On Hinduism

God created the Universe and gave us many resources along with spiritual knowledge. We can put our senses to enjoy materialistic pleasures of the world and use the spiritual knowledge to elevate our soul and break the cycle of life and death. Choice is ours. It’s all up to human beings how rightfully or wrongfully we use these resources.

For example, God created fire; fire can be used to cook a nice dish, can be used as a bonfire in winter or can be used to set a house on fire. Human beings’ endless selfish desire and greed to accumulate has created disparity in this world and made the world imperfect. 

If only human beings share just like nature we would make it a perfect world. Just like trees, rivers, sun and forest; they all take minimal from what is available to them and give and share all what they have.

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Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: How Could A Perfect God Create An Imperfect World

Contributor: Geetha Ravula

Karma in Sanskrit means ‘Action’. It is the universal law of cause and effect that dictates that your life is your own making. Goodness reaps goodness and conversely, evil reaps evil. Karma is not just physical actions; in-fact the thoughts we create and the words we speak are Karma too.
In Yogic Science, Karma is considered a glue between the soul and the body. As long as humans have desires and thus associated karma with those desires, they will continue to go through reincarnations (the cycles of life and death) until they have dissolved all their Karmas.
In the endless Karma cycle, at birth, humans are allotted a certain quantity of (Prarabdha) Karma from a repository of (Sanchita) Karma (accumulated Karmas from the soul’s past lives) to be resolved in the current life, however in the process, new (Agami) Karma is accumulated that is added to your total Karma and this endless cycle continues. Perform selfless Karmas that are not binding and hence have the possibility to liberate themselves (achieve Nirvana).

Other reading material: Short answers to real questions about Hinduism

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhilanand Hinduism Q & A: What is Karma?, Hinduism Q & A: What is Good Action, Vikas Gupta,

Contributor: Vikas Gupta

Every birth is a result of their karmic deeds, whether it’s an animal or a human birth. Animals are born with just basic survival instinct (food, shelter, safety), with a bottom line (birth) and top line (death) between which they live their entire life. For them, they don’t accumulate new karma as they live by their natural instincts and tendencies. They rather dissolve karmas from their previous lives (e.g. if your longing was for food in your previous life, in your new life you may be born as a well-fed domesticated pig).
Only humans have the ability to break the cycle of birth and death. They do so by dissolving their previous and current lives’ karma (prarabdh).

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Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Mukundanand Can Animals do Karma?

Contributor: Vikas Gupta

Our actions are not predetermined but our habits and karma push us to act or react in a certain way. This can be changed by cultivating new habits. We have the free will to act anyway we want to. 

You have a hundred percent free will to think, say and do what you want to. We cannot say “Oh, I hit you because I was destined to hit you, so don’t blame me.” We’re in control of our actions.

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Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q&A – Does God Control Our Actions? , Why I become Hindu, 

Contributor: Geetha Ravula

This is a very poignant question, especially in times like a global  pandemic, when thousands of people are dying every day. It strikes at the very root of the concept that God is compassionate.

First, we must understand that Soul, the expression of Life Force within us, is immortal. It is a traveler that is occupying this body temporarily and must move on.

Second, someone may think that death is a punishment, permanent. This is not true. We have come here with an agenda, propelled by our past, and with limited resources, including time. Our time is best utilized when we understand the goal of life, and pursue it with sincerity and devotion. Death is not a punishment. It is a window of opportunity. We will move on to better places, depending on our performance in this and earlier lives.

God IS compassionate. He promises in the Gita–”Na me Bhakta Pranashyathi”. My devotee shall never perish. You take one step closer to me, and I will come 10 steps closer to you.

Then why do all these people suddenly die? We are all sent to this world to learn. Some learn quickly, some take time. All actions must produce results. When and where, we don’t know. Perhaps we have been to places where we should not go or did things we are not supposed to or ate something we are not supposed to. Nature and the Law of Karma enforces the consequences of those actions.

It is only our attachment to this ephemeral body that makes death seem so painful. The Upanishads say that to the Realized Master, death is but a pickle on the tongue, to be enjoyed.

I am not the body. Aham Brahmaasmi. I am that Immortal Reality.

This is true for even those that do not understand it or accept it.

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Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhilanand Hinduism Q & A: Why Does God Allow Suffering

Contributor: Madhu Kopalle

Good or bad things we experience now are the accumulation of our past actions from not only this lifetime but many lifetimes. This is karma.

Humans are bound to reap the results of their past actions, either in this lifetime, or the next. We cannot attribute good or bad things happening to people based on just this lifetime’s actions. 

A person’s actions can be of 3 types, good actions (Satvik Karma), bad actions (Tamasik Karma) and mixed good and bad actions (Rajasik Karma).

