Karma and Purushardha

[Guest guest]

Aum Namah Shivaya!

 

Dear Arno,

 

I will address both your questions separately. First the one on

Freewill and destiny.

 

KINDS OF KARMA

 

i. Sanchita Karma or Total Accumulated Karma

This is the vast store of accumulated Karmas of all past lives (as a

human being only). It may be indirectly seen in a man in his

character, his tendencies, aptitudes, inclinations and desires. (this

is what we call samskaras and vasanas)

 

ii. Prarabdha or Fructifying Karma

That portion of our Karmas allocated to us in this life is called

Prarabdha. It is the fruit of our past actions that are being reaped

in this life. All of Sanchita karma will not be experienced at one

time. Only that portion which has `become ripe' for experiencing in

this life time is Prarabdha. The natal horoscope reveals Prarabdha

only. The time of birth is Prarabdha.

 

iii. Kriyaman or Current Karma

This is the fresh karma that we do in this life. This is the area

that man has freedom to determine the course of action. This

determines our future lives. This is where the concept of free will

comes. The horary chart reflects both the prarabdha of past lives as

well as the kriyaman of this life. In other words the prashna

(horary) chart is the latest karmic bank statement with regard to the

query! Actually the difference between the natal and horary charts is

minimal since one life freewill is hardly much and counts only in the

long run, thus affecting future lives. Kriyaman karma gets

accumulated and eventually adds to the Sanchita. Thus it affects the

Prarabdha of next lives.

 

iv. Agami Karma or Future Karma

The karma that is coming, in other words, new actions that you

contemplate as a result of your thoughts, the way you envision the

future, is Agami Karma. Today's plans when executed could become a

reality one day. Planning is Agami while execution is Kriyaman. Thus

Agami (planning) leads to Kriyaman(freshly executed actions of the

present) which becomes Sanchita (accumulated) to later surface as

Prarabdha (destiny). Sanchita karma manifests in two ways. Firstly,

as Prarabdha or the so called destiny, and secondly, as the Samskaras

or tendencies.

 

Intensity of karma

 

Karma can be classified into three types based on intensity.

a. Dridha (Fixed or Strong) Karma

 

b. Adridha (Not Strong/Non Fixed) Karma

 

c. Dridha – Adridha (Strong/Not Strong or Not Too Strong) Karma

 

As the name suggests the Dridha Karmas are very difficult or almost

impossible to be changed. Adridha karmas can be easily altered while

Dridha – Adridha can be altered through concentrated efforts.

Generally Upayes or Pariharas (spiritual remedies) are effective in

the 2nd and 3rd types. But to change very strong (Dridha) karma, is

very difficult, practically almost impossible. Either we encounter

obstacles even in implementing the remedies or a life long attempting

of the remedies is required! Change can only occur when the Agami and

Kriyaman Karmas neutralise the mixed or weak karmas. When an

astrologer sees a confluence of factors, he predicts confidently for

he knows that he is looking at Dridha Karma or Fixed Karma.

 

People belong to the following categories.

 

1. Those who do Shanti, ward off the troubles and attribute it

to Shanti.

2. Those who do Shanti unknowingly and reap the benefits. When

we do some sadhana, we are already doing some remedial measures

without knowing. Sometimes if you are going to a spiritual place,

some friend of yours accompanies you and also does the

circumambulation etc. Some people donate just because they felt like.

They may be persons belonging to another religion with no idea of

shanti.

 

3. Those who approach an astrologer, do some remedial measures,

and still suffer. How many people complain that how much ever Shanti

they did, nothing worked!

 

4. Those who want to do shanti, but face some obstacles in

doing, or obtain wrong advice from an incompetent astrologer, or get

a muhurta but couldn't follow it due to whatever the reasons

 

5. Those who neither believe nor do shanty, but remain happy

 

6. Those who don't believe, don't do shanty, and keep suffering

 

All this depends on whether the karma is strong or not. The

circumstances under which one is placed, one's performing Shanti out

of fear, or for a favour, or unwittingly, are all karmic. In all such

charts there are some benefic influences inspite of the malefic

combinations. But dhridha karmas manifest as strong benefic or

malefic influences only. It is possible for an astrologer to estimate

the intensity of karma by a confluence of factors. Karma works in

many ways. Blessings of saints does not happen by chance. A person is

attracted to spiritual people, places, texts etc by virtue of

samskaras, which are nothing but a different form of Sanchita.

Feeding spiritual aspirants has been a custom in India. When we feed

a sadhu part of our sins gets burnt. Likewise part of his sadhana

power goes to nullify the householders sins or in raising the merit

(punya) of the householder. Yet the very desire to serve mendicants

is indicative of good samskaras. Samskaras are a subtle form of

Sanchita (total accumulated karma of all lives). While the chart

indicates Prarabdha, the samskaras indicate Sanchita. Blessings and

the company of saints do not happen accidentally. They are indicative

of some good karmas in the past. Hence even this happens due to one's

own karma. In the hands of a competent astrologer everything can be

traced to one's OWN karma.

 

I don't know if this sounds convincing to you or not. Haven't you

seen astrologers predicting that you would have gone on a piligrimage

during a particular time? Isn't every piligrimage a shanti of some

kind, whether we realise it or not? I will have to leave the

discussion here because it is never ending. The debate will continue

forever. It all depends on how we see it. The bhakta says it is all

prarabdha, His Will, while the gnani says that it is purushardha. Who

am I to say anything? WE HAVE TO BELIEVE IN FREEWILL, WE HAVE NO

CHOICE!

 

Regards,

Satya