THE TRUTH ABOUT KARMA

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

97. THE TRUTH ABOUT KARMA
We have all come here to work out our prarabdha karma. The karmic pattern decides the
various experiences—physical and psychological—that each one of us has to undergo. And, there
is nothing very mysterious or inevitable about this either. There is nothing inexorable, for it is our
own creation. It is we who have worked for it.
Therefore, there is neither a sense of tyranny nor a sense of helplessness in this at all. We are
the creators of our own present prarabdha even as we are the creators of our own future destiny.
Either way, we are in charge. Either way, we are at the helm of affairs. Either way, we hold the key.
Therefore, our position is supreme. This is to be well grasped and understood.
We are all here as a result of our karmic pattern, both in the broad sense of being incarnated
on the earth plane and in the immediate sense of being here, now, in Sivananda Ashram. We are also
all engaged in working out our karma. But that is not the great thing. The great thing is to know its
genesis, its exact implication and its nature.
This karma is not imposed upon us or forced upon us. We have created it. It is our own
creation, and we may nullify the prarabdha karmic pattern by refusing to be affected by it through
using a superior philosophy, a higher understanding.
Karma has its affect upon the body, the nervous system and upon the mind and
intellect—thoughts, emotions, sentiments, opinions. “But I am different from all these things. I am
the great, transcendental Spirit Divine, never affected by anything. I neither need to laugh nor weep.
I am all-full, I am bliss absolute. I am peace profound. I am the light shining beyond all darkness.
Karma cannot touch me. I laugh. I am the unattached, supremely unconcerned witness of all that
happens—all changing states of the body, all changing states of the mind, in all conditions.”
This is the central, secret initiation that Holy Master openly gave to one and all. This is the
golden key. Karmic pattern works itself. Atman abides serene and unaffected because the Atman is
above, beyond, unattached and untouched. Therefore, the Atman looks on as an observer. If that
stand is taken, if one firmly establishes oneself in that inner centre and is what one is, then the
karmic pattern unfolds itself. Experiences come and go, but one remains the same. This is the one
thing needful.

And this period—when one is thus observing the unfolding and passing of the karmic
pattern—also holds within itself the potential for liberation, for the experience absolute, for
illumination. For this period can be filled with abhyasa, yoga, sadhana. It can be filled with
purushartha (effort). It can be filled with fresh, rightly chosen and wisely executed karma. It is a
creative period, a constructive period, a rich period. It is a period that fashions your future.
Therein lies the value of the present moment as prarabdha karma unfolds itself. It holds
within itself the key to blessedness, the scope for unending progress. It holds within itself all the
ingredients that are necessary for the ascent unto perfection. It contains, therefore, the essence of
life, the essence of living—striving, attaining, achieving and becoming free.
“Know thyself and be free” was not meant to be said in vain. It was not a mouthing of words;
it was not an airing of ideas. They are words of power. They are a call to perfection and liberation.
They should ring in the depth of our consciousness and rouse us into wakefulness and to dynamic
purushartha. They are living words. One who responds is indeed blessed. The Master of the Middle
East said: “He who has eyes, let him see; he who has ears, let him hear. Ask, and it will be given
you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Therefore, may each one of you be blessed with this vision that you may see. May each of
you be endowed with alert perceptivity that you may hear and understand, see and know. And may
each one of you make your life an unceasing seeking, a constant knocking at the doors of liberation,
a perpetual asking in prayer, in meditation, in contemplation with earnest and sincere aspiration.
Let your whole life be a continuous asking for your birthright, your heritage. Even an earthly father
will not give a stone to a son who asks for bread. The heavenly Father gives the bread of life.
A parable is not a little entertaining story. It is pregnant with immediate meaning. It is given
with an intention, and it has to be received with full awareness of its important meaning. Parables
have deep meaning for us, great messages for us, deep implications for us.
Thus, make your life a steady upward ascent to the Goal Supreme. This indeed is life. For
this indeed are we all here. If this is grasped and lived, your highest blessedness is in the palm of
your hand; the supreme attainment is assured as sure as the sun rises in the east. May it thus be
understood, and may you crown yourself with glory!