KARMA/ SUFFERING

Why does God create this world? Why does he make us suffer? Why can’t he forget all our sins and give us all Moksha instantly and wind up His Show? Is it His Lila to make us suffer?

When one participates in a motor race or wants to become a solider, he very well understands the risk involved in the job. Doesn’t he?
So, even after you witness so much of suffering in the world, you wish to continue the same lifestyle. That just implies that you are ready for the battle!
Joy or sorrow does not arise from any object or event as you imagine. It is in your mind. So, the key is to keep your mind aloof and unaffected from the happenings of the world. Yes. That is the solution. God is so compassionate that He has also shown the techniques, ways and means to achieve this state of aloofness. That shows His grace. What more? He shows no discrimination in showering His grace, based on caste, creed, religion, gender, wealth or power.

Why does Bhagavan Krishna give sufferings to even those who love him?

The hell is full of sorrows and the heaven is full of joy. But for anyone and everyone on earth, it is a mixture of both joy and sorrow.
To forget this mixed results of joy and sorrows, we should be totally immersed in Bhagavan Krishna’s eternal bliss.
It is only in order to get his most loved ones into that state, Krishna, an ocean of compassion, gives sufferings.

In age of Kali too there are people who are very much devoted to their guru and god, feeding the poor and the cattle, living lives in an orthodox manner. But I find these people suffer the most and the worst conditions in life. It can be due to their karma but when a normal man sees these good people suffer the most, he starts to believe that there is no use for dharma, god or guru for life. Why should God make such good people suffer without considering that these suffering would mislead the normal people seeing these devoted people suffer?

Let us assume that a person is packing up his luggage to go on a long travel and is scheduled to leave that day. After taking his regular meals, he realizes that there is a little more food left. He would then decide to eat up the remaining food also, because he would not be home the next day to consume the same.
In just the same way, those people for whom the current birth is the last would have to undergo their remaining Karma some way or the other. Hence good people wipe out their Karmas through such sufferings.

Every single step done by us is written by God. Then why, by doing good or bad deeds, do we go to heaven or hell, while we never perform any step without God’s permission?

Even that is written by God.

One can attribute the law of Karma for the grown up adults inflicted by deadly diseases like cancer, But how one can explain innocent children getting this deadly disease?

Everything in this world happens according to the Karma. Children get afflicted with deadly diseases like cancer because of their Karmas in their previous births.

As per Karma theory the purpose of our Birth as human being is to expose our past Deeds or Misdeeds. Pains and sufferings of this worldly life is directly linked to our previous generation. Why was God so cruel and unkind even to great souls like Ramana Maharishi, Yogi Ram Surat Kumar, Vethathiri Maharishi, etc by inflicting them with dreaded terminal diseases despite their spiritual contributions towards humanity? Does the present Deeds cannot cleanse your past Misdeeds?

The case of mahatmas are totally different from the lot of normal people. In the words of Bhagavan Yogiramsuratkumar Maharaj, ‘Such afflictions are for bringing in a cosmic balance’. A Jnani does not identify himself with the body. In the words of Sri Ramana Maharshi the body is seen as a burden. God considers these Jnanis as his very Self. In any case God is never cruel to anyone as he is love embodied. Considering all these, it is clear that if at all any affliction is taken by Jnanis it is actually for the benefit of the entire existence.

I believe karma and everything that relate to it such us reincarnation. As far as I know most people prefer to die in peaceful way. I have a question about people who die in accident like car crash, plane crash or any horrible tragedy. Does this happen because of what they did in the past like they are prisoner of the past so they deserve to die like that or is it God’s will?

It is God who designed and who is implementing the Karma Theory. Whatever happens in the world happens only according to karma, be they good or bad. God does not usually interfere in this system of working. Very rarely, He interferes in the case of extremely faithful devotees, and to prove that He is above all the Karmas and is not bound by them. Even if a person dies by way of an accident or a tragedy, it is because of their Karma only.

Swamiji, Please explain why karma is carried from one birth to another? Why if someone does a wrong thing he is not been punished immediately. For any suffering all say it is due to past karma. Is it correct?

If God punishes immediately, you would say why can’t he give him time and chance to correct what he has done! It is due to infinite patience and compassion of the Lord that he gives us chance after chance to attain his feet. So if you turn to Him and chant Maha mantra now, Nama does all the purification instead of ‘purification by punishment’

If someone is continuously sad, does that have anything to do with his previous birth?

Sadness is only a state of mind.

What does our destiny depend on?

Our destiny depends on our own deeds.