We get severe throat pain that is unbearable. We don't know why that caused. Then a physician asks us to recall what we ate last night or a day before. We would say, "Ice Cream". Then we understand the cause for our suffering. That makes us free from mental turmoil and insecurity. We bear that suffering and decide not to eat ice cream again.
A person takes excess of alcohol on a night and suffers next day with nervous weakness and hangover. He then decides to quit alcohol. But that decision may be either temporary or permanent. Both derive out of experience. If the decision stands permanent, slowly soul starts accepting that. That becomes 'Samskaram'. Samskaram is the core constituent of any soul. That decides the attitude, aptitude, behavior, thought process, acts and deeds of any person.
Every result has its cause either in micro level or macro level.
Every act, every sin, every virtue and everything has to be experienced by the source.
There is a small story for it:
"There was a President of a Nation who was very benevolent to his people. People also like him a lot. He rules the nation sitting in that top chair for a few years and his mind starts thinking about 'salvation and bhakthi'. He keeps on thinking why he became the President and what virtue made him so. An unknown power reminds him of his past birth when he gets into REM sleep. The President was a poor Brahmin in his past birth. He used to live in Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu. He never desired any money and used to live as a chef in a temple. His daily activity was to cook food in Nitya Annadaanam scheme and feed the poor on his hands. He used to get highly satisfied in that act. He used to save only 10% of his earning and never touched that. He used to donate rest of his earning for the people who were poorer than him. He was so kind and generous that people liked him a lot. Thousands of blessings were showered on him in silence. He didn't know all that. The time has come for him to die of old age. Before his death, he asked his mentor to use his saved money for digging a well for Harijans in his village outskirts as they have been suffering from water problem. The mentor obeyed him. The man passed away. Many assumed that he had got salvation as his life went on in service and death happened in temple. But he was born again. What made him to take birth again?"
Here is the answer from same source:
"The soul in the form of poor Brahmin served the people with the feeling that 'I'm doing this virtue'. When there was that 'I' his ego wasn't burnt down. So he was forced to take birth again to experience the result of his virtues. Hence he became the highly learned person and eventually the President of India. His hobby in this life is cooking, which the samskaram was brought from his past life. He wouldn't have taken this birth had he felt in his past life that only God is doing that virtue using him as tool. Then he would have met salvation. Now he has got the sins and virtues those bring him two more births. If he inculcates detachment and goes spiritual, chances are there that some of his 'prarabdhams' (accumulated sins and virtues) go burn down and reduce his future to single life. He should leave his 'I' factor first".
If you feel you are doing any virtue, know that it is the act of God being done through you. If you commit a sin, know that it is the act of evil being done through you against the wish of God. Virtues take you to divinity, serenity and ultimate peace. And sins kick you far away from every peace.
The above incident was said by Sri Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy in his book 'Jayam'. Sri Malladi has written that book as an anthology of his spiritual experiences. It can be called a biographical sketch (esp the spiritual experiences) with enough of fiction in that.
(SiraSri can be reached at [email protected])
