The Law of settling scores

If a person's prosperity or adversity in the present life is due to his past deeds, as stated in the Hindu Law of cause and effect, how to know the acts carried out previously so that we can now correct ourselves? This query lurks in the mind of almost all of us But knowledge of the past will only lead to complications and will disrupt the relationship between partners in life and father and son.

A parable refers to two very intimate friends, one of whom gave a sizable loan to the other when in dire need But after sometime, when the amount was demanded, he denied having taken the money. "God alone was a witness" the giver said Both were re-born and the daughter of the recipient of loan and the son of one who gave it, were married The former used to visit her father often and bring back valuable gifts every time On one occasion, she was keen to possess a silver tea- set from her father but the husband, this time, warned her that he will not part with it, indicating that "the deal has been fully settled," a statement which she could not then understand. When she approached her father as Usual and sought the valuable article, the latter chided her and declined to part with it. The husband had taken back the amount loaned in prior birth and the scores were thus settled.

The Law relating to the result of previous acts is universal I and it is God's mercy that we are not aware of the past, I said Sri J. P. Vaswani There are several methods to take 1 steps to ensure the progress of the soul. The best among them is to live in the company of holy men. The mind is full of impurities and the stains in the mirror of the heart could be removed through "Sath Sangh." There should be an appointment with God daily through prayers.

The Gita, the Bible and the Quran all point towards amity but we have not adhered to their teachings. While we may be proud of our sages, the latter are ashamed of us. Mere mechanical repetition of the verses in holy books will serve no purpose because a tape record can do it. It will be wise to take one verse, digest the contents, practise in life and preach them to others. God does not ask us as how many scriptures we have read. The wicked may seem to be happy but they will be inwardly jittery. The root cause of suffering is "ego" and if one gets released from its tentacles, one will feel happy.
                                                                          December 11, 1991

Man's end depends on deeds in previous births

One of the Divine injunctions point out that God alone has the sole authority to create or destroy any sentient being. As such, anyone who cannot give or bring back life has no right to take it away. Whether man's passing away from this world should be easy and painless or agonising is determined by the accumulated results of his deeds committed in his previous births.

This being the case, putting an end to a person's life prematurely is certainly a crime. Some people who are not able to meet problems and who are immersed in grief for a long time may feel disgusted with their very existence and may opt to quit by resorting to unnatural methods.

References are there in sacred texts of even astute persons getting vexed and wondering why they should continue to live. So too are some who may pray to God to help them to shed their mortal coils because of certain types of incurable illness.

Why should not a person resort to any step that is not normal when he is keen not to survive any further, was explained by Sri Sugunendra Thirtha Swami (Udupi Puthige Math). Opinion is gaining ground to excuse men who attempt to commit suicide interpreting their acts as stemming from a diseased mind. Legally such an attempt to do anything connected with suicide is punishable.

Giving an illustration, the Swami referred to the terminal illness of a person. He was aged and the doctors were fighting to put off the impending end hy various ways. But the old man welcomed death. His kith and kin were determined to look after him very well till nature does her job. The patient desired to see that his end is accelerated while his children were keen to save him. Purchasing a bottle containing Poison and trying to consume it were entirely different acts. A rabid dog and so too a race-horse that suffers from a dangerous epidemic can be shot. But a man, even when he consents to any deed to alleviate his own agony, cannot be mercy- killed.

Scriptures give details of the future of persons who may die premature or who my depart by adopting prohibited steps. God is the arbiter and He alone has the say about our end.

Prayers will mitigate our sufferings and we can submit ourselves at His feet pleading for a peaceful journey.
                                                                          August 4, 1993

Births, result of past actions

The Hindu scriptures have not been left in the form of a book. They represent the compilation of the injunctions of God, culled out by ancient wisdom, left for the good of posterity. God has provided plenty of opportunities for men to uphold these rules and gain peace and bliss. If they are followed with faith and sincerity, mankind will surely enjoy prosperity. When the directives are defied, naturally people would suffer adversity. When some fail to adhere to them, God gives one more chance so that in their rebirths, they can reap the benefits.

Out of His extreme compassion, the Lord has assured men that with His extraordinary powers. He would grant any boon to anyone who loves Him and obeys His commands. In His Bhagavad Gita, the Lord as Krishna reveals His greatness and easy approachability. Those who have no faith in Him, will fail to acquire spiritual knowledge and devotional love for Him and therefore face miseries. All beings, sentient and insentient, exist in Him and He, the Supreme, is present in them. The world has come into existence from His powers but He is independent of them. He can exist without any support from anyone.

When a new era commences, God sends the souls into the world through His powers. The multitude of living beings come into existence, time and again, based on their past actions by God's will. A question arises in this regard as why, when He is full of compassion, there should be differences among the creations, some prosperous and some in indigent circum- stances. Should not all be alike? It is here that the theory of consequential results of one's actions governs re-appearances.

If one has followed God's orders, one's rebirth will be in accordance with his past behaviour. It is like a person who can draw money from a bank only if has cash in his account. Otherwise, he cannot insist on any withdrawal. The agent of the bank has no say in the matter. Like a witness, God always stands aloof. His grace is there forever but He is independent of these actions.

Sri Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami in his discourse said, that God had also explained the classification of His creation. They are not based on any consideration (like caste) .One class is called the celestials and another, broadly by the term human beings who grow vertically. The third refers to the animals which develop horizontally and the birds. The last category remain stationary like the trees. There is a soul in every creation. At the time of appearance, the various parts of the body are in a subtler form and as they develop, they manifest clearly.
                                                                          January 27, 1996

Repose faith in God in times of distress

Even those who are deeply attached to God, who serve Him with absolute devotion and who strictly adhere to Divine Commandments are at times demoralised with the doubt whether God will respond to them or admit them into His fold because

they see men who openly defy God going unpunished. These non-believers are even rewarded, are prosperous and enjoy power, whereas those who have placed their reliance on god and the scriptures, seem to be ignored and made to experience misery. This makes them feel that they too can become atheists.

Some other God-fearing persons, when thrown amidst adversity conclude that they have been singled out to undergo trails while unscrupulous men go about parading their prosperity and happiness. But in real life, atheists may not be sleeping on a bed of roses. Their happiness will certainly be short-lived and they will not have mental peace. They cannot forever denigrate God or continue to defy His codes. It is during the period of hardship that devotees should stand undaunted and continue to hold on to God's feet. God will surely protect them. Joy and grief will alternate in life and it is in times of distress that men should display their fortitude.

God's grace is source to descend on the faithful.

The jeeyar Swami of Ahobila Math in his discourse illustrated this by the story of two men visiting a temple. One among them ridiculing tradition, went round the precincts anticlockwise and he saw a currency note, picked it and flaunted it before the other, who during his circumambulation sustained an injury and was upset. An elderly visitor explained this freakish test by pointing out that had the atheist followed the rules, he would have struck a treasure trove (which he had missed) while the believer was saved from a serious accident as the which he had just crossed had crashed.

Confidence of Divine intervention in crucial time was proved in the case of a boy who was asked by his father to conduct daily worship to God when he was away on a brief tour. The young devotee carried out the puja but found that the food placed before the idol remained untouched.  He was about to break his head demanding that God should take the food when He responded. The father on return disbelieved the boy's version that the Lord had consumed but found it to be true on verification. Faith establishes a link between God and His devotee.
                                                                          February 6, 1996