Deivathin Kural Series - A related Digression

Om Namah Sivaya.
1. We are still continuing with Deivathin Kural. However, this e-mail is from KTSVSarma, not what Periyaval has spoken. May be he covers this later, but not in these words. In the last e-mail, we were looking at the fact, despite one's intentions to control one's Mind, we are not able to do so. It was mentioned that the reason for this is, past inclinations, of many lives lived in the past, known as, 'Poorva Karma'. There are many in this world who believe that, this is the only life we have. But Hindus believe in the theory of Karma. This concept pre-supposes an understanding of the concepts of, Sin and Re-birth. One of the Nayanmars, Manikka Vachagar, in Siva Puranam, as part of Thiru Vachagam, says, "...............I have lived many lives, as grass, weed, worm, tree; as many animals, birds, snakes; as stones, humans, ghosts, ehtereals; as kings, saints, angels............I have gone through all sorts of life forms..........and worn out in the bargain............." Whether you accept these words or not, here let me give you, a short analysis of the concept of 'Karma', with the request that, whtever be your reservations,TEMPORARILY, ACCEPT THEM, as possibilities and go ahead, in trying to understand what Periyaval has talked about, as the reason for the Human Mind's proclivities.
2. Sin. The Idea of Sin / Papam, is based on Morality and Justice at one level. Christianity says, 'Do unto others as You would like to be done unto Yourself'. Good. This is the basis for morality, whatever be your religeon. At a level when you understand that, You and Others are one, will you do injustice to yourself ? So Sin is what one commits due to ignorance or lack of understanding. Then punishment for sins is not forever, but only till genuine repentance, and understanding or till the effect of the Sin has been worked out. Ramana Maharshi says, " the giver, when he understands that, whatever he gives, he is giving to himself, how can he ever avoid giving ". The corollery holds good, that you cannot hurt others either.
3. Re Birth. The individual who thinks of himself or herself as a seperate entity, undergoes many transformations till realisation. You wear this body as you would a dress. When the dress is dirty or worn out, we don't shed tears while changing dress. At a level of deep understanding, Nothing is ever born and Nothing is ever dead. In Tamil newspapaers, the obitury will contain the words. ' Thorram and Maraivu', for birth and death. That is what it is. Appearance and disappearance. Till each comes to understand that, his seperateness is illusory and his oneness with the totality is real; He or She keeps taking many forms.
4. Karma. This is a Sanskrit word which actually means action, ( as a noun). But it has come to stand for the whole net-work of one's actions and their effect. The effect of one's actions are both good and bad.
When we praise some one, some one else is going to feel let down. More than this, when you ban or dicourage use of Ivory, you are going to make many people suffer, whose livelyhood is dependent on making ivory inlay work in furniture. When you use chemicals in agriculture, you are going to be responsible for the killing of many life forms. Then how about knowingly harming others, for personal gains. Racialism, regeonalism, parochialism, nepotism, terrirism, interventionism and so on. There is no end to human suffering because of such narrow view of oneself, one's loyalty to a country or religeon orrace or creed. Similerly we also do good to others knowingly or unknowingly. There are many unsung do-gooders in this world. After all the net-good and the net-bad has to balance. There is a beautiful poem in Tamil, which says, ' if there is one good person in this village, for his sake, there will be rain'.
5. The effect of these good and bad actions, knowingly or unknowingly rendered, have to be and are accounted for. Some of these effects are fructifying in the short run and some in the long run. The total accumulation of such Good and Bad effects are called, 'Sanchita.' Think of a bag full of tricks accumulated. Out of this, the portion that have to be experienced in one life time is, 'Prarabda', or Previously Obtained.
The balance, that is, Sanchita minus Prarabda = Agami, ( ie., to be experienced). From the moment we are born, or very soon there after, we once again start accumulating Good and Bad effects, (ie., Balance of Prarabda + this life's harvest). So you will see that these are not static concepts but are 'Flows'. These flows are multi, multi dimentionals. The Data collection, Reporting procedure, Accounting, Data Retrieval, Up-dating are all un-imaginably, complex. But for a Super-Super Computer, known as God, it is not too difficult. After all He has, Chitrgupta assisting Him as per the Hindus and St. Peter as per the Christians. Every Individual's Conscience is the reporting computer in the Net, ever " on-line ". This taken as a whole is, ' K A R M A '. Keep in mind that, some time, some where, along the way,all the Pluses and Minuses are going to cancel out. This when it happens at the individual level it is ' N I R V A N A '. Till then Birth and Death alternate. When this happens at the collective level it is, ' P R A L A Y A ', or armageddon and re-creation, God willing ! A last rejoinder, please. All this is part of, ' M A Y A ', since; our feeling of seperatedness, has, is and will be, imagined and never real.
Sambhomahadeva.