The title might make you think it refers to invoking that divine presence. However, in some families, elderly individuals who have grown frail and bedridden often wonder when that divine presence will grant them release from life. As time passes, enduring the slow agony of their condition, they begin to wonder if Yama, the god of death, has misplaced their record. “Why hasn’t he come to take me away yet?” they question, calling upon Yama himself. This post explores why such a state arises, as explained by a sage.
Questions of the people
The people gathered there asked the sage, “When a person is born, is it already written in their fate that they will be born in a particular place, grow up in a specific location, marry in a certain way, and live their old age in a defined manner?” To this, the sage replied, “When a person is born, their birth aligns with the karmic actions they performed in their previous lives.” He then proceeded to explain an important concept.
Sanchita Karma, Prarabdha Karma, Agamiya Karma
When a person is born, they are not born with a predetermined script dictating how their life will unfold. Similarly, their final moments are not fixed at birth. The nature of their old age and end of life is shaped by the good deeds and sins they perform during their lifetime.
A person’s sins and virtues from their previous life are stored as Agamiya Karma at the time of their death. These are then carried forward and added to their Sanchita Karma, the accumulated karmic record. When that soul is reborn, it takes birth in a family that aligns with the karmic baggage it carried from its previous life.
When the soul takes a new birth, a portion of its Sanchita Karma is extracted and imposed on the newly born soul as Prarabdha Karma. The individual then begins to experience and undergo the results of this karma in their current life.
As the individual continues to experience the effects of their Prarabdha Karma, the sins and virtues they accumulate during their current life begin to take effect once the Prarabdha Karma is exhausted. A unique aspect of the Kali Yuga is that most of the sins and virtues performed in this lifetime are experienced within the same lifetime itself. This is why our ancestors said, “Kali Yuga’s karma unfolds before your eyes.” Hence, people living in this Kali Yuga must live with a clear conscience, refraining from sinful actions, and striving to lead a virtuous life.
The speciality of Kali Yuga
Another significant aspect that is celebrated is the unique greatness of the Kali Yuga, which was not present in Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, or Dvapara Yuga. In those ages, attaining the divine required immense effort, involving numerous rituals such as sacrifices, prayers, meditation, and penance, all of which demanded great personal hardship. However, in Kali Yuga, one can easily attain the divine simply by thinking of the Lord, chanting His name, singing His praises in hymns, or performing bhajans. This simplicity in reaching the divine is the greatest specialty of Kali Yuga.
In the other three yugas, sages and seers prayed to the Lord, requesting a birth in Kali Yuga. Similarly, even today, it is true that the Siddhars who attained Jeeva Samadhi in Thiruvannamalai continue to exist in this world in an eternal state. All of them were individuals who, in this Kali Yuga, took birth on earth, devoted their thoughts entirely to the divine, and sought refuge in Him.
The Suffering of Humans in Old Age
When a person is born and, during their lifetime, commits sinful actions associated with any of the eight karmas, they suffer the consequences of those karmic records in their final days. As a result, they endure immense pain and suffering before leaving this world at the end of their life.
When a person becomes bedridden, all the sins they knowingly committed during their lifetime come to their mind, one after another. At such a time, if they reflect on their sinful actions, genuinely repent, seek forgiveness from the divine with a sincere heart, and hold firmly to the lotus feet of the Lord, the burden of their sins will gradually be lifted. The divine will then grant them a peaceful departure from this world.
However, during old age, very few are willing to admit their mistakes and seek forgiveness for them. The reason is that the pride they held during their prime years—be it their authority, status, or achievements—always makes them view themselves as superior. As a result, such individuals lack the maturity to acknowledge their wrongdoings, even when they have committed sins. It is these individuals who often end up bedridden, longing for Yama to take them away, turning their life into a living hell as they endure prolonged suffering in their final days.
Seeking forgiveness
No matter what kind of sinful karmas a person carries throughout their life, when they are confined to a bed and experience the torment of hell in their final days, they cannot escape from those sins unless they seek forgiveness. The only way to be freed from such sins is for the individual to courageously admit their mistakes and sincerely ask for forgiveness from the divine. Only such individuals can have a peaceful life and death during their final moments.
Childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age—during the first three stages of life, a person may live through the joys and sorrows of their life without thinking of the divine, carrying the burden of the sins and virtues they accumulate. However, if in the fourth stage, old age, they hold firmly to the divine, their sins can be cleansed, allowing them to attain the lotus feet of the Lord.
The Karma Within These
If, in a family, one person passes away at a young age while another lives a long life, it signifies that individuals with predominant Shani Karma are repeatedly born into that family.
In a family, if children are born under the stars Punarpoosam, Swathi, or Avittam, either as their zodiac star, the star where the ascendant point resides, or the star of the ascendant lord, it indicates they are born carrying Shani Karma as their karmic record. Similarly, if the ascendant lord is placed in the sixth house, or the sixth house lord is placed in the ascendant, it also signifies a birth influenced by Shani Karma. In such families, children may die at a young age, pass away before the age of 40, or live an unusually long life to the extent that people around them wonder why their death hasn’t occurred yet. Such individuals may also end up bedridden, spending their final days in suffering. These situations are common in families where members are born with Shani Karma in their karmic records, leading the family to face these difficulties.
The Sage’s Departure
The sage, after explaining the details about Shani Karma, advised everyone to live their lives in accordance with their conscience, refraining from engaging in any sinful actions. He urged them to constantly chant the name of the Lord and then took leave from the gathering. Om Sri Ganesarpanam.
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