Commentaries by Vee Jay Attri during the Book Study – Secrets of Karma
We shall continue from the Secrets of Karma. We were sharing a very profound wisdom on how focus gives power. So, we talked about bad things happen, not because of the negative influence of planets or ill effects of evil power, but because the time for payment of one’s karmic debts has come.
On the strength of this insight, you learn to put your focus on positive things, on masters, god whenever you are facing any challenging situation, rather than running here and there for salvation. All the powers are within you, it is just a question of a time that has to transform.
When that time changes; the cycle shifts, you’ll find that everything gets normal. But you will have to develop the inner strength to face challenges cheerfully. Let us continue with the Law of Harvest.
Rejoice in the success of others
When people are successful, it is because they have worked for it. Even if they do not deserve it, they are still reaping the fruits of that good karma. No one ever gets something that does not belong to him or her. You will also receive that which is yours at the right time.
There is always a time for everything. Last time, when we were talking about debts to pay, we talked about how even to reap your negative karma, you need to wait for the right time. There is always a divine time. Only when the time is conducive for your karma to mature, activities happen either in a positive way or a negative way.
Do not envy someone’s success, as this will block your success. In the Mahabharata, it is shown that Duryodhana’s envy towards the fortune of the Pandavas was the root-cause of his tragic death; and the destruction of the Kauravas clan.
So, we are referring to a great epic of the Eastern philosophy called Mahabharata where there were cousin brothers; we have Duryodhana and the five brothers called Pandavas.
Duryodhana was having so much of envy towards his cousin brothers because he did not want them to have anything, but he himself had everything that he needed. He could not simply feel good about why his cousin brothers are having more.
Therefore, rejoice in the success of others. So, this envy was the main cause of the great epic war called Mahabharata. That resulted in the death of this person called Duryodhana and not only that. Together with him, the whole clan of the Kaurava; the clan to which he belonged, also perished. So, that is a reason why the masters all the time caution you, never ever envy the success of someone!
Therefore, rejoice in the success of others and help others to grow. When you support others to become successful, you will also be supported to accomplish all that you deserve. This is the law.
That means the fastest way to growth is helping others to grow. You have to always remember this: it is not about your talents or what you can do together with all this; if you’re looking for lasting happiness, lasting joy, you have to help others also to become successful.
It has to be always a win-win activity in your life. So, not only you focus on becoming successful, wherever possible, help others also to grow because it is in giving that you will receive more.
Also, do not compare yourself with others as everyone comes with his or her karmic package. You may think that somebody else life is better than yours but often it could be the contrary.
You might have experienced this. The apparently happy people celebrating birthday parties, going to hotels, to resorts whenever there is a little bit of time available. You might be thinking these people are having a grand time. Unfortunately it is not the reality.
A very ordinary middle class person with minimal income could be much more happier than the richest and the most successful person on the planet. This is the truth and this is something that we have been witnessing repeatedly. So, it is not about what you have, it is about what you are expected to experience.
‘‘The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence’’
When you look from your side to a far patches of green, you find everything so beautiful but only when you go near that you start seeing many other things more than what you saw. That is a reality that happens in our life also. So, when you get closer to people, then you understand no one’s life is free of misery and pain.
Sometimes, it is a million times more for an average person. At least, you and I are very happy because we have the wisdom; the mightiest power in all the universe is the wisdom and most importantly the wisdom of karma. If you have that, you should consider yourself to be the most fortunate, perhaps you could be one in the million.
So, neither compare, nor complain, but be grateful for what you have. Then more will come.
Neither compare nor complain! Complaints, you have to be so careful about it. Often people who are complaining do not ever take time to see what they already have with them, do not ever see the good things in people.
At the drop of the hat, they complain everything about other person. Sometimes, you have to do this out of necessity, just to make the things clear for yourself and for the person to whom you might be possibly talking about because discernment is very important.
It is not complaint, it is discernment that is actually making you to know exactly what is happening so that at least you are in a position to take positive actions. So, when repeatedly you tell something to people and they do not do it and now, you have to basically get the work done from somebody else, you have to first of all understand what is happening.
It is not complaining, it is a discernment. Things have to be done and therefore it has to be done in the proper way. So, it is not judgment, it is not belittling people. It is because the work has to happen and therefore, I have to exercise discernment and I have to take proper action including harsh actions. This is very necessary.
So neither compare, nor complain, but be grateful to all you have. Then, more will come.
This is what we say: an attitude of gratitude opens the doors for abundance. The more you are grateful to whatever you have, the more will come. That is the law.
Do your best leave, the rest.
That is a very profound quotation from Ramana Maharishi, a great saint from eastern part of India. In fact, part of the book was actually written in his Ashram. So, there is a very profound quotation:
‘‘The train that carries you will carry your baggage as well! Put your bundle down!’’
– Ramana Maharishi
There is a very beautiful cartoon where a man is sitting in front of another person, who is sitting with a huge bundle of bag on his head on a train. So, the other person is telling: “Hey, put your bundle down because the train that is carrying you will also carry your bundle or your baggage.”
Sometimes it happens, people unconsciously continue to keep the bundle or the baggage on their head while they are sitting in bus or, for that matter, train even though they have got the place to keep it. That is more of a habit.
When you look at the sufferings of people, it is quite natural to feel that pain and get worried. But when you worry about others, you are making things more difficult for them as ‘focus gives power.’ If you focus on pain, you will have more pain; and a small issue can become a crisis.
Whether it is weakness or the pain or sufferings of the people, the more you focus on that, the greater its going to be the power that is actually channeled to it. That is the reason why, true compassion means doing something meaningful in alleviating the suffering by way of blessing but you cannot bless with a heavy heart, with a painful heart.
You have to be in a resourceful state, in a giving state to be able to alleviate the sufferings of others and that is why, great masters are very compassionate but they are absolutely detached. No great master will ever get entangled in the pains or the sufferings.
They have to be above pain and sufferings to be able to be of some usefulness, some contribution to alleviate the sufferings. So, this is a very important message for you. While you are a compassionate being, do not mistake compassion for pity.
Pity is useless, pitying people all the time without doing anything and you yourself you are unhappy, and you are seeing somebody else unhappy. Therefore, one unhappiness with another unhappiness become a greater unhappiness.
There is no meaningful contribution. That is why, it is very important that you need to be detached while you do something meaningful to alleviate the sufferings of others
People often overburden themselves with responsibilities and excessively worry about them. They feel as though the world is resting on their shoulders and even think it will sink without them while more often it gets better!
That is why the masters ask us to drop the baggage. Tomorrow, I will narrate a very beautiful story from the epic called Ramayana. That will make you understand that you are simply an instrument who is expected to do your best and leave the rest. Nothing other than that!
In other words, we call it surrender! Doing the very best possible in any given situation and after that, simply detach and surrender to the higher wisdom to take care of it. That is the best way we live!
Further reading, Secrets of Karma, Page 17
