<p>There is a striking analogy which one can draw with the governments’ budget exercise and the ledger which the Maker maintains and looks at, when you get to meet Him- of the good deeds which are the credits, and the bad deeds, the debits. </p><p>Depending upon which side the balance tilts, just deserts await you. This is the case too with the government’s statement of accounts--if the government were to be profligate, spend recklessly and depend entirely on borrowings, just deserts in the form of inflation and consequences of unmanageable deficit await. </p><p>But countries can with wiser counsel change the trajectory. God does not share with us details of any spiritual budget--we get to see our ledger of deeds very late, by which time we have exhausted our chances of course correction. </p>.<p>Every religion has the concept that a tally is being maintained of good and bad accounts which will be settled on the day of reckoning. Good deeds in the form of honesty, hard work, repentance, prayer, charity, piety all add up to your credit score. </p><p>Bad deeds in the form of untruth, lack of compassion and empathy, violent acts tilt the balance. </p><p>All Abrahamic religions have this theme. Buddhism talks of bad karma brought by bad deeds which must be outweighed by good karma. Hinduism too has the concept of a ‘cosmic ledger’ as it were where the recordings of one’s deeds and intentions that shape the soul’s journey across many lifetimes. </p><p>In effect, where every action, good or bad, is recorded and the consequences of those actions are experienced in the current life or future lives, essentially acting as a spiritual “account” that determines one’s fate based on their deeds. This is Sanchita Karma, a comprehensive accumulation of karma from all your past lives. The law of Karma thus binds everybody.</p>.<p>A spiritual budgetary exercise should be carried out by each of us-not annually but every minute, every hour, every day. It is easy and does not require an entire bureaucratic retinue. Just remember God regularly, ponder. Is what you are doing or saying correct, true? Are your actions or words going to hurt anybody? Am I doing enough for the less privileged? Am I being grateful for all His blessings? Am I, in short, being a virtuous person? Once you acknowledge His omnipresence, you remain on the straight path.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Being God conscious makes us disciplined and morally prudent-and ensures our bahi-khatha is never at a deficit.</p>
<p>There is a striking analogy which one can draw with the governments’ budget exercise and the ledger which the Maker maintains and looks at, when you get to meet Him- of the good deeds which are the credits, and the bad deeds, the debits. </p><p>Depending upon which side the balance tilts, just deserts await you. This is the case too with the government’s statement of accounts--if the government were to be profligate, spend recklessly and depend entirely on borrowings, just deserts in the form of inflation and consequences of unmanageable deficit await. </p><p>But countries can with wiser counsel change the trajectory. God does not share with us details of any spiritual budget--we get to see our ledger of deeds very late, by which time we have exhausted our chances of course correction. </p>.<p>Every religion has the concept that a tally is being maintained of good and bad accounts which will be settled on the day of reckoning. Good deeds in the form of honesty, hard work, repentance, prayer, charity, piety all add up to your credit score. </p><p>Bad deeds in the form of untruth, lack of compassion and empathy, violent acts tilt the balance. </p><p>All Abrahamic religions have this theme. Buddhism talks of bad karma brought by bad deeds which must be outweighed by good karma. Hinduism too has the concept of a ‘cosmic ledger’ as it were where the recordings of one’s deeds and intentions that shape the soul’s journey across many lifetimes. </p><p>In effect, where every action, good or bad, is recorded and the consequences of those actions are experienced in the current life or future lives, essentially acting as a spiritual “account” that determines one’s fate based on their deeds. This is Sanchita Karma, a comprehensive accumulation of karma from all your past lives. The law of Karma thus binds everybody.</p>.<p>A spiritual budgetary exercise should be carried out by each of us-not annually but every minute, every hour, every day. It is easy and does not require an entire bureaucratic retinue. Just remember God regularly, ponder. Is what you are doing or saying correct, true? Are your actions or words going to hurt anybody? Am I doing enough for the less privileged? Am I being grateful for all His blessings? Am I, in short, being a virtuous person? Once you acknowledge His omnipresence, you remain on the straight path.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Being God conscious makes us disciplined and morally prudent-and ensures our bahi-khatha is never at a deficit.</p>
