is like our soul which is loaded with software like DNA. Hardware is like our Earth which powers & supports our system. We or our body is the benefiter & utiliser of all these facilities. Software & hardware is programmed & installed with the noble intentions that it will be used for betterment of life & enhancement of knowledge just like God planned our life. But we have seen that it leads to greed & vices.
This is like a report card which a soul is entrusted to carry with it to the next life. Nothing is in physical form. As mutation of our present DNA is continuous the final imprint at the time of death decides the life a soul will have in next birth. Soul is the only thing that is not destroyed at the time of death. All material things are left behind at death. We live in a materialist world & our thinking is tuned to think on physical things which we can see & touch.
It is beyond our thoughts that some unseen & super natural forces are at work. It is like Celestial powers issuing an order to the soul to carry out to the next stop on its onward journey. We can think as an order but soul is duty bound to follow what DNA dictates. It seems like we are a computer programmed to record, document, analyse & process all our karmas to create a footprint for our soul for next birth. Going thru all permutations & combinations our karmas are analysed for future birth.
Advanced technology is capable of
multitasking and multipurpose aspects of any programme. What we feed can be
transmitted to
multiple & specific targeted locations around the globe. This transmission is invisible, wireless & cannot be seen with naked eye but there is an imprint of our input which is transmitted from one location to another location. There is an internal imprint which is transmitted externally as per our command.
Similarly our every action or activity is like a data which is stored in our system as record of our karmas. This record is not transmitted anywhere during our lifetime. This record gets imprinted as building blocks for future life or life form. Karmas create an imprint in our system which forms the basis of a new DNA for our next life. Imprint is for DNA of a new life form or mutated DNA for level of next life.
Just like data this imprint is invisible & cannot be seen with naked eye. Our system is so programmed that when life goes out of a body or when soul leaves the body it carries with it the transcript which directs it to a life or life form of the designated DNA. This imprint of a new DNA is transmitted thru the soul just like an input in a system is transmitted to another destination. Transmission from a computer can be by a manual command or automatically when software is developed to give command to perform multiple functions on its own.
In life it is not manual but only as programmed. It is the duty of a soul to carry the imprint to the designated life or life form. The imprint is DNA for a particular life form as per our karmas & also deficiency in our Genes as the effects of our karmas which will directly impact the life we will enjoy. It may be in the form of a physical or mental deformity, deficiency in our natural faculties or sufferings from various other parameters.
In both the cases, this world & celestial world, punishment is for sure for atonement of our deeds. In our world the punishment is according to the law of the land but it is depended on the interpretation & judgement of a judge. We think according to what we see & what we are taught & told. A person judges our deeds & decides punishment accordingly. It can`t be totally fool proof. There are chances of it being flawed.
In the divine world the judgement is not given by any authority but computed by us. We are the sole deciding factor of our punishment. Our karma & dharma decides the life we will live. The life we are talking of is the next life. The life we are living now is the cause of our past karmas & the next life we may have will depend on our present karmas. As we plan for securing future of our present life we can also start securing future of our next life by good karmas. Principle of what we sow we reap fits aptly.
We have been taught there is Chitragupt or a Godly accountant who keeps track of our deeds i.e. bad & good karmas. Accordingly he announces our punishment looking at our book of deeds. This explanation is a simplified way to make people understand in simple way the laws governing the universe. In celestial world punishment is self- computed &results of our karmas.
Some are born with physical or mental disabilities, some with health problems, some get afflicted with major ailments or get disabled by accidents, some have major problems all the time and many such disturbances continue to trouble many. This is the cause of the trauma one has given to others. We call that as curse or deep anguish/angst at the amount & type of pain which was inflicted by us on others. Deeper the effect of trauma higher is the gravity of bad karmas. What we sow we reap is true in this context. What trouble we had given to others will come back on us.
In our world a culprit has to be caught committing a crime or to be accused to have committed a crime. Afterwards crime has to be classified under a particular section & its subsection. After due investigation, the case is presented in front of a court or a judge. The judge after much deliberation delivers his judgement & sentences the culprit. Imprisonment depends on the case`s severity. It may be life, rigorous, simple, solitary & other many more variants of imprisonment. In all the legal process a human mind is at work which may lead to a flawed understanding of the case.
In the celestial world our karmas
decide our fate. There are no external forces or human error at play. Our
karmas are stored in our system as an imprint of revised DNA for our future
after life or life form. Our DNA keeps updating thus creating a revised DNA
befitting for future life. Everything is within us. We have to atone for
individual karmas & also the overall effects of lifetime`s karmas.
*******
Chapter 14
SELF REGULATING WORLD
We have been taught that we should always follow a righteous path. Good karmas will lead us to heaven. We have been told that there is an accountant named Chitragupt who chronicles our karmas. Bad karmas would lead us to Hell & Good karmas would lead us to Heaven. All religions preach us the same & extolls virtues of good karmas. Gurus also preach & teach us to lead a virtuous life full of good karmas. This is the way to Heaven & good life.
We listen & read virtues of leading a life full of good karmas. But we see a different world around us. It is not explained to us how good karmas can give us a good life when we see good people struggling in life & those who are bad enjoying pleasures of life. What we see we believe as life. When we see bad people enjoying life we start getting doubts about preaching. We lose our patience & try to emulate others. Immediate benefits start meaning more than waiting for benefits of good karma.
When we see a successful, wealthy & happy person we envy his luck. We wonder why we are not enjoying life like them. Similarly when we see a poor struggling & suffering person we pity his plight. We wonder why he is suffering. We always try to look up to those who are better off than us. In trying to attain that status we adopt means which may not be the right one. This way we forget we are generating bad karmas.
We don`t realise that what we envy in others are benefits of good karmas of past life. What we pity in others are the effects of past bad karmas. This is a lesson of life which we should learn. We have learned about Karmas but we don`t realise the actual play of Karmas. We feel we should reap immediate benefits in the present life.
