Letter No. 1

Making Karma an Offering

Hari om !

P… wrote : Well i do get the point what SA pointed out but I would like a further introspection into it. Well you say what we do is a gift for the Lord, Well then if it makes no difference to myself why will the self centered human being do any thing.

Well ! to get things straight, when SA quoted Swami Chinmayanandaji saying that 'What you get is Lord's gift to you, and what you do is your offering to HIM' then your contention is that 'why will a self-centered human being do anything'. Is that right ! If that is so then my reply is that when you start living a life for someone, in utter love, then not only the joy of the work increases manifold but we have enough evidence that the effeciency & productivity of that person also increases manifold. I am sure even a self-centered person would like that. OK, a selfish person does'nt care a damn about anyone else except himself, no gratitude to parents, friends, the society or God, but even such a deluded & closed person should try out the motivation of 'love'. His productivity will increase manifold.

Work remaining same, if the motivation is to take others too into consideration then the end result too gets positively effected. I remember a small story, which should communicate my point.

A dam was being constructed in a place and some labourers were working on the site. Someone came and interviewed the labourers as to 'For whom are they working ?

The first one replied : For myself, I will earn money and enjoy life in my own way. What else will anyone work for !!!

The second one said : For my family, who have given me all what I have. This body itself with which I am working was so lovingly looked after by my mother when I could hardly walk. They love me so much, and I will see to it that they are looked after nicely. I will give everything I can for them. That's why I am working.

The third one said : It is for my whole society. When the dam will be ready we will have enough water & electricity. With water and electricity at their disposal, our people will be able to fulfill all their basic needs, there will be more work, employment, and thus prosperity. I too will be a beneficiery, but then I get greater joy to see the well being of all. May all be happy, and I will be the happiest man. My work is just a small offering in that great endeavor which has been undertaken to make all happy. That's why I am working.

Here all three people, inspite of their different motivations did get their pay cheques, but history later showed that the person 'with a kind & big heart' which had love for all, rose one day to become the source of inspiration & leader of all. The person working for his selfish ends ended his life in isolation, despondency & mediocrity."

So when we say that 'work with love', then we say that let your motivation be such that the best gets a chance in you to come out. Your pay cheques will come to you alone, but with a bonus.

I would rather say what you do you should take responsibility for it.

There is no question here of shirking any resposibility whatsoever. If by saying that 'what I get is God's will' someone is just passing on the buck to God then you are right, it is negative, but in case you are first motivated to give out your best, and then, also keep yourself away from the short-sighted arrogation that 'I alone am responsible for this result' then I think that is the most ideal situation. Whether you like it or not, every success is ultimately a team work, and the most graceful thing is to give credit to everyone & not to yourself alone. Team is not merely your partners in your work field, but also all those unseen factors which were very favourable, call it luck or what you like, but lot of unknown X factors were helpful, then alone success is possible. Dont you think that we should give credit to someone for that also ? The word 'God' for me stands for all those known & unknown factors. I work hard, learn from my experiences, but when I get the final result then I simply remember all those known & unknown factors too who helped me get this success. If remaining free from all 'arrogation of credit to yourself alone' is also on your agenda, then the best possible way is to see & realise that the 'success is because of the help of all my team, and all those X factors which I do not even know of'. That is the implication we have in our minds when we say it was 'This success was God's gift to us.' I hope you see my point.

It's very easy to say i did it for i was supposed to and i got what I deserved or further what he desired to give me. Why that is outrageous !!! How can we do a thing and take our responsibilty out of it . That’s amazing, i would not take that in. You have to take the full responsibilty of what you do.

There is no denying the fact that everyone does get that which he deserves, but having given out all what you have in your work, in a dynamic, creative & loving way, the ability to give credit of the same to someone else does require a special degree of magnanimity & wisdom, which at times may not be understood by others. What I am suggesting is a work with full responsibility, dynamism, yet that special magnanimity having the fragrence of love & wisdom.

Yeah, don't take the fruits in as your aim but yes do set some goals and see that you get to it, hook or by crook.

