THE LAW OF KARMA AND SELFLESS SERVICE
There is a law of cause and effect; every karma has consequences—whether you like it or not, whether you want it or not. Good karma produces a good result, while bad karma brings a bad one. Birth is the result of karma accumulated before the moment of death in a previous life. If you are asked what happens to a person after death, you can point to yourself and say, “This is what happens”—we are born again. This is not a religion of despair; it is a religion of hope and confidence, encouraging an active, useful, and beneficial life.
It is commonly believed that karma is destiny or fate, fatality or inevitability, “imprinted on the forehead,” which must be worked through. It is impossible to avoid it. But people forget that it was written by their own hand; it was not written by someone else. And the hand that wrote it can erase it all.
Do not doubt that your position in this life is determined by the actions of your past life. When a school principal gives you a reference with which you apply for a job, they refer to your conduct during your studies. The quality of this reference depends on you: if you behaved well, you will receive a good reference and a good job; if you behaved badly, both your reference and your job will be poor. After all, it is you who write and erase what is “written on your brow”—your destiny.
God neither rewards nor punishes. He only reflects, repeats, and responds, being the Eternal Impartial Witness! You create your own destiny. God has no personal will or desires. He neither advises nor dissuades. God is the Eternal Witness. He is like a postman who has no idea of the contents of the letters He delivers to their recipients. A letter may contain news of victory or news of defeat; you will receive only what you have earned. You are repaid with good for good and with evil for evil.
Accept this as it is. It is the law; no one will help you, and no one will obstruct you.
The assertion that God is the first cause of everything is only true to a certain extent; after all, He does not confine you in an iron cage of destiny from which you cannot escape. He has endowed you with the power of discrimination (viveka), renunciation (vairagya), and a sense of reverence and wonder. You must use these to attain God. Although there are limitations to your capabilities, you are not completely deprived of them. A cow tied to a post is limited by the length of the rope; it can graze only within a restricted area. When the cow has eaten all the grass, the owner may untie the knot and fasten the rope so that the cow can reach the grass growing farther away. “Graze” peacefully for as long as the rope allows. But do not move too far from the post or pull on it, as this may cause you pain.
On the land that belongs to you, you can grow the food you need, or you can do nothing and allow the land to lie fallow. You are the cause of your downfall or rise. The tools are in your hands—you can improve your skills, break your chains, and escape; but if you are dependent and enslaved, who can save you? Do not try to blame shiro-likhitham—the writing on the brow. You made likhitham yourself.
Sathya Sai Baba
The Yoga of Action
There is a law of cause and effect; every karma has consequences—whether you like it or not, whether you want it or not. Good karma produces a good result, while bad karma brings a bad one. Birth is the result of karma accumulated before the moment of death in a previous life. If you are asked what happens to a person after death, you can point to yourself and say, “This is what happens”—we are born again. This is not a religion of despair; it is a religion of hope and confidence, encouraging an active, useful, and beneficial life.
It is commonly believed that karma is destiny or fate, fatality or inevitability, “imprinted on the forehead,” which must be worked through. It is impossible to avoid it. But people forget that it was written by their own hand; it was not written by someone else. And the hand that wrote it can erase it all.
Do not doubt that your position in this life is determined by the actions of your past life. When a school principal gives you a reference with which you apply for a job, they refer to your conduct during your studies. The quality of this reference depends on you: if you behaved well, you will receive a good reference and a good job; if you behaved badly, both your reference and your job will be poor. After all, it is you who write and erase what is “written on your brow”—your destiny.
God neither rewards nor punishes. He only reflects, repeats, and responds, being the Eternal Impartial Witness! You create your own destiny. God has no personal will or desires. He neither advises nor dissuades. God is the Eternal Witness. He is like a postman who has no idea of the contents of the letters He delivers to their recipients. A letter may contain news of victory or news of defeat; you will receive only what you have earned. You are repaid with good for good and with evil for evil.
Accept this as it is. It is the law; no one will help you, and no one will obstruct you.
The assertion that God is the first cause of everything is only true to a certain extent; after all, He does not confine you in an iron cage of destiny from which you cannot escape. He has endowed you with the power of discrimination (viveka), renunciation (vairagya), and a sense of reverence and wonder. You must use these to attain God. Although there are limitations to your capabilities, you are not completely deprived of them. A cow tied to a post is limited by the length of the rope; it can graze only within a restricted area. When the cow has eaten all the grass, the owner may untie the knot and fasten the rope so that the cow can reach the grass growing farther away. “Graze” peacefully for as long as the rope allows. But do not move too far from the post or pull on it, as this may cause you pain.
On the land that belongs to you, you can grow the food you need, or you can do nothing and allow the land to lie fallow. You are the cause of your downfall or rise. The tools are in your hands—you can improve your skills, break your chains, and escape; but if you are dependent and enslaved, who can save you? Do not try to blame shiro-likhitham—the writing on the brow. You made likhitham yourself.
Sathya Sai Baba
The Yoga of Action