When we start living our life by looking at other`s life then we start losing our way. We swear by our religious beliefs but we practice what gives us immediate benefits. We get so blinded by material gains that we stop bothering about the means we adopt to gain it. We forget about good karmas, bad karmas, heaven & hell. We feel if we are getting all the benefits now then that means we are enjoying the pleasures of heaven.
If we look around our surrounding we will realize the play of karmas. We will see innumerable animals, creatures, creeps, reptiles & other reprehensive creatures which will send shivers down our spine. They are our life lesson. All this creation of God is prison for our karmas. We are born as a particular life form because of past karmas. Today because of good karmas we have a highly evolved human form but if our karmas are bad then we may be born as one of the forms which we look down.
God has created a self-regulating world. We have heard about what we sow what we get. It is true for present as well as for future life. Our life & world is a continuous process which is running on its own wheels of Karmas. Even our present & future life is determined by our own deeds known as karmas. Our existence is because of our karmas & where we will exist next will be because of our karmas. Our sufferings, our status, where we are born, which body we are born is all determined by our karmas.
God has created this world but he has made it self-regulatory. Every life form is a prison. Every being has a life span & the Soul is incarcerated in a particular life form depending upon karma. Human life form is said to be of highest form & getaway to attain Moksha or being freed from this cycle of life & death. If a human form deviates from his Dharma & Karma then he will fall to a lower life form. Religious texts state of 84 lakhs life forms or Yonis. We may be born in any of the life form depending on our karmas.
Prayers play a big role in creating positive vibes for leading a pious & good life. There are innumerable Gods we pray to for guidance & deliverance. We pray to a God as per our religion or to whom we feel attached to. All religions ask us to pray for the same thing. During prayers we follow all the rituals very religiously but don`t always tread the pious path.
We have been given birth that is why we are living a designated life. We are living life of the form in which we are born. We are not aware why we are born in a particular setting. Other beings don`t have the luxury for atoning their sins. They have to scale the life cycle as deemed. They have to work their way to higher life form till they again regain human form. Only human beings have the capacity to realise what is right & wrong. They can plan out their future by good karmas.
Play of Karma comes into effect thru cycle of life & death which results in birth. For a good after life we should always pray that we should be born in a good life form. Human being is the most evolved life form & is said to be closest to God. We should pray that even in humans we should be born in a good family. Good family means a family who leads a life as per laid down dharma. When we follow humane dharma then we follow on the path of good karmas.
Result of our good karmas & bad karmas is the assignment of an appropriate Linga/Yoni which is assigned for our next birth. Reproductive organs or Linga determine the life form we are born in. Linga & Yoni are the determining factor of the life we are living. This cycle of life is determined by our karmas. So when we pray we should pray to be born thru an evolved Linga & Yoni. Quality of our life is dependent from which Linga & Yoni we have taken Birth.
No Judge or person or Chitragupt determines our life & birth. God has created a system where our karmas are the deciding factor of our life & quality of life. Like the laws of the land we have to pay for our karma. In life a judge decides as per laid down norms which gives scope for human error but celestial world is so programmed that our karma is the sole decider of our fate. There is no scope for human or any other error. We should pray that our karmas give us birth through an evolved Yoni.
Our aim should be to be back to the celestial world from which we have come. We pray for Heaven or Moksha. We have been told that life in heaven is full of bliss, peace & tranquillity. All our pleasures & requirements are instantly satisfied. Whatever we desire is fulfilled but we know that desires never die they keep on growing on us. The moment one desire is satiated then a new desire crops up & start agitating our minds. In pursuit of desires we tend to deviate from good karmas & generate bad karmas. The moment we create bad karma we have to atone for it. For atonement we again have to take birth thru a Yoni deserving for that karma.
Again cycle of life & death begins till it is free of bad karma. Life is surrounded by Maya or Illusionary world full of enticing materialistic pleasures. They attract us toward enjoying sensory pleasures. Temptation leads to bad karmas. Again cycle of good & bad karma begins. We get trapped in this world till we are free of all of our bad karma.
We should strive to attain Moksha. Moksha means freedom from the cycle of life & death. Moksha means freedom from all the attachments & desires which binds us to this world. Moksha means a world which is free of any desire or need. Moksha means a stage where we get bliss in whichever state we are in. A place where there is no ego, no desires, no greed, no envy or we can say no friction of unfulfilled aspirations. When there is no desire mind is at rest. That is the ultimate state where karmas set us free of its binding. When there is no binding of karmas there will be no cycle of life & death.
We have seen people praying to a Shivling. They pray for a birth from an evolved Yoni/Linga. Some pray for Moksha or freedom from the cycle of life & death. To attain Moksha we have to have good karmas. This will give a better life then what we have at present. But our karmas should be such that we should be free from this cycle of life & death. We should pray to be freed from birth thru Linga/Yoni. This is real aim of enlightened souls.
Some pray to Linga, a form of Lord Shiva called
Shiva Linga. Shiva Linga is a symbol of male female reproductive organs. There
are many reasons for praying to a Linga but the two main reasons are:
1) For a better life or birth from an evolved Yoni.
2)
To attain Moksha or be freed from this cycle of birth & death.
******
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Chapter 15
SELF SUSTAINING SYSTEM
Everything has been presented to us on a platter. It is like our parents giving us a beautiful landscaped big house to stay, abundance of resources to sustain, never exhausting financial stability & all other things which can help us live a trouble free life. This we can enjoy eternally if we live life prudently. We should nurture our resources with care. When we start squandering our resources & be enslaved by vices then we will lose all which was provided to us. We ourselves will be the destroyer of our resources.
God has created a marvel of a creation. Even after so much advancement of science & knowledge we are unable to recreate & replicate simplest of natural resources provided by God for our survival. Air, water & many other things which we take for granted are priceless & totally free. We will not survive without these things. They are life giver & sustainer. God has meticulously created this universe so that we can get continuous supply of all these life giving resources. God has provided us with all these natural resources but to get continuous benefit of these resources we have to maintain ecological balance as required.
