It is said:
“Karma pradhān biswa kari rākhā, Jo jas karhi so tas phalu chākhā” (Shri Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhyākānd 2:19:4)
In the tenth canto of Shrimad Bhagavat, it is said,
“Karmanā jāyate jantuh, karmanaiva vilīyate sukham dukham, bhayam, kshebham,
karmanavabhipadyante”
Our deeds determine cause, birth, death, happiness, pain, fear and well-being. This web of deeds is quite amazing. Karma (our deeds) is classified into three types:
(1) Destiny; (2) Active; (3) Cumulative.
Man has to suffer the consequences of his actions.
“Avashyamev bhoktavyam kritam karma shubhāshubham” – Iti Subhashitam.
The good and the bad acts of an individual bear their fruits. Depending on the intensity of the act, the consequences will appear sooner or later. The deeds that do not come to fruition in this lifetime are carried over with the soul after death and shall show their effects in the next birth. “Karmānugo gacchati jīv ekaha” – Iti Subhashitam. Just as we close our account books at the end of the year and carry forward the balance, those collected deeds ripen and become our fate or destiny for subsequent births.
Three things are determined by destiny:
(1) Cast we are born in;
(2) Longevity of life
(3) The pleasure and pain to be borne by the soul. Birth, death, happiness, misery are all determined by destiny. And our destiny is determined by our past deeds.
So it is in our hands to make our own destiny. While man is free to act as he sees fit, he is bound to the consequences thereof. Therefore, if a man acts rationally and responsibly, then his life becomes deeply satisfying and every act a celebration of life. He will serve God and his fellow beings cheerfully, and his death will not impede his spiritual progress.
Since the scriptures and the true preceptor provide the required know-how and motivate one to lead such a life, one ought to study the scriptures in depth and listen to the sermons of wise preceptors with great faith. One ought to practise those teachings in his life.