Yes, with a clear goal in mind, hard work is a must. I am with you there. But by hook or by crook, is not my way. I would not prefer to step & crush others toes if I have to catch my train. My ideal is a dynamic yet a conscentious man and not someone without any feelings or a heart. I think this is where we differ. This I think is extremely important for you too. My understanding shows that work of anyone treading this path will be not only be counter-productive but positively detrimental for him and also for all those around you. Please think deeply on this.

Love & om

Letter No. 2

Swadharma & Vasanas

Hari om !

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. Following your huge work you do on the internet and mailing lists, and imagining the work you do for your ashram, I can not stop to wonder how you can still find a time to answer my mails too! Thank you for all your work you do for the benefit of others.

Yes, I do keep myself busy. Conducting daily classes for my students in the Ashram, handling organizational matters, meetings for planning & organizing future camps & discourses etc, writing articles, preparing for next newsletter, handling e-mails & snail mails, apart from my time for self-study, garden & my dog. You can never ask for anything better if your love alone is your professional work too. I think if you really love doing some work then time is not too big a problem. You find your way, for the simple reason that you like it. I have always been inspired by a statement of my Guru, Swami Chinmayanandaji : 'Diligently, consistently shall we work and undertake daringly even stupendous programs. Whenever a piece of work comes our way, we shall accept it as from Him, and do it for Narayan, offering its results, be it success or failure, entirely unto the Great Parameshwara... Reveling in our tiredness !, joyous in our exhaustion !, blissful with our fatigue ! we shall still work on inspiredly in our endless love for Him who is thrilling us into performance from within. He tickles, and our giggles percolate in suffocating laughter through our daily actions.' I like the spirit of this attitude and since then I enjoy every moment as I have never before. The secret is that you do yet do dont.

In the commentary to Gita 18.10, Swami Chinmayananda writes about 'a man established in sattwic abandonment' and that 'he is overwhelmed neither by extreme joy, nor by extreme sorrow'. I would like to ask about the word 'extreme' here, which also appeared in some of your earlier mails. Does the using of the word means that joy and sorrow still can 'overcome' a man of realization, but not 'extreme'?

No, that is not the implication here. The word 'extreme' is used only to indicate that even extreme sorrows do not effect a 'man of realisation', what to talk of small ones.

After that, Swami Chinmayananda writes "When, to such a man of Sattwic Tyaga, impulses such as jealousy, anger, passion, greed, etc., come, he does not get involved in those impulses...". Where such impulses can come from, if not from within, and how they can come to a man of Sattwic Tyaga on the first place? Or it is meant that then such impulses come from other men, such a man does not answer them?

Please remember that 'man of sattvic tyaga' is not yet a 'man of realisation'. He or she is in the process. So the thoughts of jealousy etc. can not yet be ruled out. What ever comes it comes only from within and not outside.

I see the word vasana appeared with short description as 'thought tendencies of the human mind'. How 'vasanas' are different from 'swadharmas' if this difference is important?

Yes, the difference is extremely important. Both of them are basically 'impressions in mind', the only difference is that while 'swadharma' relates to our field of work, 'vasanas' are lingering remnants of some sensual experience, where the thirst is yet to be fulfilled, thus propelling us to go for it again & again. So the former is an impression relating to 'work-field', while the latter is for 'fruits'.

Regarding 'fruits' of the actions, I have a feeling that before I did not care much for them, but now I am asking myself all the time why I do certain things, and spend too much time worrying about not worrying for 'fruits'! I think it is not better than worrying for fruits themselves.

No, I will put it differently. Before you 'did not know' that you cared for the 'fruits of action', while now you are 'conscious' of this fact. But know this to be a temporary phase. The purpose of bringing about this awareness is to correct a possible error, and see to it that all our entire and uncompromising attention is focused only on enjoying the very work. Now that you are conscious of this fact you will not escape it even if you like, till of course, the positive change is brought about.

Dear Swamiji, I came across two descriptions of 'natural' states of being one with the Self. One is in the deep sleep and another is a rare state of being completely in tune with everything in the moments of happiness. If these both states describe the same feeling of being one with the Self, why they do not bear the same degree of 'desirability' of these states? I can get deep sleep every night, and not particularly fond of an idea of being in a deep sleep forever. At the other hand, the feeling of being in peace and harmony with every thing and one is an attractive one, and can be a driving force for the study of the Self. Can the latter state of being happy be compared with being one with the Ishwara - the Self with a creating potential, while deep sleep state is being one with the pure Consciousness?

