0:00 Introduction
0:20 How do we know that we have karma and how do we remove it?
2:44 Has God already written our destiny?
8:00 Does a person who is causing suffering escape from his or her karma as they are paying back the previous life’s karma?
9:08 How can we see what the lesson is we are supposed to learn from an incident?
10:48 On the spiritual path is it important to know what our pending karma is?
12:33 Should we act in a particular way based on karma?
14:01 Can Realizing our Self stop the negative effect of prarabdha karma?
14:44 Is getting Realized in our life time decided by our karma?
15:36 If paramatman or pure consciousness is not affected by the law of karma, why is the atman affected?
19:22 Why do people commit suicide, is it due to their previous karma?
21:20 Does our karma decide when we get into spiritual life?
22:52 How can we mend deep hurt in our mind?
25:48 When we say we forgive someone, can we just keep a distance from them?
27:32 If till the end we couldn’t forgive someone, does that mean we have to meet the same person in the next birth?
29:35 How do we live life with the principal of dhyana, dharma and karma?
31:20 What can we do for the departed to ensure a good journey to God?

Discourse: Thus Spake Babaji – online Q and A No. 50
Recorded: 15 July 2021 with Malaysian participants

Start of Questions and Answers

Question: So, the questions today Babaji are still on the topic of karma. The first question Babaji – How do we know that we have karma and what do we do to remove the karma?

Babaji Maharaj: You see, the very thing that you have come to this world in a physical body which is not you. And you see so many things are there. Once a person is born, whether they like or don’t like, understand or don’t understand, you have to live the life, everything that comes. Like when you are hungry you have to eat, when you are wanting to sleep, sleepy, you have to sleep, rest, and rest. And when you are hungry you will realize the need to earn a livelihood, a food, and so many things are there in the society – that you need clothing, you need some transportation. Like this, all are there. So these all are karmas; karmas because whether you like or don’t like you have to do it, you have no choice. For example, Babaji himself as this body, whether I like or don’t like, I have to do my duty, keep the body as good as possible so that I can be helping you all to achieve that peace which has descended on me, the supreme peace, and understand the karma. Also, it is important, when karma happens, if there is acceptance; like the same formula, you put an effort and the things happen in this world. When the things happen, even if it is not according to your expectations, you have to accept. Only then you will have peace. When it is beyond your reach or beyond your efforts, you cannot do anything, then you have to accept. So, like this karma is a very wide subject. As we take up more questions, we’ll discuss more about these karmas.

Question: Thank You, Babaji. The next question. Babaji some people say that when we are born, God has already written our destiny on our head. So,all incidents from birth till death will be based on that. Is this true Babaji?

Babaji Maharaj: In my experience of spiritual life at the lotus feet of our beloved Master, then in my own sadhana of deeper meditations and then tapas, I feel that every one of us individually has to take responsibility for any such karma that is happening. Because God is not one single personality who will have thoughts like human beings, discrimination, non-discrimination and partiality, one set out justice for us, another set of justice for others. There is no such personality, God, who has written everybody’s story. All of you have written your own stories by your mental thinking, visualization. That is the most important point. Mind is the powerhouse I have said. Immediately it may not materialize, but in due course of time, such things do happen when you go on. For that I have given a definition. If you can be more positive in your thinking and visualization, you can shape a better positive destiny for yourself. Otherwise, you can be shaping a negative destiny for yourself if you are negative in your thinking. Often, you observe our own mind, always it will not be positive. Sometimes it may lose its peace or frustration, or any such things might occur. During that time mind becomes quite negative. It wants to harm itself. The stories that we build up in our mind and the thinking that happen, we try to harm ourselves. So, all this can become like karmas that we acquire in the mind, and we can get to see the same thing in due course of time in our life – next life or this life, any life. So that is why spiritual sadhana exercise is very, very important. And being with a Guru, who can guide you in the right direction, positively always is very important. We have to slowly rise from a small disappointment to a bigger disappointment, that anything that happens, our mind remains positive, “Maybe this is also something of the Divine’s blessing. He will open another door if He has closed one door.”  That is how since childhood we were taught. We never bothered what happened or didn’t happen. We put an effort and we used to pray to God also “Let this happen like this. I want this thing to happen like this,” but when it actually happened, even if it was not according to our wishes, or our pleasures or any such thing, we accepted it finally. When we accepted, we had the peace. So, that is how the secret of karma and how to overcome that karma is also very important. So, when you mentally do not entertain any such seriousness that you have to undergo, thus you try to divert your mind. Suppose you are into a very painful situation, but you don’t have to give rise to your mental attention all the time to that painful situation, and keep worrying and troubling yourself, bothering yourself, as if the whole world needs to sympathize you. No, this is wrong. Swamiji taught, “Do not expect any sympathies from anybody, you are the best friend of yourself; rise above that level. Anything that is painful, no problem. Divert the mental attention, try to know who you are, how you exist, what God is?”   All these like, purely positive thinking, then you can overcome all type of karmas and its painful situations, then you will have the better positive karmas. So let us not blame any one person like a God who has done, who has written everybody’s story. So, every life after life, incarnation after incarnation, as long as you are unable to stop your mind, you go on acquiring karma. When you acquire karma, it is never guaranteed that the mind will always be positive, it can slip into negative. So that is why you have to be careful, undertake more such sadhanas like meditation, and other exercises, like worship, bhajans and homas; everything which can be helpful to you to keep the mind more positive.

