Children, some people ask if God is partial towards some. In this world, some people enjoy good health whereas others are always dogged by illness; some are poor whereas others are rich; some are good-looking, and others, ugly.
We cannot blame God for this inequality. We alone are to blame for this. Pure actions reap perfect results. The sorrow of prārabdha (consequences of past actions) that we experience today is the result of careless actions in the past. There is no point in blaming God for this.
For example, by using genetically modified seeds and chemical fertilisers, we can increase the harvest tenfold. Doing so, however, will reduce the nutritional value of grains and vegetables drastically. Not only that, as a result of eating such produce, our body becomes contaminated by harmful chemicals. The health of both those who eat such food and their children is impaired. This situation is the result of our selfishness. We cannot blame God for it.
Once, a boss asked his workers to break stones. One worker was physically strong whereas the other was weak. A few days later, the boss went to check on how the work was progressing. He pointed out a large rock each to his workers and asked them to break it. The stronger man struck his rock 10 times but was unable to break it, whereas when the weaker man struck his rock just twice, it split open.
The stronger man asked the weaker one, “How did you split the rock open after striking it just twice?”
The weaker man replied, “I had already struck it many times with my hammer earlier.”
Similarly, if life is easy for some and hard for others, it is because of the actions they performed in the past. Our growth today is the result of good actions performed yesterday. If we want to have a bright future, we must do good deeds in the present. If we do not, we will suffer tomorrow.
That said, when we see someone suffering, we must not think that it is the consequence of his past actions. Instead, we must consider it our duty to help him. If we help those in distress today, we will be spared of suffering tomorrow. By pulling out someone who has fallen into a ditch, we can prevent our own fall in the future.
It is seen that what we expect, often does not take place, and what we may never expect, often does take place. It is because the obtainment of the results of our actions depends on several factors besides our effort.
Only if all the factors are fulfilled, will the result come according to our expectation. However, the only thing that we have control over is how to perform the actions. Therefore, what we can do is to perform actions to the best of our ability and not worry about the results.
In a sense, the sorrows arising from prārabdha are a blessing from God as they help us remember him. We can see how those who have never even once called out to God turn to him when they begin to suffer and how they take to the path of righteous living. They can thus find release from the suffering caused by past actions.
If we cultivate the right attitude with which we have to perform actions and the right attitude with which we have to experience the results of those actions, our lives will become full of peace and bliss.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian