True to C. Rajagopalachari's beautiful line from his devotional rendition towards Lord Krishna, "Kurai Ondrum Illai Marai Moorthy Kanna, Kurai Ondrum Illai Kanna", the almighty or Erai has created everything fine. Erai has a wonderful mechanism in place that dictates what man deserves according to his actions. It is called the law of action and reaction or Karma which simply put is, "You reap what you sow".
Life is full of choices. Erai gave man freedom to do as he pleased, but Maya or illusion, a byproduct of karma, blinds him. Man chose to do harm rather then good. As a result he had to pay the price. The very freedom of choice became the cause of his downfall.
Karma comes into play the very moment man is given a choice to do good or otherwise. Karma is alike having caught in quicksand. While one tries to get out of the danger, he finds himself sinking further and further. The only way out is to catch hold of Erai's hand and be brought out of the predicament or danger. All hope is not lost. Agathiyar tells us not to fear. As karma is like a shadow continuously following us, Agathiyar asks his children to indulge in prayers, go on pilgrimages, increase the acts of doing dharma, and by doing so one increases his good merits that help counter his bad deeds. With determination and by upholding Dharma, charity and devotion, and getting a good grip of Erai's hand, he will find himself out of this danger. By upholding dharma, honesty, good virtues, and going on pilgrimages, and conducting prayers, man would attain peace and comfort as expected, as the ill effects of karma wears off due to the good acts that he undertakes to counter the bad karma. Man needs to expand himself; to live for others rather then himself; and to be of service to others rather than caring solely for his needs.
But man at times is puzzled that even after: conducting or performing whatever prayers he is directed to do so; going on numerous pilgrimages; the enormous charity and good acts he does; and the extensive austerities or tavam he performs, he is still affected by karma. Agathiyar clears the air reminding us that there are karma that can be forgiven and also those that are not forgiven.
Karma comes in the form of ignorance. Man has to come to an understanding and acceptance of Karma. When we complain about something, or make a judgement, of right and wrong, we are indirectly saying that the system put into place to oversee the effective functioning of all karma created by mankind is inefficient, hence questioning the very intelligence of Erai.
The simplest way to overcome one's karma is to face it boldly. Agathiyar asks that one take on the karma and face these hardships willingly, while he promises to stay at his side and take care of him. Even if karma subjugates man, Agathiyar explains that Erai can subjugate the very karma that subjugates man. As such one has to hold on to Erai to help him come out of this rut.
Once man begins to realize that he cannot escape from the clutches of karma without comprehending fully the why, when, how and where of karma and without correct understanding of the reasons for a tragic turn of events and accepting it and going with the flow, he should then take the initiative to live life accordingly, in total awareness of what he is doing, from moment to moment. With constant awareness of all his doings, he shall be on the way to reducing, or avoiding creating fresh and new karma.
Man begins to attain enlightenment the moment he starts to believe that there is rebirth and that rebirth is a result of karma. Along the way the numerous experiences he goes through will shape his thinking and understanding. These experiences can either bring spiritual advancement or lead him into further darkness.
Man needs to arrests not only his immediate karma but the karma of his past seven births. Besides these he has to shoulder the karma of his ancestors too - 21 generations. That is the extent of karma he has to work on. Here is where mantras come to his aid.