I hope that you enjoy reading this post on the weekly Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where six of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic was chosen by The Old Fossil. The five other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, gaelikaa, Maxi, Paul, Shackman, and The Old Fossil. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!
fate
feɪt/
noun
noun: fate; plural noun: Fates; plural noun: the Fates
1.
the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power.
“fate decided his course for him”
verb
past participle: fated; verb: fate; 3rd person present: fates; gerund or present participle: fating
1.
be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way.
“the regime was fated to end badly”
A beautiful word that can be used as a noun as well as a verb. For me, an Indian, a necessary word in day to day conversations. Karma. Karma in turn means so many things depending on context that a separate post will be needed. For the purpose of this post, suffice it to say that I intend focusing on the endless action / reaction chain that is depicted in the endless knot shown at the start of this post.
“Now as a man is like this or like that,
according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be;
a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad;
he becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds;
And here they say that a person consists of desires,
and as is his desire, so is his will;
and as is his will, so is his deed;
and whatever deed he does, that he will reap.”
~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
The core aspect in this theory is that all beings come into existence and move on till they reach the stage in evolution when they stop getting born again. Popularly known as Nirvana, Mukti and Liberation.
There are three types of karmas.
1. Sanchita Karmas are accumulated works,
2. Prarabdha Karmas are ripe or fructuous actions, and
3. Kriyamana or Agami Karmas are current works
We use a modern phenomenon to explain this. Sanchita karma is the accumulated balance in one’s bank account. Please note that there is nothing good or bad about this accumulation. It is there collected over many lives. Prarabhda karmas are the ones where one removes some amounts for current expenditure and Agami karmas are what you put back into the balance to add to the Sanchita Karma.
Once one gains knowledge of Brahma, or attains Buddhahood or whatever, his Sanchita karma is completely wiped out but the mind body intellect complex that has already manifested itself as a result of pervious Sanchitas has to undergo the effect part of its own karmic cycles. The consciousness which is Brahma simply witnesses the process. The I stops being the I.