The literal meaning of Karma is action.
The ways of Karma are strange. The more you understand it, the more amazed you become. It connects people, yet it also separates them. It makes some strong, others weak. It makes some rich, others poor. All the miseries of the world—whatever they may be—are bound in the chains of Karma.
Karma defies all logic and reasoning. This understanding will lift you above attachment to events and individuals, and help you in your journey toward the Self—toward who you truly are.
Question: So, can a thief say that it's his Karma to steal?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Then the police have the Karm
Three Types of Karma
Good or bad things happen based on Karma. When the times are favorable, even enemies behave like friends. Sometimes, people for whom you’ve done so much good turn against you. And there are those you've done nothing for, yet they help you. Time plays its role.
Only humans have the ability to change the impact of time and become free from Karma. And only a few thousand people strive for such freedom.
Some types of Karma can be changed, others cannot.
The first step is to know the different types of Karma: Prarabdha, Sanchita, and Agami.
Prarabdha means “begun”—the Karma that is already bearing fruit. It is the Karma currently playing out. You cannot avoid or change it, as it is already happening.
Sanchita Karma is the “accumulated” Karma—the baggage we carry with us. It is the stored Karma, which can be cleansed through spiritual practices like meditation.
You can dissolve your Sanchita Karma, the accumulated tendencies, through prayer, service, and by sharing love and joy with those around you. Satsang (the company of truth—in essence, the company of wise and compassionate people in whose presence we feel uplifted and joyful) burns the seed of all negative Karma.
Agami literally means “that which has not come yet.” It is the Karma that has not yet come into effect—the Karma of future actions. If you commit a crime, you may not get caught today, but you'll live with the thought that you might be caught someday. That is the future Karma of the action. Some impressions, strong imprints on the consciousness, remain and form future Karma.
How Can Meditation Erase Karma?
Some types of Karma can be changed, others cannot.
When preparing a dessert, if the sugar or ghee is too little during the initial cooking, you can adjust it. If any other ingredient is too much, you can still correct it. But once the dessert is fully cooked, it cannot be altered.
Fresh milk can be made into sweet or sour yogurt, and even sour yogurt can be sweetened—but neither can return to fresh milk. Prarabdha Karma cannot be changed. Sanchita Karma can be changed through spiritual practices.
To be free from Karma means to be free from the impressions in the mind. Sanchita Karma manifests as tendencies or impressions in the mind. As human beings, we are capable of erasing these impressions and fears through meditation. Meditation is there to repair painful Karma—or at least reduce its intensity and impact.
The inward journey (meditation) cancels out negative Karma. You wash everything away when you meditate. After that, nothing remains. You become so hollow and empty that whatever fear you once had dissolves, and all burdens fall away from the Self. This is priceless.
Through meditation, bad Karma can be washed away—right here, right now. Before you leave your body, get rid of your Karma and erase the ignorance that surrounds you.
Did you know?
When you praise someone, you take on their good Karma.
When you blame someone, you take on their bad Karma.
Based on wisdom talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
