Acharya Prashant clarifies the concept of 'Karmaphal' (the result of action), explaining that it is not about getting what one deserves, but rather getting what one asks for. He emphasizes that there is a significant difference between these two. Our actions typically arise from our will, wish, or desire. Desire means that which you want or ask for. Consequently, the result you get is what you asked for. It is not what you deserve because our actions usually stem from the center of desire, not from the center of our potential. If our actions came from our potential, we would get what we deserve. What we truly deserve is far higher than what we desire. This understanding is crucial for compassion. Helping someone is about enabling them to realize their potential. Otherwise, they will just keep getting what they desire, and they often do not know what to desire. The law of karma is a material, mechanical law, akin to 'garbage in, garbage out.' If you keep asking for rubbish, you will keep getting rubbish. This is the law of karma. However, beyond this material law, there is a living, conscious element, which is grace. Grace is not material and does not operate on the principle of 'garbage in, garbage out.' It enables a person to see that they can ask for something better in life. Acharya Prashant further explains that the personal self is not an isolated unit; existentially, we are all interlinked. We pay for the sins of others, just as we suffer from polluted air we did not individually pollute. When this is realized, compassion becomes a necessity, not just a heroic act. There can be no individual liberation; for liberation to be complete, it must encompass all of humankind. This is the Bodhisattva ideal: not crossing over until the last blade of grass is redeemed, because you and the blade of grass are organically linked. Citing Shri Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita, he explains that there are two parallel statements. On one hand, Krishna says, "I will come to you as you come to me," which represents the material law. If you treat the highest Truth as material, then you will not be provided with the heights of consciousness. On the other hand, Krishna also advises to work only for his sake, meaning for the sake of the highest, for liberation (Nishkam Karma), and not to desire worldly things. Ultimately, the choice is yours, but the advice is not to ask for something lowly. No one deserves to suffer, but people unconsciously desire to suffer.
