Dear Sister Jayanti,

Thanks for sharing your insights, which are always much appreciated.

You wrote: "The law of karma declares that we are creators"

As long as we feel that we are the 'doer', then that is necessarily so.

However, if through the Grace of the Divine Mother, our True Nature is revealed to us, then the Law of Karma has been effectively conquered.

Sri Ramakrishna said:

"Not a leaf moves except by the will of God.
Where is man's free will?
All are under the will of God. Therefore I say:
'O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the Operator;
I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver.
I move as Thou movest me; I do as Thou makest me do'."

-again-

"Man's ego itself is MAYA. It is the veil that shuts the light.

"Verily, with the death of "I" all trouble ceases. If by the grace of the Lord a man once gains the knowledge that he is not the doer, then he assuredly becomes freed in this very life and transcends all fear."

So, in the final analysis, it is, as you claim, a question of 'attitude'; however, the 'attitude', which governs the situation, is that of 'the Creator' dwelling within, rather than of 'the individual vehicle' .

The Master said this:

"God doesn't appear easily in the heart of a man who feels himself to be his own master. But God can be seen the moment His grace descends. He is the Sun of Knowledge.

"One single ray of His has illumined the world with the light of knowledge. That is how we are able to see one another and acquire varied knowledge.

"One can see God only if He turns His light toward His own face."

Om Shanthi Om

PS: I also enjoyed reading Ankur ji's message from his heart.

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Dear Brother Nahabat,

From the absolute Truth, all is incorrect for there is neither experience or attitude in the absolute.

Neither is there experience or attitude in the "creator dwelling within". Karma belongs to the individual exclusively. We can only speak of karma in terms of relativity, and karma arises only as a result of our feeling of separation. We learn to go beyond separation slowly. Our individual will is all-important, whether as a bhakta we use it to place our dependence on God, or as a jnani we strive to realize oneness with the absolute. In either -- all -- cases it is OUR attitude that either carries us forward or drags us down. The spiritual aspirant strives to use his or her will in ways that facilitate going forward. Attitude is a key component of this.

Ankur has given wonderful insights and quotes. In truth, until we see our life as a learning opportunity for spiritual development... Well, to quote the Master himself, "So long as I live, so long do I learn."

Thakur, in keeping with Vedanta, does not decry the ego. The devotee, he says, keeps a bit of his or her ego so they might behold and worship the Lord! However, the ego of the devotee, he says, is the ripe ego that has been turned toward God. Most of us are under the influence of the ordinary, unripe ego, which is pulled toward worldly attachments. What makes the shift possible? Our individual will, motivated first by a shift in attitude. :)

Beautifully said, Sister Jayanti, beautifully said.

Although, it is undoubtedly true that 'most of us are under the influence of the ordinary, unripe ego, which is pulled toward worldly attachments', we can always aspire to the ideal, which the Holy Trio have graciously set before us....as lofty as that may appear to be.

Swami Vivekananda said this about Karma: "When the Yogi has attained perfection, his actions, and the Karma produced by those actions, do not bind him, because he did not desire them. He just works on; he works to do good, and he does good, but does not care for the result, and it will not come to him. But, for ordinary men, who have not attained to the highest state, works are of three kinds, black (evil actions), white (good actions), and mixed."

Comment: I think that the key phrase here is: "does not care for the result".

Swamiji also said:

"Says our Vyasa, "In the Kali Yuga there is one Karma left. Sacrifices and tremendous Tapasyâs are of no avail now. Of Karma one remains, and that is the Karma of giving." And of these gifts, the gift of spirituality and spiritual knowledge is the highest; the next gift is the gift of secular knowledge; the next is the gift of life; and the fourth is the gift of food."

Additional Comment: Sister Jayanti, by establishing your excellent and long-standing Holy Mother's Cyber Tantu website, and this fine message board, you are offering the highest gift, the gift of spirituality and spiritual knowledge.

Om Shanthi Om
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