Dr Krishnan, a friend, astrologer and a Siddha medicine practitioner, once told me that karma only takes effect once a child attains puberty. Until then whatever adverse happenings predicted in the child's horoscope or astrological chart will be borne by the parents. Its only when the child comes to puberty and goes beyond, that the child takes on the full effects of his karma. True to this explanation by the Dr., Agathiyar too mentions that karma arises and is accumulated the very moment when we start to take the body as a priority.
Seeing a person is seeing karma take its form. Astrology, the horoscope and the Siddhas can reveal the karma one has done. Man begets a birth, a family, a career and all other material gains according to his past karma. One's karma creates incidents and situations which brings forth a particular experience to the person concern. These experiences then start to shape his thinking and opinion.
Fate determines the birth accordingly to one's past karma be it a human form or that of the form of a particular animal. An animal cannot gain good or bad merits. But man is given the choice where he can do good and gain more merits, thus alleviating karma. Agathiyar assures us and gives us hope that if this choice is used wisely then God or Erai as Agathiyar choses to name, is only a distant away.
Karma comes around and around weakening one. How then do we defeat karma? The only way to strengthen oneself is to seek out God or Erai, be devoted to him and perform charity. Agathiyar reminds us that we are only alive because of Erai's grace.
Although generally we are told that karma is reduced or exhausted, Agathiyar says karma does not reduce but that it remains the same. However Agathiyar goes on to explain how the concept works and why karma seems to 'reduce' or 'exhaust' itself. What we need to do is to stop creating fresh karma and at the same time increase in multi folds the good merits gained from performing good actions to balance or offset the bad karma. By refraining from performing actions that bring onto us more bad karma, and instead taking actions that increases good karma, eventually there comes a stage where there would be a balance. We will then be able to shoulder the effects of karma. With further good merit accumulated through good thoughts and actions, the bad karma would become minute and seem negligible compared with the immense good merits accumulated and the bad karma eventually is 'reduced' or 'exhausted'.
Although generally we are told that karma is reduced or exhausted, Agathiyar says karma does not reduce but that it remains the same. However Agathiyar goes on to explain how the concept works and why karma seems to 'reduce' or 'exhaust' itself. What we need to do is to stop creating fresh karma and at the same time increase in multi folds the good merits gained from performing good actions to balance or offset the bad karma. By refraining from performing actions that bring onto us more bad karma, and instead taking actions that increases good karma, eventually there comes a stage where there would be a balance. We will then be able to shoulder the effects of karma. With further good merit accumulated through good thoughts and actions, the bad karma would become minute and seem negligible compared with the immense good merits accumulated and the bad karma eventually is 'reduced' or 'exhausted'.
While trying his best to rise in this material world to build himself a comfortable life, source of livelihood and income, Agathiyar advises and reminds us again and again not to gather more demerits or bad karma. Agathiyar ask us to be careful in all that we do for we could end up in trouble taking on more karma. He advises us to be aware of the repercussions of our actions. Agathiyar ask to refrain from doing bad since it has repercussions that are passed on to generations and these negative vasanas will be etched in time.
Agathiyar ask that we carry out our responsibilities to the utmost satisfaction, not seeing it as a burden. He ask us to simplify live, rather then complicate matters. Agathiyar ask us to understand that if one were to be blamed for the way things go, although one has not done any harm or any wrong to others but yet people slay them with words, it only means that they are exhausting their karma.
Agathiyar ask that one drop all bad tendencies, and worries, and approach him as a child seeking the mother. Agathiyar promises to remove our karma, show us a means and a way to perform dharma and charity, and to carry out prestigious deeds that merit good karma, and eventually show us the path to Erai. Only when one comes to an understanding that all paths lead to one, not differentiating the paths, is it possible for Agathiyar to show us Erai.
Agathiyar ask us to understand that all is God's or Erai's creation. Agathiyar says do not live just for the sake of the body. He ask us to understand the self. In other words just as we take in food to upkeep the body, similarly one has to continuously do good to attain good karma and merits for the soul or atma too. After many births and after having gained much experience, exhausting the karma, finally he attains Jnanam.
Agathiyar shows us the ultimate way, although its tough to envision it and follow, "Realize that we are trapped in an illusion, learn to come out of it, and only seek God or Erai, then all karma will drop on its own." Agathiyar adds, "Learn to see things has a third person not affected directly." Agathiyar says one has to come to a stage where he should have the same happiness that he had in purchasing a home when he sells it too; the same amount of joy when he has a child and when he loses him too. But Agathiyar himself says its difficult to adopt that perspective in life, although he says its not impossible. "With continuous effort one will come to take this stand to see the world and every event indifferently." Agathiyar ask us to be clear in our thoughts and understand that all is an illusion. Happiness is an illusion. Similarly sorrow too is an illusion. Man has to learn to take both in his stride. When he is capable of seeing happiness and sorrow in the same perspective, accepting both and being indifferent to both states, that is Jnana Nilai. This is the state Agathiyar expects us to come to. In this state one does not need anything from anyone. He does not crumble at the smallest instance of sorrow. Nobody needs to teach him anything. Only when man reaches that state will peace set in.
Ram Dass has some pointers for us at https://www.ramdass.org/dealing-stuff/
Ram Dass has some pointers for us at https://www.ramdass.org/dealing-stuff/