Can we Change our Fate?

Can we Change our Karma / Fate?

Think of it like this:

If there is a ball in your hand, you can choose where to throw it. If you throw it through your window, you will come to regret it. Once you have thrown the ball, you’ve thrown it. There is nothing else you can do about it once you have thrown it. You cannot change the fact that you’ve broken your window – but you can change your karma in the future by taking care not to throw another ball through a window again. That is how you change your fate.

You cannot erase the fate you have already created, but you must learn from that fate to make a brighter one for your future.

Can God / Krsna Change our Karma / Fate?

Yes, but why would he?

You can destroy a complicated machine that you have created, but why would you? Fate / karma is not a mistake and is not evil. It is a carefully, meticulously planed machine that teaches us in an extremely deep and real way all the lessons we need to learn to gradually become more and more selfless and eventually become enlightened.

 

Does Devotion/ Bhakti “Burn” Fate/ Karma?

Yes, but not all at once. Sri Rupa describes how bhakti destroys karma (BRS 1.1):

Karma has several stages. First are all the things and situations tangibly manifest right now in your current life. That’s called “prarabdha-karma.” It’s like the broken window you’ve thrown a ball through.

Then there is also a long line of karmic reactions / fates waiting in line for the right opportunity to manifest. You’ve already caused these fates to happen, they just have not yet gotten the correct moment to do so. This is called “aprarabdha-karma.” It’s like you’ve thrown the ball at the window, but the impact hasn’t happened yet.

Then there are three more subtle states of Karma: First is “bijam” the seed of karma, the desire in your heart to, for example, throw a ball through a window.

More subtle is “kutam” which is the “point of origin” for desires; the soil in which the seed of various desires take root. In the example of throwing a ball through a window, kutam might be a sense of mischievous curiosity.

Finally, the ultimate root of karma is “avidya” – “unknowing.” Because we don’t know our true self, we develop inclinations towards desires for self-centered decisions and actions – which then start the wheel of karma moving.

Bhakti will burn the avidya completely to the root, and this will cut off the power to the spinning wheel of fate / karma. The first thing to blackout without power will be the general curiosity “kutam” and inclination towards self-centered acts.You will feel this right away as you take up a spiritual practice like bhakti. You will notice that your genuine curiosity for selfish desires is rather quickly sapped of energy and replace with curiosity of a spiritual nature.

Next, all the specific desires (bijam) for specific self-centered acts will be burned. After some time of serious practice you will start to tangibly perceive this karma disappearing: your desires for various specific self-centered activities will receed, disappear and be replaced by spiritual desires for love of Godhead.

After this, bhakti can burn  aprarabdha-karma. God sees that you have already learned through your spiritual path the lessons you needed to learn through karma, the machine of destiny deletes those karmas, which your sincere spiritual endeavors have now rendered redundant. It is difficult to directly perceive this because the effect is on an intangible thing. The result is that the long line of future births you are scheduled to have gradually becomes shorter and shorter until it finally evaporates completely and you require no further births.

At this elevated point you are left only with prarabdha-karma – the tangible destiny of your current life and body. You cannot keep a physical body in the material world without this karma. It burns very slowly and is not completely eradicated until one obtains prema-bhakti: full realization of divine love, at which point one no longer is kept within a material body in the material world, but enters directly into the divine play (lila) of Krsna. You may feel the very initial effects of the burning of prarabdha-karma as a gradual lack of bodily fixation, eventually a lack of bodily awareness, and finally a lack of a physical body entirely – when you enter into the spiritual realm.

Thank you,

Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

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Astrology and Bhakti? Is Karma Relevant to Spiritualists?

Student: Before I studied astrology with you, I thought that it could never predict spiritual things since spiritual things transcend karma. But reading your descriptions of Prabhupada and Aindra’s horoscopes shows me this is not the case.

Vic: Yes, excellent question. It is important to have a clear and conclusive understanding of this topic. The question raises itself not only in relation to the charts of spiritualists like Aindra Ji and Prabhupada, but even more deeply in relation to the horoscopes of incarnations of Godhead such as Krsna, Rama, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Student: Yes yes! I told a devotee about your reading for Krishna‘s chart and they told me, “He shouldn’t do that.”

