***This week's story ***

[Guest guest]

Another day i was discussing with a friend who

commented," why bad things happen to good people and why

non-sprituals and sinners enjoy the comforts of life ?" I

remembered a story i heard in my childhood.<br><br> Two

co-travellers were passing through a forest. One was a sadhaka

who alwsy kept himself busy in good karma. The other

one was a pure materialistic person. He was a money

lender and had cheated many in his life. He never

thought of any good deed in his life as his aim was to be

happy by living upon other's hard earned money. The

sadhaka during his conversation tried to persuade him to

leave his ways but he did not care and mocked at the

sadhaka for his useless charities etc.<br><br> In the

dark, something pierced through the feet of the

sadhaka, and on close examination it was found that a big

nail had injured his foot. He cried with pain, and

bandaging it with a piece of cloth started his journey

limping.<br><br> After some time, something hit the bad man. He

abused god for the plight and saw down. Lo & behold!

there was a bag full of gold coins which had hit his

feet. He danced with joy and mocked at the sadhaka,"

See your chanting of god's name injured you and my

abusing him got me gold" Sadhaka was very sad and

suspicious.<br><br> At about midnight they thought to sleep at a

hermits ashram, which was nearby. The saint welcomed them

and they sat for a while to chat. The sadkha was very

upset he asked the saint," Sir whole life i was busy in

charities and chanting the name of god....and got a severe

injury in the jungle...and this man spent his life in

dishonesty and ugly deeds and he found gold coins. Does it

mean, there is nothing like Karma and god ?<br><br> The

saint smiled for a while and said," Well as i see your

past karma i can very well see that you were a big

criminal in your last birth...you are thus born as a

sadhaka in this birth due to the guilt you had in last

birth. The present fruit of your karma was that at the

precise moment you got injured, you were destined to be

hanged by the law, but your charities and sadhna diluted

your past sins and God very mercifully satisfied the

Karma law by injuring you.<br><br> and this man was a

great sadhaka in his last birth and was destined to be

a King....but his sins diluted his good karma, and

he got a lump of gold instead of a whole

kingdom!<br><br>-------------------------------\

--<br><br> well stories are stories and may not have

authenticity....but they have a great lesson hidden....a great truth

in simple words. Does it answer my friend's querry

?<br><br>Hari Aum

[Guest guest]

One question, open to all. <br><br>Why didn't

the God mercifully save the money lender from

becoming a money lender and a cheat?<br><br> He is

supposed to have been a sadhaka in his previous life and

so must have practiced austerities and must have had

some good karmas. Because to become a sadhaaka, it

requires good karma.<br><br>To think that this person

becomes a money lender and loses his good karmas is

itself a big pain and a spiritual setback which I am

sure you will agree is a big loss. Why didn't, in the

story, the God save the ex-sadhaka from the

danger?<br><br>I agree to the part of the story that God reduces

the karma nd so a good practioner or a saadhaka will

not suffer much pain. But, a criminal. is again a

learner who is learning through Karma. I am not sure if

robbing a lerner of good karma is a beneficial thing to

do and karma would approve of such a thing as its

not in the direction and the purpose of Karma and the

things its doing.<br><br><br>Regards,<br>Seshadri.