Commentaries by Vee Jay Attri during the Book Study – Secrets of Karma
Atma namaste! Welcome to another session on Great Invocation. How are you all doing? Super happy, super healthy, super strong, yes! In the morning, there was a very beautiful guidance: Happiness + Health = Holiness. So, we had that short study before the Great Invocation.
The happiness that we are referring to here is not the transient happiness. People keep themselves happy in many, many ways. Some people go for fishing and they are very, very happy doing fishing for fun. It doesn’t matter the poor animal is suffering.
Some people do hunting and they derive happiness out of it. It is another level of happiness. The happiness that we are referring to is wholesome happiness, holistic happiness. This is the result of wholesome thoughts, wholesome speech, and wholesome actions.
Wholesome thoughts include benevolent uplifting thoughts, positive, productive thoughts. Wholesome speech includes kind words, sweetness of speech, nurturing words. Wholesome actions, of course, includes kind and compassionate actions. Benevolent actions that are directed towards yourself and others.
Benevolent actions directed towards the self includes healthy lifestyle. You have to take care of your vehicle, that is why St. Paul said so beautifully, “Do you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” So, you have to take upmost care of the physical body.
So, the happiness we are referring to here, is a holistic happiness. A holistic happiness will automatically lead to a holistic health. Then, spirituality becomes a way of life. That is what we meant by: Happiness + Health =Holiness!
Before we proceed to our study from the Secrets of Karma, there were a few questions. We shall take up one question today. This question is rather a very deep question.
The question is: “People of different belief systems have different ideas of what will happen to them after death. Some believe in doing rituals for the dead. Others simply pray and let go. Others think they will go to paradise. All those beliefs vary by locations, religion, living environment etc. Does it mean what happens after death is based on your beliefs?”
What do you think should be the answer? Well, here we have to remember, truth is dynamic! There are many levels of truth. So, what is true to one person need not be true to another person. Whatever is true for you, we do it to the best of our ability.
There are different levels in evolution. What I heard from one of the spiritual masters, is there are 777 cycles of evolutions. That means some people are in the outer cycles and some people are in the inner circles. For example, you happen to be in the 77 circle of evolution or cycle of evolution.
What is true to you is not true to the person in the 777 circle or cycle. They have to live the truth that is applicable in that level of evolution. For example, you are a great yogi, you are a great spiritual person, to you, ritual means nothing. It does not mean that you are going to stop somebody doing rituals. For that person, rituals are necessary.
That means, the higher soul choses a very conducive environment for the Jivatma, that is you, the incarnated soul to evolve. Evolution is a process and evolution takes time. So, given that there are so many cycles of evolution and therefore, at any given point in time, you do what is applicable to you 100% to the best of your ability.
So, if you are still on the path of Bhakti where rituals have been taught to you and that is of importance and the conscience accepts what you are doing, please proceed. If you have already transcended that, no need to again entangle yourself into all this because now you are experiencing another level of your existence, another level of your evolution.
But what is most important thing is a wholesome life. It is the wholesome life that will determine what will happen after death. Some time back, we talked about the Katha Upanishad, where the Lord of death tells Nachiketa, the disciple, that between shreyas and prayers, chose shreyas!
Shreyas are exalted things, things of benevolence that actually lead to greater levels of growth, greater levels of evolution. Eventually, the Lord of Death tells Nachiketa, it leads to liberation or Moksha. Whether Nachiketa embraced Moksha or not, that I would not know but at least that is what the scriptures talked about.
Again here, understand that, though many scriptures talk about liberation or moksha to be the ultimate goal but many saints do not embrace moksha to be the ultimate. In fact, they do not want Moksha. Their point of view is, “What is the point in I am leaving so many souls, so many sentient beings in pain and misery and I alone experiencing Moksha?” That is a form of selfishness!
Personally if you ask me, I do not want moksha. As long as there is a scope to help humanity, as long as there are sentient beings in pain, I will prefer a life of service. That is the way I look at it. And perhaps, many saints have spoken in this language. So, it’s all about the level where you are at any given point in time.
If you are into rituals and you have been taught and your heart believes, please do what is appropriate to you. My answer to this very beautiful question, a young aspiring yogi is, “Whatever your heart says, let discrimination guide you!” If things are not very clear, focus on meditation and bring more light. Where there is light, there cannot be darkness.
So, at times, when you are confronted with this kind of questions that are confusing, rather than making any conclusion, focus on building up your energy. Focus on bringing light in your life. The greater the light, the greater will be the clarity, greater will be the guidance and direction.
