BUDGETING YOUR LIFE

Budgeting is an Economics term. Budgeting is needed at individual, state, national and global levels. You prudently plan and use your total resources, so that at the end there is no shortfall or too much surplus. At the same time, you enjoy the comfort of “reserves” for emergency needs.

The very same theme you can apply in life, other than economic budgeting. Here you are not budgeting economic resources but streamlining the existential resources. How to live wisely fulfilling the obligations existentially is “Budgeting Your Life”. The existential economics are far different from global economics.

A human being is bestowed with special intellectual powers. Unlike the animals, man has got cent percent freedom in action. Man has the freedom to obey and/or disobey as he pleases, whereas the birds and the beasts cannot step out of the Law of Nature, even a millimeter. They are completely controlled by nature through instincts. So with special intellectual powers, man is precariously placed either to rise to the divine or to fall below the rank of an animal. Those who rise high are known as “Mahapurusha” and those who abysmally fall are known as “Walking Demons”. And ordinary man is anywhere between these two. That’s why we need to Budget our Life.

Budget our Life means, to understand life primarily. To know life, to know how to live and thus attain fulfillment, so that life was a smooth sail and the evolution is complete in such case. This process is not all that easy because life is not apparent. Only the worldly aspect of life is apparent whereas the existential aspect is hidden. That’s why you desperately need a Sadguru, because a Sadguru is a person who has known the “unknowable” !

The first thing to know is the very source from where we all originated. When we say “we are born”, obviously it means we existed even before our birth in the womb of our mother. We never had a physical body before, but we attained a body. So we originated from the originator himself and in the Vedic language we call the originator as “Sarveswara” the Supreme Creator. The creator and his creations are one and the same. Therefore, our source of origin is from SARVESWARA.

Incidentally or accidentally, by virtue of attaining a body, as a free gift, we are allowed to live and enjoy the pomp and splendor of this universe for about 100 years or so. Then we are compelled to discard the body and we are supposed to get back home, that is rejoin Sarveswara, or complete the journey or scientifically expressing “complete the evolution”. This is known as smooth and natural sail of life.

But there is an unforeseen hitch in the whole process. After getting a physical body free of charge, we somehow get entwined in the worldly web of life. Consequently we forget our own self-nature, our source of origin, the purpose of life, the ultimate goal of life such as “getting back home” etc. All the sensual pleasures in the world literally lure man and turn him blind. He will have absolutely no idea about his own origin or about his onward travel to final destiny. He will be immersed completely in the world of objects and its alluring pleasures, as in Srimad Bhagwatam Vyasa says “SAMSARA SAGARE MAGNAM”. This pathetic state of affairs of man is to be budgeted, is to be streamlined, is to be regularized and set right.

This is where the word “Dharma” comes to life in full fury. Life is dependent on Karma (action). Karma depends on “Dharma”. “Dharma” means the right Karma which is in consonance with the Law of Nature. When we deviate from “Dharma” our Karma becomes “Nishiddha Karma” - prohibited Karma. Nishiddha Karma, we normally categorize as negative deeds.

By virtue of our freedom in action, our normal actions and reactions become without direction and base. We perform according to our own whim and fancy of the present moment. We don’t respect nature and we even do not know there exists such a thing called “the Law of Nature”. Thus we accumulate abundance of Karma Dosha (sins) knowingly and unknowingly. Our life becomes not based on “Dharma” but based on the need of moment and it has absolutely no bearing with “Dharma”.

Thus we slip out of the path of righteousness, and the path of spontaneous evolution. Our existential growth becomes retarded. We miss the flight and life goes astray. The heavy load of sins hover over us and after death we become a drag, unable to rise ourselves towards Sarveswara Dhama, our original abode. Because of our negligence during our life on earth, we pay heavy penalty. As we sow, so shall we reap? No help is possible at this juncture from any quarters. Had we lived a virtuous life, respecting existential law and respecting existential obligations, we would have assimilated required power all by ourselves without depending anybody living or dead. This is the way we are supposed to budget our precious life so that life becomes splendid on earth and life becomes splendid off earth. Only such a person is a wise person. He only has lived, and others have just suffered.

What to do? The Upanishad roars ‘PRAPYAVARAN NIBODATHA’. Approach an Ascended Master - a Master who revels in his own glory of self-awareness. Only he can set the budget of life for us. Because he has already done it !