[Advaita-l] Jagadguru Speaks: Understand the Law of Karma and Act

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
http://www.tattvaloka.com/uploads/jagadguruSpeech/pdf/1537289433Jspeaks%20-%20JULY%202017%20issue.pdf
 
It is man's Punya Karmas (meritorious deeds) that bring about his welfare in life. Punya will accumulate if he follows the Dharmic path and engage in noble deeds. Peace will also pervade the mind.
 
On the contrary, if he engages in Papa Karmas during his life, he pays for it by undergoing a lot of suffering and misery. It follows that the Punya and Papa Karmas performed in the past become the cause of the joy and sorrow of his life.
 
How does a man follow the path of Dharma? Obviously, it is simply that Sattvic thought, speech and action will lead him to a Dharmic life.
 
On the other hand, to reduce the effect of Papa Karmas in the past, our Sastras have prescribed Paschatapa (repentance) and Prayaschittam (expiatory actions). However, if one acts according to his wish with no faith in the laws, Papas will accumulate. Man then cannot avoid the effects of wrong deeds.
 
This is what Lord Krishna clearly instructs in the Bhagavad Gita. When Srimad Bhagavad Gita is understood with the help of a Jnana-Guru and life is led accordingly, it is possible to remain serene even while experiencing joy and sorrow of various kinds. Therefore, with the awareness that the outcome of any Karma may manifest at any point in our life, we must always engage in Sat-Karma (noble actions) through thought, word and deed.
 
 evaM saMchintyamanasaa pretya karmaphalodayam.h .
 mano vaakkarmabhirnityaM shubhaM karma samaacharet.h ..
 
Blessings for everyone to understand this well and live accordingly.