When it rains, some grains that have been planted germinate. Some do not. Some grow fast. Some grow slowly. Some seeds result in trees which yield bitter fruits. Some result in trees whose fruits are sweet.
The common cause with regard to the germinating seeds, is rain. This is the sAmAnya kAraNa, explained T.S.R.Narayanachariar in a discourse. So, while there is a common reason for the germination of the seeds, yet the result can be vastly different because of individual differences between the seeds. The analogy in terms of God and the world would be that God is the common cause, and the differences arise from individual karma.. Just as different seeds on receiving rain develop into different plants or trees, so do human beings have varying experiences in life. The Supreme One is the common cause. The special cause for each individual experience — the visesha kAraNa — is that individual’s karma.
Vishnu Purana says that there is no such thing as joy or sorrow. Our karma makes us view something as joy or sorrow. There is no object that is intrinsically joyous or sorrowful. There is no sukham or dukham.
Tatvatraya — Paramatma, chetana and achetana — can be understood through yet another analogy. Can a horse-drawn chariot proceed on its own? The horses have to be yoked to the chariot, and a charioteer is needed. Paramatma is the driver, jivatmas are akin to horses, and the chariot is achetana.
As we take more and more births due to karma, we keep adding to our burden of sins. We cannot atone for our sins, because even while atoning wecommit more sins. But if we surrender to Lord Narayana, He liberates us from this cycle. He is like a mother who cannot bear to see her child suffer.
