[Advaita-l] pUrvajas' karma / pApa & our burden

[Ramesh Nagarajan]

Eventhough the Karma Phala is specific to an individual, they get executed
with the help of other individuals.  In other words, prarbdha are
interrelated.  For example, one may be born with a silver spoon or incarnate
in a slum, purely based on his karma phala.  In this case, one can explain,
that person enjoy or suffer because of his parents or based on his karma
phala (correctly speaking).  It doesn't matter how we attribute the
suffering.  Ultimately, it is all based on karma phala of that individual.

For a vedanti, these concepts wouldn't matter as prarbhda is attributed to
the body and to some extent to the mind.  The mind (identification and
association with thoughts and objects) causes our future destiny.  As
Sankaracharya mentions in "Shivananda Lahari" the mind wanders like a monkey
(verse 20).  In verse 27 he says, you have everything and I have nothing to
offer except my mind.  Thus the uncontrollable mind should be offered to God
and  exhaust our prarbhda as per the Karma Phala.

Verse 27

In your hands is the Golden mountain,
Near you is the Lord of Riches,
In your house is the wish giving tree,
The Cow which grants everything,
The precious stone fulfilling ,
Any wish that enters your mind,
And such many others,
On your head is the moon with cool rays,
And all the good in the world is always on your feet,
And so what can slave offer you my Lord,
Except my mind which can be given as the offering.

>* praNAms*>* Hare Krishna*>**>* Last week I have attended an 'ashlesha bali' and sarpa saMskAra ritual  as*>* a Ritvik. After pooja & hOma, during AshirvachanaM,  pradhAna AchArya has*>* told the katru that due to pApa karma done by his pUrvaja-s (ancestors) he*>* & his family were suffering from nAga dOsha,  now, after performing all*>* these prAyaschitta karma-s (bali, saMskAra etc.) these sins have been*>* cleared.  I asked that Acharya (ofcourse, after getting my saMbhAvane :-))*>* how can it be?? why he has to suffer without fault of his own??  why that*>* sarpa reprimand this poor katru & his family  when he is noway related to*>* his purvaja-s pApa kArya...IOW, how can one jeeva's karma phala can affect*>* the other jeeva-s & made him/them to suffer..does it not lead to 'akruta*>* abhyAgama'??  which shankara negates in sUtra bhAshya??  Since pradhAna*>* Acharya was not a vedAnti, he could not clarify my doubt...Hence I am*>* asking this doubt in this list ...Please clarify.*>**