Karma and Destiny

Thoughts, words and actions, these three are the realms on which a deed or a karma is executed. Our sensory apparatus has a direct effect on our thought process as it helps us to build our cultural and sacramental values. Some values are imbibed by seeing, some by touching, some by hearing, some by sniffing and some by tasting. In simpler words, our sense organs contribute to the virtue of our thoughts.

We speak what we think and at most times, we culminate into doing what we speak. What we repeatedly do in these three realms of karmas, manifests itself as our karmic tendency. This karmic tendency is instrumental in shaping our thoughts, speech and deeds. Our karmas get more deeply rooted on the same ground with time. This evolves into karmic circle. Our karmas are like those seeds which have not germinated yet and lie inactive, hidden in the soil of our life. This condition continues until they get a congenial environment to sprout. In the same way, the consequences of our karmas affect us. We blossom with good karmas and wither with bad karmas.

A person’s destiny is the direct outcome of his karmas. Destiny is the reward of our own karmas, depending on their nature. Whatever happens during our life cycle, between our birth and death, like our gender, country, society, family, parents, siblings, spouse, even our harmony with these different relations and lastly, when and how we take our last breath, everything is decided by our karmas and their connection with the karmas of the people related to us. Do you ever wonder why you were born to your parents and not your neighbours or the parents of your friend? This is called karmic-relation, when our karmas relate us to someone and we account for each other’s lives.

No one else but we ourselves are responsible for our environment and destiny. It proclaims that we steer our own lives. A dogged person can alter his destiny and stay blissed in all circumstances. He may get the support and bosom of his people around him but ultimately, it’s his own will that keeps him going. He himself is the root cause of his joys and sorrow. Most people never get to know their real-self and stay ignorant towards the actual purpose of their existence. Consequentially, during the hour of grief, we are repeatedly tormented by certain debilitating questions like- Why is this happening to me? Who is controlling my life?

We find ourselves struggling with such unanswered questions when we have an inadequate or scarce knowledge about ourselves. Insufficient knowledge is even more dangerous as it will only add to our woes and distract us from the true purpose of our life. The day we gauze the real worth of life, all the questions get answered. The journey towards discovering self is of paramount importance. That’s where we have to seek the guidance of a Guru.

A true guru never leaves his disciples on his mercy or dependency, but inspires and enables them to embark on the journey to self-discovery alone. At first, one contributes to his karmas unknowingly and unintentionally. This a dormant stage, a kind of trance where he acts unconsciously. Then a moment comes, when he awakes to the reality and starts creating his own destiny. This is the moment of true enlightenment. When the person discovers the truth completely that he has always been the master of his destiny. Such a person gets answers to the questions which keep troubling others all through their lives. Who am I? Who is my controller? How am I related to that power controlling or governing the universe? Are we separate or a whole? How does the karmic cycle work? How do the karmic seeds come into existence? How do our karmas result? How do our karmas move? What is karmic tendency? How can we reform our karmas? How do our karmas kept lying heaped like seeds under the soil of our lives waiting for the right time to germinate? How could we reap the fruits of our karmas?

Guru helps us to search ourselves for all these questions. We carry within ourselves an eternal source of power and energy. Guru awakens us and initiates the process of self-discovery which culminates into true-knowledge. This enlightens our inner-self with the enhancement of the existing power and energy. Then the moment of real enlightenment arrives.

Now the question is how to comprehend the importance of this journey and how to embark on it. This journey is pleasant from beginning till end. Once on destination, we discover that there is no stopping ….the journey is ever going. Nonetheless, this is a mirthful and blissful journey. What we experience in the company of a true guru is the power of prayer, faith and devotion.

Our yearning to know the true meaning of life shows us a way to reach a guru. He emerges as an answer to our candid curiosity about life and its unanswered questions. Like we require a true guru to tread on this journey, he also waits for a true disciple and emerges when he gets one. Having the blessings of a guru in different dimensions of one’s life is just a step towards their bonding. It grows stronger with the evolution of life.

So our life is based on the nature of our karmas. During this materialistic journey, our thoughts and ideas are affected and controlled by our sensory values. Thoughts define speech and thoughts and speech together define deeds. These are called karmas which further define and shape our destiny. As our destiny is a direct result of our karmas, a change in the nature of karmas is sure to bring a vital change in our destiny too. We can, in fact, reshape our destiny with the tools of our karmas.

K.B.Vyas