eradicate past life bad karma

[MKM]

Dear learned members
what are your views on eradicating past life's bad karmas so that the bad yogas in kundli can be neutralized.

[elipsis]

It can be eradicated up to a point - sooner the better. For example: diseases can be cured if detected early, similarly bad marriages can be fixed through match-making, accidents can be averted, wealth can be made by adopting smart lifestyle changes. But not many do it and that's because they are not willing and therefore they are not destined to get all these solutions.

[rathore]

MKM ji, Getting brownie karma points is a trap. We don't know what karmas are with us so trying to neutralize them is shooting in the dark with closed eyes, a dizzy head and having never seen the target to begin with. Astrology can help but most Astrologers cannot.

One should do their best to do the right thing in all situations for the reason of "doing the right thing" and not to nullify or enhance something.

Also the ways of Karma are unfathomable. E.g. if in my previous life I took someone's property that doesn't mean donating property now neutralizes it.

A real sat guru can burn a lot of karma and that is a tough path. Some yogic practices are also supposed to accelerate results of previous karmas but that also is a tough path.

Rathore

[Dev]

I think doing some deeds on a large scale would burn off a lot of this like starting a gaushala for cow protection, starting an old age home, home for orphans and doing service to them; helping the physically and mentally handicapped, educating the poor by teaching them, educating them, donating money on a large scale and so on. These activities may be everyone knows but none of us may really take it up. But when we do, then the ego and I factor is almost gone and so it actually would benefit us in a large way.

Dev

[tanmish]

On the great battlefield, when Arjuna asks Krishna how he can go fight his own brethren, Krishna replies that it is his (Arjuna's) manifest destiny.

"Know me, for I am part of you and only then can you fully come into me".

Krishna in effect became an instrument in Arjuna's victory against evil, by becoming his charioteer and ensuring the enemy's defeat even if with much sacrifice.

Rathore-jee -

What kind of Karma would that be, good or bad - killing bad guys to maintain peace on earth? Is it akin to modern wars that the US fights? E.g. America's role in almost ALL wars of the 20th (and 21st) century.

What about the bloodshed in ancient India, all the dynasties (Maurya, Chhola, Gupta) did not remain in power by being benevolent?? Emporer Asoka was the last to restore peace to Bhaaratvarsh, restoring sanctity to Buddhism, rebuilding stupas and monuments, which too were toppled by the dominant Hindu class, who did not want to be subjugated. They managed to almost get rid of Buddhism from India but to what effect. It still thrives elsewhere (Japan, China).

Can the sins of countries be wiped out by good Karma? Western settlers to the New World completely vanquished the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs and various native Indian tribes ... can their genocide ever be pardoned, even if Krishna himself was to reincarnate in our time? We know the answer to that - "No".

Dev-jee -

The activities you've suggested need a lot of financial wherewithal, not everyone would be eligible. But agree with it mostly. That said, I do not believe doing good deeds will necessarily wipe out past life Karmas in THIS life... maybe in some future life. I've seen the real-time pay it forward effects in some families (their offspring or relatives impacted, in THIS life due to current bad Karma) but for most people it is "receivables" for a future lifetime. Make sense?

And then quite possibly, some other body (though the same soul) will get to enjoy the fruits in THAT lifetime!! Anyway, most of this is too much for me to swallow... I'll slowly steer myself away from the express lane

Tanu

[Dev]

Dear Tanu

I also included doing free service like taking care of the cows, destitutes, anaths and educating the poor by teaching them for free, these do not involve money. What I meant was when you do them on a very large scale, it is a huge transformation within you which others cannot even believe. In such cases, atleast partially carried over sins are burnt off.
Of course there are certain sins which are beyond any parihara, like killing cows, deserting elderly parents, having relation with guru's wife, killing a devoted brahmin and so on.
Of course, these are easier said than done but I feel they have their own effects since this would involve tremendous transformation on the part of a person. It is not easy at all.

Dev

[Sudarshang]

Dev, Tanmish, and Others:

Good deeds performed in this life will result in Punya Karma accumulating in the Overall Balance of Karma called Sanchita Karma. it will not yield results immediately.

Everyone is born in this life with Prarabdha karma, which is a miniscule sub-set of the Sanchita karma. Sanchita karma is timeless as the Atma is itself timeless. Each prarabdha karma needs to be exhausted over several life-times - no one knows how many. Like Rathore said, it is like shooting in the dark.

Lastly, whoever gave the impression and idea that "past life karma can be eradicated?" Karmic balance can be burned only in the following ways:

1. Experiencing pain or pleasure in the respective life one has taken (being happy burns punya karma, feeling pain or suffering burns papa karma). Papa and Punya cannot be used to cancel each other.
2. Divine Intervention: Through invoking the Lord's grace through karma yoga, gyana yoga, bhakti yoga or prapatti.

As for the second way, it cannot be used to cancel any of the Prarabdha. The Lord is happy to cancel the Sanchita (the big chunk) for the Karma Yogi, Gyana Yogi, Bhakti Yogi or Prapanna.

The qualification for moksha or liberation from cycles of birth/death/life is that total karmic balance should become zero - i.e Punya as well as papa should have been cancelled. Within the second method described above, only Prapatti guarantees moksha at the end of this life. All others, including Bhakti yoga will result in Moksha only when Prarabdha and the Agami (acquired karma in this life and subsequent life) are completely exhausted.

