November 10

Go to Them with All Courage

Question: Before I believed, I created much bad karma in this life. Now I am frightened most of the time about how I must pay it back. How can I handle this fear?

Sri Gurudev: Your fear is unnecessary. We all make mistakes. Once you realize that you have made a mistake, repent. Learn the lessons from the mistakes that you make. Failures are stepping stones to future success. If you’re going to brood over your past mistakes and be afraid that something terrible will happen, you’ll just waste your time. Nothing will happen. Nature’s grace is such that it will pardon any mistake, because only by mistakes do you learn. If a child is going to think of all the falls it had while it was learning to walk, it will never walk. So treat the falls as stepping stones.

If you have the opportunity to see the people you wronged, go to them with all courage and apologize. Say, “I made a mistake. I was a fool. I was ignorant. I didn’t know what I was doing. Please excuse me.” That’s the only way to repay your debts. If you cannot see these people, if they are not here anymore, at least mentally pray for them. Think of them. Send your apologies to them. That way you can pay them back and it won’t affect you.