Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

From his words and from the rosary of rudrakshas around
his neck, it was clear that he was practising mantra japam. He
said that he had darshan of Bhagavan once before in
Virupaksha Cave. Today, going up to Bhagavan, he asked,
“Swami, can a continuous japa of Panchakshari or Tarakam
absolve one from sin such as drinking alcoholic liquor and
the like?” “What exactly is your idea?” asked Bhagavan. The
brahmin again asked pointedly, “Even though people commit
adultery and theft and take alcoholic drinks and so on, can
their sins be wiped out by doing japam with the mantras
mentioned above. Or will the sins stick to them?”
“If the feeling ‘I am doing japa’ is not there, the sins
committed by a man will not stick to him. If the feeling ‘I am
doing the japa’ is there, why should not the sin arising from
bad habits stick on?” said Bhagavan. “Will not this punya
(result of virtuous acts) extinguish that papam (result of those
sinful acts)?” asked the brahmin. “So long as the feeling,
‘I am doing’ is there, one must experience the result of one’s
acts, whether they are good or bad. How is it possible to
wipe out one act with another? When the feeling that ‘I am
doing’ is lost, nothing affects a man. Unless one realises the
Self, the feeling ‘I am doing’ will never vanish. For one who
realises the Self where is the need for japam? Where is the
need for tapas? Owing to the force of prarabdha life goes on,
but he does not wish for anything. Prarabdha is of three
categories, ichha, anichha, and parechha (personally desired,
without desire and due to others’ desire). For him who has
realised his Self, there is no ichha-prarabdha. The two others,
anichha and parechha remain. Whatever he does is for others
only. If there are things to be done by him for others, he
does them but the results do not affect him. Whatever be
the actions that such people do, there is no punya and no
papa attached to them. But they do only what is proper
according to the accepted standard of the world — nothing
else,” said Bhagavan.

Though Bhagavan told the questioner that for him who
realises his self there is no ichha-prarabdha but only anichha
and parechha-prarabdha, his usual views about the prarabdhas
may be found in his work “Unnathi Nalupadhi”:
The Jnani does not have present, future and prarabdha
karma; to say that prarabdha remains, is only a reply
to a question. Just as one of the wives cannot remain
unwidowed when the husband dies, so also the three
karmas cannot remain when the karta is gone.

The Forty Verses, Supplement, verse 33