KARMA AND DESTINY - SRI RAMANA MAHARISHI - QUESTION & ANSWERS

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Karma and Destiny

The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi

Edited by David Godman

 

Question: Is it posssible to overcome, even while the body exists,

the Prarabdha Karma which is said to last till the end of the body?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes. If the agent, upon whom the Karma depends,

namely the ego, which has come into existence between the body and

the Self, merges in its source and loses its form, how can the Karma,

which depends upon it, survive? When there is no `I' there is no

Karma.

 

Question: It is said that Prarabdha Karma is only a small fraction of

the Karma accumulated from previous lives. Is this true?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: A man might have performed many Karmas in his

previous births. A few of these alone will be chosen for this birth

and he will have to enjoy their fruits in this birth. It is something

like a slide show where the projectionist picks a few slides to be

exhibited at a performance; the remaining slides being reserved for

another performance. All this Karma can be destroyed by acquiring

knowledge of the Self. The different Karmas are the slides, Karmas

being the result of past experiences, and the mind is the projector.

The projector must be destroyed so that there will be no further

reflection and no further births and no deaths.

 

Question: Who is the projectionist? What is the mechanism, which

selects a small portion of the Sanchita Karma and then decides that

it shall be experienced as Prarabdha Karma?

 

Sri Ramana Mahrshi: Individuals have to suffer their Karmas but

Iswara manages to make the best of their Karmas for his purpose. God

manipulates the fruits of Karma but he does not add or take away from

it. The subconscious of man is a warehouse of good and bad Karma.

Iswara chooses from this warehouse what he sees will best suit the

spiritual evolution at the time of each man, whether pleasant or

painful. Thus there is nothing arbitrary.

 

Question: In `Upadesa Saram', you say that Karma bears fruit by the

ordinance of God (Karta). Does this mean that we reap the

consequences of Karma solely because God wills it?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: In this verse Karta (God) means Iswara. He is

the one who distributes the fruits of actions to each person

according to his Karma. That means that he is the manifest Brahman.

The real Brahman is unmanifest and without motion. It is only the

manifest Brahman that is named as Iswara. He gives the fruit to each

person according to his actions (Karma). That means that Iswara is

only an agent and that he gives wages according to the labour done.

That is all. Without this Sakti (power) of Iswara, this Karma would

not take place. That is why Karma is said to be on its own, inert.

[Note: Iswara: For explanations about Iswara, the manifest Brahman

and the unmanifest real Brahman, see Page `Nature of Reality']

 

Questioner: The present experiences are the result of past Karma. If

we know the mistakes committed before, we can rectify them.

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: If one mistake is rectified there yet remains

the whole Sanchita Karma from former births which is going to give

you innumerable births. So that is not the procedure. The more you

prune a plant, the more vigorously it grows. The more you rectify

your Karma, the more it accumulates. Find the root of Karma and cut

it off.

 

Question: Does the Karma theory mean that the world is the result of

action and reaction? If so, action and reaction of what?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Until realisation there will be Karma, that is

action and reaction. After realisation there will be no Karma and no

world.

 

Question: If I am not the body why am I responsible for the

consequences of my good and bad actions?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: If you are not the body and do not have the idea

`I am the doer', the consequences of your good or bad actions will

not affect you. Why do you say about the actions the body performs `I

do this' or `I did that'? As long as you identify yourself with the

body like that you are affected by the consequences of the actions,

that is to say, while you identify with the body you accumulate good

and bad Karma.

 

Questioner: But since I am not the body I am not really responsible

for the consequences of good or bad actions.

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: If you are not, why do you bother about the

question?

 

Questioner: In some places it is stated that human effort is the

source of all strength and that it can even transcend Karma. In

others it is said that it is all divine grace. It is not clear which

of them is correct.

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Yes, some schools of philosophy say that there

is no God other than Karma of the previous birth, that is Karma done

in the present birth in accordance with the scriptures is known as

Purushkara (human effort), that the previous and present Karmas meet

for a head-on fight like rams and that the one that is weaker gets

eliminated. That is why these people say that one should strengthen

Purushkara. If you ask such people what the origin of Karma is, they

say that such a question is not to be raised as it is like the

eternal question, `Which is earlier, the seed or the tree?'

Debates such as this are mere arguments, which can never arrive at

the final truth. That is why I say first find out who you are. If one

asks, `Who am I? How did I get this Dosha (fault) of life?', the `I'

will subside and one will realise the Self. If one does this properly

the idea of Dosha will be eliminated and peace will be obtained. Why

even obtained? The Self remains as it is.

 

The essence of Karma is to know the truth of oneself by enquiring

`Who am I, the doer, who begins to do Karmas?' Unless the doer of

Karmas, the ego, is annihilated through enquiry, the perfect peace of

supreme bliss, which is the result of Karma Yoga, cannot be achieved.

 

Question: Can people wipe out the consequences of their bad actions

by doing Mantras or Japa (repeating God's name) or will they

necessarily have to experience them?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: If the feeling `I am doing Japa' is not there,

the bad actions committed by a man will not stick to him. If the

feeling `I am doing the Japa' is there, the consequences of bad

actions will persist.

 

Question: Does the Punya (merit accumulated from virtuous acts)

extinguish Papa (demerit accumulated from sinful acts)?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: So long as the feeling `I am doing' is there,

one must experience the result of one's acts, whether they are good

or bad. How is it possible to wipe out one act with another? When the

feeling that `I am doing' is lost, nothing affects a man. Unless one

realises the Self, the feeling `I am doing' will never vanish. For

one who realises the Self where is the need for Japa? Where is the

need for Tapas (austerity)? Owing to the force of Prarabdha life goes

on, but he who has realised the Self does not wish for anything.

