Destiny - Is It Inviolable?

Thyagarajan · Nov 25, 2022

Srama said: ↑

Dear Thyagarajan sir,

I am assuming you are expecting another response with your thoughts/questions. We seem to apply karma to only negative things in life. We tend to forget the joyful moments and the blessings that come our way. As much as we may not be able to change our destiny entirely (for this birth), by living life in a manner that is enriching to us and others, we will be creating something like a savings bank account which will come handy when we need it, if not this time in the future. I think this karma concept is only to help us have proper checks and balances so that we live the life to the fullest. None of us, no matter how much we like to think so do not know what happens after we pass on.

But sir, who has escaped death? And who would pray thinking we will live forever or die a certain way - it may be possible but we would never know. That is a mystery.

And like I said earlier there is individual karma and collective karma....perhaps that makes all these things happen. I don't know. Having lost many people in my life, I can tell you that it is the living that suffer - so it is the karma of the living also no?

I have been reading "Illusions" by Richard Bach for god knows, may be a millionth time - that book gives me more insights than anything else and I continue to learn. One of the quotes I have been spending sometime thinking about is - “Remember where you came from, where you’re going, and why you created the mess you got yourself into in the first place. You're going to die a horrible death, remember. It's all good training, and you'll enjoy it more if you keep the facts in mind. Take your dying with some seriousness, however. Laughing on the way to your execution is not generally understood by less-advanced life-forms, and they'll call you crazy.” I personally love the way he says " laughing your way" - that is the journey and we can make it better for ourselves.

Perhaps those fifty births were a chance for him to redeem and he never took it - perhaps never exercised freewill And then there is that avatar of krishna also involved and the lessons of Mahabharatha to be taught...We can only speculate and come to conclusions that please us.

When talking about karma, I often think of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and his relation to food. There are a couple of versions. I am sure you know them but here are the links -

Ramakrishna Paramhansa Interest in food - Saburi : You are in Sai World.

Indian Stories For All: Ramakrishna's Love for Food

As far as war and other tragedies, good and evil etc haven't we read about them be it in ramayana/mahabharatha or elsewhere? We accept them either because we were not there then (or don't remember them from our previous births ) or put it down to god taking an avatar . A friend of mine says that it is the collective good of even a handful of people that defines/helps with the good for world. So we must keep doing those things irrespective of god/no god for the collective karma of the world!

I think I have spoken too much But I have been thinking about since the other thread - it is @shravs3 thread?
Click to expand...

Comprehensive answers that largely clears my skepticism and my understanding of Dubious “karma” .
Thanks & Regards.

Srama · Nov 25, 2022

Thank you @Thyagarajan sir for your words - you are elder to me and will know better. I only shared what I understood. It makes me feel better knowing that it made sense.

Thyagarajan · Nov 26, 2022

In context of this thread, i wish to put here a scene from epic:

“Those who commit a lot of sin ascend to the heavens first so that they could live the fruits of their good karma before heading to hell.
The souls who have lived their life righteously and did a small number of wrong deeds, first go through hell to finally ascend to heaven.”

Srama · Nov 29, 2022

Dear @Thyagarajan sir,

sorry to continue to add to this, but a couple of more things. I came across “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will rule your life and you will call it Fate.” —Carl Jung

Carl Jung's theory is the collective unconscious. He believed that human beings are connected to each other and their ancestors through a shared set of experiences. We use this collective consciousness to give meaning to the world. The theory was usually summed up by my dad (our hindu philosphy) as "Runanubandha roopena pashu, patni, suta, alayaha.

And finally, Richard Bach also says - Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.

So!! nothing more to add by me

Thyagarajan · Mar 11, 2023

Display of ill-gotten wealth affects the family and also their heirs. Actress turned Former chief minister Jayalalithaa conducted lavishly spending crores of rupees and conducted her so called adopted son's wedding & the couple in doldrums.
Superstar Rajini conducted her daughter's wedding with pomp and grandeur and observed all religious rituals but today the actor son in law found reasons to divorce the lady he married few years back.