There is a great difference between the states of 'sushupti' and the state of 'samadhi'. In the former, the deep-sleep state, you glide in because of your exhaustion & tiredness, while in the latter you go in because of your heightened awareness & understanding. Experience of thoughtlessness being same, the lessons we learn, the knowledge we derive makes the real difference. You by now should be convinced that the real problem of every individual is 'ignorance' of the truth of his Self. This being the case, the state of samadhi represents 'culmination of our understanding', while our inability to consciously go into a 'thoughtless' state shows absence of having learnt the right lessons from the variegated experiences which come our way, and thus the continuation of ignorance with all its consequences.

Love

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Letter No. 3

Man - the Embodiment of Perfection

Hari om !

Swamiji I need an explanation on this one. " Man is the embodiment of perfection ."

Indeed man is an embodiment of perfection. Look from any angle. Physical body is perfect, beautiful. Emotionally he can feel what no others can ever imagine. Intellectually the advances in science etc are mind-boggling. He being the very inventor of Super Computers obviously has a mind which is much more advanced than that too. He goes around with a Super-super computer on his shoulders all the time, his own head with its brain.

Spiritually he has the capacity to transcend time. He can change his destiny. He can realize the transcendental truth. He can awake to a state where he himself is the infinite & immortal truth. He can be one with God himself. He is potentially God, and can awake to that state too. The Upanishads educate us to keep that alone as our real goal of life, and also reveal the methodology of this inner awakening too. What more can we ever imagine or hope for ?

This is if he gets the right knowledge. The problem today is that even though this guy has an inimitable, sophisticated, portable, super computer right on his shoulder, but he neither knows how to operate it, nor is made aware of it. Our education system is indeed in shambles. We are educated just to make a living, nothing else. Ignorance of his real truth, potential & capacities has brought about mis-apprehensions about himself being limited in time, space & capacities. The situation is comparable to mis-apprehending a piece of shell on the sea shore to be a piece of some silverware or some such thing. Once the basis is wrong there-after the entire calculation goes haywire.

Isn’t it strange that very very rarely people know about the truth of their own Self, yet claim to know so many things. The state of most of the people is comparable to a dream state. Living in a world which is projected & transitory, yet as long as he dreams he takes all that to be real. Just as we get up from our dreams and realize that it was all a projection, so also a person going into the truth of life comes to realize that the divisions, limitations, including the very continuum of time & space are not really there. This entire world is like a big dream in the mind of the creator. It is not really there. There is one thing which always remains and we all are basically that. Once this discriminative capacity & understanding is brought about thereafter it will be directly perceived that 'Man indeed is an embodiment of perfection'.

Love

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Letter No. 4

Enjoy doing that which is Right

Hari om !

Thank you very much for all your time you spending for me, and all your patience with me. Despite your many occupations you took me aboard and I can not say it would be easy for me to leave the boat by my free will. I would be happy to have a hope to stay for some time (untill you feel it is ok to leave me somewhere on more or less solid ground or loose your patience, whatever comes first), meanwhile I will try to make my presence as bearable as possible and not to drop in vain any word of wisdom you say (alas, I hear only what you say directly to me!). What is about being a mouse? You can ignore most of its squeaks, and answer only ones you consider most important, and any time you speak you will have a pair of grateful pink ears sticking out of the nearest hole.

I consider this sharing of my knowldge to be my Lord's wish, because as I see it He alone gives all situations. As whatever I do is my offering at His feet, so this entire endeavor is my pleasure alone. In this ship the Captain will never ask you, or for that matter anyone to leave. You are the one who has to decide your destination, and again you are the one who has to decide to leave or even not to leave. The Captain is on a lookout for nice genuine people in this vast majority of humanity called this world, and is the most happy person when he sees such people. The lady with the pink ears appears to be of that category.

Dear Swami, some time ago we talked about meditation and prayer. I told you I have problems with meditation and can not pray, too. After reading your letter about prayer many times, I found it extremely easy to do it (prayer that is), it came by itself without me asking for it and even thinking about something completely else. It came as a surprise after as I realized that I was *reading* about it many times (Sri Ramakrishna), and it never had such a profound effect, although many more words were spend. I am very thankfull to you and God for directing the words to my heart.

