How to clear past life karma?

Whatever comes your way is a result of your own doing. Settle all your past accounts and do not create any new 'loans'.

Questioner: What do you mean by new 'loans'?

Dadashri: If someone insults you and you feel within your mind, 'Why is he doing this to me?' then you have created a new 'loan' i.e. bound a new karma. As the previous account is being settled, you are creating a new one. Instead of crediting the insult and settling the past account, you are creating a new one. In you past life, you had given one insult, but when the nimit comes to return that insult, you turn around and loan five more. As it is you cannot tolerate this insult but you continue to create a newer and bigger account with five more insults and this puzzles you! This is how all confusion arises. Now how can the human intellect comprehend such a thing?

If you cannot afford to continue such transactions, then do not give back anything new in return. But if you can afford to do so, then give five more again.

Questioner: We credit the insult once, twice or even a hundred times. Should we carry on crediting them every time?

Dadashri: Yes. When you return the insult, you create a debit and start a new account. Instead, why not let a hundred thousand insults come your way and just credit them all? One day the end will come. You will see. Just do what I tell you!

Questioner: They have not stopped coming even after so many years.

Dadashri: Instead of thinking about anything else, do as I tell you, and it will all come to an end. I have also been doing the same thing and crediting everything. For the past twentyeight years, I have not created a new account. All accounts have been cleared.

If you asked your neighbor to verbally abuse you five times each morning, he would say that he had no time for it. You only encounter insults if you have a pending account. Nobody will insult you if there is no account, and if you do have a pending account, no one will leave you alone.

From now on the only effort (purushaarth) you have to make is to 'drink the poison with a smile'. If one day you have a difference of opinion with your son and he gives you a cup of poison (bitter words), will you not have to drink it? Are you going to throw it back in his face? You will have to accept it, will you not?