[Advaita-l] Prayer and prArabdha

[V Subrahmanian]

On Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 12:20 PM, Venkata sriram P
<venkatasriramp at yahoo.in>wrote:

> Namaste,
>
> Subbuji, a more clarification on the below statement is sought.
>
> //
>
> So, the 'change' or 'relief' that prayer or any other prAyashchitta karma
> can bring
> about is more in the subject
>
> //
>
> Because, i have seen some cases that are beyond the scope of understanding.
>
> A certain couple were issueless.  Observance of horoscope showed no
> issues.
> However, our kula purOhita initiated them in santAna gOpAla mantra and
> suggested
> pArAyaNa of "harivamsa".  Within couple of years, twins were born.
>
> So, how to answer this question.  Should i conclude that:
>
> 1) The prayers were answered by Ishwara and it is Ishwara anugraha that
> changed their prArabdha
>

One simple answer is:  The couple were indeed destined to have children and
that *after *the pArAyaNa, japa, etc. In other words, their prArabdha was
such that the children had to be born AFTER the observances.

'prArabdha' is kAryAnumeya; you infer it by observing the effect.  So, the
birth of the children confirms that the couple had the putra-praapti bhoga
enshrined in their overall prArabdha.  The duHkha they experienced
initially, the effort they put in during the pArAyaNa, etc. and the joy
they experienced when the children were born are all part of their
prArabdha.  Of course, one can extend this to the later sukha and duHkha
the children bring to the parents in their lives.

One upanyasaka humorously said:  An astrologer must predict that a
childless couple will have offspring if they performed what he says.  He
should never return to that town again.  If the child is born they will
think that it is due to the Astrologer's intervention.  If otherwise, the
Astrologer will not face their wrath as he is never to come to that town.

An astrologer told a man suffering from seven-and-half shani dasha:  for
the next two years your disease will not wane.  After that you will become
used to the suffering.

>
> 2) The prArabdha bhukti in the *current life being issueless* has been
> shifted to subsequent birth so that in the next life they have to suffer
> the prArabdha anubhava of being issueless as in either case they have to
> have the prArabdha karama phala, if not in this life but in the next life.
>

//Because, i have seen some cases that are beyond the scope of
understanding.//

One can never say anything in the form of 'idam ittham'.  That is why, like
all things in samsara, prArabdha is also anirvachaneeya.

The 'prArabdha' of Vedanta is  not of the types discussed above; it
concerns with the entire gamut of sukha-dukha anubhava in a jiva's/jnani's
life till the end.

The story of Chitrakethu in the Bhagavatam is very revealing.  A King was
sad that he had no issues.  Two Rishis blessed him with a son.  The child
was soon dead.  The King again became grief-stricken.  Then the two Rishis
returned and imparted viveka and then commenced his spiritual journey. We
can see here the play of prArabdha; a literal see-saw game.

subrahmanian.v

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