Everything on this planet is self-sufficient & self-sustaining. Growth of one is food for other. It is all a cycle of life & death. God has created a self-sustaining Earth where everything is dependent on each other for survival. One thing can be source for other`s growth & similarly one thing`s survival will depend on other`s fall. Every creation of God is living a life of its own creation. Our own creation means we are the cause of our past karmas/deeds. God has provided us with all that is required to live a balanced life. For this we have to keep a balance in God`s creation.
God has created a self-sustaining world which has its own recycling process. It creates, recreates, procreates, sustains & again regains its lost ground. Humans & other animals have their inbuilt system to procreate & protect themselves. Every being is built in such a way that their body is a self-cleaning, nourishing, healing, growing & reproducing entity. Every body is a universe on its own which harbours innumerable microorganisms which help us keep fit, fight disease & sustains us to lead a normal life.
Our life is like a very delicious dish. A delicious dish is popular because all the ingredients in the dish are in proper proportion, cooked perfectly at proper temperature & for proper time. Individually a dish will taste good but will taste much better with a proper complimenting accompaniment. Even a very popular dish can lose its flavour if it is not prepared in a particular way or had with a proper accompaniment. A small imbalance in preparation or accompaniment can make a good dish a bad one. Similar is the case with our World. God has provided us a perfect world & to enjoy benefits we should strive to keep it as perfect as possible.
Our Universe`s existence is based on proper balance between its natural resources. Everything is dependent on other for its existence. God has provided us basic resources but that basic resources depend on other resources to keep functioning. These resources are known as ecological system. When these ecological systems work properly our life giving systems work optimally. This is the cycle of life. One thing complements other.
Similarly God has provided us with such a nice & perfect World to live in. We should be grateful for all the mercies he has bestowed on us. Everything is free & for us to enjoy. God is not asking anything from us but to respect & sustain it. We humans are exploiting & destroying it. We have been so taken in by materialistic world that greed has taken control of our senses. We are not worried about creating imbalance thus endangering our own existence.
Real beauty & wonder of this
creation is its self-sustaining capacity. It grows, creates, sustains,
nourishes, enriches, provides & supports each other. Each life is dependent
on another for proper functioning.
God has provided us a unified world fit for all with equal rights on its resources for all. It is totally free & never exhausting natural resources for benefit of all beings. We were expected to respect it & not exploit it for greed. Instead, we have divided the world as per caste, creed, region, religion & race. Greed has led us to exploit natural resources resulting in rifts. We have to pay for basic natural necessities which were provided free by God. In short we are doing things which go against the spirit expected by God from us.
******
Chapter 16
SECURING FUTURE
Since ancient times we have had many saints, prophets & religious gurus extolling & teaching us to live a virtuous life. Till today we hold these saintly persons in high esteem & look to their teachings for guidance & growth. Down the years we had many such spiritual gurus to guide us on the right path. Now also we have many gurus giving discourses & guiding us on the right path.
Living a humble & righteous path doesn`t mean that we are cowards. Dharma states that to defend what is right we have every right to fight for it. Mythology has stories of Lord Krishna extolling Arjuna to take up arms to defend his honour against his own family members. Other example is of Lord Rama. He was the epitome of humbleness & righteousness but he took up arms to rescue his wife from the clutches of Ravana, the demon king.
Every religion & every guru has been teaching the right path. In spite of all the preaching there is so much strife in the world. We all should have been living in peace. But greed has over taken the world. Materialist pleasures have greater influence in our life than spiritual pursuits. We feel spiritual pursuit means renouncing the world or living a frugal life. Actually it is living a just life as preached & extolled by our peers.
We feel a person living a just & right life has wasted his life. Being aggressive in pursuits of set goals & employing any means to achieve set goal is the right way to live life. Pursuit of material gain seems to be sole criteria of achievement. Our whole life is fashioned around material achievements. We see everybody around running after material things. The more they acquire the more respectable they become in family & society.
This is the reason that in spite of all the preaching & grooming we lose sight of our ideals. We feel that what we see & experience is right than what is preached & taught. We see the materialistic gains & its immediate benefits. We feel that what we can enjoy in the present is the whole purpose of our life.
We have seen our parents & everybody around working hard to earn enough to make our present better & to save enough to secure our future. It is totally correct to do so. Everybody has a right to improved standard of living & should have a plan for a better future of self & their wards. That should be our aim but not at the cost of our dharma. We should try to upgrade our life but we should not leave the righteous path. We normally try to emulate those who are more materialistically well off. To achieve that standard we initially work very hard to earn more but when we don`t get the desired result we start employing unethical methods to achieve our goals.
For our wards that becomes a standard behaviour. For them this is life. This is the reason that as generations progress we start forgetting what our religious texts taught us. To bring us to the right path God deputes a Saintly Soul to again show us the righteous path. The world of Illusion or Maya entraps us in such a way that we lose sight of the real purpose of our existence.
Present life is the cause of our past karmas. This life is given to us as an opportunity to atone for our past karmas. When we are in awe of people who are better off than us then we forget that they are enjoying fruits of good karmas. If we aspire to have the same good fortune then we should follow the path extolled by our Creator & preached by Saints. This way we can have good karmas which will ensure a better future life. Instead we try to acquire good life by hook or crook thus creating bad karmas for our next life. This way we fall down further from our present status.
It is very easy to live a happy & peaceful life. If we aspire to have a better grade of life then the only way is to follow the path of our Dharma. Path of Dharma is full of peace & free of guilt. Our life should be built on truth & trust. This is the life where satisfaction & faith plays a big part in life. This is the life where patience rules over vices. This is the life where tranquility & peace rules over anxiety of fear & falsehood. We don`t spend anything in terms of material things but we ensure a better future. We set an example for others to follow.
Our purpose in life is to have a secured future & to have a better life then what we are presently living. We are not sure what future holds for us in this life & after life. One thing we are sure is that what we are living is the result of our past karma. When we plan for future of our present life we forget that our future may not be as planned by us. There can be many reasons by which our plans may go awry. This does not mean that we should live only in the present & don`t plan for the future. We should plan for the future but for that we should not put our present on hold. Many stop living their present life for a better future or employ unethical ways to acquire security for future.
