Some things about me you need to know before I proceed with this particular piece of writing. I am a staunch believer of things my inner voice speaks. And hence proved I am also a staunch believer of the fact that an inner voice exists.
Reading the never ending news pieces describing gang rapes, murders, consistently increasing poverty levels in our country and the usual ‘things going wrong’ with our times, I would get deeply affected. And when I say deeply affected I really mean it. I stop sleeping, stop writing and even stop eating in some cases. But every time I did that my inner voice would instantly throw in a reminder saying ,”this is wrong”.
I would be utterly confused. How the hell can this be true? And I would dismiss it. But the feeling remained.
This got me into some serious thinking and reading. And over the next few years I started to form a theory. Yes this took years and not months. I am using Hinduism as an example but I can assure you all forms of religion have the same sense of concept here.
Hinduism on the whole has two schools of thought which I always thought were very contradictory. They say they are not fatalistic in nature and believe that the destiny or course of your life is in ‘your’ hands. At the same time they said everything is pre-ordained or lacking a better word, everything happens as per fate.
This for a while perturbed me to no ends. A while back I even wrote an article called ‘Hindu rate of economy’ which was no way my answer to problems but only an offshoot of some research.
It was at the beginning of this year that I finally concluded the two thought processes and yes found them to be perfectly conjoined.I took a while to write this post because I needed some validation. And after sounding my theories with many friends and finding them agreeing on all points, decided to spell it out here.
Consider this, when soul decides to take a re-birth it sits down with God and analyses the report card of its karma. God offers it some deals and packages to substantiate what it would see are hurdles in gaining the ultimate niravna.
Say my soul based on previous experiences knows that it can survive the brunt of losing a parent. And in turn cancel a lot of bad karma gathered over past lives. At the end of my life, there is a trajectory of events which have negated a lot of my soul’s bad karma and yes gained a few more due to the actions of my ‘conscious’.
Here we stop for a few seconds to understand the two words: ‘soul’ and ‘conscious’
Soul is what is inside you and conscious is the exterior set of senses which others perceive as you.
How is Hinduism not fatalistic then? Because the decision to chose your life or the events constituted in it lies with you (soul).
How is life pre-ordained? Because right at the time of your entering this world the trajectory is already decided. Hence that can be fate, chosen by you (soul)
But the question we started with was, why does my inner voice rebuke me over lamenting others sorrow?
Answer. Because in a way I am disrespecting the other soul’s decision to choose a life. I am trying to say that the soul in this particular question made an incorrect deal, a bad bargain to compensate karma.
This thought helped me grow. It taught me to let go of my own pains and yes accept that no matter how bad I feel for the others it is in the end for their own good.
Life, as I believe, is not a report card but a balance sheet.
I agree. If you did that, you’d never get anything done.
True Nick.
Richa, you have chosen a very complex subject but made it very simple to understand with your logic. I had not thought about the possibility of souls making bad bargains to compensate their past actions.Interesting post, will ponder over it some more.
Do ponder and perhaps even share your views here 🙂
I try and live my life by the dictum that everything happens for a reason. By that logic, change and pain become easier to accept and acknowledge. Written well, Richa.
Thanks Shailaja and yes by that logic it does evolve us into becoming more equipped to understand life…
Gosh, this is quite a complex subject. But I agree with Shailaja- everything happens for a reason!
I hope somewhere the concept did get to you, I agree it is complex to read and write 🙂
I have not really given it much though but your post makes me want to ponder over it…but yes I do believe that everything happens for a reason but I’ve not yet come to the conclusion about the ‘reason’…
Perhaps the reason is Karma..
Life as a balance sheet…everytime i have been wronged, is it because i have choosen it? ….somehow i just can’t accept it. May be in a philosophical view it brings us peace but i cannot reason with my inner voice because my inner voice is always my true reason.
Although i am not a philosophical guy, i believe that my bad karma should be compensated in this life no matter what…since you cant remember your past life , why should you suffer from past lives bad karma? I am sorry but blind faith is not one of my strong points!
It is because the you for you is the conscious. And as a conscious being in this life you want the karma to be balanced in this life, which is understandable. But the truth is that soul is the real you and its life span is many life times..
I agree. Life is matter of balances. I do think that we have a predetermined destiny and that fate takes its course. We gain knowledge and move forward. Lovely post. Made me really think. ♥
Glad Kathy that you could connect with it 🙂
Very interesting arguments, Richa. Personally, I’ve realized that when I accepted that everything works for good in my life, it not only became easier to accept certain things, but also gave me the courage to move on. However, I’m a little reluctant to tell another person that the pain they’re going through right now is for their ‘good’ – I think we all have to realize this for ourselves. Also, if we look at another’s pain and think it’s for their good, there’s a good chance, we may not reach out to them in empathy and be there to them. Difficult to find a balance.