Question: Thank You Babaji. The next question is – sometimes we say “it’s because of past karma, that a person is causing suffering to another in this birth. If that is the case, will the person who causes the suffering to another escape from his or her karma, because they are just paying back the previous lives karma?   

Babaji Maharaj:  See, whatever it is, we need to be one thing careful, that we intentionally do not try to harm anybody. This is one formula. Like for example, if my existence in this body itself is a suffering for somebody, I cannot help it, I’m not responsible. So, whatever the other person suffers is due to his or her own karma. So, everybody suffers due to their own karmas. To overcome their own karmas if they undertake meditation strongly and all spiritual exercises they can become more positive and overcome such karmas also.

Question: Thank You Babaji. The next question – sometimes when certain incidents happen in life, I’m unable to see what is the lesson I’m supposed to learn from this incident. Though I don’t want the incident to be repeated again, what should I do in this situation Babaji?

Babaji Maharaj: See, the very idea that’s coming into your mind that you don’t want such incidents to be repeated again – that means you have to be careful next time, when you visualize, when you think in the mind. So you take care of your mind. That is important. Because of such a negative visualization only, earlier thing that happened, but now you understand and you don’t want that to be repeated. That is the lesson. Anything, if you are okay with it in this one, that is the lesson you have learned already; or if you are not okay, so that is the lesson you have to learn, that you don’t repeat such mistakes, such type of negative visualizations. So every moment life teaches. Every moment is a lesson for us, if only we can understand. First thing is whether we like or don’t like, whether we gain peace or not peace. That point is important. If we don’t gain peace, we must not repeat any such actions and try to understand the pros and consequences, so that we don’t try to repeat them. That is important.

Question: Babaji while we are doing our sadhana and seva, is it also important to find out what our pending karma is and with whom it is so that we can clear off and set things right and proceed more smoothly on our spiritual journey.

Babaji Maharaj: There is really no such thing that you can find out what more karma is there for you. As things happen, simply accept it; that is the karma. Simply sometimes it may be according to your expectations and you are happy and you are so satisfied, everything is so positive. But sometimes you may not feel satisfied, you may be unhappy, may be wondering why this happened. So, like this only karma goes on happening. You don’t have to find out four days after karma or 40 years later karma. Learn to face that moment. Whether you like it or not, try to keep yourself positive all the time. So that is how you can overcome these karmas. And you can undertake such more sadhanas. Give time to more such sadhanas to keep your mind intact. Like whatever it is, whether it is COVID, or Bovid or anything, we don’t give up earning something for our livelihood, otherwise we will die. We have to do that one. Like this, in mind also, it needs exercises. Don’t give up. Whatever the situation is, every day practice, so that you can become more mature, and you can overcome any such karmas; you will achieve peace.

Question: Thank You, Babaji. The next question. Babaji, I’m not sure if it is right to perform our actions based on karma because there seems to be a form of expectation or imagination when we think this way. For example, people will think if we do good for others we will be blessed in return. What is your advice on this Babaji?