I am happy that you have now started discovering the meaning of 'prayers'.

Dear Swamiji, you wrote prayer is the first step to the right meditation. Should I make effort to make it 'right', or it is better just to wait untill it comes by itself?

You should neither put efforts to make it right nor wait for it to come by itself. You should just be convinced that what is implied by prayers is something worth doing. Dont wait for anything. Just do it, enjoying its very doing. Dont look forward to anything. Dont look at it as a means for an end, but just something which is a joy by itself. One need not always be so calculative, so as to think that expression of gratitude towards God will bring so & so benefits, and lift me to such a height etc. The overwhelming experience of genuine gratitude melts the very reciepient. When you see all what is being showered on you, then you just thank from the core of your heart. If this very act has its own benefits too, then also such a person is hardly bothered. The result if any always comes unasked. All worthwhile things come unasked.

And how one can lead to another, if even physical reactions are opposite - fast heartbeat and excitation for praying and calmness for meditation? Probably I am asking ahead of time and should just wait a little bit to see by myself..?

Even though the above reply should answer this question too, but still if you ask, then you are right. First start praying from your heart, and then look back to see if you still have any questions left.

I will try to get the books you mentioned. What is the relation between Upanishads and Gita? Is it right to consider Gita as a direct message from Krishna and Upanishads as a essence of the human knowledge?

Upanishads, Gita and Brahma Sutras are three fundamental texts of Vedanta. All expound the same Vedanta Philosophy. Upanishads are mother of Gita, they are the basic source books. Gita talks about the same vision but to a relatively lower level of student. It is therefore easy to relate. I too like Gita very much. While Upanishads talk to a man with a pure mind, Gita talks to someone who is very devoted, sincere but still has some problems of attachment etc. Both of them are from the mouth of God.

I am in love with Gita, and have used 'Gita as it is' to get exact meaning of the words in order to understand the records of chanting of Gita. I have somewhat abandoned the efforts of learning this way (understanding Sanscrit) because I was afraid to put the 'means' above the 'ends', should I try it again? (Sometimes I feel I am ignoring 'means' too much).

It is better to learn Gita with shlokas. It is worth learning Sanskrit too. Means have an important role to play, dont ignore them.

I have several translations, and comments by S.Radhakrishnan, is it of use? What is wrong with comments in 'Gita as it is'? I can not use it other than purely technically, but I can not figure out why. Why Sri Aurobindo's comments on Upanishads are not to use? Is the same true for his 'Essays on the Gita' (I have it too)?

Do read the various books you have on Gita, but also read the books I have suggested. You will know the difference yourself. There are different interpretations of Vedanta by different teachers. 'Gita as it is' has various good things, but philosophically it does not subscribe to Advaita Vedanta, which I believe is the real purport of Upanishads and Gita. When the aim is to understand the text thoroughly then it is important that only those texts should be given importance which expound Advaita Vedanta properly. When traditionally there is already a definite methodology which helps & guides us to go deep into such texts, then why should I go to those texts which expound the individual view more than the purport of Gita.

Dear Swamiji, I am very gratefull for all your time spend for me. I feel guilty because I *do not* feel guilty to use your limitless kindness and knowledge toward me. It is like the knowledge you have can not be personal knowledge. Please, forgive me if I in my egoism forget you are a person, who can get tired, need some time to sleep, and have much more important things to do than to answer my questions. I would love to be of service to you too.

Please dont feel grateful or guilty and all that, just keep on considering me as your own Self. Talk to me as you talk to your own Self. Try to understand this aspect of your self. Try to understand what I really wish to communicate. Yes, you can be of some service to me. I want some thing from you, but I wonder whether you can give it me at this stage. I want whatever traces you have of your ego. Give it to me lock, stock and barrel. Can you ? If you can, then never raise such topics again, and if you cant, then also dont ask such things again, because you dont have the capacity to give what is asked for.

With lots of love & om

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Letter No.5

Nishkama Karma

Hari om!

It was indeed nice to know about your husband & daughter. With this background I will certainly be in a better position to understand your queries and responses better. Association of good, caring and responsible people is indeed one of the greatest blessing in life. May the wisdom of the knowledge of truth bless you and the both your family members to make the best of this beautiful blessing called life. I always take the 'increased efficiency in one's work field' and 'increased understanding & happiness amongst the family members' as important criteria's to know how far the positive values of life have been inculcated in one's life. I am happy to see your intelligent handling of delicate matters which not only helps others get all the benefit of your convictions without offending them.

I started to read the 18th chapter of Gita to understand more on the topic we are talking about, but started from the beginning of the chapter, and got some questions in the very beginning. What is meant by 'obligatory' actions which are to be performed? What defines 'obligatority' or 'non-obligatority' of an action? Is it that society expects of me or that I expect of myself? If there is no society, are obligatory actions still here and which?

Obligatory duties are those 'must-do' things which are necessary for not only sustaining our existence but also for our holistic development. They range from daily eating your food properly, to satisfactorily fulfilling your self-imposed responsibilities in a sattvic way. Retaining the awareness of the truth of life is an important ingredient to perform our duties 'properly'. As 'society' is not something really apart from you, so the question of society expecting something from you doesn't arise.

Now the next. I may be well aware of possible 'fruits' of an action - in the above example, one can enjoy higher status, salary and respect after becoming a doctor, and more, these could partially fulfill my obligations toward my children, allowing them better education for example. So, I am aware and can reasonably expect that these consequences will accompany the decision to go to the med.school. Does it make the position as one of expecting 'fruits' and wrong as so?

Every decision in our life has its effect on all the different facets of our lives. Nothing is in isolation here. Awareness of the possible consequences of a particular action doesn't make an action self-centered by itself. The important thing to see is as to what is your real motivation. If the motivation is anything other than your deep love for the thing work, it will not be considered to be an ideal thing. You will not be able to really enjoy the very doing of the work. As your considerations are something else, the possibility of leaving this work the moment your objective is fulfilled is not ruled out. Under these conditions the best never comes out. We thus have two options either do the thing you love or really love the thing you do. If you can make 'enjoying the very work' your priority, then we know that economical betterment will have to inevitably follow. Afterall there are always very few people at any place or time who really give out all what they have in each of their endeavor. Such people will not remain isolated for long, and the moment they come to light, then economic prosperity follows them unasked. Enjoying the very doing of a work will not only let you have an upper hand, but also helps to bring out your best, which has various cyclic effects, ranging from increased efficiency, job-satisfaction, creativity, economic prosperity and the most interesting is the purity of mind (as required for the direct realisation of the self), the fragrance of contentment inspite of dynamic activity. This is what 'Nishkama karma' is all about. Having discovered the right way of total all around well being & progress, you will not only have all the resources at your command, but also the discretion to use it for any purpose you deem fit, education of your child etc.

In your lessons on Tattva Bodha, you give an example of Chodya-chodaka sambandha as a knowledge of agriculture for the goal of farming. Is farming here a 'fruit' of pursuing knowledge? Are 'goals' and 'fruits' are the same and to be abandoned? Or it is my thinking of 'fruits' as 'mine' wrong, and nothing is wrong in reasonable assumption that certain actions bear certain fruits?

Yes, in the present context goals and fruits are same, but they have not to be abandoned. Be intelligently aware of the various possible 'fruits' of action, but let your real joy come only from the very 'doing' part of it. When something is bound to come then why waste your time waiting for it. Moreover even if you perform your action properly then also the fact remains that the probable right 'fruit' at times evades us. This is because there are infinite factors at play to help bring about a 'situation' (which also is a fruit) and all of them are not in our hands. That we are corresponding by e-mail does call for our individual efforts but I know that my individual effort alone does not suffice. For the mail to reach you not only I should be available & healthy enough to sit down & write, but my computer hardware, software, server, electricity, internet gateway, satellite connections and all these at your end too have to be in proper condition. We know that we do not have control on any of these almost infinite factors, yet the communication is taking place. Looking holistically we are getting the support of the entire universe just to help bring about one situation. The most intelligent outlook under the circumstances is to decide your priorities and there after do your best, and leave the rest, on your 'luck'.

And a last question - what is intuition? Many people say I have it, but I am not sure what is it.

