The quantum of suffering that we undergo in a lifetime does not seem to be in proportion to the bad karmas we may possibly have generated in previous births or in this life. Sometimes, the punishment inflicted on us seems to be too harsh. Please elucidate. —Pankaj Kumar, 66 years
The fruits of karma, action, are not meant to weaken us, but to strengthen and cleanse our soul.We should thank God that adversity has come our way, as it will help us reconnect with our true nature. However when calamity befalls us, we start complaining to God. As a result, the effect of the karma intensifies. Sometimes, the fruits of karma are meant for some other family member, but due to our attachment to that person, we transfer it upon ourselves. When we are performing an act, we think we are smart, but when we have to bear its consequences, we lament about our fate. Sometimes, in one stroke, we get rewarded or punished as a result of our accumulated karmas.
Imagine a group of people, from whom we had borrowed money choose the same time to ask for their money back.Alternatively, it could work to your advantage and the diverse people to whom you have lent money, return your money at the same time. In the same way, bad karmas accumulate and collectively inflict pain upon us; at that time we wonder, “I haven’t sinned so much in my life, so why am I being punished?” Karma is not limited to physical action, but also includes what we think and speak. When we do something wrong,we may not realise it, and after some time we may even forget it. But the fruit of that action has been stored in our consciousness. In fact, the fruits of countless deeds — of this as well as previous births — get stored there. In the course of time, when the karmas ripen,we have to bear the consequences — good or bad.