7 - Discourses on Tantra Volume Two

Chapter 1 Sádhaná (5)

Surrendering Actions to Brahma (1)

The existence of microcosms is bound up in action. Microcosms will have to act and to move; life is a dynamic process from beginning to end. No one has come to this world to remain static; staticity is contrary to living existence. Even the physical body changes every moment, even the body maintains dynamic movement.

Human beings perform two types of action: pratyayamúlaka [original actions] and saḿskáramúlaka [reactive actions – actions prompted or goaded by saḿskáras]. Original actions are performed under one’s own initiative, and thus one is fully responsible for them. Every original action is a new action. It may represent an extension of the experience of the past, but it is not a reaction. And the actions which human beings are compelled to perform as reactions to their previous actions are called reactive actions. In other words, original actions constitute efforts, and reactive actions constitute the resultants [of the original actions].

Suppose you have to go to Dhanbad but do not know the way. Stopping someone on the street you ask politely, “Excuse me, could you please tell me how to get to Dhanbad?” In reply the man retorts angrily, “What do you think I am, a traffic policeman who gives directions to any Tom, Dick or Harry?” You will certainly feel hurt. But you should remember that this was destined to happen to you as a reaction to one of your previous bad actions. So even though you asked that man politely, you had to undergo psychic pain. Your action of asking the man is a reactive action.

When people rob others, or indulge in hypocrisy, or cheat people, or indulge in tall talk day after day, they are committing original actions. When a dishonest government employee accepts a bribe it is an original action, and when his son gets sick and has to be rushed to the doctor it is the reactive action (the reaction to the original action). When his son dies he laments, “I haven’t knowingly done anything wrong. Oh, Lord, why have you given me such severe punishment.” But God did not give him any punishment – the deep sorrow he felt at the death of his child was the result of his past original actions.

The moment sádhakas start spiritual practice they must surrender all their original actions to Brahma so that they do not have to endure the reactions. This surrender is the most important aspect of spiritual practice.

Brahmárpańaḿ Brahmahavirbrahmágnao Brahmańáhutam; Brahmaeva tena gantavyaḿ Brahmakarmasamádhiná.

[The action of offering is Brahma, the ghee offered into the sacrificial fire is Brahma, the fire is Brahma, and the person who offers is Brahma. Those who will maintain this spirit in every action will finally merge in Brahma.]

Reactions in requital to past actions normally occur more in a spiritual aspirant’s life than in an ordinary person’s life. The reason is that when all original actions are surrendered to Brahma, there remain only the reactive actions. The reactions may be good or bad [according to whether they are resultants of good or bad original actions]. But think about how many of the deeds you performed before coming to the path of sádhaná were good and how many were bad. To tell the unpleasant truth, ninety-nine percent of your deeds were bad. Hence it is often the case that sádhakas have to suffer much more from bad reactive momenta than get to enjoy good ones. It can even be said that the more one suffers from reactions, the more one is progressing along the path of sádhaná.

Of course, the requital of the reactive momenta may possibly be pleasurable instead of painful; it all depends upon the nature of one’s actions. In either case, the more one surrenders one’s actions to Brahma, the shorter will be the period of requital caused by the reactions. In this case the intensity of the requital will be greater than normal; but this is a good sign, because intense requital means the exhaustion of the requital within a short period.