For example, a person does lots of good karma and gets fruits for it and then utilizes those fruits for bad work. Before experiencing the results of his bad karma, he leaves his body. Another person does lots of bad karma and gets fruits for it and then utilizes those fruits for good work. Before experiencing the fruits of his good work, he too leaves his body. Now, these pending results of past actions that are to be experienced are extended to their next birth. Whether they become good or bad natured in their next life, they are bound to reap the results of their past actions. So bottom line, we cannot judge good things happening to bad people based on this lifetime’s actions. The bad person might have accumulated many good karmas in the past and might be experiencing their good prarabdha (a collection of past karmas) in this lifetime whereas a good person might be going through his bad prarabdha in this lifetime.

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Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhilanand Hinduism Q & A: Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People

Contributor: Geetha Ravula

GOD doesn’t control our actions. One must control one’s actions and will.  

Many external things that happen in our life, some of them are considered to be controlled by our destiny. However, not everything is controlled by destiny so the most important thing you have to understand is that your thoughts, your words and your actions are never controlled by destiny. You have a hundred percent free will to think, say and do what you want to. However, our choices for our action in this life are limited by our past and present karmas. We cannot say “Oh I hit you because I was destined to hit you, so don’t blame me.” We’re in control of our actions but some of the things that happen to us that we would consider good luck or bad luck according to Hindu philosophy, there’s no such thing as luck but it’s the outcome of your past life’s actions.

Source: Swami Nikhilanand, 

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Contributor: Geetha Ravula

Answer is a big No. You will get what you have given. One cannot counteract bad karma by performing good ones. Karma means action. Yes, one may counteract bad karma by performing acts that will nullify the effects of a previous action, but the unexperienced result of an action will last forever, until it is experienced.
But it’s important to note that aside from the deed itself, the state of consciousness that prompts any action is what we must consider. A person who steals from another may get some merit by returning the item to the victim if the thief does so because he fears the bad karma of going to jail. But what will further his journey to moksha will be the development of pure compassion, and the sense of not wishing to bring pain to any other being.
One who, for example, steals bread from a wealthy, well-fed man to feed a starving family (and is pained to do it) may not suffer the same karmic effect as someone who steals purely out of greed.
Before becoming Sage Valmiki he (had name Ratnakar) murdered and robbed people for his living. Upon Sage Narad’s advice he did penance by meditating on Bhagwan Ram’s name. He evolved as a Sage and then wrote Ramayan.

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Bramhavaivarta Purana, Prikriti 37.16:

Avashyam eva bhoktavyam krutakarma shubha ashubam |
Naa bhuktam kshiyate karma kalpa-koti-shaitairapi”||

(A person will definitely enjoy the fruits of his action; it may be good or bad; for without giving the results, an action does not die out even after billions of years.)

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Contributor: Fred Stella

Something good or bad happening to us is our Prarabdha. Prarabdha karma are the part of sanchita karma, a collection of past karmas, which are ready to be experienced through the present body (incarnation).

There can be no effect without cause. Our good or bad tastes or tendencies, whatever they may be, are all simulations of Samaskaras (impressions) accumulated in the past. Only those among them which find favorable circumstances manifest themselves and become active. The others remain stored up, waiting for a suitable occasion, and bear good or bad results at the opportune moment. Whatever we do is a mixture of good and evil, hence we reap fruits in which both happiness and misery are mingled. We term a thing good or bad accordingly as the one or the other predominates in it.

Based on ‘Towards The Goal Supreme’ by Swami Virajananda

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Contributor: Jyoti Lulla

URL of this page: why-did-something-bad-happen-to-me

Suffering is relative. To a billionaire with all the luxuries and security of life available, an individual residing in a small apartment in a crime-ridden neighborhood of a metropolis is suffering. A wealthy person, despite his/her wealth can be suffering from depression, while a young boy playing with marbles on the dusty streets of a poor country can be in bliss. 

Suffering has a purpose for all. It is not just physical and what is visible on the surface. Suffering, the state of mind, is karmic accounting at work–for both the one who suffers, and for the one who is the cause of the suffering. For the one who is suffering, it is a repayment of karmic debt, and a cleansing activity. To the one who is the cause of suffering, it is an accrual of karmic debt for a future settlement. For those (hopefully us), who are not suffering and notice the suffering in the world, it is an opportunity to address it to further cleanse ourselves and get closer to the divine.

We must understand that the Atma or Soul, the expression of the Life Force within us, is immortal. It is a traveler that is occupying this body temporarily and will move on.

We think that death is bad. This is a misconception. It is the only certainty we are the most sure about. The issue is death that is inflicted by others and unnatural causes. Being killed, just like suffering, is a karma-driven interruption, in what is otherwise expected to be a natural course of life.

Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: Why Does God Allow Suffering

Contributor: Rajeev Singh