(Photo - The Alatar in Sathya Deep, Dharmakshethra.)
Can we escape from the fate?
Other than the two Ashrams familiarly known as Prashanthi Nilayam at
Puttaparthi and Brindavan at Whitefield, Bangalore, the three magnificent Sai
centers, namely Sathyam in Bombay, Sivam at Hyderabad, and Sundaram in Madras
would also compel a mention.
Sathya Deep at Dharmakshethra in Bombay stands out as a gem of
architectural beauty. It stands atop small hill like a fully blossomed Lotus in
a Pond. Swami on the 12th May1967 inaugurated Dharmakshethra. The first World
Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organizations was also held during this
period, the venue being the vast grounds of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan in Andheri
East. I had the good fortune to be present and participate in these programmes.
A very senior and respected international journalist, Sri Ramanujam,
representing the magazine “Newsweek” had come to Dharmakshethra to interview
Bhagavan Baba.
And Swami was back very soon at Dharmakshethra, Swami called out those
who were outside SATHYA DEEP, to come and sit inside. He announced that there
was a journalist present in Dharmakshethra, who wanted to ask a few questions
and that Swami would give replies, which would be beneficial to all. Swami then
invited the questions. Our friend who had come prepared with a set of questions
started with the first question…
“It is mentioned that we are bound by acts of our past karma, the so
called fate. Is there any way for us to escape from this fate, especially by
the Grace of Divine personalities like Baba?”
Swami smiled at him and started explaining. Indeed it became a fulfilling
discourse lasting about an hour.
“Yes, not only men, by all the creations in the universe take birth again
and again based on their past karmas. The evolution takes place on the merits
of their karma. From birth to birth, man very often indulges in dushkarma (bad
deeds) and he will have necessarily to pay for it by way of retribution some
time or other. There is no way of escape at all from the effects of such bad
Karmas, which act as the preordained fate or destiny, deciding the births, the
pain, the sufferings etc. If there have been good deeds to his credit, he will
get good rewards of such good karmas. In short man is the author of his own
destiny, from which he can not escape”
“God may choose to influence or soften the destiny of a man but only in
some extreme situations. He himself decides how far He can come to the rescue
of the devoted calls of a man who sincerely repents and engages in Sathkarmas.
Or sometimes God can also make things easier for him to pass through the
sufferings, which he has to undergo as a result of past bad karmas. Much
depends on the efforts of the incumbent.”
Swami illustrated this with an example.
“In a vast slush green field, a cow is tied to a peg, with a rope of
about 100 meter long. The fate of the cow is now fixed. It can now choose to
graze in a circular area of 100-meter diameter. By a foolish act, if the cow
chooses to go round, and round very often, the length of the rope gets reduced,
and it cannot even enjoy the allotted area of grazing. On the contrary, if the
cow uses its own strength to uproot the very peg to which it is tied down; it
can reach out a much larger area without any limitation. Thus many options are
available for the cow. The cow’s specific choice of the option and the effects
of such option becomes it fate. By using its intelligence and making efforts,
it can overcome the so called fate, or the limitations enforced upon it.”
“Likewise, man can also overcome the effects of the fate destined for
him. He may either choose and determine to live a pure life which helps to
retain what is allotted to him or opt for an easy and impure life,. and further
slip down. By leading a pure spiritual life, he can cleanse his chitha, his
intellect. He will then engage himself in “Nishkama Karma” Seva activities,
which will go beyond his self-interests and benefit people beyond him or his
family. The rewards of those good acclivities will start accruing to his
account, which will slowly erase the effects of past misdeeds”.
“If on the contrary, resulting from pride and ego, the man indulges in
dushkarmas.- bad deeds- he stands to lose the opportunities available to him to
bring about a purification of his thought, word and deed. (Thrikarana Sudhi)
and thereby getting over his destiny or fate in the present birth. This is the
lesson one should learn. Always engage in ‘sath’ karmas, engage in service
activities, live a life useful to the humanity at large, and then pray to Him.
In such cases, God will definitely hear your prayers and will show compassion
and reward you with His merciful Grace to mitigate or overcome the so called
fate, to which the human beings are bound in bondage”.
During the hour-long discourse, Swami touched on various other matters
also. Our friend did not ask his second or any other further questions; for
whatever questions he wanted ask, had already been replied to by Swami during
his long discourse.
Sai Ram.
