Samskaras/Vasanas
Question
hi dhananjay
thank you for your response,
1.can you please explain what are Samskaras and Vasanas? how they are formed? i read from your many posts when aspirants ask about their temptation and fall you say that rise of past samskaras and vasanas. how does these actually formed and what should we do in order to eliminate future samskaras and vasanas.
2.I read that Karma is formed by our actions,thoughts,words and every response from us and is responsible for a jiva taking different bodies. so what is your advice so that we don't bound our self in karma which should not be done by us which lead us to further births.
3.I have this question from long time, people are doing holy bath and rituals to ward off their misfortune or bad deeds on some auspicious days or some duration in river bath so what is your take on this do they suffer their karma or the karma will be nullified.
thanks,
Ganapathi.
Answer
1. Every action carried out with the active I-sense (Ego) creates Samskara-s & Vasana-s. In other words, these are the frameworks that constitute karma. Good actions carried out as a part of one's duty, with a selfless perspective, as service to God create benefic Samskara-s & Vasana-s which donot cause bondage (such karma is called 'Nishkama Karma' or desire-less actions). The Yogi who practices Brahmacharya and a life of Yoga with the sole objective of self-realization is a 'Nishkama Karma Yogi'. He has a bright chance of early liberation. This is the way of preventing the accumulation of harmful karma and thus future births (further to clearance of already existing karma).
2. Answer 1 clears question 2.
3. Such rituals are only a method of making the common man become aware of karma and righteousness. These are steps that help the common man become aware of God and his true spiritual nature. This way, he sets aside at least some time to connect to God and think divine. There is no further significance to any such ritual. Having a holy bath does not negate karma. If such was the case, all the sinners in this world would have washed away their past karma in holy rivers and attained liberation.
But this is not the case. Karma once accrued has to be worked out. It cannot be side stepped. This is why even liberated saints such as Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi or Shri. Ramakrishna Paramahansa suffered from diseases such as cancer before giving up the body after self-realization. The karmic account had to be cleared with such suffering as such karma was due for cleansing.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)