Alright, , let us continue with our study from the Secrets of Karma. We were reading from Karma and Varna-Dharma, very very profound study.
Karma and Varna-Dharma
So, we were talking about Yudhishthira, the eldest among the Pandavas, his journey towards the Heaven and how he rejected the heaven because the dog that was following him was not allowed in. He said that, it is better to protect Dharma rather than gaining heaven for the self.
So, that is exactly is the point. The Kshatriyas, the warriors who have the Dharma of protecting people and its subjects and all sentient beings do not compromise on that, no matter what is the temptation. That should be the trait of every political leader.
The interest of the people is first, then comes self-interest. Self interest is good but not selfishness. Self-interest is good to the extent that you have to earn a living, you have to take care of yourself, you have to take care of your family. These are basically part of self-interest.
Selfishness is at the cost of others, at the cost of the country, you are actually taking care of yourself. That is selfishness. That is an intense level of negative karma. Remember, karma comes in so many levels. It is not that an action done is going to have the same repercussion. No!
According to your level of responsibility, there is a karmic consequence. One of the simplest example that we took some time back is, when you go to a shop with your child and your child happens to lift something from the shop and goes out of the shop. The shopkeeper will possibly come and explain to the child, “My dear, it’s not good to lift things like this, come on, let’s put it back!”
So, the shopkeeper will try to cajole the child and teach the child some good mannerism. But you, as a grown up adult, if you pick up a thing and walk out of the shop, the treatment that will be meted out to you will be very different. Police might be called, for example.
As you start growing spiritually, your responsibilities grow. The result of your action is also going to be in proportion to that. So, as a political leader, when you are a selfish person, a corrupt person and doing injustice for your own benefit, the karmic repercussion of this is going to be very, very severe.
Hopefully, someday, everybody will realize it and the times are coming very near. So, you as a warrior, as a Kshatriya, your Dharma is to protect the interest of the people first and then, you take care of yourself. So, Yudhishthira was an exemplary example, how he rejected heaven because a being that followed him should be protected! Let us continue.
The miseries of humanity are often due to its collective failure to honor Varna-Dharma. If the Brahmins educate and enlighten people to evolve..
Remember, brahmin is not simply a caste. It is basically about the trait. So, you as a teacher, you are a Brahmin and your Dharma is to help your students to evolve, not teaching for the sake of fulfilling your obligation.
Teaching your students with devotion and with love so that the soul in front of you, in the form of a student, evolves and gets inspired to grow. That should be the level of your deliverance. So, teaching with love, teaching with devotion is the Dharma for the teacher. Then, you are a true Brahmin.
If the Brahmins educate and enlighten people to evolve as well as become an embodiment of their teachings, the Kshatriyas selflessly guard and protect people’s wellbeing with devotion to duty and integrity, the Vaishyas strive to provide good things that fulfil the needs of the people and serve with honesty and the Shudras support with all their might, we can then make our world a wonderful place to live.
Very profound study and I will like to read it again. It is a reminder for all of us.
The miseries of humanity are often due to its collective failure to honor Varna-Dharma. If the Brahmins educate and enlighten people to evolve as well as become an embodiment of their teachings…
That means, as a Brahmin, as a teacher, you have to become an embodiment of the teachings. At least, strive to become an embodiment of the teaching.
After all, we are in the plane of matter and it is possible that we fail sometimes, but at least, realize that you have failed and that you have to correct as far as possible, avoid repeating mistakes. If you have not done any mistake in your life, impossible to grow.
Girna bhi hai sambhalna bhi hai! It is natural to fall but get up quickly, do not lose, do not waste time in brooding over what had happened. Release all the guilt. You mentally say, “Yes I have done a mistake, I have learned very wonderfully from this mistake. I am a better person now!”
If a person never has done any mistake, it’s a very slow process of growth. That is why, in one of the most beautiful scriptures called Tirukural, that is from East of India, I do not know whether you call it a scripture or teaching of a great master called Tiruvalluvar. He says very beautifully, “Kalavum katru mara!” meaning, “Stealing also, you learn and then, you forget!
It is not intended to say that you steal, no! The message here is that it is okay for you to do mistakes. It is perfect but having done a mistake, acknowledge, correct yourself and move forward. That is exactly is the path for rapid evolution.
So, the person who has never done any mistake is like a couch potato. Progress is very slow. So, it is okay that you have done a mistake. Forget the past! Make a full stop! Release all guilt feeling, bless the people involved and move forward and do something greater. Never ever be stuck!
Further reading, Secrets of Karma, Page 143