Karma Plays Its Role

May 28

This Sunday morning I share a small story.

The boss scolded his Manager on a small matter so much that the Manager got very upset, but could not say anything to his boss. He kept thinking, "Was this a matter so serious that the boss lost his temper?"

He went straight to his cabin and took out all his anger on his Assistant. The Assistant was shocked and muttered to himself, "This is not his usual self. Has the Manager gone mad?"

But the Assistant could not contain his frustration and shouted at the gate man before leaving the office. Now the watchman had to vent his anger. So he went home and started scolding his wife unnecessarily.

The wife also got upset and gave two punches on the back of her school going child, "You watch TV all day long, you neither do work nor read books."

Now it was the turn of the child. He was shocked by his mother's violent behaviour. So he angrily left the house and threw a stone at the dog sleeping on the road. The dog ran away in panic and started thinking, "What did I do to him?"

And in anger that dog bit a man. But who was the man who was bitten by the dog? It was none other than the boss, who scolded his Manager. He was on an evening walk, and was thinking, "Why did that dog bite me? I didn't even tease him."

He had forgotten who had sown the seed. It is the Karma that never leaves one alone.

We don't even realize how many people get upset by our behavior and some get very hurt because we are so engrossed in our own fun. We don't care when we offend others. But nothing gets unnoticed. There is a certain sense of justice in the world, which shows how karma plays out.

We reap what we sow. What goes around, comes around. Karma has no menu, we get served what we deserve.

Every action has its consequences, we may or may not know. Sometimes these consequences happen immediately after the action, while other times they take years to be felt. You may think you got away with something, but eventually, karma hits back, sooner or later.

How people treat us is their karma, and how we treat or react is ours. It never loses your address and mirror.

So it's better to perform acts of kindness, practise forgiveness and mindfulness, live with integrity and honesty, develop a positive attitude, and show gratitude, without waiting for the result.

The Bhagavad Gita says:
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भुर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

तेरा कर्म करने में ही अधिकार है, उसके फलों में कभी नहीं। इसलिए तू कर्मों के फल हेतु मत हो तथा तेरी कर्म न करने में भी आसक्ति न हो.

You have a right to "Karma" (actions) but never to any fruits thereof. You should never be motivated by the results of your actions, nor should there be any attachment in not doing your prescribed activities.