Intuition is the so called 'sixth-sense' by which you come to get premonitions of what is right or wrong, of who is the right person & who is not etc. You may not know the reasons but yet something tells you to still go ahead or not. We look at such cases as having purity to unconsciously get tuned to the total mind, which has this power intrinsically. But be careful, dont rely on your gut-feeling' too much, you never know when your mind is responding from the individual point of view or the total samashti point of view. It however certainly helps when no understanding is available.

Love

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Letter No.6

Enjoying the Journey

Hari om !

The journey is long & the road is rough. The only possible joy can be in the walking. How to come to the realisation of this & start enjoying the journey in what seems to be of great import ?

The very question reveals that the realisation is already there, even though intellectual. Just take it easy and learn to enjoy your work. The joy of journey gets sidelined if you have something else on your agenda. Resolve that problem, then you will be able to give out all what you have to the work at hand.

Love

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Letter No. 7

Destiny and Law of Karma 

Hari om !

U wrote : 'perfect statement this. God is not & cannot be a sadist. God could never want his creations to suffer the way they are. the next logical deduction is, everything is a result of our karma. our own wrong doing or good deeds. there is no such thing as destiny.'

That is pretty near to what God himself expounds in his 'Law of Karma'. Everything is the result of one's Karma's, yet it is a fact that there is something as 'Destiny' too. The word destiny implies that some thing is now inevitable and is bound to happen. Well ! this apparent contradiction of accepting both the Law of Karma and also destiny is taken care of by the Law of Karma itself. The actions performed in the past are already history and cannot be changed now. So their results are destined to come to us. It is as simple as that. We reap what we sow.

'i believe most of your life is decided the minute you are born, how you will look, what kind of education you shall get, what kind of upbringing you are going to be brought up in, etc. yes, definitely lot of karma has to take place to actually fulfill each of the above, but more or less it is decided.'

Well u believe, but I dont. I think your statement is vague. What exactly do you mean by 'more or less' & 'definitely lot of karma has to take place' ? Where do u exactly draw a line ? Do you accept the potential of Karma's to actually help fulfill your 'destiny' ? What exactly is that potential ? The moment you accept destiny in the way u seem to, then inspite of your opening statement that 'God cannot be a sadist' yet you do not give any reasons of repudiating this inference. The moment u accept the potential of Karma's to change things then you are saying exactly what 'Law of Karma' is talking about.

'if there is some truth in the above, then my next point is, that we haven't performed a single karma to attain whatever we did to be born as a blessed child as compared to some other hapless child somewhere in the world. was this destiny?'

If you attribute everything to destiny divorced from your Karma's, then in my opinion there is no truth in your above statements.

'we can then attribute this luck or bad luck to our past karma of our past lives. but very frankly speaking, there has not been any logical or scientific proof whatsoever supporting this theory. its like that fill in the blanks with 4 options where you know that 3 options are definitely not true , so the 4th one must be the correct one. past life theory is like that. no other option can so conveniently explain everything without getting eyebrows raised. if somebody tells me that i am suffering because i have committed sin in this life, i can argue that i haven't or somebody else has committed more sins still he is left unscathed, but if somebody tells me that its because of my past sins, i am speechless. i can't answer cause i have no knowledge about my past life. i don't even know whether a man has more than one life. if he has more than one life then how many? how & when will it end. after a break of how many years are we re-born. if the same souls are being re-cycled then how come the population of the world is exploding? :-) where are the new souls coming from?'

Well ! my dear man ! you are mistaken here. One, there is tons of logical & other proof to show that this life is a continuity of earlier lives. Second, what exactly you mean by scientific proof ? Even scientists today dont claim that their existing instruments & methodologies meant to understand & objectify the 'effects', are insufficient to know the ultimate 'cause' of the world. I am sure you must be aware of the transition or rather graduation of physicist's to metaphysics. Have you ever wondered why this thing is happening ? They themself are not depending on existing systems too much. I will suggest you please read a beautiful book called 'Tao of Physics' by Dr.Fritjof Capra, a Nuclear Physicist of UK. Have you heard of the 'Theory of inexplicability' of Dr.Heissenberg, a German Physicist. Well, these scientist themself say that the methods being adopted sy scientists uptill now are insufficient, rather incorrect to know the truth of world. Why is there the role of Philosophy even today ? The tenets of Vedic philosophy which were revealed by God himself reveals that it is the Karma which alone is powerful. Regarding your other questions about life, then again I will give the same answer. Try to understand what God himself has to say on these matters. You as a believer sure will be believing that he is pretty intelligent and knows his world & its secrets properly. So instead of asking scientists who are still humbly searching ways to know the truth of life, read what God has to say on these matters.

