Ok let us get this clear. The concept of Karma comes about only through the notion of reincarnation and the philosophy of reincarnation holds water only if we believe that God is just and not partial and the belief and faith of an impartial God comes about only if you believe that there is a Creator who has gone about His and Her business of Creation.

So if you believe in Karma, which is the cause and effect of all actions, thoughts and words, ever initiated, conceptualized or uttered, then you have to believe in a just, non-partial God.

If God is not impartial then He-She is no God at all.

God cannot at random give grief to a certain section of the populace and on a whim let some segment enjoy life, without a care in the world. It can’t work that way.

If it does, then at least, I for one want nothing to do with such a God.

God for me is non-discriminatory and all loving but most important of all very just.

So what is destiny? It is the law of cause and effect. As we sow, thus we shall reap. It’s a simple, no nonsense, law and according to me, God too can’t provide any loop holes to wriggle out of this particular commandment.

So is everything Karmic? Is our destiny chalked out and all we can do is happily or grudgingly enact the role of puppets? Does it mean we have no say or Free Will in anything?

I don’t think so, because according to me, the use or misuse of our Free Will creates a situation where we have to bear the fruits or brunt of present and future karma.

So, Free Will used in a particular lifetime, creates one’s own karma, either in the present life time or in some future life time. Thus, everything starts out with Free Will.

I believe when we began the journey of our own creation, we all had complete Free Will, do so as we willed. We were created in the image of God, and in the Spirit world, we only had Free Will. As our descent took place, the wrong use of Free Will, our Karmic account got more and more heavy.

As we lived life times, depending on the use of our Free Will, we created karma and karmic bonds. As we got caught up with more and more misuse of our Free Will, we created more and more tiresome lifetimes for our own selves and complicated Karmic bonds with each other.

Those who used and still use, their Free Will for enhancing their lives and the lives of those around them and all of creation, obviously were and are creating a more pleasant future and preventing themselves from experiencing grief and also complicated relationships of give and take.

Thus, our joys and sorrows, success and failures, life enhancing relationships and heartbreaks, are the ramifications of our Free Will that we once used and now face as our Karma.

As we used our Free Will in a manner that did not enhance Oneness but indulged in only self-gratification and the philosophy of ‘I-me-myself’, slowly the weighing scale that had once just Free Will began to have on the other side, a heavier quantum of weight of Karma.

Avtar Meher Baba once in a channelling session said that ‘more than ninety per cent of one’s lives is governed and dictated by just Karma and Karmic bonds, and just ten per cent, or less, or a bit more, was left on the weighing scale of Free Will’.

Most of us have sort of depleted our Free Will account. The credit of Karma is playing out its ear shattering, completely out of tune and rhythm, cacophony of a song.

Now, sweet Prophet on a bicycle, how does one decipher, what is Free Will and what is Karmic ramification?

It’s all fine to know that may be we have just ten per cent in our hands as Free Will but how is one to really know which is the ten per cent Free Will and where does Karma enter with a sledge hammer and sort of give you a few good knocks on the precious and noble family jewels.

May be as Baba Sai of Shirdi, time and again, has said that one shouldn’t really get too involved into the dynamics and workings of Karma and Free Will but rather give or at least try to give your hundred per cent to life, work, family, friends, those in need and even to each moment of your existence and then leave the rest to either your Master or your Karmic blue print. If after giving your best you still don’t succeed or do succeed, as long as you have used your very being and your Free Will by giving life your best, it shouldn’t matter. 

Sometimes you can’t even give your best due to certain circumstances, but if you have tried to give your best, I think, that’s more than enough.

If we use our discretion, not to hurt others, not to slander, not manipulate, not to cheat, not to violate, not to bully, not to lie, not to further mess up our Karma, I think, we are doing reasonably well, in creating either better Karma or erasing our pending ones.

So Free Will creates present and future Karma. Which means, heaven and hell, is in our hands.

Of course, all this makes sense, only if you believe in a God, who is just and being just, comes about the laws of Karma and to experience one’s karmic ramifications, comes about the mandatory wheels of reincarnation.

The Sages say that Free Will used well in life in the past, means you will be born in a family that enhances your spiritual outlook of life and spiritual growth, instils within you the right values, and gives you an opportunity and a platform to lead a simple, God fearing and loving life. You could be born rich, middle class or poor; doesn’t matter. You will only get further opportunity to enhance your Karmic balance sheet and use your Free Will in a better manner.

I know so many people who try their level best to lead a good, honest, simple life but the circumstances around them keep dragging them into the spitfire or debatable morality and further karmic entanglement.

Fortunate are those, who lead a simple life and uncomplicated; any day the sandals of simplicity, than the crown of give and take.

 Our relationships are also based on Free Will once used and now Karmic links, also called Rnanubandhana or as I call it Ranubandha.

Why do we trust somebody and instantly distrust somebody else? Why do we intuitively love somebody and hate somebody else? Why do sometimes our most loved ones give us the greatest grief? I have seen parents abhor their one child while loving the other. I have observed children treat one parent like a pariah and idolizing the other. Why is it that our closest hurt us the most?

It’s really simple. We have the maximum Karmic give and take with our loved ones. It is not just love that binds people together. It’s the cosmic dance of cause and effect that make and break people. Nobody can hurt or love you without a reason. Even if that reason was sowed a thousand years ago, it shall bear fruit sometime. Thus, very often, our inner most circle of family and friends, have come together, to in reality, work out our karmic bonds. It’s not just love.

Once again Free Will used wisely or immaturely, will result in good or really nut numbing of a relationship.

Of course, there is always the initiation of love or hate, trust or distrust, like or dislike, and that starts with Free Will once again. Not Karma. Free Will. It builds over lifetimes till it explodes in one incarnation.

Thus, we are the initiators and then become the puppets. We are the Lords and then the slaves. We are Gods and then neurotic hate mongers. WE are responsible for all the good and the not good we are going through.

So our joys and grief is the ramification of Free Will which now we live through as Karma.

Leave the Master out please. Leave God out for certain.

 To be continued