Nothing is Good or Bad, It is Utilization Which Makes it Good or Bad

God had given human beings freedom. All other living beings, they do not have that much independence and freedom. Human beings have complete freedom, and if this freedom is put to proper use, it can lead to salvation. Therefore this birth is called "karma yoni." The main difference is that in human birth, one is responsible to do one's work (karma). It is not "bhog yoni" i.e. It is not a birth that is only for bearing the fruits of past actions. In human birth, one has rights to do new actions. And through doing actions (one's duty), one can either become independent or bound.

What is the reason that his birth-death cycle started in the first place? Why did sorrow come about? The reason this sorrow came about is from improper utilization of our freedom. But the minute we stop misutilizing our freedom, then we can attain salvation. We have the opportunity to stop this cycle. Opportunities like this, may not arise again for a long time. We are fortunate, as this opportunity is here right now.

The greatness of this human birth is not the body. This body is only a factory for manufacturing urine and feces. Human birth is the highest of all births (in Manasa, Uttarkand). It is the rarest form of birth, as only in this birth one is eligible and has rights to realize God (Self). We are at a big junction (just like a major train junction, where you can pick any direction to travel). You have the opportunity to go many places from this birth. Given this opportunity, one has to become extremely alert. This birth is " durlabh" rare, because of its eligibility and rights. We can be rid of all sorrows once and for all in this birth. Now, pay attention to it's greatness -

The greatness of this birth is in the vivek (discrimination) between, real-unreal, perishable-imperish able, temporary and permanent etc. However, this "vivek" must be properly utilized. No thing is good or bad, it is the utilization that makes it good or bad. Whatever situation comes our way, that situation is not good or bad, it is how it is put to use. If properly put to use, (i.e. knowing what is to be done and not to be done), one can become joyful forever. In this human birth, one has the freedom and independence to attain salvation.

Favorable and unfavorable situations are not in our hands. Often in unfavorable situations, there is greater progress. One becomes more alert, more cautious. But these unfavorable situations are good when they are put to proper use. Proper use is when one can remain happy at all times from within, and under any circumstance. Finally and most importantly, when we turn towards God, it is proper use of our discrimination and when we move towards sense enjoyments and pleasures, it is mis-utilization of our discrimination.

No thing is good or bad, it is the utilization that makes it good or bad

"No thing is good or bad, it is the utilization that makes it good or bad".
You know why? Because there are " no-things" at all in reality of our experience!
Put differently "we never ever experience "things", we only experience our perceptions in terms of thoughts of "things"!
Now perceptions, thoughts, conceptions are all means of knowing and then recognizing from memory/mind into a thing!
Thus, a thing is born into mind, not really "out there" external to us! They never ever say who they are!

Such KNOWING, being AWARE is the mother of all utilization of "things" which we attribute to "things" as if "things" exist independently from such KNOWING! "Things" gross or subtle arise in AWARENESS(Brahma, the creator) sustained in AWARENESS(Vishnu, the sustainer) for a while as thoughts and then dissolve in AWARENESS(Rudra, the dissolver)!
This is really the meaning of BRAHMA, VISHNU and MAHESH metaphor!
World we experience consists of AWARENESS in its purity but we paint it with our own colors, and hence it gets different utilitization for different people and thus only utilization is subject to "proper or improper"!
Thus, only utilization( relationships to objects) is our ultimate connections with apparent world, gross or subtle!
In Reality "things" in and of themselves, meaning apart from awareness of 'them", exist or not cannot be said with any certainty, But Awareness IS our experience beyond any shadow of doubt!
WE STAND AS "THAT", and BEING THAT is our IMMORTALITY!

An action, in itself, cannot be good or bad because action is never an isolated from its circumstancesAn action, in itself, cannot be good or bad because action is never an isolated from its circumstances

An action, in itself, cannot be good or bad because action is never an isolated from its circumstances.
We know many cases where an action is "good" under a given situation whereas, the same action in a different context is "bad". Telling truth is good in a court of law but telling truth where an innocent person can be harmed by someone's evil action is bad! For example, Krishna advising Yudhisthira not to give straightforward answer to Dronacharya when the elephant named Ashwasthama got killed, giving him the impression that it was his son by the same name may have been killed, just to render him ineffective in the war to save Pandavas, where righteousness belonged! Another example, if killing, Per Se, is "bad", why its alright to kill in a war?

The reason for such a complexity is our solid interdependency on each other and nature that no thing in itself can be considered as "always good" or "always bad". Circumstances surrounding events determine relative goodness or evilness! Again "good" and "bad" are only in minds of people, and hence they are relatively good or bad, not in absolute sense!
Having said this, we must be aware of its practical implications:
Engage in those actions without being a doer, and with the best of intentions and skills that will result in greater good even at relative level. And above all, Trust God, HE/SHE/IT knows better!

Understanding comes from the Absolute while living happens in relative world!

Last point: Only as an individual, we don't have freedom or have some freedom limited by our conditioning! However, what we really are is Freedom itself, not that we have freedom, Just as God IS all freedom!
That which IS without limit, how can it not have Freedom to go on existing in infinite ever-changing forms including the freedom to be limited?

How to Destroy " Bad Karma " of the Past " ?

Srimad Bhagavatam ( 11.9.26) says " As a tree before dying produces the seed of a future tree , the dying body manifests the seed of one's material body in the form of one's accumulated Karma " .

In the new body , he continues the activities of "past karma" .

A Vedic Jyothishi (astrologer) could find out whether one's past karma is positive or negative . If it is positive, the person has God's grace .

Now, the natural question is, what can help to destroy the " bad karma " ?

The answer lies in Brahma-Samhita - " karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti bajam ". The performance of bhakti-yoga (devotional service), to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, is the only way to "burn to ashes", the karmic reactions .

How to perform devotional service to Sri Krishna ? Where to start ?

Vedic scriptures say, " sevonmukhe hi jihva 'dau ". The first and foremost activity is to engage your tongue in the service of Bhagavan Sri Krishna . How ? By chanting His holy names and tasting his "Prasadam" (sanctified food offered to Bhagavan in a Vedic-temple). .

By doing so , gradually one gets purified . He becomes an instrument of Sri Krishna, just like a pen in the hand of a writer .

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya !!!