'Prarabdha karma' - It's nature

‘Prarabdha Karma’ refers to that karma which will bear fruit in this current birth. It cannot be altered, side-stepped or got rid of. It is to be experienced and worked out. Even the self-realized soul who is a ‘Jivanmukta’ (who has attained to liberation while still in the body with no future births) has to work out his Prarabdha without fail.

Examples of liberated souls who went through suffering due to Prarabdha even after self-realization include Shri. Ramakrishna Paramahansa (suffered throat cancer before forsaking the physical body) and Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi who had to suffer from an incurable and extremely painful cancerous tumor on his upper arm in his last few years before departure.

Prarabdha includes that portion of karma which will bear fruit in this existence further to one’s previous good or bad actions. One’s misdeeds or merit (if any) committed before self-realization has to be experienced without fail even after ‘Kaivalya’ (self-realization) as long as such karma remains. Till then, the Jiva cannot forsake even the physical body.

When merit remains, that luxury or enjoyment due from such merit (such as riches and a prosperous kingdom in case of King Janaka) come to the sage. The ‘Gnyani’ (realized soul) however does not get affected by these impermanent dualities of pleasure or pain but stays fixed to Brahman (Almighty).

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)