Types of Karmas . Q : Babaji how many kinds of karmas are there? Please explain. .

. Answered by Sant Baba Kehar Singh Ji : Son, the theory of karma is an intricate one. It isa philosophical subject. To understand the concept of karma we need first to have the knowledge regarding the how and why of Creation, Kal and Dayal. Saint Kabir Sahib has explained this subject very well to his disciple Dharam Das in his book Anurag Sagar. At the time of Creation, Kal Niranjan got a huge storehouse of souls from God, which had been given to Eka Mai. Eka Mai gave birth to three sons: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The four sources of creation (andaj, jeraj, setaj, and udbhaj) and the cycle of eighty-four were also created. As per the order of Kal, Eka Mai keeps sending the souls back into the cycle of eighty-four. Just as a potter creates different forms with mud; eg. statues, utensils, toys, etc., in the same manner souls are given different forms in the cycle of eighty-four. When souls were given a human form they were given a body made of five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Together with this they were given five organs of perception (eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin); five organs of action (hands, feet, mouth, reproductive organ, and excretory organs); four attributes of consciousness (mind, wisdom, heart and egotism); and three attributes or states of being (sato-guna, raja-guna and tamo-guna). Mind was made the agent of Kal, and thus man was set free to perform deeds and actions. In this way human beings became trapped in the web of good and bad deeds, and have to face their Karmic accounts accordingly. Man is responsible for each and every thought, word and action. Whether done knowingly or unknowingly, he is still responsible to pay for his Karmic account. The theory of Karma is based on the philosophy of As you sow, so shall you reap. Shri Guru Arjun Dev ji has said: "As she (soul) has planted, so does she harvest; such is the field of karma." (Adi Granth 134) It is due to the result of ones Karma (deeds) that some are born in rich families and lead luxurious lives; while others are born in poor families and cannot even afford two square meals a day. Some are destined to take medicine right from birth, and some are so healthy that they have never taken medicine or injections their whole life. Some dogs are born fortunate and travel in air-conditioned cars with their masters; while others are stray dogs on the road in search of food and are sometimes beaten up. Goswami Tulsi Das Ji has said: "This world runs strictly on the rule, As you sow, so shall you reap. (Sri Ramcharitmanas 2.218.2) The king of Hastinapur, king Dhritrashtra once asked Lord Krishna the reason for his blindness from birth. It is believed that king Dhritrashtra had the knowledge of his previous hundred births. He told Lord

Krishna that as far back as he could see, in the course of his last hundred births (in different forms), he had not committed any sin to merit the punishment of blindness in this birth. Lord Krishna possessed spiritual powers and he laid his hand on Dhritrashtras forehead to enable him to visualize farther back. Dhritrashtra saw that in his 105th birth, when he was a small boy of only four or five years, he pricked a needle in the eyes of an ant while playing. The act was done in innocence and ignorance, yet he still had to pay for his deeds and was born blind in this birth. So you see the theory of Karma is not so simple. It is complicated, intricate and even philosophical. . The Karmas are of three types: 1. Kriyaman Karma (day to day karmas) 2. Prarabdh Karma (destiny karmas) 3. Sanchit Karma (stored or accumulated karma) . 1. Kriyaman Karma: After birth, human beings are free to perform good and evil deeds, sinful or meritorious actions. One continually sows the seeds of karmas. This is known as kriyaman karmas. Kriyaman karma is that which we do presently, for which we will have to pay in future. After Kal Niranjan took the storehouse of souls from God, we dont know how many times we have received human births. In the Gita Lord Krishna has said I was born many times and so were you; however, I have the knowledge of each birth of mine, but you do not. So we are sent to the earth innumerable times in different forms, good and bad. We are also making karmas in this birth, some of which will be reaped by us in this life; the rest becoming our prarabdh or sanchit karmas. Whatever kriyaman karmas that we sow, its fruit will definitely be reaped by us. The philosophy of karma is so intricate that if a man commits ten good deeds and five evil deeds, then he will receive the reward for his ten good deeds along with the punishment for his five evil deeds. Man has no knowledge of his previous births or lives, nor his karmas, but he can have a good future by doing virtuous deeds. So while performing kriyaman (his daily) karmas, one should be very careful. He should avoid those actions which the great Saints have forbidden; for example: lying, violence, indecent behavior, using intoxicants, etc. He should try to control his mind by the method explained by the Saints and Guru, and should practice more Bhajan and Simran. This will help to avoid bad karmas in our daily life. . 2. Prarabdh Karma: Prarabdh is known as destiny or fate karma. Destiny is something which we have to face during our lifespan. Our prarabdh (destiny) is the result of deeds done in our previous life. Dharam Rai (God of death) keeps the account of our karmas. A man dies after his prarabdh karmas are washed or cleared.

Our prarabdh or destiny starts in the mothers womb itself. It is due to the prarabdh karma that the growth and development of some unborn children is not proper in the womb; due to which they have to suffer throughout their life. When Ram and Sita were sent to the forest in exile, they slept on the leaves and grass. In Shringverpur, when Nishad Raj saw them, he felt sad and blamed and cursed Mother Kaikeyi (Rams step -mother) for this pitiable plight. Lakshman, Rams brother was also there. He said very politely that nobody else is responsible for our joys and sorrows; it is the result of our own deeds (karmas). "O brother, no one gives pain or pleasure to anyone. One undergoes only the results of ones own previous actions. (Sri Ramcharitamanas 2.91.2) That is why Saints always advise us to face our prarabdh karmas accepting it to be the will of Lord, and also the fruit of our own seeds sown in past births, which we have to face in this life. We cannot change our prarabdh karmas which is our fate or destiny, but by doing our Spiritual Practices, we can go through them gracefully. We should adopt a perfect living Guru, get initiated and practice Bhajan-Simran. By Bhajan-Simran, we imbibe the virtues of patience, politeness, kindness, generosity and contentment and we get the inner strength to face our destiny without too much upsetting of our balance. . 3. Sanchit Karma: Sanchit means the store of karmas. It is the accumulated reserve. Because in every life it is not possible to pay for all that has been done in the previous life, we have collected a huge debt of reserve or sanchit karmas to which we have been adding in every life, for many ages. If a person undergoes his Prarabdh karmas and they are finished, but he doesnt have any day to day karmas left, he is given the next life according to the basis of his sanchit karmas. Some of the sanchit karmas are mixed with prarabdh. He gets the next life on the basis of good and bad karmas. The sanchit karmas can be burned or cleared by meditation and this can be achieved by adopting a Guru, getting initiation and practicing Bhajan-Simran. With the help of Shabad our mind goes back to its origin. By the grace of Satguru our sanchit karmas are cleared. If the seeds of gram, corn, maize or wheat are burned, they cannot give rise to new plants; in the same way, Guru burns the seeds of our karmas. When our account of sanchit karmas are cleared, only then can we move to higher regions in our spiritual journey. . Man may be good, religious, generous and charitable, but unless all the three types of karmas are cleared, our soul cannot be merged back into the Lord. Son, we should not get confused and entangled in the theory of karma; instead we should devote more time to Bhajan-Simran. We should have faith in our Guru and should abide by his instructions. As we do Bhajan-Simran we keep moving ahead in our spiritual journey. We will come to know that meditation takes care of the entire store of karmas. Slowly and gradually we understand the theory of karma. In one of my verses it is stated: "Take the Nam of Radha Soami and practice it; without this, the fruit of karmas cannot be altered. The three Gods and the Divine Mother do their work per the will of the Guru."