'God exists. He's there. when i really want him, he replies. he touches my life everyday in some way or the other. God wanted me to be the way i am, thats destiny for me. without believing in the theory of destiny i will feel myself flying in vaccum. believing in it pulls me closer to god. its that gravitational pull, that string which keeps me attached to him.'

It is that God himself who has reveals this 'Law of Karma' in Gita & elsewhere. He alone establishes the supremacy of Karma over destiny. Loving God is indeed a great virtue, but the gravitation towards him will fulfill itself only when you understand his precepts too. Mind you I am not propounding my theory, but the tenets as revealed by God himself.

'for most of us our karma would be work, hard work, earn money, become self-reliant. but lot of people are working hard, very hard, but not getting the results. whats missing? the magic wand? "being at the right place at the right time" is nothing but you being luckier than your equally competent competitor. no matter how much i try to deny it, i cannot rule out the external force affecting my life everyday, call it luck, destiny, fate, chance, co-incidence, or whatever, but it's there. it happens. & when it does, all you can say is "Thank God".

To accept Law of Karma is not denying the existence of God. In fact it is trying to understand what God himself is trying to explain to us. Regarding destiny I have already told what exactly is its implication.

'GOD is like the server and all the people are like its nodes. we have our own processors, hard disk etc, but we are still connected to him. we can perform the tasks assigned by him. definitely we have to take the action, perform our karma, so i am not propagating laziness or being an escapist but the point is that task has been assigned to us. He is the CEO. we are the staff at various posts right from a director to a sweeper. if we work upto his expectations , we are promoted, rewarded, if we don't we are warned or even sacked. we do work, but he is the final authority.'

No, God is much more than a server. He is that who has created the various Laws of nature, knowing which so many things are & will be created. He creates and thereafter does not interfere. A CEO has to work, while God just revels in his own glory, unattached. Those who understand his laws and work as per them, they get his blessing, those who dont they suffer. The ball is in our court now. No other doer is around. We are reaping today what we alone sowed in the past.

'i or anybody for that matter can't say, how much of our life is a direct consequence of our own karma & how much of it is destined, that proportion is still a mystery but life according to me is a blend of the two.'

Instead of making such big statements I will humbly suggest that you please take out some time and read what God himself has to say on these matters.

'karma is very very very important but it has its own limitations too. all things falling in proper place your karma can reap you great dividends, but a little here & there & the same effort, same karma will reap you nothing. karma is like pressing the accelerator, can make your car run fast, but that other thing is the car being in gear. your accelerating in neutral won't get you any speed. now, someone may say that putting the car in gear is also a part of your karma, then there a hundred other things which would be impossible for a person to do. all things remaining in order, you plan out things.'

'my above thoughts are pretty scattered, but that's what a confused person sounds like :-) i need answers. anybody? still lot of questions hovering my mind but can't really frame them. until later'.

Well U…! let me congratulate you on bringing in fore front a very important fact of life. This is something which has to be sorted out once for all. Nobody can ignore these things. Decisions on these matters affect our whole lives. So I also invite one & all to share their views on this matter. I and U… have provided sufficient data to start a great discussion.

Love & om

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Letter No. 8

Let Convictions Touch the Heart

Hello …. !

Both Love & arranged marraiges have their own risks. In love marriage even though there is a great joy to start your life with someone you know & love, but because of the fascination in love other aspects in life are generally ignored. In arranged marriage too, while the parents use their wisdom to see that they provide an ideal partner, but the boy & girl are very uncomfortably placed. They cant go back too, without causing unrepairable damage to the other. Personally I am of the opinion that mutual love & thorough acquaintance should be the basis of this relationship, but don’t hurry. If your mind is really ready all questions will end. If you can accept your partner without any problems or guilt, then others too will surely accept you - maybe in due course of time.