Only being Humane can give us all that`s required to ensure good karma. We should invest in truth, patience, love, faith, compassion, satisfaction and all those non materialistic things which can lead us on the right path. To gain this we are not spending on any material things. To acquire material things we have to earn & spend. How we earn to acquire material things is very important for karmas but if we are Humane & follow the righteous path we can have only good karmas. When we die we have to leave behind all our materialistic things. Only our karmas will be with us even after death.
We live in this materialistic world & we plan our future for this materialistic world. When we look around we will realize that when we die we will leave all this materialistic things behind. Non materialistic things like soul, karmas & thoughts are the things that live eternally. If we want to save for the future then the best saving should be in the form of good karmas. What we are aspiring for in this world will be rightfully ours in the next birth if our karmas are good.
If we carefully look around us we will see many creation of God. Various forms of animals, insects, reptiles, birds, nature & everything in this world are with a purpose. God has provided us with a world which is self-sustaining. Even our life & repercussions of our karmas are self-regulating. There is a proverb that what we sow is what we reap. Our present karmas decide what life we will have in next birth. If we apply our mind we will realise that God has not created all this for our entertainment or enjoyment. There is a purpose behind this beautiful creation of God & Universe.
Everything is interconnected
& there is nothing which is a waste. Human is the life form which is said
to be highly evolved & said to be closest to God. Other animal form is said
to be of lower grade. Our karmas decide the grade of our life. So when we look
around us we should realise what our future life will be if we have bad karmas.
Thus our main aim should be of investing in good karmas. Good karma ensures a
guilt free peaceful present life & also a better future life.
******
Chapter 17
WHO ARE WE
Many a times we wonder who we are.
From what I have read in Religious texts, heard in preaching of enlightened souls, Dharma Gurus & personal experience, I understand that we are eternal formless souls trapped in body form. Our or any living body form is a personal jail of soul who is being awarded a body form as per Karma/ Deeds. Karma/ Deeds are the criteria which accords us the life we deserve.
Every religion, every Guru, every Prophet & every preacher preaches good Karma/Deeds as the main tenet of life. For a better life here & to attain place in heaven they preach us to be humane. We attend such discourses because we believe in gaining some good thoughts which may lead us to live a pious & humane way of life.
The preacher & the disciples believe in Karma, continuity of life, the soul as eternal & the body as destructible. We have been feeding on this thought & preaching since ages. Have we learned anything? Prophets, Saints, Gurus & Religious heads have taken Birth just to lead us to the right path. We believe that God has sent them to help us. We pray & we read their teachings religiously but when the time comes to follow their teachings we do what suits or benefits us.
We are so enamoured by the material world that we forget all. We forget that Intrinsic is the real world. We have been provided with Senses – Touch-Skin, Smell-Nose, Hearing-Ear, Taste-Tongue & Seeing-Eyes to experience the world & help the Soul`s body to lead a trouble free & enlightened life. We use these faculties to feed our Vices- Greed, Lust, Ego, etc.
Purpose of God was that Humans should be focused within for self realisation & utilise natural resources for survival. We should spend our energies on our upliftment than strive for survival. We do the opposite. We get so enamoured by the materialistic world that our energies are spent in their pursuit. God expected us to concentrate our focus within but we are busy in wasting our energies.
In course of life we feel that we are do all of all things. It is because of our efforts & will power we can alter the course of events. Our ego dictates that we can do anything. They don`t accept that destiny is at play. There are votaries of negative & positive thoughts. Who preach us that our attitude determines our destiny.
They preach us that with positive attitude we can change the course of our destiny & our life. Positive thoughts have a bearing on the course of events. We can`t change what has been destined. What has to happen will happen but when we have a positive attitude to life we will be able to soften the impact of the situation.
A person with negative attitude will face the gravity of the situation on a magnified scale whereas a positive person, who is more balanced in his attitude, will try to analyse & accept the situation. Positive person will try to find a solution to the problem or will be better equipped to face the situation.
What is destined will happen but those who have positive attitude & who accept the situation are better equipped to face it. Severity of the situation is same for all but the intensity & gravity of the trauma will be lesser on those who accept the inevitable. This is what we are told & we believe in. Actually this is a play of our Karmas. Good Karmas give positive attitude & bad Karmas give negative attitude. Combination of past & present karmas is what we live.
We observe that those who live a righteous life are not easily perturbed by adverse situation. It seems that they have inner strength to face problems or God is helping them by smoothening their path. They have to bear effects of past karmas but God helps them by giving them inner resolve to face the situation. This help by God is a reward for present life good karmas. Somehow good tidings pop up when bad times knock on the door.
It is like the story of blindfolded men who are asked to identify different parts of an Elephant`s body. They perceive as per their assumptions based on past experience. Their reactions are drastically different from each other but they are not very far away from the truth.
It is true with us also. Our
reactions, our thoughts & our perceptions are all attuned to our past
experiences. We automatically relate all our experiences to what we have
experienced or what we have been told by our elders & acquaintance. When we see our elder`s reaction to a
particular situation an impression is imprinted in our mind. This impression
forms the basis of our reaction.
*******
Chapter 18
PREACHINGS & UNDERSTANDING
We hear satsangs, bhajans, preachings & read religious texts. We regularly indulge in them because we feel they are good & their message is beneficial to live a better life. All religions & their texts preach a pious ways of life. We all devoutly follow preachings but when it comes to implementing them in our day to day life we sorely lack in implementing it. We give preference to immediate gains than to the path shown by our Saints & Prophets.
Daily we read & forward many good morning messages on virtues of life & motivational quotes. We read &like such messages that`s why we forward it to our friends & acquaintances. We feel such messages are good for improvement of life but we personally don`t follow the teachings. We forward it to our friends & relatives so that they implement these sayings in their life.
We always feel that others should change. We don`t want to change but we expect others should change. We want to adopt virtues which we feel are good but we want that others should adopt it first. We feel whatever improvement is needed is needed by others. We are perfect we don`t need any improvement.
In fact we live our life reacting to others. Most of the time we don`t live our life but react to others & situations. We know what is right & what is wrong but when our life is dictated by other factors then virtues are casualties. In aspiring to get what others have we forego our thoughts & virtues to acquire those things. Our greed takes over our rational thinking. Religion, preaching & everything good which was taught to us takes a back seat in our greed to emulate & acquire things which others have. In pursuit of greater benefits we are unable to enjoy what we have. We lose our peace as sense of depreciation takes place because of our greed & envy.
I know of a person who had a very humble beginning but by grit & hard work he gradually grew in life. Integrity was his strength along with his never tiring attitude to succeed. Success led to inflated ego. The more he grew the more egoists he became. He felt that he is the do all. Everything was because of him & without him nobody in the family was capable of surviving on its own.
Good thing about him was he never left integrity. He had a big & good family. Due to his inflated ego he never treated his family members as one & always degraded them in front of others. He broke relations with nearly all relatives & friends. Slowly slowly he started distancing himself from his sons. He created situations that forced his sons to move out of the house.
As he aged he found himself alone with his aged wife. Assets were there but there was no regular income. Sons had their own family life but their karmas gave them an upbringing which was such that they were always there in times of need. Loneliness becomes a silent fear as we age. As our faculties get weakened we totally get dependent on others for simple chores.
Ego had played a major part for their present condition. What facilities they could have had as their right from their children but now they had to be at the mercy of servants. In spite of all the trouble, the children still respect & look after their aged parents. What is the reason behind such attitude of children towards their parent even after their suffering at the hands of their parents? We can`t think of any plausible reason behind it. It can only be play of Karmas.
One more real life illustration will explain how our life is governed by Karmas. One of my acquaintances has practically everything in life which an average person can aspire for. He had a big house, sufficient bank balance, good supportive family, servants, flourishing business, wide circle of friends & relatives. In fact he had everything in life that can be envy of any other person.
He should ideally be one of the happiest person on earth but reality was different. There was no guarantee of his mood. One moment he would be happy & the other moment he would be annoyed with someone. There was no way anybody could gauge when his mood would change. There was never a full day of peace. Even others mood depended on his whims & fancies.
He was a good person at heart but had a doubtful mind. He would see only negative side of any situation. This negative thinking would stretch to extreme limits. He doubted everyone`s intention. He would be vindictive if somebody pointed out his shortcoming or praised someone else in front of him. His immediate reaction would be to criticise the person who was praised by others. Jealousy would seize his peace of mind & it would not rest till he had retaliate
He would talk of lofty ideals but find innumerable reasons to wriggle out of any situation to help others. These were the reason he was never at peace & didn`t let anybody live in peace. But he would preach all positive virtues to others but never applied it to self. It was like a dual personality talking all the right things but not practicing.
In both the cases we can see that a simple behavioural change could have made their life like Heaven on Earth. They were not interested in accepting their drawbacks but were more interested in pointing out others faults. This way their mind was never at peace. They live a troubled life & make life miserable for those around them.
If we analyse things we would not
be able to understand the reason behind his behaviour. As per our limited
understanding we feel that he should be the luckiest & happiest person
around. But that is not the case. Karmas are at play in governing our life.
*******
Chapter 19
SOME SUFFER SOME PROSPER
In our life span, have we had any time to examine our own life? What we were at the time of birth & what we are now. How was our childhood & where we are now. How is the life of our childhood friends & what has been their progress! Why some of our childhood friends & acquaintances have progressed & why some are struggling. When we analyse our life we will realise that some of our friends & acquaintance have had a successful life & some had a downward unsuccessful life.
Is it that those who are successful had put some extra effort or they were more capable! Are those who are struggling in life or doing averagely well may have put in less hard work then those who are more successful. Situations in all cases may not be similar. It may vary from case to case. Many atime people who are really hard working & sincere in their work find difficult to succeed. There are many who are averagely good but find better success. We fail to understand the reason behind such anomaly.
I would like to share my life story. I think many would relate to it, especially, those of my age who have grown with the city & those who have started life from the lowest rung.
I was born in an average middle class family. My childhood was of hand to mouth existence. We lived in a locality which was on the outskirts of the city. My friends were also of our standard & some were poorer than us. We never differentiated ourselves while playing or other day to day activities. A Municipal English medium school was the only educational option available to us. My initial schooling till 4th standard was in a municipal school. Those were the best years of my schooling. I still remember my teachers name Mr. Desai & Mrs. Banerjee.
We all started our education in the same school in Dahisar. Those who were financially better went to convent school in Borivali. In the end we all played together & grew together. As we grew, some progressed some regressed. Most of us had same background but as we grew our life took diagonally different paths. There was no co-relation between progress & our financial standing.
Many of us who were financially very weak started to have improved life thus could afford better education. Those who were poor put in more efforts to educate their wards or put them in proper employment. Financially there was an upward trend but not all could progress. Some had steady growth but others had to struggle to grow.
Many who were financially better off moved to affluent areas of the city. We all lived within the vicinity but had drifted apart. As our families grew we had less time for each other. Our childhood memories keep our relationship alive. We try to meet occasionally but only some can find time to come.
The only thing which I am unable to comprehend is that when we had started our life together than how is it that we all have a different standard of life. Many who were poor are now well off & those who were better off are now living a downgraded lifestyle. Those who were poor had a greater motivational factor to work hard than those who were well off. Those who were well off had a cushioned life to grow further with ease but possibly less of killer instinct which restricts their progress. Those who had to struggle had a better chance to take the wrong road to success but it is also true that those who were better off would be easy prey for vices.
I am retired now & with God`s grace have a very sound & stable life. From the life I had at the time of birth to our present state is a vast improvement. Our childhood life was such that we could not have imagined that we could reach this standard in this life. I had a steady life. I had no special talent. I didn`t put any special effort to succeed. I didn`t use any unethical ways to gain anything but by God`s grace I still had a steady rise in life. I had to face many trials & tribulations. Many hurdles I had to cross. I even had a major medical condition for removal of a vital organ. I am grateful to God to have given me capacity & strength to overcome all my difficulties.
I never left sincerity from my side. It helped me in gaining proper education which led me to get employed in a nationalised bank. During employment also I didn`t aspire for promotion & higher perks. My purpose was to be close to my family. I was of the belief that for money I should not forgo comfort & pleasure of being close to my near & dear ones. I was not greedy & my satisfaction was based on my earnings & not of what others had. I had faith that what is mine will be mine. It may take time but when it is due it will be mine for sure. When you get when it is due then it will also be guilt free & with peace.
I worked very hard & with sincerity at whatever work was assigned to me. I never went out of the way & struggled for extra work. Basically I was very laid back & labelled as lazy. I took my life very casually. I was happy with whatever I had. I didn`t aspire for more & didn`t lose sleep over what was not mine. Inspite of my attitude I am very happy with my progress.
God has been very kind to me & I am indebted at his benevolence. By God`s grace I have a better life than many of my childhood friends & acquaintance. I had no special talent & I didn`t put any extra efforts than. There were many who struggled & put in more efforts than me but somehow they were not so successful.
By better life I mean financial stability, family atmosphere & mental peace. There has to be some more than normal reason that those who all started their life in a near identical situation should be living so different level of lives. There has to be something which is out of this world which governs our life. In this life we make all the efforts but still some get benefits but some don`t. Karmas play a big role in it. Past life karmas determine the trajectory of life we will live in this life. How we live our present life determines our future life.
We should be more sincere in
investing in good karmas for future. Investing in materialistic security is
required for trying to secure our uncertain future in this life. What we
struggle & strive to save for the future may or may not be of any use to us
in this life. Past life karmas have already laid down our life path. We are not
aware of it but we believe that we can plan out our future as we want it to be
played. The only thing which we can do is create footprint of good karmas which
can assure us a life which can be better in all ways than our present life. What
we envy & aspire of others can be rightfully ours if we have good karmas
guiding our life.
*******
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Chapter 20
ATTITUDE & PERCEPTION
Nowadays we are living in a negative world. We don`t trust anybody & see others with suspicious intent. When we come in contact with somebody our instant reaction is about the other person`s intention. We become cautious in our approach. This way we are unable to fully understand others & unable to develop a fruitful relationship. Our first reaction is of mistrust. When we start any relationship with a negative attitude then that relation`s future is very short lived.
It is our attitude which doesn`t allow us to trust anybody. When we can`t trust anybody then we should not expect others to trust us. We feel that we have noble intentions then others should automatically trust us. When our actions give negative vibes then our intentions get camouflaged. People judge us by our actions & not by our intentions. Our mistrust doesn`t allow us to help others.
If we are capable then we should help needy, especially old, disabled, infirm & sick. We wriggle out of giving alms to beggars citing many reasons that they are addicts/ lazy/ drunkards & it is a racket. Similarly we don`t want to donate to noble causes by saying that we are not aware about end use of our funds. We should do our duty & not worry about the end use of our money. In case of charitable institute we can verify their standing before donating but we don`t do it because we want to avoid donating.
We don`t want to help anybody or cooperate with anybody. We want others to live an ideal life. If we help somebody we want that it should be acknowledged & the helped person should feel obliged. By our behaviour & our actions we try to make that person realise that he is under our obligation.
We always want to change the world & others. It is an impossible attempt & we know it but we still expect to do it. The best thing will be to change ourselves but that is also next to impossible because we are not capable of thinking that we can be wrong. To change we have to first accept that we are wrong. Our ego does not allow us to accept our shortcomings. When we can`t change ourselves then how can we change others. First we have to accept our shortcomings & try to rectify the same instead of expecting to change others.
When we change for the better we give positive vibes to others. When we are positive our way to look at things will also change for the better. Our attitude improves & we start seeing things with a new perspective. We will observe that our energies are flowing in creating better relations & atmosphere. We will have more happy quotients in our life. When we wanted to change others we meet with resistance but when we change ourselves we start seeing life in a new outlook, an outlook which will be positive, accepting & forgiving.
We resent many things in other`s behaviour. We criticize their behaviour & many a times reprimand them. Instead of criticizing them we should try to keep ourselves away from such behaviour. What we abhor in others we should avoid it but many a times we ourselves adopt that behaviour. When we do the same thing what we dislike in others then we are no better than them. Actually we are larger culprit.
Actually we should learn from their behaviour. We should try to avoid all that we abhor in others. Bad behaviour & nature should help us improve ourselves. We are observing what we feel is not good for society & relations. When we see their effects on others it should immediately signal us to avoid adopting such nature. But many a times we adopt the same behaviour when it benefits us.
In
God`s creation there is nothing as good or bad. This is all perception of
individual mind. Good, bad, happiness, sorrow, threshold of pain &
enjoyment are different for all individuals. Good for one may be bad for other.
It depends on how we perceive a situation or thought. Same way we can`t
quantity the value of happiness. A person with the barest of means can live a
happy & satisfied life whereas a very rich person will live a troubled life
in pursuit of more wealth. Similarly a person can be easily troubled whereas
another person can take the same situation casually.
When we
feel the pain & sorrow of others plight then we can say that God or good
atman resides in the heart. Such a person will generally create good karmas.
Opposite of this trait will create bad karmas because greed & self-interest
will guide the deed.
It is always better to set an
example for others to follow than expect others to show good behaviour.
*******
Chapter 21
SATISFACTION & ACCEPTANCE
We don`t have to be a saint or sadhu or a sanyasi to live a righteous way of life. There is a perception that those who follow the righteous path are docile & weak person. They give in easily to pressure & don`t assert themselves. They are not aggressive in pursuit of higher goals. People don`t understand that a person has to have a very firm character & strength to be humble in upholding one`s principles.
No one is perfect in this world. Everybody has some drawback in their personality. We should be careful that we should have control over our senses, our tongue & our mind. It is not possible to be 100% in control of our senses, our mind & our tongue but we should try not to be their slave. We are human & we should strive to be Humane. This will always lead us on the righteous path.
We are balanced in pursuits of our needs when we are close to our inner self but when we move away from our inner self we get enamoured by materialistic pleasures. When we are close to spirituality our karmas will have a sense of responsibility creating good karmas. When we move away from spirituality, we tend to get attracted by materialistic things thus creating bad karmas.
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, our ex-President, highly respected Scientist & an eminent personality is a perfect example of a great person whose humble upbringing didn`t deter him from achieving unbelievable success without compromising on his integrity & self- belief. Accepting our situation & living within our means doesn`t mean that we are not ambitious. In pursuit of higher goals we should not feel disappointed & dejected with our present state. This way we will lose our present happiness at the altar of ambitious goals. Our aim & ambitions should be based on our grit & capabilities. It should not be based on envy & jealousy of others progress.
We are living in a society which has laid down norms which we have to adhere to. Following those norms we can live a normal life. In day to day routine life we can have many incidents & instances which can generate varied emotions & reactions. Some may be bad some may be good. We should not worry till the time they are momentarily passing phases. All these are routine emotions & reactions in a normal person`s life. Nobody can escape these varied moods & it is normal for a person living in a society.
Jealousy, greed, lust, envy & all the other vices are normal set of feelings in a routine life. We should not feel troubled by such behavioural blemishes till these thoughts try to control our actions. When our vices control our actions then we lose our sense of propriety. Vile thoughts that cross our mind should be taken as temporary blemish. Our aim should be that we should not deviate from our righteous path.
There is a very easy way to recognise what is right or wrong in life. When our action gives us restlessness, anxiety, anger, impatience and other negative feelings which may give us material gains but makes our personal life miserable then we are in the grip of vices or we are generating bad karmas. We are loser when intrinsically we are not happy even after gaining much materialistically.
Being grateful in what we have is the key to happiness. We have seen many who have very little means to survive but still they don`t crib & grumble. Their demeanour is of a person who is at peace with himself. This is the type of person most likely to help others without thinking of their own problems. They also had faced many difficulties & crisis but they didn`t give in to temptation of vices. They may not have much to show as material gains but they are much more satisfied & at peace with self.
Generally a poor family is financially troubled but lives a life which has more familial bonding & has empathy towards each others problems. Problem is treated as a family problem & not an individuals. Their trouble is overshadowed by the spirit of togetherness. They don`t feel the intensity of their maladies when it is shared by loved ones. They are groomed to share each other`s troubles & happiness since childhood.
When it is imbibed since childhood that whatever we have should be shared with other siblings it leaves a lasting impression on our minds. It becomes a part of our nature even when we don`t have much for ourselves we happily share whatever we have with others. They don`t feel bad sharing from their meagre resources. This is the reason we see a ready smile & satisfied look on their face.
In today`s world we are living an individualist life style. Self is more important than anyone else. We don`t have a joint family but a nuclear family. In a nuclear family there is no elder in the family to imbibe values & family traditions in a youngster. Nuclear family members are busy in their own schedule. Parents are busy in their career pursuits & child is left in care of a nanny or crèche. Money is spent to fill the vacuum of familial togetherness.
Since birth when a child`s love & affection is bought with bribes of gifts & toys then what values will a child learn. For him money is the source of happiness. He has seen his parent satisfying his cravings of parental love & affection with material things. Money doesn`t teach virtues it breeds greed. Instead of sharing it teaches hoarding & accumulating. It is not child`s fault but parents who have not been able to inculcate right virtues in the child.
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Chapter 22
CHANGE OURSELF
God has no favourites. Good & bad life is as per our karmas. God has set parameters & when we deviate from those parameters then we have to face the consequences.
There should be harmonious balance in whatever we do. In ancient times every activity was taken as a spiritual ritual to create a congenial atmosphere. Even cooking of food was a very strict ritual. Kitchen, ingredients, the procedure, proportion & the mental state of the person cooking should be in a good mood so that all the right energies should go in the food. Eating was also in a relaxed atmosphere so that the essence or the right energy in the food is absorbed by the body.
Same is the case of our birth. When our conception is with mutual consent, peace & acceptance then our life/birth will have all the positive energies required for a stable life. When there is anger or disruptive atmosphere then the final outcome will be flawed.
Whatever we do should be with good intention & with a pure heart. When our intentions are good we are at peace with ourselves. Our mind is at rest. When our greed leads us to plot & deceive others we create bad vibes. These bad vibes leads us to be stressful & agitated in our behaviour
We have to live with faults whether ours or others. If we have to maintain cordial & good relations with others then we have to ignore their drawbacks. We should also realise that we are not perfect. There is no one in this world who is 100% faultless.
We should not be self-depreciative & feel inferior to others. What work others can do we can also do. Initially we may be slow to cope up with it but as we gain expertise & knowledge we may surpass the person we were in awe of.
Be yourself. We try to live others life or try to emulate others. In the process we stop living our life.
Nobody can change you. You only
can change yourself.
Mostly we are not capable of identifying our own faults because of our ego.
We should not live life trying to satisfy everyone. We cannot satisfy everybody and in the process end up unable to enjoy & live our own life.
Do deeds without expectations & acknowledgement. We expect acknowledgement of our actions & deeds. We want people should feel indebted to us & by our actions we make them realise that they are under our obligation.
We always try to change the people around us or the world. There have been so many Gurus, Preachers & Saints who have been extolling virtues for us to follow. We have read their teachings & heard their discourses but has anything changed. They have been doing their best but we don`t follow their path. We take the path which gives us immediate results or things which we crave for. If we had followed the righteous path then Earth would have been a better place to live in.
The best way to improve life around us is by starting with self. We should try to change ourselves. When we realize that we need to mend our way then we are at least sure of positive change in one person. Nobody can change us until & unless we realise the need for change. It should come from inside us then only some progress can be made.
What we expect from others we should first try to inculcate in us. What behaviour or conduct we abhor in others should be taboo for us & what we expect from others should be first adopted by us.
We have heard that multiple drops become an ocean. Same way changes in each one of us can change the world. It has to be every individual`s efforts but we attempt to change others en masse. We want to change others but the change should be in the self & from within.
