The Law of Karma – Part 1

Dear Chitra mami,

Once again uve hit a sixer. The words were so aptly framed that every line has indepth meaning and gives an answer to all questions lurking in our minds.
East or West Chitra is the Best.

Luv
Bhugan

Dear Manju,
Please feel free to ask me any doubt that arises - as long as I know the correct answer, I am ready to share it with you.
Let us go a little deeper to understand why papams & punyams follow us in all janmas.

Every individual is endowed with three bodies:
Sthula shariram or gross body ( physical parts like head, trunk, hands & legs)
Sukshma sariram or subtle body (All sense organs – jnanendriyas, karmendriyas etc total 19))
Karana shariram or Causal body ( physical & subtle body in unmanifest form)

Of these, the subtle body serves as a medium, as a counter, as an instrument of interaction with the world. In other words, the experiencer contacts the world only through the subtle body ( some arevarious sensory powers, & inner faculties like mind, intellect, memory & ego). This has a longer life than the gross body. That is, when the gross body dies, the subtle body does not die. It survives & takes another physical body as the next janma. It continues to take physical bodies until the resolution of this world.
Death is defined as the dissociation of subtle body from the gross body. In other words, rebirth is the association of the subtle body with a new gross body.
Therefore to understand birth, rebirth or death, a clear understanding of the subtle body is necessary. Again we should remember that the subtle body is one which keeps in it all the punyam & papam, the results of good and bad actions. The subtle body remains the store-house of all these & so it is very important.
This explains the fructification of papam & punyam in further births. Since the subtle body is not perceptible to the naked eye at all, we can never see it quitting the gross body.. So we realise that the subtle body survives the death of a person, but cannot be seen.
When we deal with the 3 types of body - sarira thrayam, we will discuss more in detail.
Please feel free to ask, if you still cannot undestand at any point.
Thankyou for the F B.
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Bhugan,
I am happy that you are able to understand & accept the karma theory.
This answers all the "why"s of our life.
I always feel, instead of asking God, "why me", we should ask " why not me?".
Who knows, how much of papams, we have accumulated in our subtle body over many janmas? They need to be fructified, a fraction atleast in each janma, as though by allotment, which is called prarabdham !
Your praise of me - I offer as gurudakshinal to my vedanta teacher !
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Chitvish
Thank you so much for the prompt reply.
Yes, I have read of the sareera thrayam too. But some doubts keep lingering. Perhaps I dont yet have the intellect to grasp certain things. Anyway, I shall eagerly await your successive posts . You give good Theeni for the mind !
Thank you, dear madam,
Manjula

Dear Mrs.C,

It was a very nice writeup on Karma!

As we sow, we shall reap! How true!

You have done a perfect job as always explaining a complex term in an easily understandable manner!

My dear Radha V,
Thankyou very much for the F B.
But it was far from easy for me to draft this topic - this is more accepted initially than understood. Over a period, understanding will come !
Love,
Chithra.

Dear Mami

Last night i was upset about something and musing about it i cld not sleep, then i kept on asking "why me" it was very to ask but to ask "why not me " is not so. I think we need great inner strength and courage to ask that. In the process of asking 'why not me', i'm afraid whether i wld become a stoic and bereft of all
emotions. I want to be a normal person havin all kinds of emotions but this 'why
not me' i'm scared will make me too philosophical and make me above normal.

bhugan

Dear Chitra,

I did post my reply in the afternoon and now i don't find my post here. I don't know where it has gone or did i post it any where else??

You have given a splendid explanation to "Law of Karma". I too believe in, "as you sow so you reap". I have heard from the elders that our papams and punyams that we do in this birth are recorded and at the end of this birth the calculations are doneand according to this calculation only our next birth will be. Your answer to manju cleared that our papams and punyams are associated with the subtle body and not our gross body.
waiting for the part 2.

regards,
kodi.

Dear Chitra,
You have explained this subject very well but at times I have difficulty understanding Karma. Hope you can clarify my doubts.

1- When there is a conflict between'Dharma and Karma' which one should I choose since the former is righteousness and latter is action. When justice has to be served in my mind the actions may not be right and I may fall into 'as you sow so shall you reap'.

2- Is there a time period for our Karmas? The reason I ask this is if I give up something saying it is my Karma phalan then I do receive the same thing after many years when unexpected.

3- Our actions determine our destiny then in that case should I say that this janma is predestined and give up my hopes,dreams,desires and ambitions?

I just can't understand this concept very well. Still in learning process. Thanks in advance. Eagerly waiting for your reply.
Love,

Dear Bhugan,
Please feel free to call me Chithra - I prefer that in virtual interaction. Please do not remind me of my age forever !!
Let us not ever think, that God has chosen us specially to give pleasure or pain, in particular. All are equal in His eyes & do you not ever think, He is partial.
By our words & deeds we cast an invisible net around ourselves, which has as many plus points as there are minus. Just remember, nothing goes unaccounted for in the Universe. So by conscious choice making, if we increase the plus points, we will be able to tide over the adverse reactions caused by the minus points, with strength of mind. There is no second thought about the fact, that we are makers of our own destiny. By prayers, we increase our moral conviction & acceptance that there will be as many sorrows as there are pleasures. Even if I give a general example, I am scared that if by chance, anybody has that problem, they may get offended. When you read my next post, I do hope you will understand & accpt better.
Do we not say in tamil
வினை விதைத்தவன் வினை அறுப்பான்
தினை விதைத்தவன் தினை அறுப்பான்.
That law cannot be challenged under any circumstances !
Love,
Chithra.