Basically it all depends on the strength & convictions of person concerned. If you have the strength to tread your way inspite of what anyone says, then it should be no problem. Regarding children, if parents have magnanimity, adjustability, intelligence & ofcourse love, and can tread together taking others too along with them, then the children too will get what they should. What is important is these above qualities & not the systems which we follow, at times blindly. Religion basically is a compendium of knowledge & practices to help bring out the best in you, not only here but also hereafter. It is a holistic package taking care of all round welfare. Religion can never be against real love, so if you really love someone then know this to be a religious act and go ahead. All divinity expresses with this love around. Weak people cannot love & therefore various things have to be told to them.

Love

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Letter No. 9

Swadharma

Hari om !

I think the major mistake I made the last time is that swadharma is related to the level of mind, not to the level of Self, and it was indicated in your mail, but I overlooked it. I have problems looking on the term deeper, because I still use mostly English translations of the sanscrit words, and books do not have index of the terms used, so I just simply do not know where to look for it but will try.

The word swadharma refers both to the intrinsic nature our mind (from its 'inclination' point of view) and the Self. At the level of mind it refers to the deep rooted impressions in the mind due to our past karmas. This helps discern the 'varna' of every individual. Varna literally means color, and is commonly translated as the 'caste' of every individual. If the field of our work is decided as per these intrinsic inclinations then the output is seen to be best, and also it is easiest to purify mind and facilitate our spiritual unfoldment too. Purification of our mind is our ability to live as per our swadharma in a 'sattvic' way. In the 48th shloka of 18th chapter of Gita it is said that even if these 'sahaj karmas' appear to have relatively more fault, one should not give them up. What ever be the past samskaras of an individual if he/she resolves to do the karmas in a sattvic way, then the real objective of karmas will still be fulfilled. Living as per the swadharma of the mind helps us realize the swadharma of our Self.

Swadharma also refers to the nature of Self, which is Sat-chit-anand. Once the mind is ready then with the help of Vedanta one should do enquiry and realize ones real nature and abide in it. The first task of every sadhaka is to discern his swadharma, and live life as per that - in a sattvic way. This is a very delicate task. Initially all impressions appear to be so deep rooted that they appear to be our swadharma, so hasten slowly.

I feel that I do not have that free will not to seek the Lord. But it really does not seem to raise questions, it just brings happiness.

Anyone who has the desire to seek God is indeed a blessed person. God is your real nature, the word indicates the ultimate potential of your evolution, that which is infinite joy, knowing which the heart quenches its long long search. To be at peace with oneself. If you have this desire now then I consider you to be blessed indeed. The only thing one should be sensitive about is that dont let this study or pursuit effect fulfilling your family or professional duties.

Love

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Letter No. 10

Agami Karmas

Hari om !

I think I got some experience of Pratipadya-pratipadaka sambandha -type of Knowledge, with something more important then finding the glasses on the forehead or counting the tenth person. I do not imply that I know everything now, but it is like I was asking 'what should I do to be ok', and the answer 'you should not DO anything, just be your Self' got finally to my understanding.

I am happy that hard times are helping you to introspect and get the first hard understanding of your Self. If we retain our ability of objective analysis during such times then we not only have lot to learn but also experience.

I feel somewhat dizzy of the new perspective and out of means I used to. Thank you for taking me here.

The goal may appear far yet is very near. You alone are that, it is just a matter of realisation. Keep up the process of understanding and every thing will be clear shortly.

From your letter I learnt about three types of karma. What is Agami, the karma going to the people around? Is it what how we affect other people by our love or hate? Where I can read about it in more details?

Agami Karmas are those karmas which are produced here after our birth. These in case of an ignorant man become responsible to bring about later births, while in a man of realisation, these are distributed to those around.

As usual, I enjoyed the December issue of Vedanta Sandesh. It is very nice to find so much enjoyable and useful readings combined together. As minor point - you are talking about mimamsakas, not offering the explanation of who they are. Should confess, I do not know anything about them.

Mimamsakas are those people who subscribed to a philosophy of life wherein by action alone you attain everything in life. They did not even believe in God, but only righteous action. They had great faith in the rituals etc. too, and believed that Vedas were basically revealing these heitherto unknown potential of action. Even today we have quite a few people all over the world subscribing to this view of life.

Love

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