MAN! KNOW THYSELF
Saints classify Karmas into three
distinct groups, as follows: -
(i) Sanchit (stored):
Good or bad deeds that stand to our account as earned and contracted in all previous
bodies of the order of Creation, counting from the day of the first appearance of life on
earth. Alas! Man knows nothing about them or their extent.
(ii)
Prarabdha (Fate or Destiny) : The result and effect of which has
brought man into his present body and has to be paid off in this life. The reactions of
these Karmas come to us unexpectedly and unperceived and we have no control over them
whatsoever. Good or bad, we have to tolerate or bear this Karma laughing or weeping, as it
happens to suit us.
(iii) Kriyaman (Account
of our actions and deeds in the present body) : This is distinct from the above
mentioned two groups, as here, man is free to do exactly as he pleases, within certain
limits. Knowingly or unknowingly, deeds committed and coming under this heading bear
fruit. The result of some of these we reap before we die and the residue is transferred to
the Sanchit storehouse.
Karma is the cause of rebirth, and each
birth is in turn followed by death. Thus the
Cycle of enjoyment and suffering,
which are concomitants of birth and death, continues. ‘As you think, so you
become’, is an unalterable Law of Nature, owing to which this Universe exists. No
amount of integrity or genius can absolve a man so long as there is the slightest trace of
Karma. Ignorance of the Law is no excuse, and though there may be some concession or
relaxation with man-made laws under special circumstances, there is no such allowance made
for this in Nature’s Laws. Prayer, confession and atonement may give temporary mental
relief but they cannot overcome Karma. All Karma must be wiped out completely before
permanent salvation can be had.
Disturbed by these facts, Man seeks
solace in deep pious doctrines, or when he comes to know that both good and bad deeds are
fetters-one of gold, the other of iron- he turns to Renunciation. Different faiths promise
relief but he soon finds out that this is only temporary. How then does a Master approach
this problem? At the time of Initiation, the Master begins the process of winding up all
Karmas of the initiate. He gives him a contact with the Sound Current; by practicing which
the Sanchit account is burnt away. The process is similar to putting a handful of seeds in
a pan and placing them on a fire, which then causes the seeds to puff up and lose their
property of growing again. Then the Kriyaman account is dealt with. After warning his
disciples to guard against opening any new account of bad deeds, the Master grants a
general clemency in respect of past deeds, part of which the disciple has already settled
in this life up to the time of Initiation. He is enjoined to lead a clean life and to weed
out all imperfections in him by self-introspection from day to day. The Prarabdha Karma is
not touched by Saints because this is the cause of the physical body, which would vanish
due to the interference with Nature’s Laws. Thus a very small amount of Karma now
remains to be tolerated in the physical body for the remaining years of the
disciple’s life, but even this is softened by the grace of the Master. The law of
grace works wonders and a devotee, who out of loving devotion reposes all his hopes in the
Master, passes off unscathed from the pinching effects of the reactions of past Karmas. In
moments of misery, worry and trouble, the Master is our refuge. He acts unperceived at any
distance. Just as a mother of a sick child holds the child securely in her lap during an
operation so that it does not feel any pain, so too the Master holds us in his loving
embrace. Out of their abundance of sympathy, love and kindness, the Saints at times take
upon their own shoulders some Karmic sufferings of their disciples through the Law of
Sympathy. There is no court of trial after death for a devoted disciple. The Master is all
in all for him.
Why does a Master-Saint take all
this on himself? Because he inherits his merciful nature from God above, who commissions
him to personally distribute this treasure of mercy. Thus, the Master is honoured like
God. Sant-Mat has volumes of books written in praise of the Masters, and if just as many
more books were to be written, it would hardly do justice to the vastness of their love
and kindness.
Time casts its heavy shadow over
man. He has to toil hard to keep pace with the changing times. So deeply is he absorbed in
his external needs and desires that he forgets all about contentment, sympathy and love.
Entangled and surrounded by the ‘Deadly Five’ – lust, anger, greed,
attachment and vanity – he stumbles and cries out to the Unseen for help.
Heaven’s mercy is stirred and as times stiffen, the Almighty extends His help through
the Masters more and more lavishly. Such is the case in this Kali Yuga- the Iron Age.
It is indeed very hard to believe
that anyone can be above the five passions mentioned above, and that he can enter the
Kingdom of Heaven during his life-time. All mankind is under the control of these five and
only a Master can save a man from their clutches. We all demand reliable proof before
committing ourselves, and this is given by a Master in the shape of an experience of the
life impulse, or Naam (the Word), and some inner vision. Contact with a Master is
essential. Those who keep aloof and depend on themselves or rely on tradition and
priests-equally ignorant as themselves-are deprived of contact with this Power, and as the
saying goes, ‘When the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch’.
Indifference, non-acceptance or
disbelief will not be to our advantage when Nature enforces its Universal Ordinance-Death.
Our position will be that of a pigeon who, on seeing a cat approaching, shuts its eyes and
believes that the cat cannot then molest it, but in a few seconds, the poor bird is in the
powerful jaws of the cat. It is then too late to think of escape. So be alert while there
is yet time!