The Laws of Karma (5) : Are Misfortunes always the result of Bad Karma?

This article is a continuation of our very popular series titled :" The Laws of Karma".   All articles on The Laws of Karma are abbreviated excerpts from Acharya Shriram Sharma 's writings. 
So far in our Karma series we have discussed 'Who Keeps a Record of our Good and Bad Deeds', "How are deeds categorised as wrong or right", "Types of Sufferings and their underlying causes", and also "Types of Karma". In this chapter from the book "The Absolute Laws of Karma' we discuss whether misfortunes are always the result of Bad Karma?

The Karma theory is not fatalistic ,instead  it recognises and emphasises "free will" of individuals and their ability to overcome all situations in life.

The Laws Of Karma: Are Misfortunes always the result of Bad Karma?

"Misfortunes are an unwelcome event in our lives. Misfortunes  are popularly believed to be the result of past sins and signal the displeasure of God. However, this view is only partially correct. It is true that one of the reasons for unhappiness is past sins, but all unhappy events do not necessarily have their roots in past misdeeds. 

It may appear paradoxical, but at times misfortunes may also befall us because of the grace of God and the accumulation of past virtues. Unhappiness may also be felt while undergoing hardships in course of virtuous activities. When God shows his benevolence  towards a highly evolved soul and wills to release that soul from the bondage of  everyday living, HE may create distressful situations in that person's life where the individual is forced to make a specific  choice. Such unhappy events jolt the individual out of his slumber and help him to realize the futility of attachment to worldly things. The shock of unhappiness in such cases serves as a Divine Wake-Up-Call. 

Our addiction to worldly attachments, infatuations and passions is so strong and alluring that we cannot be easily de-addicted. There are fleeting moments of wisdom in life when man thinks that life is extremely valuable and must be used for achieving some lofty objective, but soon thereafter attractions of the world sway him from achieving this aim . Through misfortunes, God exerts a strong pull to extricate the devotee from the self-created quagmire of worldly attractions.

Unpleasant, heartbreaking happenings, such as a near fatal accident or disease, death of an intimate friend or relative, sudden financial loss, humiliation, or treachery by a trusted friend, may occur to give a strong shock treatment so that one may course correct his or her life or understand the gravity of purposeful living. 

Sometimes, the virtuous samskaras accumulated on account of our past Karma's can also produce unhappy events. Virtuous karma's also act as shields to ward off sinful temptations. The former do not permit the sinful tendencies to dominate and offer stiff resistance. Many a time, commitment of a sinful act - is foiled by some unforeseen obstacle. If a thief breaks his leg while  attempting thievery, it should be taken as a consequence of his past virtuous Karma's. 

Those who work hard for moral or social upliftment of society and meticulously follow their course of duty, face stupendous problems, hardships , including  lack of resources in their work. They also have to face antagonism of people who find such activities detrimental to their vested interests. Persons treading the royal highway of righteousness have to face hardships at each step. Misfortunes are like a goldsmith’s furnace, in which the validity of past virtues and tolerance to hardships undertaken for virtuous deeds are tempered. After going through misfortunes, the character and personality of an upright person becomes all the more lustrous.

Hence while going through misfortunes, do not be under the impression that you are a sinner and a wretched person deserving Divine wrath. It could be that the distress is a blessing in disguise, with hidden boons, which you are unable to foresee at the moment because of limited vision. 

Innocent persons may be found suffering because of unfair ideologies or oppression by others. Any of us can  become a victim of exploitation, suppression and injustice. The exploiter has to face the consequences of his Karma's in due course of time, but the sufferer should not take such trials as outcome of his Prarabdha. 

A student has to face many hardships in the course of his education. A mother suffers hardship while bringing up a child. Ascetics, social reformers and righteous persons undergo unbearable hardships while working for reformation of the society and evolution of the human soul. Such voluntarily undertaken hardships, confrontations, and problems faced in the course of fulfillment of self-assumed responsibilities also cannot be considered as consequences of past misdeeds. 

At the same time, it would not be appropriate to regard every “happy-go-lucky” person as a virtuous person in his past life or every sufferer as a sinner of his past birth. Such a concept would be unjustified and misleading. There is no reason for someone to have self-pity or feel remorseful on such a false premise. The course from committing an action / Karma to its fruition as Prarabdha follows an occult and mysterious process known only to the Creator. 

With regards to the Laws Of Karma -we have to remain ever vigilant towards our duties and responsibilities and leave the rest to the Impartial and Supreme Justice of God. Let us face the misfortunes and good fortunes of life with equanimity. God has made us responsible only for our duties as human beings. There could be many reasons for successes-failure and happiness- unhappiness. Only the Creator knows their purpose in His Absolute Wisdom. Let us entirely offer ourselves to the Divine to be used for the free and unobstructed flow of His Will through us."

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Credits and Source of the above article:
To read the book "The Absolute Law Of Karma" click  link below:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/56439617/The-Absolute-Law-of-Karma-by-Pandit-Shriram-Sharma-Acharya

To know more about the author -Shriram Sharma Acharya please click the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriram_Sharma