In the village of Nandipuram, there lived a man named Venkatesan. He was known for his charitable nature and particularly for his support towards students. Many people advanced in life through his assistance. For three generations, his family lacked formal education and relied solely on experiential knowledge. Venkatesan had a son named Vedachalam.
Vedachalam’s Inner Realization
Vedachalam, having completed his schooling, was looking forward to the opportunity to go to another town for college. During that time, he had an inner feeling that seemed to guide him about the things that were going to happen. He sensed a certain power within himself. Whenever there was a discussion at home about something to be done, his inner feeling would indicate whether it would happen or not, and it would turn out exactly as he felt.
Whitewashing the House
Venkatesan made arrangements to whitewash his house. During this time, he was informed by the worker that there was a room in the house that had not been opened for a long time. The worker suggested that they open the room and whitewash it as well. Venkatesan agreed to this. Since they did not have the key to the door, they broke the lock and brought out the items stored inside. All the items were from ancient times, used by Venkatesan’s father and grandfather, which had been kept in that room.
Palm leaf manuscript was found
At that moment, someone brought out a heavy iron chest. As they brought it out, Venkatesan’s son, Vedachalam, also arrived. Curious about the chest, Vedachalam asked the person carrying it what it contained. The person replied that they didn’t know and that they would have to break the lock to see inside. Vedachalam watched with great anticipation. They managed to open the chest by breaking the lock. Inside, there were four large bundles of palm leaf manuscripts. Upon seeing this, Vedachalam was overjoyed and, feeling as if he had found a long-lost treasure, eagerly leaned over the chest.
Vedachalam reading the palm leaf manuscript
The servants cleaned the chest and carried it to Vedachalam’s room. With great reverence, Vedachalam placed the chest on a mat and, sitting on another mat, he opened the chest and began to examine the palm leaf manuscripts. He carefully took out each bundle and noted they were numbered one, two, three, and four. He started reading the first bundle. On the cover, it was written “The Beginnings of Vedha’s Explanations.” As he turned the next page and began reading, within two or three lines, he realized it was a detailed research on Prasanna Jyotidam (predictive astrology).
Vedachalam lamented the lack of continuity in the palm leaf manuscript
At the end of each page, there was the phrase “Veda continues…” Vedachalam flipped through all the pages up to the fourth bundle. When he saw the phrase “Veda continues…” on the last page of the fourth bundle, he began to cry because he realized that the continuation of these manuscripts was missing. In his desperation, he ran to the room where the chest had been found. However, there were no other chests or notes that he needed in that room, which made him very distressed.
Introduction of Prasanna Jyotidar Bhoominathan
Seeing Vedachalam’s condition, Venkatesan asked for the reason. Vedachalam explained that he needed the continuation of these manuscripts. Venkatesan said he would try to help. Vedachalam then asked if there were any astrologers in their family from previous generations. Venkatesan mentioned that his grandfather was a Prasanna Jyotidar and was very skilled in Prasanna Jyotidam, as told by his father. Venkatesan added that the wealth accumulated by his grandfather was what they were enjoying till today.
At that time, Manickam, who drove their horse carriage, informed them about a Prasanna Jyotidar named Bhoominathan in the village. He suggested that they could find a solution if they went to him. Immediately, both Venkatesan and Vedachalam went to Bhoominathan’s house.
Bhoominathan welcomed them respectfully, learned about their situation, and agreed to give Vedachalam explanations about Prasanna Jyotidam. He started the lesson that very day.
The Change in Venkatesan
As Bhoominathan was taking Vedachalam to his study room, Venkatesan noticed a photo hanging on the wall and suddenly ran back to his house as fast as he could. Even though Manickam followed him with the horse carriage, he couldn’t stop him. Venkatesan returned to the astrologer’s house and waited for Vedachalam to finish his lesson. When Vedachalam came out after the lesson, both of them returned home.
When they reached home, Vedachalam saw that his father was lying on the bed, unable to speak or move his hands and legs, with tears streaming down his face. No one knew what had happened.
Vedachalam Learning Astrology
Vedachalam enthusiastically continued his lessons. Bhoominathan informed him that his classes would conclude the next day. So, Vedachalam took the four bundles of palm leaf manuscripts from his home, placed them in his bag, and went to sleep. The next morning, he set off for class with great excitement.
Meanwhile, some villagers suggested to Venkatesan’s wife that they take him to the sage at the temple to understand the reason behind his suffering. She agreed, and they brought Venkatesan before the sage. The sage, who was deeply perceptive, declared that Venkatesan’s karmic suffering would end that very day and that he would wake up healthy.
The Sage’s Revelation of Events Spanning Three Generations
Someone there asked why he was in this condition. The sage explained that three generations ago, there lived a man named Vedachalam who was highly skilled in Prasanna Jyotidam. He documented his research on palm leaf manuscripts, intending that future generations would benefit from them. Vedachalam had a sister whom he lovingly raised after their parents passed away. He arranged her marriage, but tragically, she died during childbirth. After her death, Vedachalam decided to raise her child himself. However, her husband insisted on raising the child and took the baby with him.
Visit of Vedachalam’s Sister’s Son
For a while, Vedachalam raised the child himself. During this time, relatives pressured him to remarry, and he eventually agreed. His second wife initially took good care of the child, but once she had her own child, she began to neglect Vedachalam’s sister’s son. Seeing the child’s suffering, the sister’s husband came to Vedachalam. By then, Vedachalam was married and had two children of his own.
Upon learning about the situation, Vedachalam decided to bring his sister’s son home and raise him himself. Despite his wife’s many objections and her belief that it was their karma, Vedachalam was determined. He not only raised the child but also taught him everything about astrology. The child grew up to be a fine young man.
Curse Brought About by Vedachalam’s Anger
Vedachalam’s sister’s son became skilled in astrology. At the same time, Vedachalam had just completed his research. He bundled the palm leaf manuscripts containing his research, wrapped them in a cloth, and handed them to his sister’s son, instructing him to place them in the temple room. Vedachalam also decided that his sister’s son should marry his daughter. When his sister’s son did not return from inside, Vedachalam went to check. He found the temple room open and the back door also open. Using his astrological skills, Vedachalam realized that his sister’s son had taken the manuscripts and run away.
In a fit of anger, Vedachalam cursed him, saying he would be unable to speak and would lose the use of his hands and legs. This curse, from the skilled astrologer Vedachalam, resulted in three generations of his family lacking formal education. The one who ran away with the manuscripts was living in a nearby village, practicing astrology.
Unable to bring himself to confront his sister’s son and retrieve his stolen research, Vedachalam, filled with detachment, rewrote only four bundles of palm leaf manuscripts before passing away. Realizing that he had betrayed his uncle’s trust, the sister’s son was filled with remorse. He made a vow to his son, ensuring that when a rightful heir of the manuscripts appeared in any future generation, they should be handed over, and the family would abandon the practice of astrology.
This vow was passed down through generations until it reached Bhoominathan. Vedachalam was now learning astrology from Bhoominathan, who held the manuscripts.
Venkatesan’s Recovery
Someone asked, “Why is he in this condition when he is such a good person?” The sage replied that the curse from three generations ago was affecting his family. The sage revealed that Venkatesan was the reincarnation of Vedachalam’s sister’s son, who had run away with the palm leaf manuscripts. He further explained that Vedachalam, who had originally cursed him, was now reborn as Venkatesan’s son.
He further added that once Vedachalam’s son completed his astrology lessons that very day, the curse would be lifted, and Venkatesan would recover.
The Liberation of Bhoominathan’s Lineage
Vedachalam sat eagerly, writing diligently, as it was his final lesson. Bhoominathan then announced that the lesson was over. Vedachalam, still writing, uttered, “Veda has finished.” Bhoominathan was shocked upon hearing this. He took the palm leaf manuscript that Vedachalam was writing and compared it with the one he had, which ended with the phrase “Veda continues…”
Realizing that Vedachalam was the rightful heir, Bhoominathan, disregarding his age, fell at Vedachalam’s feet, expressing gratitude for his liberation. He handed over all the manuscripts and vowed that neither he nor his family would practice astrology anymore.
Vedachalam returned home, placed the manuscripts carefully, and hurried to the hall where his father was. As Vedachalam entered, Venkatesan miraculously recovered and stood up, astonishing everyone present. One of the onlookers then asked, “How do the actions of one generation affect the subsequent ones?”
The sage replied, “We may think that our mistakes go unnoticed, but nature knows. It will return the consequences to the erring family in future generations.”
The moral of the story
“If a person is born under the influence of Mercury karma, that is, under the stars Rohini, Uttiram, or Pooradam, which carry Mercury’s karmic imprint, they are considered to have been born with Mercury karma. Whether it is their zodiac star, the star where their ascendant point stands, or the star where the lord of the ascendant stands, it means they are born with Mercury’s karmic imprint.
The sage said that they must honestly teach the arts they learn if someone else wants to learn or asks for clarification. If they make any mistakes in this, it will add bad karma of Mercury to their record in subsequent lifetimes. This is a rare discovery of DNA. Furthermore, if someone is born under Mercury karma, they will have a strong desire to learn a lot during their lifetime. If they die without fulfilling this desire, they will be reborn under the same Mercury karma to fulfill their desires. This is also a discovery of DNA.” Thus, the sage concluded the story of karma.
Everyone bowed to him and left. Vedachalam and Venkatesan’s family spent their time happily.
Live and prosper.
Are you curious to know more about Karma – Know karma in very simple terms here
Or simply read our short stories on karma. Or hear the tamil audio stories
S.Sampoornam J.Muthukrishnan
Amazing Excellent speech by Sudha Natarajan.Beautiful illustrations of Karma.
Sudha Natarajan
வணக்கம் உங்கள் கருத்துக்களுக்கு மிக்க நன்றி. உங்களுடைய ஊக்கமும் ஆதரவும் எங்களுக்கு எப்பொழுதும் தேவை, அது மேலும் மேலும் எங்களை இந்தத் துறையில் நல்ல பதிவுகளை கொடுக்க உதவும் என்று நம்புகிறோம். கர்மாவைப் பற்றிய புரிதலை இதில் பதிவிட உங்களது ஆதரவு எப்பொழுதும் தேவை. நன்றி.