Only Your Good Deeds Help in Tough Times

Uttanka’s story of Mahabharata is a clear example of the fact that it is not your physical power, it is not your mental power, it is not your intellectual power, it is not your spiritual power, it is not your worldly knowledge, it is not even your spiritual knowledge. It is only the results of the good deeds that you do, that come to your help in times of trouble. Your own good deeds take the form of someone and come to help you.

Uttanka was going towards his ashrama with a pair of ear ornaments which he had requested and obtained from the wife of King Pausha. They were to be offered to his guru patni as guru dakshina. At that time, Takshaka, the king of serpents, came, stole them, and disappeared into a hole on the ground. Uttanka tried very hard to open the mouth of that hole with his stick. Nothing happened.

At that time, Devendra with his vajrayudha hit at the mouth of the hole and opened it. In fact, Vajra had entered into the stick and made this happen. Uttanka did not even realize Indra’s role in this. Uttanka had not prayed to Indra for this. Indra came on his own and helped. Uttanka never even thought of Indra. How did this happen?

Uttanka had served his guruji very well. As a brahmachari, he never deviated from his duties and responsibilities. That was the good karma he generated which came to his help in the form of Indra’s intervention. This is why it is said, keep on doing good karma. Only they will be there with you in times of trouble.

How do you do good karma? There is no list. Keep listening to and reading scriptures such as Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas. You will understand what is good karma and how to do it also. All scriptures, even Upanishads, talk about this.

See what happened to Satyakama in Chandogya Upanishad. His guruji did not teach him anything. His guruji said, take these 400 cows to the forest, take care of them, come back when they multiply to a thousand. In the process, Satyakama was taught the entire Paramartha by a bull, fire, a swan, and a water hen — just a few words from each. Satyakama didn’t realize what had happened until his guruji told him — that he was imparted with all the knowledge by them.

Upakosala learned under Satyakama for 12 years. Still, he was incomplete. Then once, when taking care of his guruji’s agni, the sacrificial fire, Agni taught him the ultimate truth.

So, don’t think that the person whom you help is the one who will come to your help. This is the foolish, limited, worldly thinking. When you do a virtuous act, it is as if you are submitting something to a wave in the ocean. It will be another wave which will give it back to you. The same wave will never appear again.

These principles are easy to understand these days. You deposit 10 currency notes of 2000 rupees in the bank. When you withdraw, it is not the same notes that come back to you, right? So don’t expect the person whom you helped to help you in return. That is trading. That is not a virtuous act. It has very limited scope.

You help someone and it will come back to you through strangers. You may not realize it. But you should. At least this principle you should understand.

Uttanka got into that hole and went behind Takshaka. He reached Naga Loka — Takshaka’s world. He complained to Takshaka’s elders. Nothing happened. He prayed to Takshaka himself to give it back. Nothing happened.

At that, again the divine providence. Uttanka was helpless, clueless what to do. He can’t go back without the ornaments. He should have been more cautious. The queen had cautioned him — Takshaka has an eye on these ornaments. He said, Takshaka will not dare to come near me. See where that false pride ended.

But Uttanka had done his duties very well. Doing one’s own duties without fail itself is earning of punya. Duty means it is meant for others. It is going out. Reward is for yourself. But when you do duty, it is not selfish. This duty is what our scriptures speak about.

When they say, do this, do that — it means when you do them, you are creating a huge bank balance for yourself which will come to your use later. Because all duties are designed in such a way that they don’t directly benefit you. Whatever benefits you today — it will have nothing in it meant for the future.

You have a thousand rupees in your hand. You go to a restaurant and have food with it. It is gone. You have enjoyed and it is gone. Put it in the bank — that means what? You are not enjoying it right now. It is there in the bank. You can withdraw it and use in case of medical emergency.

Duties are like this. Punya earned through performance of duties is like that. And our scriptures are meant for this — to make you understand about what are these duties. A Mills and Boon novel also will have an advice or two. But that is not the purpose of that book. Our scriptures are written keeping in mind these principles. That’s why they give you so much clarity.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi