The Law of Karma gives perfect reasoninng to all that happens in this universe - if that is the word that describes the limitless existence around us. We see the same cycle repeating around us - good intentions somehow evocating a similar response. The same phenomena we are unable to explain - what is the fault of THAT baby who's born with congenital defects. Health-conscious people contracting diseases. A pedestrian losing his life due to rash driving. Or, taking an even more commonplace case one making a mistake he normally wouldn't. When John Nash was asked what led the greatest mathematician of the first half of this century to believe that extraterrestrials were contacting them, he simply replied " I believed them because they came to my mind the same way my mathematical ideas did". Would you then blame him for having believed it?
There is only one law that explains all this, that governs Nature(this term does not stand for only the trees and animals; it encompasses EVERYTHING within and outside). THE LAW OF KARMA. Put in the simplest words in Christianity is as "As you sow, so you reap". But having tremendous depth and impact in it's manifestations.
Every thought of ours also has an effect.
As against the general belief that the law of Karma makes us a creature of our circumstances, the fact is that it brings in the individual the awareness that he, by his present deeds, controls his future. He is very much responsible,in some way, for everything that has, is and will happen concerning him. What we call 'being wronged' is actually a result of our own Karma. For that matter, any result is a function of various Karmas-related or unrelated. This is why the Gita simply asks us to stop predicting or expecting the timing and nature of results.
Are circumstances are not in control at present - though we too, in some way, from some era, are responsible for the way they are today - what is, is our attitude to it, our response to it. When in pain, when hurt, we suffer; a range of emotions rise within us. This very surge has set the chain for the future results. What we need to do rather is to simply take ourselves back to equilibrium first. Meditate till at peace. What we objectively put as "Calm down, keep cool". Realise that NEVER is it the other person's fault, it's our own Karma. He is only the medium. And there is nothing called LUCK. Stay in peace. And now go ahead. No deed by itself is right or wrong. The attitude of the mind, the Karma, leads to the result. The Indian Constitution and judiciary beautifully seems to realise this. A murder in self-defence is not punished. Capital punishment is given with utmost restraint. Any crime is punished by only snatching freedom, the best we can do to do both - keep society free from chaos and give time to the criminal to realise his mistakes. The deed we do now with the attitude we now have, this seed we now sow and the way we do it, will definitely reap the corresponding fruit tomorrow. This is the root of Gandhiji's "The end should not justify the means", Christianity's "Faith can move mountains" or even Stephen Covey's "The best solutions in life are Win-Win".
But then, won't our response, at least to some extent, be a function of our Karmic patterns, our individual set of experiences, which in turn could continue the downward slide while the aim should be to spiral things upwards till we reach the stage where we can(and spontaneously will) break loose. Perhaps this is why the need for a Guru, a person who from his higher can foresee us and set us on the right path. Stress also is laid on surrendering to the guru who WE REALISE must lead us. But then, won't this choice too be a result of our own inherent vasanas. For we discount the plane at which our guide is. Perhaps our choice would be blurred enough to choose someone only high enough for our convenience, not our good.
Maybe this is why gurus at the highest planes like Gautama Buddha and Mahavira Jaina felt the need to lay down a set of principles for right living. But then, was this what was wanted by the guru at the highest plane, Krishna - the one who rendered the Gita. He even goes to specify four paths to moksha thus laying the onus not on the deeds but rather the intention. Or were his teachings being so manipulated that some spoken principles had to come about. We don't know, but from the number of followers Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira had, it might seem so.
This now leads us to the question "What then is the purpose behind creation? If every action has an effect, what was meant to be the final result of creation?" Swami Vivekananda put it aptly in the World Conference of religions that the Hindu will not hide his ignorance. He will simply say 'I don't know'. Even Lord Krishna never revealed with what motive was creation begun. Why was the cycle begun in the first place. Perhaps we needn't know or aren't supposed. Just the way Einstein and Stephen Hawking felt when researching the orgin the, scope, nature and secrets of the universe. Which even led Einstein to comment "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him".
But many are the secrets that lie buried, leading a life in such circumstances is like coding without knowing the Functional Specifications. Yes, we have been given(if we look at it so) the Coding Standards though. Life changes so much in a hundred years, how can we comprehend how different it would have been thousands of years ago.
A premium is laid on chastity by the spiritual heads of various religions. So is the result of creation meant to be the end of it? Is that what bought to an end the various yugas...
There is another doubt, who gives all these lessons to a child. If he happens to be in bad circumstances due to his past birth's karmas, then wouldn't he continue to add to them - dependant and easily malleable that he is during his childhood - under such circumstances. Who is to teach him to master self to one day be able to break the bondage. IS this why the gurukul system came into being? Why then has it ended? Is it because it failed to live up to it's purpose? And why so? Is it because Mother Nature wanted her child to live in the circumstances he was responsible for....
--03-Nov-2003
No comments:
Post a Comment