Mommy, mommy, I am not going to work hard for my exam now… it’s all about luck and I don’t get the best grades anyway!
My son, don’t feel that way, says the Mom and goes on to tell him a story.
A girl was frustrated as series of unpredictable events were happening in her life. Nothing seemed to be working for her and she was feeling that bad luck was on her side. The stars were just not aligning for her.
Her grandfather noticed that she felt devastated and looked miserable.
Having Hinduism roots and his belief in the theory of Karma, he knew the concept well.
‘Just keep doing your Karma and do not worry about return’ consoled grandfather with his hand on her head. Your responsibility is to perform your actions/karma with full sincerity and honesty without expectation of fruits. Work unselfishly but with complete awareness. Just feel that you are only an instrument and that the lord is working through you. Surrender the actions and their fruits to him. He is in control, grandfather added.
So what is Karma? Karma is the Sanskrit word for action or deed. Any physical or mental action is Karma. The whole gist of life centers on karma.
Lord Krishna said, work diligently on your duties but do not expect the fruits thereof. The Theory of Karma is a very important concept in Hinduism and Buddhism. Whatever work we do, it should not be based on a result means there should be no condition attached.
Some of the obstacles and/or rewards in your present life are here to stay. When we are performing an action we associate some kind of expectation with it. This expectation, when fulfilled, gives rise to another expectation, action and so on. We should be aware of each and every action and related expectation. There should be awareness that the goal may or may not be attained. If the goal is attained, think very nice, if the goal is not attained, again, very nice. Law of expectation actually demands from us to accept both happiness and misery in an equal way. We do accept only happiness and mentally reject misery. This is where the trouble lies.
The origin of this concept can be traced all the way back to the Bhagvad Gita, a part of the epic Mahabharata, which was written over 4000 years ago. It describes a conversation took place between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra just prior to the start of climactic war. Responding to Arjuna’s confusion and moral dilemma about fighting with his own cousins. Lord Krishan explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and elaborates on different analogies. Basically, you just do whatever you have to do in life and forget about consequence. One has to find out the purpose of life. You don’t question why you do it or what would be the end goal, just do your duties/your karma.
Life is a battle, a test of your willingness to survive and succeed. a battle all must face and one that will last all of one’s life so don’t try to run away or hide or cry or feel that you are the only one is who is struggling…face your battles head on…god has given you the strength. It is inside you…just waiting to be harnessed.
That’s an amazing story Mommy. So, I should just study hard without worrying about my grades. I should be content as long as I know that I tried my best.
Yes, my son. And by the way, this is not just any story. The girl is you mommy… me!
So my son, I have lived and still I am living my life on the theory of Karma and telling you the same what my grandfather has told me years ago. And at that moment the boy and his mommy share a loving hug with tears of happiness.
