There once was a wise sage living in a remote Indian village. His disciple was a very clever Brahmin, whom he taught very lovingly and imparted the knowledge of Brahma Gyaan (the knowledge of Truth). Guruji’s wife was a very simple and pious lady who bore him a son and a daughter. Both the times when she was with child, the sage had to set out on a pilgrimage. He left her in charge of an old lady and his wise disciple. The old lady attended when the mother was in labour, while the disciple sat guard outside.
When the time of the birth drew near, a stately man approached the cottage, desiring entrance. When stopped by the disciple, he said that he was Brahmaji himself and had to be present at any birth to write the destiny of the child on his forehead. The disciple allowed him on the condition that he must tell him what he wrote. After the birth of the son, Brahmaji divulged the secret on the condition that, if the disciple ever told anyone about it, his head would splinter into a thousand pieces. Then Brahmaji told the disciple about the future of the child. It was bleak. The son would be cheated of all the wealth that his father would leave him but would always have one buffalo and a bag of rice to live by, and that would be his prarabdha.
When the second child, a daughter, was born, the same story was repeated. Brahmaji arrived again. The disciple permitted him entry on the same condition. So, while leaving, Brahmaji, on condition of secrecy, told the disciple the future of the girl. She would earn her living as a prostitute, he said. The disciple was aghast. He wondered how such a pious couple’s children could be born with such horrible destinies! Then, as soon as his teacher arrived, he took his permission and left.
The disciple returned after 25 years to see whether those terrible destinies had actually played out. The couple had passed away and, as predicted, their son now lived in great poverty, with only one buffalo and a bag of rice. The daughter was not to be seen anywhere. The disciple was restless and wanted to help his great teacher’s son. So, he introduced himself and advised a way out of poverty. He advised the son to take the buffalo and the bag of rice to the market and sell them both, then buy whatever the family needed and eat well. But he also said that, with all the remaining money, he should feed the poor and not hoard any of it. The son was hesitant, but his wife egged him on to follow the advice. So, he took the bag of rice and the buffalo and sold them. After buying the necessities for the family, he returned and, for the first time, the family ate well. The remaining money was given away to the poor. Very worried, the poor son spent a sleepless night. He left his bed early next morning before sunrise. To his disbelief, he saw a buffalo and a bag of rice in a corner of the barn. He was overjoyed, but his father’s disciple came to him again with the same advice. With a little more confidence, the young man went and sold the buffalo and the bag of rice again. The disciple also advised him again not to keep any unused money but give it all away to the poor. The advice was followed and, to his surprise, a buffalo and a bag of rice appeared again in his barn the next day! This became a routine and the man slowly became very comfortable and happy with all his needs met daily.
Fearing the worst, the disciple slowly plucked up the courage to enquire about the whereabouts of his teacher’s daughter. The man was ashamed to tell him that hers was a pathetic plight as she earned her livelihood as a prostitute in the village nearby. The disciple was eager to help the daughter, so he took the son’s leave and reached her village. True to Brahmaji’s prediction, she lived a wretched life as a prostitute. After introducing himself, he offered to help. He said, “Listen, girl, do exactly as I tell you. Don’t open your door for any customer tonight, but spell out a condition for anyone who knocks. Say that your door will open for him alone who can bring you a bag of rare deep-sea pearls. When you do get such a customer, sell the pearls, live and eat well, but then distribute all the remaining unused money among the poor, keep not a rupee. Continue to do this every night.” The girl was apprehensive that she may lose all her customers, but the old man looked reliable, so she decided to go by his advice. All her customers were turned away that night. Finally, one arrived with a bagful of the rare deep-sea pearls that she demanded. She sold the pearls the next morning, bought all that she desperately needed, and distributed the rest of the money among the poor. The same story repeated every night. And the same man came to her with pearls night after night. The girl was very happy as she had Brahmaji himself as a loving husband who took care of more than her needs and she lived very well.
The disciple took leave of her and left the village early the next morning while it was still dark. He saw a handsome well-dressed man on his way, leading a buffalo by a rope, with a bag of rice on his head and a bag of pearls in his hand. That was the divine Brahmaji whom the disciple alone could see due to his yogic powers. “Where to, Brahmaji?” asked the disciple. Brahmaji explained his plight. Since the buffalo and the bag of rice were sold daily, and the prostitute demanded the pearls daily, he alone had to fulfil their prarabdha. That much was their due and they had to be supplied with it.
There is a divine scheme based on action and reaction. The reactions of your past actions, good or bad, have to be lived out by you alone. Those that fructify in the present life are called prarabdha. All that is happening, happens because of it. No one can stop it. If it is not yours, it will surely not come your way. Some take this theory as an excuse not to put forth any effort. But, however painful the circumstances, your intelligent handling of it can turn the same into something beneficial, aiding your growth. Put forth intelligent self-effort and play with your prarabdha, change the same to your advantage. If your prarabdha is to be speedily and helplessly floating downstream in a boat, you can change it by self-effort, by installing a motor and turning the boat’s direction upstream! Don’t idle away your life complaining about your fate and blaming your destiny, “It is my prarabdha, what can I do?” Make the Lord work to fulfil your prarabdha but you handle it wisely. He has no choice, as the prarabdha has to exhaust itself. So, He will have to bring the buffalo, the bag of rice and the pearls daily.
The writer is the president of Chinmaya Mission, Delhi.