Vic: The vaishnava-shiromani (the jewel on the grown of devotional spiritualists) Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti told me the positions of the planets in Krsna’s horoscope, in his commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam. Am I to conclude he told me these because I should not consider them carefully? That would be silly, right? One who can understand Krsna better and explain about Krsna to others by examining those positions outlined by Vishvanatha should do so. That is Krsna Katha (discussion of Krsna, a major practice of devotional spiritualism), isn’t it?

Student:

Vic: Bhaktivinode Thakur gives the Horoscope of Sriman Mahaprabhu in his commentary on Caitanya Caritamrta. Should some relatively neophyte devotee say that it is improper to study the planetary positions of spiritual beings in the face of Vishvanath and Bhaktivinode doing so?

Student: Amazing.

Vic: Vaishnav-aparadha (needlessly criticizing a devotee) is much worse that being ill informed or neophyte, so I should really watch my mouth and not offend any devotee who feels that astrology has no place in Krsna Consciousness. But I have explained the reasons why I myself would not accept that conclusion. Even in this I have offended Vaishnavas and so should be very careful to state clearly that I respect their devotional sentiment although I quietly and humbly hold to a different conclusion on this particular subject, and humbly request their consideration of my opinion.

Student: Yes.

Vic: Anyway, let me answer your question before class time runs out.

Student: Yea!

Vic: The question is answered from two angles. From one angle the answer pertains to when the influence of bahiranga-maya (the potency facilitating ignorance) ceases to have karmic influence over a spiritualist. From the second angle the answer pertains to how antaranga-maya (the potency facilitating the enlightened state) acts within the material sphere.

Student: I see.

Vic: Lets cover the first angle first.

Student: OK.

Vic: Right from the very beginning of devotional spiritual practices (sadhana-bhakti) the effects of karma begin to dissipate. There are four stages of karma: unmanifest (aprarabdha), inclinations (kutam), actions (bijam) and manifest reactions (prarabdha).

When ones spiritual practices dawn on perfection one attains the level of bhakti-yoga termed bhava-bhakti. At this stage only manifest reactions remain (prarabdha). There is still karma acting even at the stage of Bhava-Bhakti, but it has no significant momentum. It is only the shell of the final reactions of a soul’s karma. Thus the bhakta at this level continues to exist in a body and in the material world – this is the extent of the prarabdha karma.

When pure love of godhead becomes absolutely integrated into the spiritual ego one attains the level of bhakti yoga termed prema-bhakti. At this point the bhakta is physically reborn into the activities of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as they are currently being manifest in one of the material universes. Certain experiences of separation from Krsna during that final transitional birth cause the last whiffs of the final shreds of prarabdha karma to disappear, and at that level one attain a fully transcendental existence, form, residence, etc.

Student: Awh yess, i seee.

Vic: So, to put it plainly, the extent that one is not yet in Krsna-lila – the extent to which one is not actually interacting in tangible reality with Krsna – that is the extent to which karma (and thus astrology) still holds potential sway over the person.

For practical purposes it can be said confidently that one at the level of bhava-bhakti is sufficiently freed of karma, and have no measurable need to care for its effects. Therefore they have no real need to concern themselves with astrology. Stretching it a bit further, we can extend this immunity to karma/astrology even to the spiritual practitioners who are beginning to acquire asakti (devotional addictions) and ruci (devotional enjoyments) as a result of performing their sadhana (practices) on the platform of nishta.

In short the degree to which one has attained realization of krsna-prema is exactly proportionate to the degree to which karma (and therefore astrology) becomes meaningless to one.

Student: I see.

Vic: There is no reason to limit this to Astrology. To the degree that one attains prema, in the equal degree one will have no need for material support in their spiritual efforts, whether from astrology, social institutions, or religious practices of particular varnas (social roles) and ashramas (spiritual roles).

That is the first angle on answering the question. Is that much clear so far?

Student: Yeah. It is so far.

Vic: The second angle on the question is that Krsna appears in this world, ya know? In it. That is why he comes through the agency of Ksirodakshayi Vishnu (the supreme lord of the material universe). And this is why karma of this world moves into a particular astrological alignment to make it possible to manifest krsna-lila (Krsna’s pastimes) here within the material sphere.

Student: Ahhh!

Vic: I mean, isn’t this exactly what Vishnu told Brahma when Brahma went with the demigods and Bhumi (the Earth Goddess) to ask for an incarnation to happen!? Vishnu told Brahma, “OK, I am going to incarnate in the Yadu dynasty. Now, all of you demigods make the preparations and take your places.”

Right?

Student: Mhm.

