Look forward!

 

Kausika could understand that there must be a mysterious reason why such a great soul (the butcher), was born into a low family. He said to him: It has been a great fortune to meet you & learn about morality. Indeed, you’ve saved me from traversing the path to hell & I’m eternally indebted to you. Now kindly disclose secret of your low birth, if you think I’m worthy to hear about it

 

Butcher said: In my last life I was born as son of a respectable Brāhmanā. Naturally I became very learned in Vedas & as I was a close friend of the King, I too became highly skilled with bow. One day I accompanied king to forest when he went hunting along with his ministers. He killed large number of deers & at that time I released an arrow, desiring to test my skill

 

I was sure that I’d aimed at a deer, but it so happened that my arrow pierced a sage who resided there. As sage lay on ground in great pain, I approached him & pleaded: Be merciful & pardon me, for it was by accident that I pierced you with an arrow. Sage was overwhelmed by anger & grief and couldn’t be pacified. Before breathing his last, he cursed me saying: To pay for your sin, in your next life you’ll be born in a family of butchers

 

I piteously begged for forgiveness & he compassionately said: My curse can’t be annulled but as a concession I’ll grant that despite your low birth you’ll be able to remember events of your past life & thus always remain fixed in consciousness. By rigidly serving your parents, you’ll become purified & when duration of my curse expires, you’ll once again be born a Brāhmanā and attain heaven

 

Kausika paid respects to the butcher & departed for home. He went back to his aged parents & as advised by the butcher, ver attentively served them

 

Every end has a past & if we just look at the present, without looking at what happened in the past, we’ll not be able to come to grips to the complete reality

 

Krsna says:

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ

akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

 

The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore, one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is

 

The purpose of understanding the subtleties of Karma is not for any retribution. We should not be obsessed with the question what I did wrong in the past so as to face the consequences now. It is for reformation, which means we understand that in the situation we are in, what I can learn about my identity & purpose. We then focus forward not backward

 

We have our own conceptions of our identity & purpose. Bhagvad Gita explains that we’re all part & parcel of the all-loving divine, Krsna-& are meant to lovingly harmonize with his omni benevolent will, thereby doing the greatest good in this world & progressing towards the highest good beyond this world, just by serving him. All our actions should be directed towards this

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife

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