Posted on: 04 Feb 2005
People say that it is the sin of their previous birth whenever they are in trouble. They pose as if they are very pure in this life from their birth. When a person dies, immediately his sons write letters to others that their father has gone to heaven. Actually after death, the soul will be enquired in the Preta Loka [world of the dead] for ten days. Then the soul will be sent to hell for his bad deeds, to heaven for his good deeds and to Pitru Loka [world of ancestors] for mixed deeds. If the soul has directly gone to heaven, why do his sons donate a cow (Godana)? The donation of the cow is a tradition meant for crossing the Vaitarini river, which one has to cross before reaching hell. [This means that the soul goes to hell first].
In fact the soul is not enjoying the results of the previous deeds at present. When the soul leaves this body, it goes to hell and is washed severely like a dirty cloth. The entire dirt goes away in this washing, but a little dirt remains in the soul, which is called as Karma Shesha [remnants of the quality to do actions]. The Karma Shesha means all the qualities of the soul in least intensity. When the soul comes back to this world, [reborn] these qualities grow again in the atmosphere of the earth. [After the end of that birth] The soul again goes to hell for another severe wash. Thus the cycle repeats. When the soul comes to this earth from the hell, it does works [actions, deeds] according to the Karma Sesha i.e., the previous qualities. In that sense the Karma Sesha is responsible for all the works on this earth. These works again intensify the Karma Sesha. Buddhi (Karma Sesha) produces Karma (action) and Karma intensifies the Buddhi. When the soul comes here, there is no further result to be enjoyed in this world [The results of actions done in any birth, are enjoyed or suffered in heaven or hell immediately following death. No further result remains to be enjoyed or suffered in the next birth].
A thief was severely beaten in the police station and was left. When the thief comes out of the police station his quality to steal is very very weak. But within a short time due to the association with other thieves in the world, he again becomes the original thief and is again beaten in the police station. Therefore when the thief comes out of the police station there is no punishment that further remains to be suffered by him. Similarly, when the soul is born on earth, there is no more punishment that it has to suffer here [It has already suffered all that it had to suffer in hell, before getting this birth]. The only thing that remains with the soul is the Karma Sesha, which is a very weak quality to steal [quality to repeat the sins commited in the past].
This Karma Sesha is also called Sanchita and is also called as the writing of Brahma on the forehead. This guides the future actions of the soul in this world. The birth of the soul is according to the nature of this Karma Sesha alone, which is called Prarabdha. The actions in this world give strength to the Karma Sesha and such strength [which is added in this birth] is called Aagami. All this is related to the souls and the world, which is based on ignorance and the blind attraction of the family bonds. The Lord has nothing to do with this.
The work of the Lord is completely different. The Lord enters this world to uplift human beings. Such divine work of the Lord is to be recognized and your participation in such work will be related to the Lord. Such participation will give you the Brahma Loka in a completely different divine path called Archiraadi Maarga as said in the Gita. For such participation you must first recognize the birth of the Lord in human form. If you do not recognize the Lord in the human form there is no question of participation in His work. The Gita says that first the divine birth of the Lord must be recognized and then the divine work for participation (Janma Karmachame Divyam). Except this type of divine work, the Lord has no connection with the other deeds of souls as said in the Gita (Na Kartrutvam Na Karmaani Lokasya). Thus one should not mix the works of the souls and the work of the Lord.