[Sudarshang]

And then quite possibly, some other body (though the same soul) will get to enjoy the fruits in THAT lifetime!! Anyway, most of this is too much for me to swallow... I'll slowly steer myself away from the express lane

Tanu

Tanmish:

The enjoyment (or suffering) is always to the Atma and not to the body. The Body is achit tattvam (insentient). Atma is made of gyana. It is the sentient component residing in the insentient body. Anubhavam (experience) is a type of gyana. Anukoola Gyanam (favorable gyana) is happiness and pratikoola gyana (unfavorable gyana) is suffering. Atma is the seat of gyana and is always the experiencer.

[Dev]

Sudarshan:

I gave methods for burning partially carried over sins only. What you said is ideal I agree but cannot be practised by all, in that case they can do good karmas in a selfless way which will not accumulate more karma when done as nishkamyakarma.
Dev

[Sudarshang]

Sudarshan:

I gave methods for burning partially carried over sins only. What you said is ideal I agree but cannot be practised by all, in that case they can do good karmas in a selfless way which will not accumulate more karma when done as nishkamyakarma.
Dev

Dev, what I said is - your methods will result in punya karma - and that punya karma cannot be used to cancel papa karma from past - punya and papa never cancel each other. Punya karma done in this life can give you better births in future births - as long as the native is decided that he wants keep taking births.

[Snr]

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[Sudarshang]

Best method to not let karma screw you--Give up your ego completely.

When there is no "me"..there are no seeds and no reaping.

SNR - partially agree - however, there is never a no "NO ME" state. The ME is the Atma - which is different from the body. the problems start with identification of the body with the Atma. This is called Deha Atma Abhhimanam. The atma understands itself as "me". but when it identifies itself with the perishable body, it forgets its "eternal" status.

That said, are the problems going to go away the moment this realization happens? No, problems don't go away, but simply the Atma centered in its true nature, watches the problems come and go. That means, the past life karma is not eradicated - you just learn to live with its consequences.

[Snr]

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[Sudarshang]

Sudarshan Ji,

When the the atma is centered in its true nature-its always bliss.Only bliss.Everywhere.

Now the karma is not screwing us-Is it?

Bhaja govindam.

Firstly, I would refrain from using words like bliss. "Atma centered in its true nature" is only one of preliminary steps in spirituality.

Secondly, your usage of the word "Karma" is inaccurate. It is not a person that can screw you, punish you, or do anything to you. It cannot even influence the outcome of your action. That is why I have been using the word "Karmic Balance". It is merely like a bank balance that you are spending when you are happy/sad.

[Snr]

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[Sudarshang]

Sudarshan Ji,

First of all-dont take everything verbatim.

Atma jnana is nothing but knowing the true identity of our soul.

Knowing our true identity is nothing but liberation.

After liberation-our karma doesn't exist and everything is ur lord narayan/brahman which is bliss-simple.

Bhaja govindam.

Atma Jnanam is not liberation - there are several more things to know beyond Svaroopa Jnanam - they are: Paramatma Svaroopam, Purushartham, Upaya Svaroopam, and Virodhi Svaroopam. This is called "Artha Panchakam". In simple englilsh, the questions to answer are: Who am I, Who is God, What is Purushartham, What are the means to attain Purushartham, What are the obstacles to attaining purushartham.

In Adi Shankara's Advaita, for reasons he only knows, he made two great assumptions, unsubstantiated by pramanam from shrutis - that the Brahmam is covered in Ignorance, and that there is no jeeva-para bhedam. Therefore, to him, dispelling the ignorance became priority and he believed that was liberation. Eventually, there were so many objections to this Maya-vadam - that he spent the rest of his life defending mayavadam and trying to dispel his own ignorance. It is truly unfortunate that the great vedanti could not live longer to realize the Artha Panchakam.

Secondly, Karmic balance exists as long as the mortal body exists. When karmic balance is exhausted, you will not stay even a second longer in Samsara. There is no such thing as Jeevan Mukti (liberation while still alive in this body).

In truth, Atma jnanam is only 20% of Artha panchakam knowledge.

[Snr]

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[Sudarshang]

Please quote the source and/or provide link from where you downloaded this info. Anybody these days write something and they say "thus said Ramanuja" - I know that Ramanuja did not write in English language.

[Snr]

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[Sudarshang]

Sudarshan Ji,

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-03-19.html

Lol-Its a translation of the original sanskrit commentary.

How do you ? Who is the author of the English commentary? what is his/her affiliation? Just because it is on the internet does not make it true translation, does it?

[Sudarshang]

Sudarshan Ji,

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-03-19.html

Lol-Its a translation of the original sanskrit commentary.Everyone knows Ramanuja doesn't write in english.

That website does not clearly identify the author of the translation. His/her affiliation seems to be to a different school of thought than Sri Vaishnava Sampradayam of Swami Ramanuja. As such, that translation is inadmissible as evidence. QED.

[Snr]

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[Sudarshang]

Also, it is better to take this offline as this discussion is unrelated to the thread titled "eradicate past life bad karma".

[Sudarshang]

Sudarshan Ji,

Lol-Just accept it.

You know the english translation is correct.

Arrey! Why should I accept something written by anybody - especially, when I know matter of factly, this is wrong translation!

[Snr]

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