Karma – The Beginning.
We are all well aware that the whole universe moves on the
principle of Cause & Effect – the principle of Karma & Karma
Phala. Whatever we experience, face, receive or don’t receive
is the result of our past Karma not only from this life but
from all the previous births that we have had. The beauty of
Human Life is that you can actually work out or relinquish the
effect of all the karma that you carry with you over the
period of 84 Lakh (8.4 M) births that one takes before getting
the Human Skin. The two ways of dealing with this Karma which
I feel appealing are – One of the Karma Yoga as Lord Krishna
says to Arjuna :
karmany evadhikaras te ma
phalesu kadacana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur ma te sango 'stv akarmani
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you
are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider
yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities,
and never be attached to not doing your duty. Renounceg the
effect of all Karma – The Good as well as Bad, thus ending up
with nothing but the spirit that is unaffected by the Karma &
Effect. Another one is that of Jyana – wisdom, that of
Knowledge: Knowledge of Self. As Pramahansa Yogananda Points
out in Autobiography of a Yogi :Seeds of Past Karma cannot
germinate when burnt in the fire of Divine Wisdom. Both
the routes are not easy to understand in first place, let
alone walking them. However our predecessors who walked either
of these paths and got to Realisation have set built certain
instruments to help us on the journey. The karma that we carry
from our previous births can be an obstacle in this journey.
What if you found out a way to reset this Karma to day 1. Get
it to the beginning where you don’t have any past karma, just
the free will to do Karma and to choose whether to follow the
renunciation of effects or the path of Knowledge.
I have been directed by my innerself to one such Instrument –
a pathway to get you to the Day 1 of Karma - Gurudwara Baoli
Saheb at Goindwal, Amritsar Punjab. Legend has it that a
trader by name of Goinda hoped to establish a post at the
ferry landing to take advantage of the traffic of the
crossroads. He encountered a great many difficulties launching
his venture. Fearing demonic interference, he asked Guru Angad
Dev’s blessing on his project. Amar Das, a devoted disciple of
Guru Angad, carried water every day from the ferry landing to
the nearby village of Khadur where Guru Angad, and his
followers resided. Guru Angad asked his faithful follower,
Amar Das, to oversee the project. The Guru gave Amar Das a
staff with instructions that it should be used for the removal
of any obstacles. Amar Das successfully helped to lay the
foundation of a village became which came to be known as
Goindwal after the trader, Goinda. Goinda had a special place
built in Goindwal to honor Guru Angad Dev. The Guru requested
Amar Das to make Goindwal his home. On a Later date Guru Angad
Dev selected Amar Das as the most faithful of his Sikhs and
appointed him to be his successor. When Amar Das became guru,
he moved permanently to Goindwal with his family and
followers.
He provided a place of pilgrimage, alternative to Hardwar and
Benaras, where God alone was to be worshipped. He planned to
construct a 'Baoli'-a well with descending steps, in Goindwal.
He purchased some land and laid the foundation of the 'Baoli'
with due religious ceremonies. His devoted Sikhs joined in the
work on self-help basis and many willingly came forward to
provide food for the volunteers engaged in the digging
operation. As sangat was digging the well there was a `pathar’
one very hard stone, sangat tried its best to break it but
nothing worked so they came to Guru Sahib and said that it’s
not breaking. Guru Sahib told the Sikhs to do Japji Sahib Path
and hit then again do Japji Sahib Path and then hit again ...
this is how that well was constructed. The Baoli had
eighty-four steps. The Guru decreed that whoever should
attentively repeat Japji on every step, should be freed from
Karma acquired through eighty four lakhs births and rebirths.
Thus the Baoli at Goindwal Sahib, became an object of
pilgrimage to Hindus as well as Sikhs. This Gurudwara is
considered the first great Sikh center of pilgrimage.
Some time back I was in discussion with one of my learned
friends who has profound knowledge of Vedas, and we were
discussing about Pralabdh and Purushartha. Pralabdh is what
destiny brings for you, Purushartha is the efforts you take to
change the destiny. So I asked him according to Vedas,
whatever spiritual practice we do, or whatever rituals and
processes we follow; is it due to Pralabdh or Purushartha? His
answer was that as a Human whatever efforts you take towards
realisation is Purushartha however Pralabdh will get you into
conducive situations helpful in your actions.
So then call it Pralabdh that I was born in a family where
Guru Granth Sahib was followed as the ultimate source of
guidance and enlightenment, that I was taught Gurumukhi by my
Grand Mother and also cultivated a habit of regularly reading
Gurbani and that of having the capacity to ascertain the
meaning and the power of Holy Texts of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
It is pralabdh that I learnt about Gurudwara Boali Saheb and
have found a chance to physically visit there and attempt the
84 recitations of Japji Saheb.
7, 8 June 2010 I will try to attempt the feat of getting to
freedom, to get to a position when the Karma is set to the
Beginning. It is not an easy task, say the people who have
completed it. Of all the experience of people I came about on
the Internet, all talk about what they felt & experienced
during those recitations, none has stated what’s after that. I
suppose what happens after that might be difficult to put to words,
it must be experienced. I require all your blessings, prayers
and positive vibrations to get through this. Pralabdh has done
its part and now it’s the Purushartha that has to take over.
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1.(More about Sikh
Gurus, Japji Saheb and Gurudwaras
here)
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