Do. Not Do.

Hare Krishna! Take a deep breath!

Actions, activities, work. We are surrounded by these, all the time. Much has been said and written about Law of Action. We mortals, living in the three-dimensional reality are engrossed by actions. Either we have to do something or not do something. In don-doing also we are engaged in action. Passive action, not active though. Our survival revolves around actions and activities.

Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. His trilogy on Aghora Practices have been written under the guidance of his Guru – Aghori Vimalananda. The third installment of the trilogy focus on the law that encompasses all – “Aghora 3 – The Law of Karma”.

The book is a detailed description of the law of karma operates in the real world. Even though getting into the intricate details that how things unfold across multiple lives of an individual is definitely out of scope because of the impracticality of the three dimensional world we operate in, the book gives out a good glimpse on Karma and its consternations. 

Some excerpts from the book:

1. Religions are all limited because they concentrate only on one aspect of truth. That is why they are always fighting amongst one another, because they all think they are in sole possession of the truth. (vii)
2. Every physical or mental action you perform and with which you identify yourself with as the doer becomes a Karma for you and produces a reaction, which you will eventually have to experience. The more strongly you identify with your karmas, the more closely your experience will conform to their reaction they promise…The essence of living with reality is to continually surrender to what is. (viii)
3. The Oneness of Reality is clearly perceived only when all the many varieties of personal obstructions have been removed. (xiii) See Patanjali Yoga Sutras 1.2.
4. The causal body is the storehouse of all the memories of all your rnanubandhanas. Karmas when ripe and ready to be experienced project from the causal body into the subtle or astral body, which is the mind, where they cause us to act in conformity with the karmas we have to experience. (9)
5. The Law of Karma is the law of the Universe; it is the basis of divine justice. Like it or not you have to abide by this law. (59).
6. By birth everyone is shudra (‘one who performs laborious work’), by samskaras you become a dvija (a ‘twice-born’), by learning you become a vipra (‘one who shakes with ecstasy’) and by knowing the Absolute Reality – Brahman, you become Brahmin. (161).

For point 6 refer to Bhagwad Geeta 4.13.

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: |
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् || 13||

Meaning – The four categories of occupations (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra) were created by Me according to people’s qualities and activities. Although I am the Creator of this system, know Me to be the Non-doer and Eternal.

This 9 chapter & 272 page book explores several concepts such as Rnanubandhanas, Types of Karma – Dridha, Adridha and Dridha-Adridha, Tantra, Kundalini, scientific/technical reasons for Pitri Tarpana, Ojas, Rasa Vidya, Vajroli Kriya etc. The book has 32 page Introduction with several concepts that will bounce you over. The book reads like a narrative around derby horses and their races. Aghori Vimalananda had great interest in derby etc. and hence the content. 

Be ready to read about surprises on Akbar, Birbal, Shabri (Lord Ram’s devotee) etc. and their earlier/next lives!

This book must ideally be read before reading any other book on Law of Karma, e.g. the one by revered Sadhguru!

Hare Krishna! Take a deep breath!