Discussion about Karma

By, Sri Haragopal Sepuri Ji

References :

1. Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-133, written to Akinchan Nandi:

     “Repetition of Krishna’s Name leads to automatic annihilation of Karma; it is not possible in any other way.”

2. Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-92, written to Rajani Kant Ghosh:

     “Each and every action in one’s life has been foreordained before one’s birth and so it is not right to worry about them; what will happen will happen and it is therefore best to pass one’s time in contemplation of Krishna and in constant repetition of His Name with absolute unconcern.”

3. Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-76, written to Rajani Kanta Ghosh:

     “Our Karmas are fixed in this world. The figures had been cast as soon as we came over here and so why waste any thought over it? To think about it is only a prelude to unnecessary suffering.”

4. Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-101, written to Rajani Kant Ghosh:

     “We come here only after the list of things we are to get here had been approved. The slightest alteration to this is not possible even with a lakh of attempts.”

5. Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-113, written to Harendra Narayan Nag:

     “Only by suffering can Karma be expiated.”

6. Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-123, written to Shyam Charan Chakravarty:

     “Time is like a scroll, actions are the parts of a play written on it, we are the players. One is to act exactly and only to that extent as is written in that scroll.”

Query:

1. Has the Lord expressed divergent views?
2. Are the above quotations are of universal applications, or are they intended to the addressees of the letters only?

Comment:

     The Anveshana (search) should be to seek the Truth and not to seek intellectual interpretations. If we want to seek enlightenment on Karma we should first understand what Karma is.

     How does Karma arise? It is the sense of doership that leads to Karma. Haranath has written to Nirad Behari Basu (Pagal Haranath Letters: Part-IV; Letter-59), “Karma is like a screw, tightening in one direction and loosening in the other. When it is undertaken without egoism, its effects gets destroyed, while it takes a binding hold in the opposite case. The comings and going of Ramachandra and Vasishta are of one kind, while the comings and goings of you and me are of another kind. As there is a vast difference between going to a jail of convict and that of a jailor, so Ramachandra and Vasishta came to perform Karma, while we are made to come because of our Karma.”

     Keeping this in mind, let us analyze the letters of the Lord, cited above.

(1) The letter quoted in 1 above means that repetition of Name removes the sense of ego (I-ness) and thus one is freed from bonds of Karma. This, of course, is one aspect of Karma.

(2) The letter quoted in 2 above tells that ever action in life is foreordained. The Srishti (Creation) has been started by the Lord. Then the sense of ego is also foreordained. Why? Because, this is a game. Refer Letter-84 of Part IV of Pagal Haranth Letters, written to Bamacharan Chattopadhyaya. Lord compares life to a play, a game of fun. Depending upon each individual action based on the sense of ego, the play gets re-written or rescheduled. (All these explanations are, of course, for the satisfaction of the curious mind. When faith dawns in the heart, these explanations disappear, because heart takes over the mind. Can the mind understand how Karma began? Anaadi – Eternal? Indeed! Then what is Eternal? The mind can grasp neither the beginning nor the end; yet it wants to analyze the middle. How could a solution be found this way?)

(3) The letter quoted in 3 above, also means that Karma is foreordained. (All the letters of the Lord are not meant generally for all. For example, Lord writes to Satish Chandra Bandopadhyaya – Letter-146 of Part IV of Pagal Haranath Letters – “I am pleased to hear that you have decided against marriage; truly it is better not set your foot in the trap.” Whereas He has written to Ramnarayan Hati – Letter-68 of Part IV of Pagal Haranath Letters – “Mother’s command must be carried out and marry you must.” Are not these instructions meant for the addressees?

     He writes to Sarada Charan De – Letter-71 of Part II of Pagal Haranath Letters – “No state of life except Grihasthasrama affords such great pleasure, if keeping one’s goal constantly in view, he enters the duties of a householder.”

     Therefore, the Lord’s letters were definitely meant for particular persons. General messages in those letters are meant for all.

     And there is an advice also in it, “Why waste any thought over it? To think about it is only a prelude to unnecessary suffering.” Then what are we trying to do? We are trying to do exactly contrary to the above precept of the Lord – discussing Karma. Karma is beyond the range of mind.

(4) The letter quoted in 4 above, tells us that actions in life are foreordained. (5) The letter quoted in 5 above, by explaining “only by suffering Karma can be expiated” shows the state of the devotee who is not yet able to reconcile to the truth that all actions are preordained. He has to climb further in the evolutionary ladder – i.e. has to progress spiritually when the enlightenment dawns that all actions are ordained by the Lord and that we have to accept them.

(6) The letter quoted in 6 above, emphasizes that life is a play. The silly mind is likely to get lost in the maze of the paradoxes like “How the Karma began? Who is the beneficiary of this play? So on and so forth.” Mind has been shut off from the truth of origin of life by defining it as a play.

Summing Up :

–Lord’s letters were specific to the addressees; but they also contained general precepts to all.

–Karma is relevant as long as there is the sense of doership – sense of ego (as long as we are under the influence of Maya). Karma is beyond the concept of mind.

–Please see Letter-14 of Part II of Pagal Haranath Letters, written to B.C.Mitra. “Those who seek to reach the Lord by means of reason become lost in the wilderness but those who solely depend on His help have no ordeal to face and even if they ever were put to test, the Lord Himself shows the way.” Thus it is a wasteful exercise discussing about Karma. Lord has said at some context that all Karmas belong to the Lord – please see page 382, Chapter 21 of “Haranath, the Deliverer of Mankind.”

     Haranath says, “If you dress yourself as Kartha there is no end to Karma. Man has no work of his own. Karma comes to an end if one knows that all the works are Krishna’s and surrenders them to Him.”

     About the course of Karma, Lord has explained clearly in His letter III-51 of Pagal Haranath Letters, written to Rasiklal De, “Placing one self under the protection of the Ordainer of Karma, one can be free from the worry of Karma.”

     This is what Krishna taught Arjuna, after narrating the entire Bhagavad Gita (Chapter-18; Sloka-66). “Renouncing all sorts of duties take refuge in Me alone. I shall absolve you of all sins, fear not.”

     This is what Krishna taught Uddhava. While explaining the glory of Satsang (Bhagavata: XI – 12 – 14 & 15), He extorts Uddhava, “Turning your back upon injunctions (Aadesa – precepts, commands) and interdictions (nishedha – prohibitions), renouncing worldly activity as well as cessation from activity, and rejecting that which has been learnt and that which has to be learnt, O Uddhava, seek as your refuge Me alone, the one Self of all beings, for with Me alone you can be rid of fear from all quarters.”

–Thus it is evident that for spiritual Sadhana, discussion about Karma is fruitless.
Kusumahara

Haragopal Sepuri

01.01.2014