“In actual life persons have various tendencies

[Guest guest]

……“In actual life persons have various tendencies and

have also the principle of variation. When a person

goes on in a downward current from sin to worse sin,

from crime to worse crime, some former touch with holy

persons or places comes suddenly as an element of

variation to interrupt the chain of worsening

consequences - the chain of evil to greater evil - and

thus stops him. Ajamila is one instance.

 

For another instance, Veerabhadappa and Basappa case

may be cited. They were two persons who bowed to Baba

in one janma and had bitter differences.

Veerabhadrappa by reason of his greed for money with

considerable power and personality was wrath with

Basappa for claiming the property which came to Gowri,

the wife of Veerabhadrappa. Basappa, greedy enough to

get at that property, had that loathsome quality

called cowardice, and lack of strength, and

Veerabhadrappa vowed to drink the blood of Basappa.

 

Basappa sought refuge with Baba, and Baba agreed to

protect him. Before the revenge was carried out both

died, and Veerabhadrappa to carry out his hatred and

to kill his opponent was born as a cobra; Basappa was

born as a frog. The cobra was in the next janma

proceeding to catch that frog, when Baba in that janma

intervened and told Veerabhadrappa, ‘Cease from your

hatred. Give up your attempt to harass your enemy

Basappa’. Then Veerabhadrappa the snake gave up the

frog. Baba said, ‘One’s evil karma will continue till

one’s contact with Satpurushas saves one from further

consequences’. From hatred to murder was

Veerabhadrappa’s natural downfall. But Baba came in

and gave him a warning.

 

So the working of the previous evil vasanas was

suddenly stopped and a new element got into

Veerabhadrappa’s life, namely, self-control, giving up

of hatred and these would lead to good results. So the

law of karma for good persons promotes good, and for

evil persons promotes evil. So, in itself the law of

karma is not a matter for regret. One must always

remember that there are laws of one’s own being and

God’s plan for all creatures.

 

Any one who wishes sincerely to achieve his own soul’s

welfare would pause to study what his duties are and

seek the help of great ones and Gurus to guide him in

his path, then by surrendering himself to great ones,

allow his evil vasanas to be crushed out and good

vasanas to be developed, and ultimately to get both

sets of vasanas which are part of one’s personality to

be drowned in the contemplation of the Guru-God. This

is the teaching about karma to sadhakas of Baba.

 

The law of karma is decried by people who do not

understand it. Some say that Karma can never be got

rid of. There is an element of truth in that

statement. But the way in which it is put as above is

misleading and wrong. The law of Karma is merely the

law of cause and effect. To say that an effect cannot

be rectified or modified is absurd. If cause A

produces the effect B, it is absurd to say that B must

always continue to be B and nothing can change it.

Just as cause A produces effect B, cause C impinging

upon B may make changes in the effect.

 

The fact is that most acts done with a purpose are

producing certain tendencies and certain other

results. One should not confuse the actual result or

reward earned by an act with the tendency. The

tendency can and should always be met if it is an evil

tendency. To say that karma is inexorable, and nothing

can change it, is positively absurd.

 

Generally people think of tendencies when putting

forward that proposition and it is about tendencies

that one can be positive that all tendencies may

change by stimuli producing opposite tendencies.

Sinfulness is a tendency and it can always and should

always be met by virtuous actions, virtuous contacts,

holy readings, Satsang, etc. As for the rewards it is

often said–

 

Avascyam anubhoktavyam kritam karma scubha ascubham

 

That is, what one has earned as a reward or punishment

for one’s act, good or evil, must of necessity by

endured. This is, generally speaking, true. But it is

not true in the way in which it is baldly put. A

person who commits murder is liable to be hanged. But

he may also have other forms of punishment either

immediately or later on. The sentences may be altered,

reduced and even completely condoned on such occasions

as King’s Birthday pardons, etc. Therefore, it is not

correct to say that the reward or punishment earned by

conduct is unalterable.

 

Everything on earth is liable to change or mitigation

and if we remember this, we shall be very often able

to meet the objections sometimes raised to Sai Baba’s

statement about karma. In the very opening Charters of

Baba's Charters & Sayings, we find the statement of

Baba. ‘If one puts his foot on Shirdi soil, his karma

is abolished’. Many a man wonders whether that is

possible, especially in view of the dictum quoted

above, " Avascyam Anubhoktavyam'. Baba also told

Chandorkar that certain broad decisions arrived at as

to the birth and death of people are treated as facts

resulting from previous acts of individuals.”……