How are fruitive activities the engagements of one’s reactions from past good or bad deeds?

Transcript

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Prabhupada says in the Purport of 2.41, fruitive activities are the engagements of one’s reactions from past good or bad deeds. What does this mean? Answer, answer, according to our past actions, we get a particular social position and a particular psychological disposition. That means that we in this life are born in a particular family, in a particular dynasty, in a particular country and therein we have a particular psychology, a psychophysical nature.
So, we are prompted to act in particular ways by that nature. And when we do activities for seeking worldly pleasures, when we do fruitive activities, especially if we are doing the Karmakand activities, which are for fruitive results, within the context of the broad Varanasi culture, then we are basically acting according to our psychophysical disposition and our social position. So, Akshatriya will seek for power and prestige through Dharma.
And Akshatriya, who is by the past, by vast Karma, having less of a Dharmic inclination and more of Adharmic inclination, may be more malicious. May also seek power and prestige, but may not care for Dharma that much. And some Kshatriyas, they may only name Kshatriyas, but in action they will be demonic.
And instead of protecting those who are, who need protection, those who are protecting others from hurt, they may themselves cause hurt to others. So, thus, at our present situation, the way we act is largely shaped by our past actions. An alcoholic, when they pass by a bar, will feel a strong urge to drink.
Where does that urge come from? It is from their past actions. The other hand, a person who has been religious and was regularly visited temples, on passing by a temple, will feel strongly inspired to go and visit that temple and offer respects to the deity therein. This is also by one’s past actions.
So, of course, we do have free will. And the whole process of Bhakti Yoga, which is what the Bhagavad Gita directs us to practice, is meant to empower us to use our free will properly by which we can ultimately come closer to Krishna and attain Him. And thus, the closer we come to Krishna, the more we become purified by contact with the All-Pure and the influence of our past actions on our present actions decreases.
So, why is a Kshatriya engaged presently as a Kshatriya? Because of their disposition and their position and both of these have come from their past karma. So, in that sense, a fruitive activity or engagement is coming from our past good and bad karmas. And generally, we do have free will, but still we are prompted quite persuasively to act in particular directions by our nature.
And unless we have a strong reason, to the extent we practice Bhakti, to that extent, our engagements become not just the engagements that are impelled by our past nature, our past actions, but their engagements which are chosen with our present intelligence and intention for our attaining the most auspicious spiritual destination ultimately. Of course, a Kshatriya may still act as a Kshatriya, but the adharmic aspect that might be there in a Kshatriya, which, that will be substantially curbed by one’s connection with Krishna and thus one will be able to act in a dharmic way. Otherwise, to a large extent, our past life’s karma puts us in a position and a disposition that more or less makes the life chart of this life significantly predictable, especially when we are living in highly structured hierarchical societies as there were in Varanasi in the past.
So, Krishna offers through the Bhagavad Gita’s universal call for the practice of Bhakti Yoga to an opportunity for us to choose a much more auspicious trajectory than what might have been drawn out for us by our past actions. So, we may still act as Kshatriyas if we are Kshatriya disposition, but the gradual progress that comes if the Kshatriya has a dharmic orientation, but along with material attachment, and the Kshatriya goes to heaven, comes back here, and gradually after doing this for many, many lifetimes becomes then elevated towards spiritual knowledge. But by the practice of Bhakti, one can with one’s Kshatriya disposition itself develop a strong spiritual intention and thus rapidly advance towards life’s supreme fulfillment of attaining eternal love for Krishna and attaining Krishna’s eternal abode