Prarabdha Karma Can Be Destroyed

There is generally a belief, quite an egregious one at that, that one cannot do anything about one's "prarabdha karma" --- that portion of the past Karma which is responsible for the present body that we have taken now on earth.

Prarabdha Karma Means?

Let us see what prarabdha karma, first of all, is: Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, in his celebrated work "All about Hinduism", has explained what "Prarabdha karma" is ---

"Karma is of three kinds, viz., Sanchita (accumulated works), Prarabdha (fructifying works) and Kriyamana or Agami (current works). Sanchita is all the accumulated Karmas of the past. Part of it is seen in the character of man, in his tendencies and aptitudes, capacities, inclinations and desires, etc. Tendencies come from this. Prarabdha is that portion of the past Karma which is responsible for the present body. That portion of the Sanchita Karma which influences human life in the present incarnation is called Prarabdha. It is ripe for reaping. It cannot be avoided or changed. It is only exhausted by being experienced. You pay your past debts. Prarabdha Karma is that which has begun and is actually bearing fruit. It is selected out of the mass of the Sanchita Karma. Kriyamana is that Karma which is now being made for the future. It is also called Agami or Vartamana." (pg. 47).

What is of immense interest in the above description is the part where Swami Sivananda has said, "Prarabdha....cannot be avoided or changed. It is only exhausted by being experienced. You pay your past debts", something which the great majority of fatalists have come to grossly misunderstand.

A mother once approached a man, who is known for spouting on about spirituality. She asked for his views on how to beseech God to help her ailing son who had congenital medical problem. As the man seemed to always say God has the cure for everything, and answers to all problems on earth, she thought he could help.

The fatalist in the guise and garb of a spiritual man, however, told the desperate mother, "Of course, God can help". Relieved at the assurance, the mother eagerly awaited his answer. He said, "What you and your son have come with to this world are your truckloads of karma, which must be expiated". "You have to go through it; experience it. There is no avoiding it. All you ought to do, instead of asking God to take away the karma of your son's condition, is to ask Him to give you the strength to the bear the pain of seeing his suffering."

In other words, people like the pseudo-spiritualists, satsanghists, scriptures-spouting hypocrites would want us to be timorous defeatists like themselves, who have lost faith in God, trust in the words of the scriptures, and the determination to alter their prarabdha karma.

Birth and Death Are Part of Prarabdha Karma

One's birth and death are part of prarabdha karma. They are unalterable, generally. Therefore, can prarabdha karma, which has already begun and is actually bearing fruit, be ever stopped?

The author of "All about Hinduism", Swami Sivananda, in his commentary on Bhagavad Gita 4:37, explains, "...even Prarabdha Karma is destroyed by the fire of knowledge. Sri Sankara states in His Aparokshanubhi, 'In the line: "his actions are destroyed when the Supreme is realised", the Vedas expressly speak of actions (Karmas) in the plural, signifying the destruction of the Prarabdha Karma as well.' ...If... only the Sanchita and Agami were destroyed and not Prarabdha, the dual number would have been used and not the plural. Sanskrit grammar has singular, dual and plural numbers." 

In another commentary, at Bhagavad Gita 9:02, Swamiji says, "...Knowledge of the Self is the best purifier. It immediately reduces to ashes the roots of all Karmas and the Karmas themselves, which have been stored up in the course of many thousands of births..."

In another valuable treatise of His, He reminds us, "Prarabdha can be overcome by the Grace of the Lord. The Lord's Grace descend when there is sincere devotion and when Man does Purushartha (effort). Purushsharta is possible when the mind is pure... the laws of nature do not operate when there is the Grace of the Lord. His Grace is all-powerful. We have the instance of Markandeya who conquered death by his Purushartha, by sincere devotion to the Lord. He was destined to die young, but when the Lord's Grace descended, Lord Yama had no power to carry our his wish. So, it is possible to overcome Prarabdha by Teevra Purusharta (Intense Effort)." (pg. 38, May I Answer That?).

Therefore, He makes finally asserts, "You can change your destiny by strong will-power, by leading a purely spiritual life." (pg. 489, Sadhana by Swami Sivananda).

Paramahansa Yogananda, on the issue of prarabdha karma, says, "Even the fate of death can be changed. Jesus demonstrated in a most dramatic way that there is no such thing as an unalterable fate. According to Lazarus' karma, he was destined to die on a certain day. The law was fulfilled, and Lazarus died. That was fated to be. But not even death is a fate irrevocable. Jesus satisfied the karmic law and brought Lazarus back to life again." (pg. 50, The Divine Romance).

In his Autobiography of a Yogi, the Paramahansa has recounted several miraculous instances of His guru, Yukteswar, intercepting with Prarabdha karma to restore life back to many people who had already died.

He further assures us, "...we can change many things in our lives that appeared unchangeable, or that may have been predicted to be incontrovertible..." (pg. 304, The Divine Romance by Paramahansa Yogananda).

Loudly echoing this declaration, Ramana Maharishi put it even more succinctly, "If the agent, upon whom the Karma depends, namely the ego, which has come into existence between the body and the Self, merges in its source and loses its form, how can the Karma, which depends upon it, survive? When there is no ‘I’ there is no Karma.", a point well reiterated by sage Vasistha in his classical work Yoga Vasistha, wherein, when Lord Rama asks sage Vasistha about the way to transcend the two binding effects of past karmas, namely Vasanas or the effect of impressions left on the mind by past actions and one's fate created by Prarabdha Karma, to which he replies, through with Divine grace (Kripa), one can go beyond the influences of past actions. (The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Edited by David Godman).

