Mandalam Musings Day 38- Good News: You Get to Determine Your Future!-

 

Mandalam Musings Day 38-

Good News:  You Get to Determine Your Future!-

The Karma Principle is well entrenched in Sanathana Dharma. The essence of the principle is that no action happens without cause(s) and consequences; and there is an entity responsible for it. The good news about the principle is that our future is our own making. We get to choose what we want to be and what we ought to be in the future. The bad news is that our present situation is the result of our past doings and we do not have control over what has happened in the past and what is happening right now. Do not be disheartened, we do have the choice in responding to the present activities and thus making the best of the situation. Many a time people confuse between present and future, without considering the effect of the past in our present life.

Comings and goings in this lifetime are obviously due to actions taken earlier, in most cases. But in some cases inexplicable occurrences make one think about the Karma principles that may go beyond the span of one lifetime. We have seen some very young children becoming adept in complicated musical compositions and other skills without having an opportunity to get exposed to those skills in this lifetime. Similarly, in some cases, people with the same background, even twin brothers ending up receiving different results for doing the same work. So, the concept of Karma over several lifetimes got established and that is the basis of the concept of reincarnation. A Jiva – Individual soul takes birth to deplete the karmas it has amassed in the past lives. A life situation will be chosen by the Jiva at such a time and place so that it is most conducive to exhaust the residuals of his karma remains.

According to the Karma principles, there are three types of Karmas: Sanchitham, Praarabdham, and Agami. Sanchitha Karmas are the repository of results from past Karmas that can manifest sometimes during a Jiva’s journey through different lives forward, including the current one.

Prarabhdha karmas are those karmas that are manifesting in this life and there is no choice in this matter, other than to experience them. These karmas are the results of the past karmas working out at present. The person has a choice only in the matter of how he/she responds to these karmas. One gets to deal with the Prarabdha Karmas depending upon the habits one develops. The Mandala Vratham is said to be a very effective tool to prepare a human life to face Prarabdha Karmas effectively.

Agamy Karmas are the accumulated additional results of Karma one performs in this lifetime that is carried over to the next life. Most of the results of the karmas of the present life are experienced in this lifetime. Only some of the karmas we do in this life would create residual results to be carried forward. Here, human beings have a choice as to how to respond to them. But exercising that choice in an intelligent manner requires control of the mind. Here the choices between good and bad; reasonable and unreasonable, etc. come to play and that requires the discriminating power, known as Viveka.

To illustrate the different Karmas, take the case of an archer with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. The quiver full of arrows is Sanchitha Karmas; the arrows which have already been shot are Prarabdha Karmas and the arrows available for shooting at any time are Agami Karmas. The arrow that has already been shot will have some result, but its effect depends on how ready you are to face it. Agami Karmas are Karmas that one can perform wisely so that the results can get accumulated and at a future day or future life. They are like the arrows left in the quiver. It's up to us to shoot one or not.

The 41 Day Mandala Vratham is a time-proven method to alleviate the ill effects of Prarabhdha Karmas and to deplete the bad karmas of the past. Also, it is an opportunity to accumulate good Agami Karmas to carry forward.  In Sanathana Dharma, there is no concept of eternal sin as we are potentially divine and our scriptures proclaim that the Jivathma's natural state is indeed the Paramathma; the microcosm is the macrocosm. Tat Tvam Asi is the divine aphorism we need to imbibe in life. Until the Jeevathma gets this clarity about its original nature, it will continue to be in the sway of Karmas.