What causes events in our life?

There is a great question in most of our minds; “How events fructify or what causes different events? Is it involuntary or due to our wishes or choice? This is not the first time, the above questions arise. From the dawn of civilization many social philosophers have dwelt on the subject. Events are really intriguing. None can predict which way the wind will blow? When there will be rain or thunders? A calm sea suddenly roars. Meteorologists may attribute this to depression etc. Whether it is a typhoon or tornado, the warning comes a little late. None can predict all this things. Scientists can at best point out that there is likelihood of volcanic eruption or tsunami due to displacement of tectonic plates. In respect of human life, events that lead to our fortunes or misfortunes are predicted by astrologists, soothsayers and others. It is also a kind of trial and error method. It may or may not happen. Many professions centered on predictions are thriving today since people are skeptical about their future.

Sometimes, we visit the astrologer after an event took place. Most of them knew by guesswork that people visit them only when they face troubles. Hence, they usually start with the words, ‘the present time is not favorable to you. After two or three months, your situation will improve. Like that they pacify the client and get their fees. This has become a fashion. Here I do not condemn or criticize the soothsayers or astrologers. There may be some expert people, some exceptional people who will give accurate predictions. Of course, intuitions play a good part in their skills. There are clairvoyants who could predict the coming events accurately. The theory of cause and effect (karma as per hindu theory) plays an important part in the cause of events. There is a mixture of good and bad in everyone’s life. These things are not accidents but they are incidents bound to happen at a particular time to an individual due to his past actions. We do not reap the results at once every time. For instance, if you plant a mango seed, it may take several years to reap the fruits. It is not instantaneous. Likewise a coconut tree yields coconuts only after several years. But there are certain actions which gives the results instantaneously. For instance, if you place your finger on the fire, it will be scorched at once and hence none can say when the results will accrue. A student in the primary school, need a minimum of twenty and odd years to get his master’s degree. To become a doctorate, it will take another five years or so.

We might have heard about one epic named Mahabarath from India. The story revolves around the cousins who are heirs to the great Kingdom Hasthinapuram. On one side, there were five virtuous brothers who followed meticulously righteous ways in all their activities. On the other side, there were one hundred brothers who were evil minded. The five brothers had a share in the Kingdom as a right. But the hundred brothers drove them away from the city to the forests and tortured them in many ways. It was Lord Krishna who is considered as an incarnation of Mahavishnus, who sided the five brothers ever since they encountered problems with their cousins. After a bitter war that ensued and lasted for eighteen days, the five brothers won the war vanquishing the hundred evil cousins only due to the grace of the Lord. Historians argue the case “Why the virtuous brothers underwent so much of grief and pain at the hands of their wicked cousins. How the evil-minded brothers on the other side enjoyed all happiness while inflicting sorrows on the five brothers? Lord Krishna, in the Bagawat Gita, gives the answers to the riddles. Every human being takes many births in this world. During his sojourn on earth, he accumulates both merit and demerit in the course of performing actions prompted by desires. One who has performed many good deeds gets a noble birth enjoying all the legitimate joys of the life. The one who perform evil deeds mainly suffers mental agony as a result in the future births. The five virtuous brothers have done misdeeds in their past births and hence they suffered untold misery during their present birth even though they followed righteous ways in the present birth, while their counterparts, the hundred brothers were virtuous in their past births and hence they enjoyed all happiness and luxury in spite of evil nature in their present birth! This is the mystery of the human life. Everyone has to suffer separately for the evil deeds and enjoy good times when there are some meritorious activities in the past. These things can never be balanced like a bank account!

In conclusion, we are responsible for our present conditions and we cannot blame god for that!