Hari Om
As per the scriptures and GF, there is absolutely no point in performing remedies or visiting temples for cure for our problems, diseases or sufferings when we do not consciously refrain from harmful, hurtful, violent and selfish activities and actions such as:
– Keeping animals/birds in the name of ‘pets’, within cages/glass boxes or nests at home for their lifetime.
– Removing honey combs, anthills or nests of birds.
– Insulting holy people or good people just because they do not approve of us or our activities.
– Interfering in the lives of others by creating confusion, insecurity and unhappiness for our own selfish goals.
– Desiring / Grabbing the possessions or properties of others by illegal or immoral means.
– Being harsh to our own kith and kin and making them cry for our sadistic or selfish desires.
– Being miserly or greedy.
– Being dishonest and not respecting the laws, rules and commandments of our scriptures.
– Indulging in activities or actions leading to malicious gossip, maligning others, and being indifferent to the poor and the needy.
– Cheating the government (king), people or God indirectly or directly.
– Not integrating our thoughts, words and deeds.
– Not having attitude of gratitude towards every aspect of life.
– Not forgiving others
– Being judgemental and condemning.
– wishing and praying for others’ downfall or suffering.
So before we undertake remedial measures such as going to temples, performing homam, or chanting mantras for achieving specific material goals, we must look within ourselves and make sure that we are not doing anything bad now that may increase the account of our bad karma.
To be elevated spiritually and to attain liberation asap one should:
– Stop doing harmful or prohibited activities (Nishidha Karmas) immediately These include cheating, stealing, telling lies, and all violent and immoral actions.
– Reduce doing Kamya karmas or selfish activities including prayers and rituals for selfish goals.
– Increase Nishkama karmas or selfless activities. Even prayers are to be performed without Sankalpa for selfish requirements. Dhanam, Tapas and Yajnas for universal welfare only are to be performed.
Prayaschitha karmas are also binding karmas when performed for Sukha Prapti or for enjoying happiness. Relatively Prayaschitha karmas performed for removing griefs or suffering (Dukha Nivarthi) are better or less binding than those performed for Sukha Prapti.
Remember that whatever happiness or misery you receive or give is only a loan and you have to payback or receive appropriately the effects in other births.
Only by being detached to both happiness and suffering with equanimity can liberate you. You have to see the entire universe and all happenings and events as faultless without judgement to avoid binding any type of karma.
The gradual and natural path is to get attached to noble desires (Satsangh) to abandon all selfish and harmful desires and then to become free transcending (the attachment for) the noble desires.
Trying to be without any kind of desire will also lead to a state of desire of wanting to be without desires.
Vidhya and Avidhya are in maya. But let us abandon first Avidhya maya through attachment to Vidhya maya and then abandon even Vidhya maya through Self knowledge and practice of being in the present moment without any tinge of impression or preference.
This does not mean abandoning pleasure or living. It means to enjoy pleasure righteously through proper action and attitude without attachment.
Perform actions with happiness and not for happiness.
Hope it is clear.
GF’ Blessings.
