R: Some years ago someone spread rice on the bed under the bedsheet of my family member. In few months he died of heart attack. Please tell whether these two incidents are related. We don’t know anything about this. Is there any effect of the same to other family members? We are suffering with stressful life these days. Please tell a solution.
Swami Ram Swarup: I am sorry to listen about your father’s demise. However, the death was natural due to heart attack and had no concern with spreading of rice under bed sheet. Therefore, you must not worry about the future as regards rice. Pleasure and sorrows are the result of our own deeds of previous lives. Rigveda Mandal 10, sukta 135 states that God has provided us with the present human body to face the result of our own previous lives’ deeds. However, it is also clarified that the real worship of God based on the Vedas’ like Yajyen/havan, name jaap and practice of yoga philosophy destroys the sins and then the devotee does not face the result of the bad deeds and always remains happy. I also paste few of my articles in this regard.

Three types of Deeds
There are three types of deeds (karmas) – sanchit, prarabhadh and kriyamann. Suppose one soul has to take birth (body). It means he has to face total number of deeds of his all previous lives and these deeds are called sanchit karmas but sanchit deeds are huge/unlimited and cannot be faced in one life. So the karmas which can be faced in one life are called prarabhadh (luck-destiny). So God has not made our luck at His own but Almighty God has taken the deeds which we have already done.

Yajurveda mantra 7/48 clarifies that human being is free to do any deed good or bad but God only awards the result. Now the balance deeds from sanchit deeds will be counted in the next life. Now the deeds which we do in our day today present life are called kriyamann.

If we do pious deeds according to Vedas, shastras and holy books and based on pious preaches of Rishi, Muni/learned saints then our all sanchit deeds are burnt and we can get salvation. Human beings are free in the matter of doing deeds good or bad. But result will be awarded by God. So we must worship and do pious deeds under guidance of a learned Guru. One should go always ahead for hard working, pious deeds, worship to make future bright himself. One should always work hard towards a right path.

Worship does not mean that we are free to discharge only our family duties, education, etc., but rather it is a sin. We have to get progress in both way at a time i.e., spiritualism and worldly progress i.e., science, education, duties towards family etc. God creates the universe according to His eternal law framed in Vedas which are always unchangeable and unchallengeable. So we have to follow the law of God always to get long happy life.

Please, start the day by chanting Gayatri mantra in the early morning sitting on suitable asan like Sukhasan, Siddhasan or Padmasan etc. concentrate on the point between two eyebrows which is called “Agyachakra”. The Gayatri mantra should be chanted along with its meaning both times. Also, please try to perform daily hawan even with Gayatri mantra. Then try to study any of my books daily and put up question if any.

After 15 days chant the Gayatri mantra only thrice thereafter do the name jaap of Almighty God-“Om”. The jaap must be done daily by heart and not orally.

How to do havan
Please sit in the morning to perform havan. Havan must be in sunlight then it is more beneficial. Then half a bowl of fresh water with a tablespoon must be with you with small twigs especially of mango tree if possible, havan samagri, ghee, camphor and match box must be there with you. Please sit on sukh asan on four times folded blanket and blanket must be on mat.

Sukh asan i.e., sit on duly folded feet in comfortable position. Then first close your eyes and concentrate between two eyebrows and chant Gayatri mantra three times within heart and not by mouth. Then open your eyes.

Take one spoon of water in right palm. Chant this mantra, OM AMRTO UPASTRANMASI SWAHA and drink the water which you have put in your palm. Then again take the spoon of water in right palm then chant the next mantra, OM AMRITA APIDHANMASI SWAHA, and drink the water. Then again take the water in right palm and chant the mantra, OM SATYAM YASHAH SHRI MAYI SHRI SHRAYTAAM SWAHA, and drink the water. Then wash the right palm while sitting, with the same water kept in bowl.

Then put the twigs into havan kund with one piece of camphor and burn it. During this process chant the Gayatri mantra again and again till such time the fire is lighted sufficiently. Then chant the Gayatri mantra and at the last add the word Swaha and offer ghee with tablespoon, quantity equivalent to 4 to 5 drops. And if you are alone then also offer in fire pinch of havan samagri from your right hand’s finger and thumb avoiding forefinger. So this offering may be of 11 times, 21 times or 51 times as the time suits. It is the simplest way and I have not quoted the complete method of Yajyen. The havan with Ved mantras are always offered as the best worship of God only please. Do havan daily and both times.

Subhash Arya: Swamiji, Namaste! I want to know about God. Is energy God? If not then how and which? I mean that everything of the world is processing by energy. If energy is not God then who is God? Energy is unconscious (achetan). Please clarify.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you . There are three matters in this world- God, souls and prakriti. God and Souls are alive matters whereas Prakriti is non-alive. Definitely, God contains power/energy. However, it must be noted that God has unlimited power whereas souls (we people) have limited power. As regards God, He is formless and amongst unlimited qualities/powers, He is omnipresent, omniscient, Almighty, creates, nurses and destroys the universe. So, we must worship the said God, based on the knowledge of Vedas.