Karma Yoga – Part 3

We Are Part of This Universe, Surrounded by Infinite Planets. Could it be that we, too, are like moving planets on Earth? Let us explore…

Greetings, friends.

For those visiting our website or reading this series for the first time, I urge you to read the previous articles in this series before proceeding. This will help you understand the profound concepts discussed here and allow you to integrate them into your daily life effortlessly. That is our purpose and commitment.

Questions That Arise About Karma and Its Fruits

Many questions naturally emerge when discussing karma and its fruits:

• Do we truly receive the fruits of our actions?
• If karma has consequences, then what is free will?
• What are illusion and attachment (maya-moh)?
• What is fate or destiny?
• What is the mind, and how can it be controlled?
• What is kundalini energy?
• How do we choose a guru?
• Could Einstein and Stephen Hawking’s concept of a time machine actually work?
• Why do we die, and where do we go after death?
• Why do questions like “Who am I?” or “What is self-realization?” arise, and what is their solution?
• Do mantras, yantras, and tantra truly possess power?
• What is the phenomenon of the evil eye, and does it truly affect us?

If these phenomena are real, what are their remedies? Can Karma Yoga bring transformation within us? Is personal growth through Karma Yoga possible? Can it help us cultivate positivity? These and many other such questions will be addressed in this series.

Bringing Karma and Its Fruits Into Perspective

When karma and its fruits are discussed, we often encounter references to the Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, and countless other shlokas and stories. Yet, after hearing so much, we often find ourselves wondering how to apply these teachings to our modern lives. Instead of practical advice, we are often given lofty or impractical instructions. Does this sound familiar?

Here, we aim to present karma and its fruits in a way that is both relevant and practical, incorporating ancient wisdom where necessary without losing sight of the present.

The Universe as a Reflection of Our Lives

In the first part of this series, we observed how the universe operates. Every planet revolves on its axis while orbiting another celestial body. For instance, Earth revolves on its axis and orbits the Sun, while the Sun orbits the Milky Way galaxy. The galaxy itself orbits a black hole and is in constant motion.

Let us apply these cosmic phenomena to our lives:

• Spiritual texts teach us that our bodies are composed of five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space.
• Science, on the other hand, states that the universe is made up of atoms and energy, and that 99% of our body is composed of these very components.

Thus, spirituality and science converge, suggesting that every living being on Earth is akin to a planet in motion.

The Universe Within Us

Spiritual teachings assert that we are part of an infinite universe and that this universe resides within us, mirroring the external cosmos. Science, too, acknowledges the infinity of the universe and its countless celestial bodies. As inhabitants of this universe, we must inherently share its characteristics. Just as each planet has its unique nature and movement, so too does our body, a physical entity, function autonomously like a planet.

The difference lies in the presence of the soul, the divine essence within us, which animates our body and allows us to engage in internal and external actions, or karma. As the Gita states, we are compelled to act. Science corroborates this by explaining how the body’s hunger and thirst drive us to consume food and water, providing energy that propels us into action. Planets, too, eventually collide or dissolve into black holes, just as our lives come to an end.

Karma, Energy, and Attachment

Science tells us that celestial bodies are held together by a force—gravitational energy—that binds the entire universe in harmony. This energy governs the movements of planets, leading to collisions or their eventual absorption into black holes.

Similarly, we are bound by a force, which spiritual traditions identify as maya (illusion and attachment). Our lives revolve around this maya, and we spend our days caught in its web. Spirituality emphasizes that while liberation from maya is nearly impossible for our physical bodies, the soul can transcend these bonds. Through the awakening of the divine essence within, one can reduce the influence of maya, achieve a sense of liberation, and connect with the divine.

While achieving complete liberation may seem improbable, we can certainly minimize our entanglements with maya through conscious effort.

The Cyclical Nature of the Universe and Karma

Earth revolves on its axis, bringing day and night every 24 hours. It orbits the Sun, repeating dates and months while advancing the calendar year. As Earth completes its journey, the same months and seasons recur, though time progresses, and we age.

The universe operates in cycles. This is why time—minutes, hours, days, months, and years—repeats itself. You accept this without question. Yet, when told that the fruits of your actions will also return to you, doubt arises.

Since we are part of this cyclical universe, the return of karma’s fruits is as certain as the recurrence of day and night. The only question is when, where, how, and in what measure these fruits will manifest—a topic we will explore in upcoming articles.

Karma Fruits: An Inevitable Return

As a child, you struggled to walk and speak. The fruits of those efforts enable you to walk and communicate effortlessly today. You learned to read, write, and understand language, reaping those benefits throughout your life. Similarly, every action, big or small, yields fruits, whether immediately or over time.

The Role of Maya in Karma

Just as Earth’s atmosphere and friction prevent objects from traveling infinitely into space, maya creates resistance in our lives. This resistance often causes us to prioritize the fruits of our actions over the actions themselves. Without maya, good and bad karma would yield results simultaneously.

Maya and attachment, being inherent to human life, make it difficult to act without expectation. Spirituality teaches us to rise above these attachments and create a vacuum-like state within, free from friction. In such a state, karma flows seamlessly, untainted by maya.

Free Will and Divine Design

Like a game with defined rules and boundaries, life provides us with a framework governed by karma and its fruits. Within this framework lies free will, allowing us to navigate life’s challenges. Just as a software program operates within predefined limits while enabling user creativity, so too does life blend predetermined outcomes with free will.

This interplay of karma, fate, and free will forms the essence of our existence.

Moving Forward

I hope this article has clarified the foundational principles of karma and its fruits. In the next part, we will delve deeper into the concepts of fate, free will, maya, and the distinctions between good and bad karma, incorporating Einstein’s theories of relativity for further insight. We will also touch upon the powers of tantra, yantra, and mantra, as well as phenomena like the evil eye and ancestral curses.

Thank you, and until next time—Namaste.