The Karma conundrum

Time of India

a day ago

Thirukkural
with the Times explores real-world lessons from the classic Tamil text 'Thirukkural'. Written by Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, the Kural consists of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each. This text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth, and love and is considered one of the great works ever on ethics and morality. The Kural has influenced scholars and leaders across social, political, and philosophical spheres.
Motivational speaker, author and diversity champion Bharathi Bhaskar explores the masterpiece.
Aayiram Nilave Vaa
Dil Deewana
Manram Vandha Thendralukku
Shankara
Tere Mere Beech Mein
Ilaya Nila
doli
I am not above you.
Thirukkural
Arattaru Idhuvene Veandaa Civigai
Poruthanodu Oorndhan Idai
Judge not the inequalities of life as the result of righteousness and its reverse
By comparison of the man riding on the palanquin with its bearers.
Where do they play SPB's songs?
A few nights ago, sleep eluded me. I tossed, turned, and finally surrendered to wakefulness. I reached for my phone, seeking solace in music. As always, my playlist led me back to the 1990s, and SPB.As the first notes played, I sat up in sudden realization. The date had just turned to June 4. SPB's birthday.S P Balasubrahmanyam. A voice that painted decades of Indian cinema with its warmth. A legend who gifted us more than 40,000 songs—, and my eternal favorite,. Though he has passed, his voice lingers—breathing through our memories.I cannot speak for what men feel when he sings, but I know what women hear—the tenderness we long for, the gentleness of love, the strength of restraint, the shimmer of longing. It has weight, and wings. It lifts us when we're low and stills us when we tremble.But that night, I realized it was not just the magic of his voice that bound us to him. It was something deeper—his humility .I recalled a stage performance. SPB was singing live, captivating the audience. During the second background interlude, a short but vital flute solo was to emerge. It didn't. Arunmozhi, the flutist, missed his moment.SPB, the professional, continued unflinchingly and ended the song to thunderous applause. But he didn't exit. He turned to the audience and spoke—gently, generously—about the skill of the flutist and the difficulty of his art. He asked the audience permission to replay the interlude. This time, Arunmozhi played it perfectly, and the applause was louder.SPB saw the crestfallen face of a fellow musician and chose compassion. And then there was another moment—captured in a video that went viral after his passing. On his way to Sabarimala, unable to make the climb, SPB sat on a—a palanquin carried by porters. Before sitting, he touched the feet of the men who would carry him. It was not a ritual—it was reverence. A silent apology. A humble bow to those who bore his weight. A quiet assertion:In that instant, a couplet fromstirred within me:Traditionally, this couplet has been interpreted through the lens of karma: that one's position in life—rider or bearer—is a consequence of past virtue or vice. But a few commentators differed and viewed through a different lens.What if Thiruvalluvar wasn't affirming karma, but questioning our habit of justifying inequality through it? What if he was asking us not to preach to the rider, drunk on privilege—or to the bearer, bowed by burden? Perhaps he was reminding us that the journey matters more than the height. That the destination awaits us all—riders and bearers alike.SPB seemed to have lived that message. Never pompous, always gracious. He knew that fame is not a summit, but a platform held up by others. He respected every hand that steadied him—no matter how invisible.He was not just the voice of a generation. He was its conscience.If someone were to offer me a choice between heaven and hell, I would ask just one question: