Science of Spirituality
Spiritual causes of unhappiness and their remedies
| Spiritual cause | Due to Destiny | Due to Wilful Action | Total |
| 1.Destiny | 50 |
8* |
58 |
| 2.Distressing Energy | 4 |
2.5 |
6.5 |
| 3.Pleasant Energy | 6 |
1.6 |
7.6 |
| 4.Associated with energy in the body | 1.5 |
0.75 |
2.25 |
| 5.Others | 3.5 |
2.15 |
5.65 |
Total (80 =) |
65 |
15 |
80 |
* Results of intense sins and merits have to be experienced in this lifetime itself.
Destiny
There is a reaction for every action of ours. The reaction or consequence of any action is destiny. This consequence has to be faced either in this birth or a future birth. Even if we do not remember our actions from previous births, we have to pay for all of them whether they are good or bad.
Types of Destiny
- Sanchit: The entire accumulated account of destiny from all our past births is called sanchit.
- Prarabdha: This is the part of one's accumulated destiny (sanchit) that he has to experience in the current lifetime.
- Kriyaman: Our wilful actions create new destiny. The wilful action that creates new destiny accounts in this lifetime is called kriyaman.
As long as one has an account of unsettled destiny, one needs to be reborn to live through it. This is one of the causes of our rebirth, the other being to do spiritual practice. When an embodied soul is born for the first time, it has zero destiny and one hundred percent wilful action. As one goes through life, one generates new destiny with wilful actions and has to be reborn to live through it.
Mechanism of destiny: Suppose that at the end of one's last lifetime, one's accumulated account of destiny (sanchit) is 100 units. In every birth, one has to live out or experience six units of destiny (prarabdha). Thus, mathematically, one should be able to complete all the hundred units of accumulated destiny within 16 -17 births, thus freeing himself from the cycle of birth and death. Unfortunately, it does not work out this way. In each lifetime, one adds an average of ten units of new destiny due to his wilful action in that lifetime. Thus, at the end of this lifetime, one's accumulated account of destiny (sanchit), instead of becoming (100 - 6 = ) 94 units, increases to (100 - 6 + 10 =) 104 units.
In the present era of strife (Kaliyuga), 65% of all our actions are according to destiny and the remaining 35% are according to our free will.
In the life of an average individual, 20% of all events can be attributed to psychological and/or physical, 30% to spiritual and psychological and/or physical, and the remaining 50% solely to spiritual factors. In other words, spiritual practice can either resolve or give the strength to endure 80% of one's life events.
Intensity of spiritual causes of unhappiness and their remedies
| Spiritual factors | Examples | Remedy | |
Type of destiny |
Amount (%) |
||
| 1. Mild | 30 |
Minor illnesses, efforts required to sustain marriage and job, etc | Moderate spiritual practice that is, worship of the family deity or the Principle according to the religion of one's birth. |
| 2. Moderate | 30 |
Minor accidents, tremendous efforts required to sustain marriage and to get a job, etc. | Intense spiritual practice that is, worship of the family deity or the Principle according to the religion of one's birth |
| 3. Severe | 40 |
Fatal accidents, inability to conceive, divorce or separation in spite of tremendous efforts to sustain marriage, etc. | Cannot be changed with spiritual practice. Only the grace of the Guru can remedy such a destiny. |
Example of problems in running a factory, illustrating how several causes of unhappiness could be acting simultaneously:
| Causes | Contribution towards the obstacle (%) | ||||||
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2. Beyond
the intellect |
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Total |
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Note to the readers: We will elaborate on the above causes of unhappiness and the remedies the next few issues.
[Reference taken from Vol.
1B – Spirituality,
by His Holiness Dr. Jayant Athavale and
Dr. Mrs. Kunda Athavale.]