SOME THOUGHTS ON REINCARNATION, REBIRTH,KARMA Etc.----10

[Guest guest]

Hari OMThe Bagavad Gita and the Katopanishad bring out that just as a passenger rides in a chariot, in the same way the Atma (soul or spirit) rides in the vehicle of the body. The Atma is nothing but Knowledge Absolute but owing to the material envelopments (

kosas) hiding the Atma we are ignorant of our true identity. On death, the eternal soul transmigrates to another body according to its state of consciouness. The Bagavad gita says,"Yam Yam va api smaran bhavam tyajate ante kalevaramtam tam eva eti Kaunteya sada tadbhava bhavithah". It means,"Whatever state od being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail".

 

 

We should understand this clearly. Our body has no permanent connection with our True Self. The connection is as temporary as our connection with our clothes. When our shirts,pants etc., are badly torn or have been used for a very long time, we throw them away and buy new pants and shirts. More or less in a similar fashion, when the body becomes old and is no longer fit for functioning, nature discards it and provides us with a new youthful body. Owing to reactions (effect) to our activities(cause or karma) in previous lives, we either enjoy or suffer in various circumstances and environments in the present life. At the same time our presnt activities create reactions for this or future lives. As one experiences these consequences or reactions(suffering and enjoying) we burn up our good and bad reactions. In the next life we will no longer suffer these same

difficulties. God never punishes a person twice for the same crime, as the saying goes.

 

While performing each and every action, we do create a reaction which binds us to either good or bad results. We must learn to rise above the Dwandwa(pairs of opposites) like happiness and distress etc. and remain beyond body identifications. The Lord says in the Bagavad Gita,"

Matra-sparshas tu Kaunteya seetoshna sukha-dhhkha-daha agampayino nirtas tans titeekshasva Bharata". It means," the non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress and their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perceptions. One must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed."

 

 

From all that have been stated above we should understand that we are writing the blue-print of our future lifes through every action of our present life.

(to be continued)

G.Balasubramanian