Babaji Maharaj: You see, always without bothering what is happening, what I am doing, just do what you believe. Just you want to be good, be good for sake of being good. Not that somebody will give you a lottery or some great certificate or some appreciation that you want to be good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have wanted to be good, that that is the formula happen. Instead of that, just be good to others as much as possible. All the time, whether somebody appreciates or not appreciates it doesn’t matter. You just go on doing your thing. So that is the real karma. So that you have to do. Like for sake of knowledge, you go in quest of knowledge, not that you don’t tell that I’m going in quest of knowledge so that tomorrow I can earn better salary and better business deals. That is not the thing. Real knowledge is that you go in quest of knowledge for sake of knowledge. Like that the karma is also.

Question: Babaji, can realizing one’s Self stop the negative effects of prarabhda karma?

Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, because your mind, first thing it stops all imaginations. When it doesn’t imagine at all, it doesn’t get involved into either positive or negative, it rises about that level. And if at all it wants to think, it will always think positively. Anything that happens, it will think of positively, “Now this thing has happened. This is not what we wanted. However, maybe God wants us to learn something. We will see what happens.”  Like that mind will become more positive and matured always.

Question: Babaji, is getting realized in a certain lifetime also decided by one’s karma?

Babaji Maharaj: See, that is important. But many people often misunderstand this and they will try to sit in a corner, “Oh it is already decided when I have to have the Self Realization. Let me not just bother.”  You have to bother. That is also in the karma. So, you need, otherwise, you will not be happy. You will be suffering in this world. That will induce you, that will drive you, that you have to do that one. So that is important. So that is what is decided, means, you decide, don’t keep thinking that you have decided, you decide now what you want to achieve, then keep going.

Question: Thank You for Babaji. Next question. If Paramatman or pure consciousness is not affected by the law of karma, then why atman being part of the Paramatman is affected by the law of karma?

Babaji Maharaj: See, it is something like the Paramatman is our father, mother – parents. It advises, always advises, “Don’t go away from me, just stay with me, be,” but we were naughty. We wanted to see this, we wanted to do that. Like that we came out and we got corrupted and we got involved. Like that, life after life, life after life, life after life, it went on, went on, went on. So, consciousness has come so away in illusion from the Paramatman. So that’s why it has become more corrupted, getting attracted to that illusion that it itself created. Like when it thinks and a thought appears, it gets attracted to the thought instead of being with itself. So being in the Self is the important thing. So that is the reason this has become corrupted.

   Some time ago I also explained, in the beginning of creation also, enormous amount of consciousness came out of Supreme Consciousness to create this universe – that is the Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva concept. Brahma who creates illusion so that the work can go on. Then Vishnu protects that illusory trick always. Finally, Shivam is the withdrawal of that back into the Self. So they always remain uncorrupted because they remain in consciousness with the Parabrahman. That is why they also came to be known as Trimurthies, Divinities, Divine Gods – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Like afterwards, even if you see the mythological story, all devatas, all next generation, “let us take it,” they all have become corrupted, power hungry, insecure, keep fighting with each other, and they don’t have peace at all, all the time. So like that they go on and they become greedy also. So next generation, next generation; because of this, they were born as ordinary human beings. Again the human beings became more corrupted, and they were born again like this. So long time after in some life, a great yogi like Swamiji our beloved Guru comes in our life and teaches us, “Know yourself. Enough is enough. How long are you going to go to get punarapi jananam punarapi maranam?  Again and again, you have to be born. Again and again, you have to die. And you keep playing this and you don’t have peace, and you keep wondering what the peace is.” 

   So many things are confusing aspects happen. At the most you end up simply making somebody else as scapegoat, some God. Nobody knows what and where God is, but they want to blame the God. “Why did God do this?  Why did God that?”  They think as if God is their servant, and God simply should do whatever they want it to happen. But that is not the rule. So we became corrupted and we lost the path. So that is why now meditation – a Guru has come in your life. This is such a rare opportunity, advising you to sit and meditate and do spiritual exercises, participate in all spiritual exercises. So, then your mind – as it becomes purified then it starts going to the Divinity to the Parabrahman again.

Question: Thank you, Babaji. Babaji, the next question. Why do people commit suicide?  Is it your previous karma which makes them end their soul in such a way?  Will that soul rest in peace and attain God?