Vic: The navagraha (Nine Planets) are demigods, you know. They too listened to this order from Vishnu and fulfilled it.

Student: Ahh.

Vic: So the second angle on answering this question is that karma can act under the direction of yogamaya (the potency that facilitates not ignorance but the enlightened state). When Krsna appears in the world, yogamaya takes over the functions of universal karma to make it possible for spiritual reality to manifest within the material sphere.

Not just for Krsna but also for parama-siddhas like Srila Prabhupada, you can say that the karma in his chart is an orchestration of yogamaya to facilitate and manifest the lila (activities) that Krsna wanted and needed Prabhupada to manifest.

Okay?

Student: I’m understanding now.

Vic: Great! That is my job, and my pleasure.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

© 2010 Vic DiCara, All Rights Reserved

Self-Realization in the Ecstasy of Divine Love

Right now we are in a confusing situation. We inherently know that we should be happy, peaceful, joyful and satisfied. Yet we are confronted by realities which constantly limit and baffle that natural impulse. Why is it like this?

Because we have placed our egos, our souls, into an unnatural environment.

The main effort of Eastern Culture, rooted in Ancient India, is to deal with this crucial situation of human existence. To figure out how to place our egos/identities/souls into its natural environment so that there is no block or limitation working against what we all inherently and deeply know is our natural birthright of happiness, peace, satisfaction, joy, and even ecstacy.

“Yoga” is the broad title given to the various attempts and paths Eastern civilization has discovered or invented for this purpose. The very word means to link and combine. All types of yogas attempts to link up our selves back to our original and natural environment.

The yogas discovered and established in ancient India are progressive by their very nature. They are also individualised and personal by nature – as opposed to the experience of “religion” primarily as a social and organized phenomena in the West. One yoga progresses into the next. First of all there is physical yoga to make the body healthy and free of obstruction. Then there is mental yoga, so that the mind, now not needing to worry about the health of the body, can become free from distraction and diversion. Then there is transcendental yoga where the empowered mind is put to contemplation upon transcendental subject matter. This category of yogas progresses from simple contemplations of nature (the mental level), to highly intellectual logical gymnastics on metaphysical subjects (the intellectual level), and finally to dealing directly with the soul itself, directly with the feelings and emotions of our very “heart.”

This pinnacle of yogas is called Bhakti-Yoga. It is the path of re-linking with our natural spiritual environment by way of our heart, feelings, and emotions.

Of all paths of Bhakti-Yoga, that which focuses on the being named Sri Krishna is the deepest evolution because by definition this being is supremely capable of reciprocating emotions and feelings.

This is how our guide Sri Rupa Goswami described the effects of pure devotion to Krishna.

klesh-aghni shubhada,

moksha-laghuta-krit, sudurlabha

sandraananda-viseshaatmaa,

sri krishna karshini ca sa.

First of all, when you start to practice it, anguish will subside (klesh-aghni). And as the suffering of karma subsides, auspiciousness shall arise (shubhada). So the first side effect of even beginning to practice krishna-bhakti is that bad karmas will evaporate and good karmas will fructify.
The more sincerely and deeply you practice Krishna-bhakti the more these traits will become noticeable and overwhelming.

What is Krishna-bhakti? It is the yoga of reconnecting your very spiritual self to the supreme reservoir of bliss – Sri Krishna. This connection is made at first by the practice of doing things solely and wholly for the sake of pleasing the reservoir of pleasure, Sri Krishna. The less we have self-oriented motivations in our practice, the more we simply want to become a wave in the ocean of spiritual bliss within the reservoir of Sri Krishna, simply adding to the divine ecstasy – to that extent our practice is more “pure” and will produce more marked and tangible results.

Once you practice bhakti with this type of purity, you will become “perfect” – this means that you will no longer “practice” love of Godhead, it instead becomes awakened as an intrinsic part of your very core ego and spiritual identity, your soul, your “bhava.” This stage of bhakti (divine love) is very, very, very uncommon in the material world (su-dur-labha). And one who attains this uncommon state of enlightenment feels that even “enlightenment” and “liberation” are trivial things in comparison.

Once pure bhakti for Krishna has awakened it’s root in your very being, it will gradually blossom. When it fully blossoms it is called Prema. The pure bliss and ecstasy experienced by the blossoming of prema drenches your soul completely in a singularity of infinitely compressed and intensified joy. The concentrated fragrance of the flower of Prema attracts Krishna Himself to come searching for YOU.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com