What will you do if you happen to slip into drain water? Your first instinct would be to cleanse yourself as your body would be dirty. You’ll rush to find clean water and soap so that you can get rid of the dirt and smell. Of course, no one wants to stay unclean or smell foul. But how does this instinct arise?
Human beings have five senses or indriyas, namely, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. When you slip into drain water, your eyes see the dirt, your nose smells the bad odor, and the skin feels the irritation of the dirty water on the body. Now, the mind i.e. Viveka too, will persist that we get clear of our unclean side without wasting any time, as it may cause infection.
We have been granted the power of the mind (Viveka) and senses (indiryas) to be able to clearly demarcate between the right and wrong, and good and bad. Now, the interesting fact is that Viveka and mind are not synonyms, though used synonymously. Viveka is the power of understanding and perceiving things, however, the mind is just a bundle of thoughts. Thoughts keep swirling in our minds, and if you follow your mind instead of your Viveka, you will end up committing mistakes. Where Viveka has the power to discriminate, the mind has the power to grasp.
As per Hinduism, human beings need to have a control on their mind as well as sense organs because they have a significant impact on our Karma. As per Science, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This implies, in every birth, each individual carries the baggage of karmas of his past life. This is exactly the principle on which Karmic Philosophy works.
The five senses i.e. indriyas should follow the path of goodness and truth. As been taught since ages, one should always see good, hear good, talk good and do good. Use your senses properly. When you hold a knife, the mind can give you several thoughts from cutting fruits or vegetables to cutting a person’s throat. That’s where your Viveka comes into play. You must use your indriyas to yield positive results.
When a person dies, his karmas are not buried or burnt or with his lifeless body. Karma stays and gets carried forward to the next birth. The harsh reality is that karmas accrued in each person cannot be washed away overnight. But if one prays sincerely and invokes divine nature that is full of compassion, purity, and truth, the power of your intention could work marvels.
The Law of Karma came into force when the Universe was created, and no one can escape it. Therefore, if you intend to overcome bad karma, the intention to do good karma has to come from within, only then can you set the process in motion.
As per the ancient scriptures, if we use Viveka to ensure that the five senses (indriyas) follow the path of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), peace (Shanti) and love (Prema), we can combat the accumulated ‘bad’ karma to some extent.
You carry your Karmic baggage with you to the next birth. It is solely the result of self-action based on the scientific principle of action-reaction.
Consequently, it is imperative to stay cautious and vigilant with the five sense organs. We have been blessed with the mind, sense organs, and free will to understand things, to rationalize the worldly things and to lead a happy life.
If these powers are misused, the bad karmas will start to accrue leading to the baggage getting heavier. We have to leave our negative individuality in order to lead a positive life.