What is the Past Karma that makes one generous or miser?
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Prabhuji . I hope you are doing well. Karma really plays important role to decide our fate . So I want to know What past life karma makes one person charitable and others not?? God bless you prabhuji.”
REPLY:
This may seem to be a simple question.
But it has a big secret in it.
Let us see that briefly.
Karma is always studied along with the concept of FREEWILL.
Being a miser or charitable person depends on how you use your freewill. But taking birth as rich or poor depends on your karma added in your previous birth.
I have explained Karma and freewill in many places in this site itself. In this post too, let me give a KG level simple explanation.
Karma makes a person to spend what he had saved in the past.
Freewill makes a person to involve in new karma.
Interesting. Isn’t it.
If you want to know about Freewill, you can read this Post:
(Role of Free will in adding or avoiding karma! Detailed Explanation! READ HERE!)
If you have the karma of having long jail term in life, you will be forced to kill someone or to commit any other serious violations.
The karma is “to keep you isolated”.
How? It is your freewill.
If one has the karma of committing sexual violations, it is karma.
But how much violations and what types of violations are decided by your freewill.
So, we should differentiate between karma and freewill.
The karma decides that we will cheat people. That’s all. But our freewill decides how and how much to cheat.
For example, if you are a doctor, you will cheat the patients;
If you are a Civil Engineer, you will cheat in billing for construction.
If you are a student, you will copy in the exam.
If you are a husband, you will cheat the wife.
Thus, cheating propensity is given by karma. How you cheat is decided by yourself, ie, your freewill.
Now, let us come to your question: The Past Karma that makes one charitable or miser.
(Why a man suffers with karma if he came from karma free animal? READ HERE!)
A doctor may use his profession (got because of karma) to cheat his patients (as decided by karma). But how he cheats? Thru selling kidneys or giving unwanted tests or giving treatment carelessly? This HOW is decided by FREEWILL.
This is the right understanding.
If a person is suffering for money in this birth, it is because he has failed to help others though he had good wealth in his previous birth.
But, if a person gets abundant wealth in this birth, it is because of his good support to others in his previous birth.
But if he leads life like a miser, it is his FREEWILL.
Getting more money is because of your karma. How you get and how you spend are your freewill.
Losing money is also because of your karma. How do you lose? It is your freewill. You decide how to lose. So, it is freewill.
(If Demigods can’t clear our karma, do they just postpone karma? READ HERE!)
But, helping others comes under FREEWILL.
You are given abundant money (or) you are kept a poor – it is due to karma.
In both the situations – rich or poor – if you help others, it is your freewill.
Now the reply for your question comes:
Whether a person is rich or poor in this birth, it is because of the karma he added in his previous births.
But if he does more charity in this birth, that means, he is doing out of his freewill.
Since he helps others using his freewill, he will add more good karma in this birth.
This added good karma will give a financially rich life in his next birth.
Today’s freewill – tomorrow’s karma.
In other words, whatever you do using your freewill, it will be added to your karma account.
If you use freewill and kill someone, you add new negative karma.
If you use freewill and do more charity, you add new good karma.
So, Taking birth in a rich or poor family may be because of your past karma, but being a generous person or miser depends on how you use your freewill.
Hope this kinder garden level simple explanation has cleared your doubt what is the Karma that makes one more generous who helps many people.
(Using the Free Will properly to get Krishna in spite of barriers! Tips! READ HERE!)