God has displayed all types of life & life forms for us to see & choose from. What we see around is sample of life or life form we can choose to live. It is our choice as well as a warning to us. It is for us to decide what life & life from we want to live in next birth. When we see life around us we aspire to become like someone who is better off than us. To aspire is not bad but to employ unethical means to acquire is bad. This way we may achieve success in this life but we are surely creating bad karmas for next life.
We are lucky that we are born as
a human being & we have the power to know what is right & wrong. We
have some good karmas because of which we are born as human beings. We know
good karmas will improve our life but bad karmas will pull us to a lower life
from or life. Only deciding factor of quality of our life is our karma.
******
Chapter 23
VIRTUES & VICES
To lead an ideal life as per Dharma is not very difficult. It becomes difficult when we aspire for things which are beyond our means. When we are unable to satisfy our aspirations then we lose our mental peace. We adopt unethical ways to acquire things which may not be within our reach in normal course of time. People who adopt unethical means lack faith, patience, trust, satisfaction, acceptance & adjustment. Basically they lack peace of mind.
When greed rules our life then we live a life full of stress. Mental stress put pressure on our nerves resulting in many related ailments like Blood pressure, Heart problem, Diabetes, kidney & other problems. Our body is like a circuit system. If the wiring is faulty or frayed then the current passing through the wire will be uneven thus resulting in damaging our machines or resulting in causing sudden collapse or fire.
Same is the case with our body. When we are highly stressed due to pressure then our nervous system gets frayed resulting in improper supply of nutrients to our system. Regularly infrequent & irregular supply starts damaging our vital organs. We get afflicted by many ailments. We have to be dependent on medicines to survive & this is the reason for sudden death even in youngsters.
When we walk on the path of Dharma we lead an ideal life. Material things take a back seat. Virtues play a major part in our life. Mental peace & stability are part of our persona. Strength of that person is the virtues which govern his life. If we pursue some basic virtues in life they will automatically create good karmas.
We don`t have to spend any money or material things in following these virtues but only slight change in our perception to see things.
Faith: Faith in self & God gives us an inner strength to face any adverse situation. Self-belief helps in having confidence in whatever we do. When we have faith in God then we believe that God has only good for his wards & when we have faith in self then we know that we can overcome any adverse situation in our life.
Patience: Quality of being able to stay calm & not get agitated especially when there is a difficulty or when we don`t get immediate result & have to wait a long time. Patience gives us strength without tension to wait for an opportune time. Greed makes us anxious to grab at opportunity which is not due to us at that time but when we get things at opportune time it will be as destined & truly ours.
Trust: The belief that somebody is good, honest, sincere and will not try to harm or trick anyone. This belief will come when we have trust in our abilities. When we trust our abilities then only we can face the world boldly & with confidence.
Satisfaction: Be satisfied with what we have. This will help us live in the present & enjoy the present. Aspiration is must for growth but without greed as there is no limit for a person`s greed. A satisfied person will feel bliss & joy with whatever he has than a person who has everything but still not be happy in pursuit of more.
Acceptance: Accept the situation we are in. When we resist we create friction but when we accept we remain calm & poised. Acceptance minimises resistance thus reducing roadblocks from our lives.
Adjustment: We should be flexible to adjust ourselves in adverse conditions. To adjust means we should accept the situation & try to find alternate ways to face the situation without compromising on principles.
Humane: Being Humane is the main virtue of a human being. Humane means loving, caring & having empathy towards all beings on earth. When we are humane we can`t consciously hurt anybody or seeing anybody`s suffering.
Compassion: Compassion empowers us to feel others pain & try to help them in their time of trouble. This helps in spreading love around us. This will bring good vibes around us. Compassion binds everyone together with a thread of wellbeing.
Courage: We should have courage to stand for our conviction. Conviction means the ideals which form the basis of our life. Our courage can give guidance for others to follow.
Moderation: Whatever we do should not be in extremes. Things which go beyond moderation become a vice. Temper, behaviour, eating habits, expectations and any other things when done in excess can become vices. When we are used to moderation it helps us to survive & live within our means.
Generosity: We should be generous in condoning, helping & forgiving others. The best thing we will get out of it is peace of mind. Our heart will be guilt free.
Humble: Being humble keeps inflated ego away. Ego hinders proper thinking of a person thus creating unwanted rifts in relations. People think humble person to be a weak person who they think gives in to others but they don`t understand that to be humble needs lots of courage & guts.
Ambition/Pride: We have to be ambitious in life but not over ambitious. Ambition gives impetus to life but over ambition may lead us to take unethical ways to reach our goal.
Charity: Every religion preaches that we have an obligation towards those who are less blessed than us. We should donate a part of our income for upliftment of others & also help needy. When we have the capacity we are duty bound to help. It is one of the major differences between a human being & other animals.
Speak less Hear more should be everyone`s motto. When we hear more we can get to learn from others experience. When we speak we speak from what knowledge we have gained thus may give out our inexperience as well as our depth of knowledge. We should also not speak out of turn or before being able to comprehend the full meaning of the conversation. When we speak more we may give out more of our ignorance than what we intended.
All the above virtues may seem very unconventional in today`s ambition driven world but adopting these simple way of life will gives us a peaceful & guilt free life. If we see them in tabular form they may look too many to follow but when we start adopting these virtues we will realise that they are interconnected. When we adopt one virtue than other virtue will follow automatically.
All the virtues are interconnected & very easy to adopt. One step leads to another. When we have faith we trust, develop patience, are ready to accept situation, we adjust to accept others view, become more humble, be charitable, have compassion, be humane, become generous & live within means which automatically reduces ego n pride. All this is automatic & without efforts. We have to be determined to not deviate from the right path.
Flipside of virtues are vices. Greed, lust, envy & ego are main vices. Vices are mainly considered uncivilised & against ethical norms of society. When vices become a part of our life we live a life full of guilt, tension & anxiety.
We will always be stressful & high strung on short fuse. Anything done in excess becomes a vice. Thus if virtue becomes an obsession then they are termed as vice.
Vices may lead us to short term gains but surely long term loss.
Virtues may not show short term
gain but surely give long term life full of benefits.
******
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