A human being cannot live without doing karma, actions. And when he does some karma he reaps the fruits of the actions. And those fruits lead him to do more actions and there is no end. He creates a whirlpool for himself and he cannot come out of that. Is there any way that you go on doing your actions and yet remain free from the bondage of karma? I say yes. If you grease your karma with love, then you will not have a problem. You have stress today, “My wife doesn’t listen to me.” She thinks, “My husband doesn’t listen to me.” They both are going through self-created stress. But if you simply change the concept, there will be no stress. Stress has become the big-gest killer today. Everybody says I have stress, I have stress. Why do you have stress? Wife wants to control the husband, husband wants to control the wife. Why do you want to control anyone? This tussle is going on all the time, in all families and you call it family life and love. When I come to your home, you all smile. When I go outside, then you start fighting. I know that and I understand. I think there can be harmony in the family if there is understanding, understanding on a higher level.

A man in bondage cannot think right. A man in bondage is a slave. A slave has no choice. How to be free from that? If I go on doing my duties, and I give the fruits of my actions to others, I will be free. Where are you committing a mistake? You are not giving up the fruits of your actions though you are doing your duties. Why do you do charity, tell me? You do charity because you think, “I will have a good name.” Then another level of charity, “If I do charity my ego will be cleansed. If I do charity I will get double that in my next lifetime.” Actually, why do you want to do charity? You want to do charity because you are holding on to something. Give away the fruits and be free.

Thus comes freedom from the bondage of karma.

There will be no bondage. We are all doing our actions but for others and renouncing the fruit. That’s why the family unit was created. The husband does actions for his wife, his wife for him and both do for their children and they in turn do for other children. So the family is meant to radiate love to all, not hatred. We have to start at home. We should create our family in such a way so that it radiates love.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Conscious Living by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in 2002, Pg 135-136