 

Prarabdha Karma is of three categories, Ichha, Anichha and Parechha

(personally desired, without desire and due to others' desire). For

the one who has realised the Self, there is no Ichha-Prarabdha but

the two others, Anichha and Parechha, remain. Whatever a Jnani (Self-

realised) does is for others only. If there are things to be done by

him for others, he does them but the results do not affect him.

Whatever be the actions that such people do, there is no Punya and no

Papa attached to them. But they do only what is proper according to

the accepted standard of the world – nothing else.

Those who know that what is to be experienced by them in this life is

only what is already destined in their Prarabdha will never feel

perturbed about what is to be experienced. Know that all one's

experiences will be thrust upon one whether one wills them or not.

 

Question: The realised man has no further Karma. He is not bound by

his Karma. Why should he still remain within his body?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Who asks this question? Is it the realised man

or the Ajnani (ignorant)? Why should you bother what the Jnani (Self-

realised) does or why he does anything? Look after yourself. You are

now under the impression you are the body and so you think that the

Jnani also has a body. Does the Jnani say he has a body? He may look

to you as if he has a body and he may appear to be doing things with

the body, as others do, but he himself knows that he is bodiless. The

burnt rope still looks like a rope, but it can't serve as a rope if

you try to bind anything with it. A Jnani is like that – he may look

like other people, but this is only an outer appearance. So long as

one identifies oneself with the body, all this is difficult to

understand.

 

That is why it is sometimes said in reply to such questions, `The

body of the Jnani will continue till the force of Prarabdha works

itself out, and after the Prarabdha is exhausted it will drop off'.

An illustration made use of in this connection is that of an arrow

already discharged which will continue to advance and strike its

target. But the truth is the Jnani has transcended all Karmas,

including the Prarabdha Karma, and he is not bound by the body or its

Karmas.

 

Not even an iota of Prarabdha exists for those who uninterruptedly

attend to space of consciousness, which always shines as `I am',

which is not confined in the vast physical space, and which pervades

everywhere without limitations. Such alone is the meaning of the

ancient saying, `There is no fate for those who reach or experience

the heavens'.

 

Question: If a thing comes to me without any planning or working for

it and I enjoy it, will there be no bad consequences from it?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: It is not so. Every act must have its

consequences. If anything comes your way by reason of Prarabdha, you

can't help it. If you take what comes, without any special

attachment, and without any desire for more of it or for a repetition

of it, it will not harm you by leading to further births. On the

other hand, if you enjoy it with great attachment and naturally

desire for more of it, it is bound to lead to more and more births.

 

Question: According to the astrological science, predictions are made

about coming events taking into account the influence of the stars.

Is that true?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: So long as you have the feeling of egotism all

that is true. When the egotism is destroyed, even if they appear to

see they do not really see.

Destiny is the result of past action. It concerns the body. Let the

body act as may suit it. Why are you concerned with it? Why do you

pay attention to it? Should anything happen, it happens as the result

of one's past actions, of divine will and of other factors.

 

Question: The present is said to be due to past Karma. Can we

transcend the past Karma by our free will now?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: See what the present is. If you do this you will

understand what is affected by or has a past or a future, what is

ever-present and always free and what remains unaffected by the past

or future or by any past Karma.

 

Question: Is there such a thing as free will?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Whose will is it? So long as there is the sense

of doership, there is the sense of enjoyment and of individual will.

But if this sense is lost through the practice of Vichara (self-

enquiry), the divine will will act and guide the course of events.

Fate is overcome by Jnana, Self-knowledge, which is beyond will and

fate.

 

Question: I can understand that the outstanding events in a man's

life, such as his country, nationality, family, career or profession,

marriage, death, etc., are all predestined by his Karma, but can it

be that all the details of his life, down to the minutest, have

already been determined? Now, for instance, I put this fan that is in

my hand down on the floor here. Can it be that it was already decided

that on such and such a day, at such and such an hour, I should move

the fan like this and put it down here?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Certainly. Whatever this body is to do and

whatever experiences it is to pass through was already decided when

it came into existence.

 

Question: What becomes then of man's freedom and responsibility for

his actions?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: The only freedom man has is to strive for and

acquire the Jnana (knowledge) which will enable him not to identify

himself with the body. The body will go through the actions rendered

inevitable by Prarabdha and a man is free either to identify himself

with the body and be attached to the fruits of its actions or to be

detached from it and be a mere witness of its activities.

 

Question: So free will is a myth?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: Free will holds the field in association with

individuality. As long as individuality lasts there is free will. All

the scriptures are based on this fact and they advise directing the

free will in the right channel.

Find out to whom free will or destiny matters. Find out where they

come from, and abide in their source. If you do this, both of them

are transcended. That is the only purpose of discussing these

questions. To whom do these questions arise? Find out and be at peace.

 

Question: If what is destined to happen will happen, is there any use

in prayer or effort or should we just remain idle?

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi: There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be

independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny and

discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self, and

that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by

completely surrendering to the Lord, by realising one's helplessness

and saying all the time, `Not I but Thou, O Lord', giving up all

sense of "I" and `mine' and leaving it to the Lord to do what He

likes with you. Surrender can never be regarded as complete so long

as the devotee wants this or that from the Lord. True surrender is

love of God for the sake of love and nothing else, not even for the

sake of liberation. In other words, complete effacement of the ego is

necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement

through self-enquiry or through Bhakti Marga (path of devotion).