Swami Prakashanand Saraswati

Individual Destiny and the Fate of the Earth Planet Hindu religion teaches that every human being has free will to perform actions, which are called karmas in Sanskrit language. These karmas can broadly be classified as bad, good and devotional. Every thought, that motivates action, has a consequence. According to past lives' actions a person receives the fruit in the present life which is called prarabdh karm, fate, luck or destiny. Some people suffer greatly and others enjoy material prosperity. This goes on for ever in cycles. A human being takes birth and dies. Birth is followed by death, and death is followed by birth. Everything in the universe is governed by life and death. This is the nature of maya (the Sanskrit word for material energy). Just as each human being has an individual destiny, this planet also has a destiny. Hindu scriptures describe that our earth planet has a fixed life span, and the universe also has a beginning and an end. For a period of time it stays as a visual cosmos, and for the same length of time it remains only as an energy. When the universe is dissolved it stays as absolute nothingness. According to His Divinity Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, at the time of the dissolution of the universe humans die and they again appear in the present universe. All the human beings then start doing karmas. Animals cannot do any karm. They simply live on instinct. Only in the precious human form of life a soul has the ability to think and act. In this way this cosmos continues for trillions of years. According to a person's karmas, he is rewarded or punished and given the kind of body he deserves, according to his thinking and attachment prior to his death. All the souls of the planet have karmas of the past because the mind and soul are never destroyed, only the body dies. Imagine, every human being of this earth planet is doing good, bad and devotional karmas. Just as our past actions determine the physical destiny of this life, and this life?s destiny is given at the time of our birth for our entire lifespan, similarly the collective good, bad and devotional karmas of all the souls on this earth planet determine the destiny of the planet at the time of the planet?s birth and continue till its death. The Bhagwatam describes that currently 50% of the life of this earth planet is finished and 50% remains. The sun has consumed 50% of its fuel and approximately 50% is left. When the sun consumes its fuel entirely it becomes almost dead. When the sun dies all the beings of this earth also die. The destiny of the earth planet is predetermined by the collective karmas of all the souls of this earth planet and cannot be changed. Destiny means all the physical disasters of this earth; earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc. When any major physical disaster happens on the face of this earth human beings suffer. The entire material dimension is the field of enjoyment and suffering related to the karmas of the souls, individually and collectively. Who caused the bad destiny of this planet? The collective negativity of the bad karmas of the human beings has become the bad destiny of the earth planet. If people enter into the consciousness of Divine love, that may change the bad destiny of the earth planet, nothing else, because selfless love of God affects not only the destiny of an individual but also the destiny of the planet. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati and other Saints of the Hindu tradition remind us that the purpose of human life is to find God and to do devotion. They explain that Divinity is beyond the field of good and bad karmas. While doing our duty in this world, taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions and being kind and compassionate to others, a person should try to understand that true happiness is never achieved in the field of karmas, the cycle of life. It is wise to sincerely long for the vision and love of the Divine Beloved. Our Divine Mother knows what is good for every soul, so be at peace and trust in Her Divine Grace. Read more about Shree Swamiji here. (Text and graphics used with permission from Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, Barsana Dham. @ 2002-2009. All rights reserved.)