Story of Karma.
Indian Tale explaining how Karma Impacts Our Lives
Once Upon a Time, there was a king who had all the riches in his kingdom and everything he desired was accomplished by him.
After having all, He started to seek deeper meaning in life. Bored with all of his accomplishments and no enemy to fight for land, the King decided to fight for answers that hardly anyone sought.
He decided to ask his advisor some tricky questions and see if he can find something meaningful.
It was a play that came out to be a tale of Karma in our lives.
The King asked his advisor named Ashok, “Dear Ashok, I want you to bring me something that is and going to be there…”
Ashok interrupting the King asked surprisingly, “My King, I can’t interpret your question easily, will you please be kind enough to elaborate to me?”
The King responded, “Ashok, let me simplify for you now, I am asking you to find something which is,
- there, there, and there.
2. there, there, but “not there” in end.
3. not there, not there, “there”.
4. not there, not there, not there.
(I know this sounds strange riddle but stick to the story a little longer and you will know something new)
Ashok with surprise, “Okay My King, Please give me permission to travel on the town so I can find the answers you’re looking for.”
Ashok is gifted and King’s valuable advisor.
Ashok has developed his spiritual powers and he remembers everything about his past life experiences and he can also acknowledge people from his past life who reincarnated with him in his current life.
Ashok took his carriage and went to travel around the town, he was looking for someone he can recognize from his past life.
After travelling for hours he finally ended up at a rich merchant’s shop. The merchant is a well-known businessman for his kindness and helping nature even though he is a wealthy person, he is down to earth and always focuses on purposeful living which in his mantra is to help those in need.
Ashok asked the businessman to come along with him as his presence is needed by Ashok in the Court of their King. The businessman agreed.
Further, Ashok found a rich butcher who makes a lot of money with his established business and who doesn’t have anything to worry about wealth as his father has saved every gold coin for his only child.
Ashok requested the rich butcher to join him in his quest for answers and present himself to the King’s Court.
Going further, the well-known and rich businessman, the rich butcher, and Ashok met a Poor Saint with nothing with him but a bowl for food, praying alongside a river.
Ashok asked him to join him to visit the court as the King is expecting answers and his presence can help Ashok in giving the right examples.
At last, Ashok along with the rich businessman, rich butcher, and poor saint, found a woodcutter who was working hard to cut the trees so he can earn bread for himself for the day.
Ashok asked him to join Ashok to visit their King and offered him the day’s earning so he doesn’t have to worry about the food that he has to earn for the day.
All of them joined Ashok;
Now Ashok has the four answers,
the well-known, and rich businessman, a rich butcher who has nothing to worry about wealth, a poor Saint who prays and eats whatever he is offered at the temple, and a woodcutter who earns his bread daily by cutting and selling woods.
Presenting all four people, Ashok requested the King, “My King, If I may, I would like to explain to you the answer to your questions with an example of Karma.”
The King nodded, agreeing to let Ashok bring clarity for his curiosity.
Ashok, “My King, I invited this well-known businessman of our town who earns a tremendous amount of gold coins but he gives away more of it as he already is from a very wealthy family.
He has nothing to worry about in terms of money and therefore he uses his power and his riches to help those in need, to give back to the world he is born into, without any selfish agenda.
In his past life, he was also born as a shopkeeper and he lived a decent life with financial freedom and he always helped others in society.
In his current life, he is a lot more wealthy and powerful yet he maintains the same humble lifestyle and lives by the example of kindness, generosity and goodness among other beings.
In his next life, he will be born wealthy for the good karma he does and the good karma that will follow.
My King, this businessman is a clear example of the First question there, there, and there; that which was There, which is There, and which will be There in his next life too.”
Ashok pointed out to the rich butcher,
“My King this butcher is born wealthy in this lifetime and he earns great too, but he cheats his customers, he charges more than necessary and he doesn’t give back anything to society.
He has more than enough wealth but his selfishness outweighs the humanity in him.
In his past life, he was born poor but given riches at an early age and he helped poor people as he knew what it felt like being poor, he earned a lot and lived the rest of his life helping others and living peacefully and financially free.
Therefore, he was born with good riches in this life as his good karma of past life surpassed the next life.
But now, something is changed, his attitude has negative traits, it highlights selfishness in him, the money controls the man and the man only sees the money and not the wisdom behind good karma or bad.
He is walking a path of selfishness and cheats on his customer to earn more and give less to those who work under him which are deeds of bad karma.
His own ignorance for goodness and his own bad karma will bring him destruction in the next life taking away all he has in riches so he can be born poor and learn to be humble again.
This is for that which was THERE, which is THERE but won’t be THERE in the end, My King.
There, There, but Not There.”
Ashok pointing towards the Saint now,
“The Saint is born to a poor family, he has nothing but a bowl that his followers fill with food daily, he is humble, kind, wise and helpful. Most of his time is spent praying and helping those in need with his kind words and wisdom.
The Saint was a fisherman in his past life, he took the lives of thousands of fish to earn living but even when he earned more than enough, he was always selfish to have more and would never give a dime to anyone who needs it more than he did.
He lived a life of that of an Ignorant. He would use all his earnings on alcohol or short-term luxuries but never spent on helping someone or giving back to society.
In this life, he is kind, generous, humble and spends his time in meditation, prayers and helping others through his wisdom.
He is an example of that which was Not There, Not There, but There.
Past life was all about him so there was nothing to receive further in the next life, but this life he is more about others so there will be something good in his next life.”
The King responded, “Now only one person is left Ashok, the woodcutter.
Let me guess his present lifestyle;
he makes enough money to buy him bread for the day and he does nothing much after.
He doesn’t help, he doesn’t give back, he only sees his own life and ignores the rest of those that he can help, he is living a life without purpose, a life without giving back to the world, a life of No karma.”
Ashok with ease, “You’re absolutely correct, My King.
In his past life also, he was a wood seller, similar profession different way of work.
He would buy pieces of wood from far away land and sell in his town, he never gave back, he always earned his living up to what he could fill his belly for, he never helped those below him and always focussed on his own selfish desires.
His Karma was not bad, neither good so there was nothing to surpass to the next life.
He had nothing, he has nothing and he will not have anything.
Not There, Not There and Not There.”
The story simplifies Karma in the good, bad or No deeds that we consciously or unconsciously perform in our lives that can impact us in ways we never see coming.
Life is about giving and receiving because it is the law of Nature that, “what goes around, comes around.”
Karma means Action, how you act in your life can either attract positive or negative circumstances, consciously or unconsciously, we run our lives.
Thank you for reading! Namaste!
