Every child arrives into the world, bearing the burden of unrequited consequences, accumulated in previous lives. It does not drop from the lap of Nature, as a streak of lightning from the clouds. It is born in this world in order to experience the beneficial and malignant consequences, that are the products of its own acts in the past lives. This is the explanation for the differences that are evident among men. This is the Principle of Karma.

Among men, each one is himself the cause of his fortune, good and bad. He is himself the builder, the architect. Fate, destiny, pre-determination, the Will of God – every one of the explanations is toppled by the principle of Karma. God and man can be reconciled and affiliated only on the basis of this Sutra or Principle of Karma. When man realise that God has no share in causing his suffering and that he is himself the sole cause, that no blame attaches to any other person, that he is the initiator as well as the beneficiary (the cause and the effect) of his acts, that he is free to shape his future, then he approaches God with a firmer step and a clearer mind.

If at the present time, a man is afflicted by misfortune, it is assuredly the result of acts done by him. Accordingly, man has to believe that happiness and good fortune also lie in his own hands. If he decides, happiness and good fortune can be gained by him.

If a person is pure in spirit now, he himself is the cause. Unless a person yearns, he cannot earn. So, it is clear that the will inherent in man is beyond all stages and conditions, all formations and transformations. The freedom that it represents, is the result of his past acts; it is powerful, infinitely fruitful and supreme. (SSVahini, pp. 92-93)