We Are Not Bound by Karma

Yogananda Paramahansa, "Don't allow yourself to think you are forever bound by karma. Deny it.. Give your karma to God. He will help you if you ask Him to... if we have faith in God, all things are possible... Never yield to pain and trouble.... It doesn't matter what your troubles are... You will see in time that you are a master of yourself, and free from Karma, even as God is." (pg. 204, The Divine Romance).

But Do Not Astrology and Horoscope Say that Karma Prarabdha Must be Experienced?

Paramahansa Yogananda, "...our Indian astrologers say we are all puppets. I do not believe that. I believe you can destroy any karma you want to.... (pg. 232, Journey to Self-Realisation).

Paramahansa Yogananda, "To believe in karma is to give strength to it." (pg. 232-233, Journey to Self-Realisation).

Paramahansa Yogananda, "Do not admit you are a helpless mortal governed by karma... it is an old superstition of the ignorant to believe you cannot change your destiny." (pg. 238, Journey to Self-Realisation).

Swami Sivananda, "Do not believe in the evil influence of stars and planets. You are the Lord of the universe. Stars and planets take their power from your very self," (pg. 188, Revelation).

Swami Sivananda, "Do not pin your faith in astrological predictions. They will SIMPLY make you restless. You will be ever worrying over a supposed future mishap. Divine GRACE will dispel all clouds of ignorance, worries and mishaps. Stick to the Divine Name BY ALL MEANS." (pg. 247, Revelation).

Srila Prabhupada, a Vaishnavite, on the issue of Karma, categorically pronounces: "Prarabdha can be changed. Kṛṣṇa says. Prarabdha means you are enjoying the fruits of your past activities. That is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām. Nirdahati. Karmāṇi, the resultant action of your past karma, can be vanquished by Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: ' shall give you protection'.

"... As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, everything is finished. But don't commit again. Stick to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you are safe."

Commenting on Bhagavad Gita 9:2, Prabhupada said, "For those who are engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all sinful reactions, whether fructified, in the stock, or in the form of a seed, gradually vanish....".

Someone who interviewed Srila Prabhupada pressed him further for an explanation. He asked, "Then what was the necessity for the Pandavas to suffer when they had themselves surrendered to the Lord Kṛṣṇa, and they have suffered?" To which, unflustered Prabhupada: said, "They have not suffered. They have served Kṛṣṇa's purposes. Kṛṣṇa wanted to kill all the demons. They did it. That's all."

(Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972.).

The Scriptures Have Declared Prarabdha Karma Can Be Destroyed

In Srimad Bhagavatam 6:2:17, Vishnudutas have said, "...one may neutralise the reactions of sinful life through austerity, charity, vows and other methods..." The word "reactions" here is referred to prarabdha karma that has already begun and is actually bearing fruit.

In Bhagavad Gita 18:66, Lord Krishna, who talks eloquently about the concept of Kripa and Liberation, finally makes statement to Arjuna, "Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me alone: I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not." The Lord did not particularise which sin; rather, "all sins", which, as we had seen Sri Sankara's explanation above, unequivocally comprehend prarabdha karma.

Final Words on the Grace's Interference with our Prarabdha Karma

Despite all the above evidence from the scriptures and from the words of the mahatamas, there would still be some misguided people who are too steeped in superstitions, misinformation, and in their own theories of karma. They would wonder whether it could actually be possible for God to interfere with one's prarabdha karma that has already started fructifying in this birth of ours: birth, death, congenital conditions such as blindness, muteness and birth defects.

Hindu scriptures are replete with many an account of how God destroyed prarabdha karma. Ajamila and Markendeya are but some known examples. In Bhagavatam 3:3:2, for instance, we see evidence of Sri Krishna's tampering with a dead boy's prarabdha karma to bring back him back "from the region of Yamaloka". That extraordinary is the kripa, i.e., God's Grace!

In Kali Yuga, too, we have had great many of such incidents: a case in point of the life of Kumaraguruparar, who was congenitally mute. Born to Shanmukha Sikhamani Kavirayar and Sivakama-Sundari Ammaiyar in Srivaikuntam, the child could not speak until the age five, when his parents took him to Sri Tiruchendur temple, where they pleaded with the Lord to change his prarabdha karma. 

Not only did Lord Muruga made the child speak, but the five-year-old was also blessed with the talent to compose Kandar Kalivenba in praise on Murugan.

As we had earlier observed above in this article, Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi contains more examples of how devotees and common people's prarabdha was set right by the Grace of God.

Paramahansa Yogananda's Step-by-Step Approach to Prarabdha Karma

Paramahansa Yogananda: "Fate means that a cause has operated to produce an effect. You can change it, if you know the way...:

1. You can minimize the effect of an action.

2. You can resist the effect.

3. You can completely stop it.

"...Why do people go to doctors? Because that is one way to MINIMIZE the effects of wrong actions. The physical way to lessen an illness or overcome it may be found in such remedies as proper diet, exercise, or medication....

"...To RESIST the effects of karma is to use commonsense remedies, but rely more on the power of the mind. Refuse to accept any limiting condition. affirm and believe in health, strength, success, even in the face of contradictory evidence...

"...The only way that you can permanently stop the undesirable effects of past wrong actions is by removing the cause of those effects. Harmful past-life seed-tendencies must be CAUTERIZED from the BRAIN; then there will be no recurrence of ANY type of illness or other troubles arising from them. Roast them in the fire of wisdom...seek the wisdom born of meditation, which removes forever from within you the darkness of ignorance. Krishna said: 'As fire reduces to ashes all wood, even so, O Arjuna, does the flame of wisdom consume ALL karma.' [Gita 4:37]" (pg. 49, The Divine Romance)