How karma views blessings and curses

Curse – this word evokes a strong response. No one wants to be cursed, do we? We live our lives with a thought that when we finally say goodbye to this world, we should be free from any curse.

As children, we’ve heard many stories about windfalls and curses (vardaan and shraap). Even scriptures extol sages and holy men who accumulated miraculous powers through dedication and penance. It is said that if they were annoyed with someone, they could curse that person to suffer for long, and if they were pleased with someone, they blessed them well.

But in the 21st century, one wonders whether these blessings or curses actually have an influence over our lives? Do we humans actually possess such powers of giving boons and curses? Can boons turn into curses and vice-versa?

In simple terms, blessings bestow a special power or protection upon the one who is blessed. They are always linked to piety, devotion, penance and noble deeds. Some blessings last forever, some are one-time use or for a few times, some work only at the time of great need, and some others are absolutely conditional.

Lots of mythical stories are about kings, warriors and sages undergoing arduous penance, fasting, meditation and austerities to benefit from divinity and holy men. Even in these modern times, a stroke of good luck, a streak of genius, and long innings of success are viewed as a sacred sign by devout and god-fearing persons.

Once a person gets a windfall, he need not labour further for that which he has already received. But, a blessing automatically becomes a curse for the person if it is misused. It is always there for him but it may be lost due to his negative actions. For instance, ego turned the boon into a curse for Hiranyakashyap and became the reason for his death.

There are several stories that explain how a curse was undone by the blessing of the Almighty when the person suffering repented and prayed to him. This shows that a seemingly unending phase of misfortune and suffering can be resolved by performing righteous actions (karma) and by devoting oneself to the Almighty’s service.

We all know that the universal law of karma says – what you sow, so shall you reap. Hence, the blessing is the reward of benevolent deeds and curse is the result of bad deeds. Evidently, a person who intends ill for others brings misery for himself. 

One can earn the greatest boons if one lives by the Almighty’s will and serves others selflessly. By being soul conscious and aware of one’s own eternal spiritual identity and innate divine qualities, we can express and share the best within us and thus constantly earn benefits through blessings.

On the other hand, when we are body-conscious, we tend to become influenced by vices which result in immorality, deprivation and suffering. When we use force, violence, deception and exploitation, we automatically get cursed. Remember that exploiters always get exploited; fury burns the one who is furious.

People having occult powers use them to help or harm others. Taking recourse to such people and their powers may give temporary respite or support, however, it sets into motion a vicious circle of karmic debts that further aggravate the misfortunes of those who seek such help and also those who misuse their powers.