Babaji Maharaj: One thing, our Guru always prohibited – committing a suicide is wrong thing, is not at all good. “A little bit of difficulty happens in this world”, that’s what Swamiji used to tell. “But by committing suicide, you are involving yourself into a greater trouble. Bear with the things, a little bit trouble that happens in this world. You can overcome, you undertake meditations,” He used to tell, “then you can overcome.”  So when people become frustrated, when they feel confused and helpless, don’t know what else to do, they have never learned a spiritual truth or spirituality things, so that is when they try to commit suicide so that “let this all come to an end,” they don’t know what is going to happen next when death happens. They start thinking if that happens, everything finishes that’s it, don’t want it. So because of that only they try to indulge into committing suicide which is a very wrong thing, must not go for this. Even if this world is painful, no problem. We don’t have to die for that purpose. Let us overcome the pain. There are so many other things which will remove our pain, which will give us so much of peace. There are other important things. We don’t have to be just getting involved into one thought, that “now we have to die, a wrong thing has happened with us, why we were subjected to like this?”  All this, let it be, don’t bother so much. No problem, the pain has come. We will overcome the pain, we will divert our attention into spiritual sadhana, we have been blessed by a Guru who is Self-Realized. So, like that we have to think positively and keep going.

Question: Does our karma decide when we get into spiritual life? Or is it the individual’s choice of reference?  Is there any age limit to get involved in spiritual life or meditation?

Babaji Maharaj: See, it is that same thing. It is the karma which will decide when we go into spirituality and when we feel inclined, when we get attracted. So many people come to meet us or Swamiji. Out of curiosity in millions people came, not everybody was really interested spiritually. So not everybody stood with us for a long time and became attached to us. For a while they came, they tried to see from their own viewpoint, “Is this yogi can give us some miraculous things and certain things that I want in this world?  When they didn’t get, they went away, even scolding us sometimes. So, all these things happen. But really those who are inclined into spirituality, they get attracted and they have stood with us, a long time more than twenty years, more than twenty-five years, like that. They are all with us. They never bothered whatever happened to them or not happened. They didn’t blame me for anything. They simply loved. Like that, when their karma is in the right situation, positive, so they get attracted like that.

Question: Thank You Babaji. Babaji, the next question. Sometimes it’s very easy to forgive people for incidents that happen to us. Some hurts heal over time. But some are very deep hurts that keep recurring in the mind. Though we understand that the past – nothing can be done to change it, the mind and heart struggle to push away the thought. How can we mend deep hurt Babaji?   Most of the time deep hurts are caused by people closest to us. And we will still need to face them in our daily life.

Babaji Maharaj: You see, one important thing we must realize or understand – a thing that has happened is over. Past is over. We must always try to see when the past is over and something wrong happened, how can we rectify that. So, we have to use our mental energies positively, that we don’t have to suffer more, and we don’t have to go into that negativity again. There is nobody that we have to take revenge. It is we who have become casualty of our own attitudes. If once we overcome that, there won’t be any such past or any such karmas for us, any such suffering. If we realize this truth, the past is not going to come back under any circumstances – simply let us not repeat any such mistakes, commit such mistakes. If we had committed any such mistakes let us be more careful in future so that our minds don’t become a victim of our own negative visualization. Like that we have to think and understand and look for future. Future is there. Tomorrow is there where you can rectify. You can take care of yourself. You might get better things. Yesterday is gone. It’s over. It’s not going to come back. So, if you keep brooding about yesterday, you will lose the coming tomorrow also. Unnecessarily you hold on your head “Oh this thing has happened before. Why this thing happened to us?”  It happened. It happens to the world. To so many it happens. Simply we don’t know when it doesn’t happen to some people who are closer to us. We come to know only when anything happens to such people who are closer to us or to ourselves, only then we know. Then every human being starts thinking, “Oh, I am the only one to suffer more. Why God has made me like this?  All others don’t seem to be suffering like that.”  Everybody will be suffering in their mind as long as they don’t have peace or the quietness in the mind. They will be suffering. So we must try to look into the positive aspect of it. Forget about the past. Look for the future. Future, there is a chance always.

Question: Thank You, Babaji. Babaji, when we say we forgive someone, can we also keep a distance from them?  We don’t sulk, but just acknowledge the person and move away. Is that considered as forgiveness?

Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, you have a right, you have a choice. As long as you don’t want to be. Unless some common thing brings you both together and you need to work for a larger cause. Like, suppose you are working in a Mission. In the Mission we must not entertain any likes or dislikes, any good relation or bad relation, “who behaved with me what,” nothing. When it comes to Mission work, for Mission’s sake we are working, we must continue working. We must not see, “Oh that person misbehaved at me. Now I’m going to give up Mission.”  Very quickly people say “Babaji, we don’t want to be in the Mission.”  That is the wrong thing. I had told them “What did Mission do to you all?  Mission is for a larger cause. You all work, you like, you will also be benefited. If somebody has bothered you, what can we do?  It happens, but don’t bring that into the Mission. Keep it outside the Mission thing. If you don’t like to meet such people anywhere else, you don’t have to meet them and you don’t sit with them and you can stay away, go away. And in the Mission as much as possible, you can try to stay away. But if any situation warrants that you have to work, forget about that person. Always remember, keep the Mission in the mind, and keep on doing. Whoever the leader in the Mission has given you a task. You just do that one and forget about anything else, anybody else.

Question: Thank You Babaji. Babaji, also in the same topic of forgiveness. If till the end, we couldn’t forgive the person or we only forgive them partially, does that mean that when we take another birth we have to come across that person again and go through the same situation again, until we really forgive that person fully?

Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, definitely. Mentally, when we are unable to forget, we are hurting ourselves first. Like I have always told, the six enemies of human mind – karma, krodha, lobha, moha, madha, matsarya – false pride and jealousy, all these things. Whoever has got these things in their mind, they are the first casualty, so they are harming themselves. Say certain thing happened ten years ago, so we did the right thing to defend, to try to defend, to be faithful to our Guru. Even today we will do if it comes back again. But however, all the ten years I’m not going to keep thinking about such people or such things only. It’s okay. Whatever they have done it is for them. Whatever I had to do, it is for me. So we don’t have to be keep thinking about them. Say, suppose I’m sitting here in the hall of meditation, hall of Devarayasamudra and somebody misbehaves. So mentally I don’t have to carry it to the kitchen, to my room, to everywhere. I just leave it here and just go. Forget about it and keep going, that is all. Like that, the things have to go on in the world. Otherwise, if we are keeping it, we are hurting more and more. More and more, we are hurting ourselves, our surroundings, maybe our families, our friends, everything we might be hurting, a future relationship. So many things we have to see, if we cannot forget about it.

Question: Babaji, there are two questions in the chat. Can I read the question?

Babaji Maharaj: Okay, I will take those two questions. Then we will conclude for today.

Question: Okay Babaji. The first question Babaji is how do we live a life with the principles of gyan, dharma and karma?

Babaji Maharaj: Gyan, dharma and karma. Yeah, you see in the principle, first always try to acquire the right knowledge of the ultimate truth, our own Self, and then we will know what our duty is. Our duty is always dharma, is the duty. Always we have to try to see a larger cause. Forget about selfishness and narrow-mindedness. So like this if you do that one we won’t acquire any karma. We are doing it for the cause of larger cause. And if it happens, happens. If it doesn’t happen, doesn’t happen. Like we won’t acquire any karma. I go on teaching, go on initiating people into meditation and do it. Whether they achieve, they don’t achieve, they don’t give me anything, they give me any credit, we don’t just bother, we go on doing our job. We keep advising them – every time they come in front of me, like I told in the beginning, “Time is so precious, and you must not waste this one. And these meditation classes – take it very seriously. Don’t allow anybody to disturb and you don’t try to disturb anybody. That is important.”  So time is very precious. You see now, one hour is done. Now if you keep dancing, “Oh, I could not meditate properly. Babaji give me another half an hour.”  Is not possible. Babaji has other engagements. We have to go. Like that time is done. So never waste time in your life. It is very important.

Question: Thank You Babaji. And the last question from the chat – I have recently lost a dear one. What can I do for the departed to ensure that they have a good journey to God?

Babaji Maharaj: Pray for them. Pray to the Divine. Because every soul is connected to the Divine that is all-pervaded. So, you pray for them, so your own mind also can overcome any sadness and become more purified, go towards the Divinity and that can be helpful to their departed soul also. Pray to God, “Please inspire their wisdom, so that they can come to You, my Lord. Give them peace. May they have their own peace.”  Like that we pray.

End of Questions and Answers

Babaji Maharaj now concludes the session.

Wonderful. Thank you Hari and all the team who have worked to make this successful. I was so happy and I appreciate all the participants also that you have taken out your precious time to be with me for a short while. And I pray for you all. May the Divine Guru Shivabalayogi bless you all to be the most fortunate in this world. My love and blessings are always with you. Take care. Bye-bye  

End of Session