This world is governed by Law of Karma. The Law of Karma is universal and eternal. There is no exception or amendment to this law. According to this law, all the happiness or ‘sukh’ that you experience in your life is the result of your virtue or good karma or ‘punya’ from this or past lives. Similarly, all the sorrow or ‘dukh’ that you experience in your life is the result of sin or bad karma or ‘pap’ from this or past lives.
Also, accordingly to this law, you cannot escape from the fruit of your actions. For example, let’s say, the total of your good karma from all your past lives till date is 1000 and the total of your bad karma from all your past lives till date is 500. Thus, you have to settle the score of total 1500 karma including both good and bad karma and keep taking births till the score is settled. There is no subtraction in the Law of Karma. In other words, your one good karma does not cancel out your one bad karma. Hence, the net total of your 1000 good karma and 500 bad karma is not 500 good karma but it is 1000 good karma + 500 bad karma. It should be understood that 1500 karma noted here is just an example and has no substance compared to innumerable good and bad karma that we have done in infinite number of lives we have gone through till date.
Now with this understanding, if you are experiencing sorrow in your present life, you know that you are bearing the fruit of a bad karma that you may or may not have remembered. Hence, you should be happy that your list of bad karma is being exhausted and once your score is settled, the time of sorrow is bound to pass. Similarly, if you are experiencing happiness in your present life, you know that you are enjoying the fruit of a good karma that you may or may not have remembered. Hence, although you are enjoying in the moment, you know that your list of good karma is also being exhausted and once your score is settled, your good time shall also pass.
Let’s take an analogy to understand this better. Imagine you have borrowed money from a bank that you must return within stipulated time. So, even if your pocket is full at this moment, you don’t feel happy about it because you know that you owe this money to the bank. Now, every month you pay to the bank an equated monthly installment towards closing out the loan. So, even if the money is going out of your pocket every month, you feel happy about it because you are paying back what you owe. This is exactly how one should deal with happiness and sorrow.
Happiness and sorrow are part of the life, and they are bound to come. Understanding the Law of Karma will help deal with good and bad times that one is experiencing in life.
Reference:
“Theory of Karma” by Sri Hirabhai Thakkar, published by Kusum Prakashan. Book available on https://kusumprakashan.in/