I am replying to your comment Corinne because you have said the exact words I would have liked to say!
I am glad someone pointed out this, I do have a post ready for the same argument that you have stated Corinne 🙂
Rajrupa perhaps the post which will be coming up might answer your point too..
This is an extremely interesting piece.. by any chance did you read Many Lives Many Masters? I think you will find you can draw some parallels in what you have said with what the book talks about. You are right, we get what we can take and for a reason. Karma as we have known it to be always plays a role whether we believe it or not… I think once we understand the concept of the soul, a lot of fears and worries will disappear….
I agree understanding soul liberates us from a lot of worldly fears Seeta…
A huge and a highly complex topic. In the end only the soul knows what is necessary for its onward march and progress, and accordingly determines its journey. But in their ignorance our minds, hearts and other parts try to justify and rationalize many things, and group them as good, bad or otherwise. Hinduism in its essence has the capacity to help us synthesize the seemingly contradictory thoughts of determinism and freewill, and at the same time help us transcend beyond all this debate. Good post!
Yes Hinduism can transcend a lot of debates, take bhagwat gita for example..
I too believe that an inner voice exists and I try my best to listen to it these days. As for Karma, I believe a soul takes birth with a intention to learn and grow spiritually to the next level.
And these days there are so many emotional vampires out there who like parasites feed on our emotional energy. Like you said we should leave them to compensate their Karma…
Inspiring post Richa…
You have added a new dimension to the topic yes there are many emotional vampires around..
Lot many concepts in place, yet many things that we do not know!
Karma seems to be a mystery 🙂
Karma seems to be a mystery except perhaps when we know we are rubbing it the wrong way..
My personal quote is, Whatever happens, move on with a smile and everything happens for a reason! 🙂
Amen to that Sheethal 🙂
An interesting take on t…if you lament, you’re actually preventing the other person from choosing life. A great one!
True you are in a way..
I too found your explanations very satisfactory. Fate is carved out on the basis of Karma. That’s what my father says. 🙂
Yes fate and karma are inter-dependable I too believe..
I am a staunch believer too…
That everything happens for our own good right?
An interesting -thoughtful- truthful post ….
Glad you liked it 🙂
Going by your argument even “feeling bad about someone’s suffering” would then be pre-ordained… & that’s the fundamental issue with this argument….It’s like Einstein Vs Bhor : God doesn’t play dice Vs “Einstein, don’t tell God what to do” with new addition from Hawkins ” Not only does God play dice with the universe, he throws them where they cannot be seen”.
In my opinion it is the quality of “question” that decides where seeker is going land up eventually… Won’t it be more worth to ponder “Why “not” feeling sad for someone else is not the right thing to do?
By the logic of hinduism it is understood that most of the more evolved or ‘nirvana’ attained souls have less emotional baggage. And perhaps feeling sad or bad for someone also comes under a similar circle. Hence I would say my logic can be validated by both ends of the theory..
Ok that was a heavy one..,. with a lot of contradictions which even i have thought about struggled with ..good to read them in so many words.
I cant agree with the fact that the life we live is the choices we make… you have extended that argument or time frame to even before we took birth.. but still I am a little uncomfortable in agreeing to your point that we need not feel bad for what is happening with other lives… I feel we all are a summation of our expressions and feelings ..and if we hold our empathy or grief for someones difficulties somewhere we are restricting our manifestation and growth… But anyways we are all different points of views and it was a treat knowing yours (as always is)
A lot of you have picked up the flaw in the theory. Not something I didn’t notice and hence I have a second part to it… wait and watch for that one too 😀
Yeah..its not report card that talk about grades only..Its balance sheet , debit credit and all only 🙂
Yes debit and credit of Karma…
“Because in a way I am disrespecting the other soul’s decision to choose a life. I am trying to say that the soul in this particular question made an incorrect deal, a bad bargain to compensate karma. “. My question for you – When a women gets raped – do u think the soul chose this event? Are we really disrespecting that soul’s decision to get raped by feeling bad for her?
Life is not a report card but a balance sheet. True 🙂
I Agree with what you say. Getting sad for anyone else will only take you nowhere.
Well I am agree in some areas, while in other I am not able to come up with good reason.
My question is :
What might be the deal of that soul, who become ready to have rape on its external body.. ??