” शुद्ध विचारों से कर्म करने का निर्णय लो …”

Swami ji said…

What we experience today – is due to the actions of the past , and , what we experience in the future is because of our actions of the present time. Such is the inescapable law of ‘karma’. Whether, we choose to believe it or not, it applies unequivocally to each one of us. Following this logic, we , should realise that our ‘fate’ – then – is in our own hands. While what we face and go through today – is not entirely in our hands – for we cannot undo deeds of the past – we certainly have a say – in how our future should unfold.

We are thus, quite certainly, responsible for ourselves ; for everything that is done by us. Every action of ours – be it today, yesterday or tomorrow – comes about from a thought process. Whether we are mindful of that or not is a separate issue altogether. But, it , is our mind that gives birth to every action of ours – and , thus, we , cannot , but, be responsible for every action of ours.

While this seems very simple to understand – we have always found it extremely difficult to adopt it ; to practice it in everyday life. One might think that such is not the case. After all, we go around making decisions everyday about something or the other. But, a true litmus test of this would be – how we behave when we have major decisions to make. Decisions – the results of which are not evident, not obvious and cannot be foreseen immediately. Decisions – the repercussions of which can have significant , long term effects. Do we keep asking for others opinions during such moments? Do we feel agitated when faced with situations which need us to make such decisions ? Do we try to push these decisions on others who we trust?

Why do we behave this way? Is it possible that we are afraid of making the wrong decision? Are we trying to shield ourselves from taking responsibility of any kind , in case our decision does not give the best outcome? Are we scared from taking ownership of our own fate?

Such behaviour only comes about in those who feel – that they can somehow absolve themselves of the results of their actions. Even letting someone else guide us in our actions – is an action of our own ; a decision taken by us to seek his help. Everything that happens from then on – good or bad – is ultimately our responsibility.
There are those who blame their parents for not having guided them well enough in life.They too must realise that it was their past ‘karma’ which brought them to their parents in this life.

Thus, there is clearly no escape from responsibility for one’s fate. But , simply accepting this and living life is not easy either. What happens when something bad comes out of a decision that we had taken with due diligence from our end ? Many times people lose confidence.They are afraid, and stressed at every turn in life. In fact, they would rather see things remain unchanged. Such a life can be dreadful – where one is only wondering – whether what they have decided to do will bear fruit or not – where they can congratulate themselves on their success , but , will resent themselves on their failure.

The truth is that we can never be really sure of the outcome of anything we do in our lives, and , yet, we will have to take full , complete responsibility for everything that is done by us. The solution to such a dilemma – lies with God , and , God only. One who surrenders to God ; one who seeks His blessings in all actions ; one who trusts that all and any outcome – are not their own personal failings. but , a direct reflection of His wishes – such a person only truly understands how to approach and live life. When we decide to place God in our mind and heart above all else – we begin to do that – which brings us closer to Him. If we decide to chase a dream, we must first place that dream at God’s Lotus feet ; reveal what we intend to do and ask Him about the right way to achieve this dream. We must ask Him to bless us and make us His instrument.

Only this way will our actions, our decisions become the ‘right ones’. Whatever the outcome, we will begin to see His ‘will ‘ in it and we will realise that it is for the best. We will no longer be plagued by self judgement, and , will be able to see His plans for us in all that happens with us. What the world might see as an unfortunate outcome – or , as a failure – we will see it as His ‘will’ – including His approval in our successes too. The pressure, stress and tension that we take while living life ; trying to take responsibility for everything – will no longer afflict us – as with time passing by , we begin to understand that – the more we surrender to Him ; He takes over everything – our thoughts , our ‘karma’ , our decisions – and helps us in becoming a better human being.