Manifestation vs Karma

Time of India

28-04-2025

A trailblazer across diverse fields, Mondreeta is a multifaceted achiever whose journey encompasses athletics, personal development, corporate leadership, and spiritual healing. A national-level swimmer and world-record-holding mountaineer, she was honoured by former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi. In 2025, she was nominated by the Ministry of Tourism for felicitation by the President of India under the category of 'The Woman – Lifetime Achievement.' As a national award-winning author, her books on travel have received widespread acclaim, reflecting her passion for exploration. Academically, she holds credentials as a psychologist, counselor, and trainer, excelling as a life coach, professional trainer, and motivational speaker & story teller. She has served as a trainer in the American Consulate's training wing and has coached cabin crews for both national and international airlines. As General Manager of Human Resources at Reliance Industries Ltd., she led the Training Division, driving leadership and development initiatives. Currently, as Vice President of TOGA, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India, she serves as an Indian Ambassador to Foreign Delegates. A dedicated spiritual practitioner, she is a certified trainer in Reiki, Angel Healing, Pranic Healing, and Violet Flame. She is also a regular speaker at the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh. LESS ... MORE
Does Karma control us and our lives?
Yes, absolutely. Everything that unfolds in our lives—good or bad—is driven by karma. It is an invisible contract between us and the universe. When we give, we receive; and when we receive from the universe, we must give back. However, the most empowering truth about karma is that it is not set in stone—we can change it and take control into our own hands.
Take manifestation, for instance. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our manifestations are delayed. Even if someone makes a lot of money, they may discover that their expenses are much higher than their income. Wealth is accrued but not sustained. Why does this happen? The answer lies in the source of the wealth. If money is earned through dishonest or unethical means, it doesn't stay. Money carries energy—if it has passed through the hands of scammers, cheaters, or fraudsters, it retains that vibration.
So what can we do about it? A powerful practice is to express gratitude before spending any money. Bless the currency and visualise & pray it circulating around the world—feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, enriching the poor—and returning to you multiplied, in the form of prosperity and abundance. This simple yet mindful gesture purifies the energy of money and aligns us with abundance.
Unknowingly, we commit many karmic errors that delay our manifestations. One such act is the consumption of animal flesh. I was once a non-vegetarian. But then I reflected—was a fleeting seven-second taste on my tongue worth the cost of an entire life? What kind of karma are we generating by taking lives for our sensory pleasure?
After such an act, how can we expect mercy from the universe? The karmic repercussions of killing and consuming animals can manifest as severe illnesses, accidents, loss, or suffering through natural disasters. Yet, the universe is compassionate. If a non-vegetarian decides to give up meat and sincerely seeks forgiveness from the universe, the karmic burden begins to lift. When we vow to show mercy to the animal kingdom in the future, the universe mirrors that mercy back to us.
Some may ask, 'Aren't we taking the lives of plants too?' The answer is yes, but there's a key difference. There are five evolutionary kingdoms: the Mineral Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom, the Animal Kingdom, the Human Kingdom, and finally, the Spiritual Kingdom. Our soul's journey begins in the mineral realm, then progresses through plants and animals to humans, and ultimately, to spiritual enlightenment.
Once we evolve from one kingdom to the next, we do not regress. For example, once we've reached the human kingdom, we no longer reincarnate as animals because we've spiritually progressed beyond that stage. A grade VI child will not be demoted to grade V. Historical spiritual figures like Gautama Buddha, Lord Padmasambhava, Mahavira, Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Sai Baba, Prophet Muhammad, Jesus Christ, and Guru Nanak Dev exemplify souls who have transcended from the human kingdom to the spiritual kingdom. These beings, free from karma, are called Arhats or Paramhansas.
When we harm plants or small pests like mosquitoes, the karmic weight is minimal because such actions are often necessary for survival. Plants, while living, do not possess the same level of consciousness or emotional sensitivity as animals. The injury we cause them is minor in the karmic sense.
This explains why some are born deaf or mute. A person who caused verbal harm or abused others in past lives may be rendered speechless in this one, so they cannot harm again. Someone who spoke cruelly may be born deaf, so they experience the pain of hearing nothing, reflecting the pain they once caused through words.
Mental illness in this life is often the karmic result of intellectual abuse in a past one. If someone used their intelligence to manipulate or deceive others, the universe may respond by giving them a life where their mental faculties are impaired. Thus, karma acts as a teacher, balancing the scales through lifetimes.
It is interesting to note that, according to theological studies, healers were frequently warriors in previous lives; judges were thought to have been unfair and had taken the law into their own hands; teachers were thought to be seekers who were hungry for knowledge; performers were thought to be as lazy as sloths; artists were harsh critics (the need for appreciation now); and actors were the most credulous—blindly trusted and deceived, which is how they lead people to believe things that are not true—the muddiest; sweepers & cleaners; the muddiest of souls in the past now try to convey light through their work.
Doctors? Many were supposed to be executioners or soldiers in previous lifetimes. Their present role of saving lives is a direct karmic counterbalance to the lives they once took. Similarly, those who once beat and abused others, like slave overseers, may now live with physical disabilities, unable to move freely. The blind are often those who deceived others in past lives, showing them a false reality. Now, they are made to see nothing, so they understand what it means to blind others to the truth.
And what about rape? A soul who has committed child abuse or sexual crimes against women in a past life may be reborn as a woman and suffer rape in this one. Karma ensures we experience the pain we once inflicted, not out of cruelty, but as a divine lesson to free us of our past wrongdoings. If you were a protector in the past, like a security guard or bank officer who guarded the lockers and protected the money of people & did your job sincerely, then the Universe would protect your life from all harm – even if you stood amid the battlefield in Kargil, no bullet would hurt you.
So, is karma cruel? Is it something to fear? Absolutely not. Karma is the most just force in the universe. It is fairer than the fairest. It gives us exactly what we need to learn from our past actions& where we need to make corrections. Once we learn the lesson, the suffering ceases. However, the Lords of Karma will test us to ensure we have truly internalised the learning. Once we break old patterns, the negative cycles dissolve.
For instance, if you repeatedly suffer financial losses, it may be due to financial dishonesty in a previous life. To break this pattern, start donating money to the poor, but do it wisely. If your donation is misused (for example, spent on alcohol), no good karma is generated. Your karmic bank remains unchanged. Intent and impact both matter.
As a Karma Healer, I've guided and healed the lives of hundreds. By helping them understand the root cause of their suffering, I've empowered them to make permanent shifts in their lives from the dark bottom to the illuminated peak. Most people struggle because they don't know why things go wrong. But once they do—and once they apply the solutions—they rise above karma's grip.
The doors of manifestation open when we consciously transform karma into charisma, turning negativity into positivity and positivity into power.
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Views expressed above are the author's own.