The Law of Karma says what we do unto others is what we get. We do good unto others and we get good. If we do bad unto others, we reap pain. This law is inexorable. It does not change for anyone or at anytime or anyplace. We know this to be true and yet we all think that we can escape this law and become bold. Then we do deeds which later give us only fruits of pain and despair.
Who we are today is a result of our past actions. We reap now what we have sowed earlier. And what we do now – what we sow now – is what we will reap in future. Our previous thoughts and action determine who and what we are today. We have been given intelligence, discrimination and knowledge to think and act and carve our future. When we act prudently and judicious now in the present, we set the stage for our future. Further, Divinity always gives us the chance to change our present and future. Only we need to steer the changes in the right direction. Let us look at the life of the Cruel King and the transformation in him:
Once there was a King who was very cruel and unjust. He inflicted harsh penalties and punishments on his subjects and tortured them. His kingdom was vast and he was very rich. But his subjects hated him and wished for his death or dethronement.
One day, the King went on a hunting trip and came back a changed man. He announced that he had turned over a new leaf and there would be no more cruelty or injustice in the kingdom. All were very surprised and even more so when the King followed what he said. He reduced the taxes and heard the cases and complaints of the people with compassion and balance. He meted out justice with love and understanding and became a Father to all his subjects. His transformation was drastic and he came to be known as the “Gentle Monarch”.
After many months, when all were sure that the change in the King was permanent, one of the ministers plucked up enough courage to ask the King: Your Majesty! Please tell us what happened by which there is such a magical transformation in you.
The King replied that when he was hunting in the forest, a chain of incidents happened which taught him a very valuable lesson. As he was galloping through the forest, he saw a fox being chased by a hound. The hound managed to catch it and bit its leg and lamed it for life, but the fox escaped into his hole. Later on as the King rode into the village, he saw the same hound barking at a man. Even as he watched, the man picked up a large stone and hurled it at the hound. The stone hit hound on its leg and broke it. The man walked away laughing and suddenly a horse came galloping towards him. He was not able to move aside quickly and the horse kicked him and shattered his knee and disabled him for life. The King watched the horse keenly to see what would happen to him. He saw that as the horse galloped with great speed, it suddenly fell into a hole and broke its leg.
The King reflected on the chain of events and suddenly realised that evil begets evil. Nature was showing him through a chain of incidents that if he continued his evil ways, he will be overtaken and punished by greater evil. So he decided to change.
The minister saw that the King had truly changed and greed overcame him. He decided to assassinate the King and take over the throne and the large rich kingdom. He was immersed in his thoughts and his plotting and that he did not notice a flight of steps in front of him. He tripped over and fell down and broke his neck.
Let us use the magnificent gifts of knowledge, intelligence and discrimination that we are blessed with and make the right changes in our lives that we reap the best crops of the seeds we sow today.
