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Karma Philosophy
315
The term 'paraloka' literally means 'another world', that is, living beings other than one's own self. Improving paraloka, therefore, means improving those other beings. For each and every man there are clearly two worlds with which he has contact, viz., human world and animal world. An attempt to improve them is the attempt to improve ‘paraloka'. If every man firmly understands that our visible 'paraloka' is this human society and hence 'to improve our paraloka' means 'to improve this human society', then the human society will undergo radical transformation and become progressive, prosperous and happy. Similarly, he should make strong efforts to generate and foster good feelings in the human society for the animals and urge it to make arrangements for their fodder, drinking water and shelter. They have contributed greatly to the progress and comforts of the human society. They have been a constant and faithful aid to man in civilizing himself for ages. The human society owes a duty to them. If it has received so many benefits from the animal kingdom, it should reciprocate them by being kind to them, by taking care and attending those that are suffering.
It is not certain as to where a man will be born in his next birth, after the death of the present body. So he should always bear in mind that if the animal class is living in a bad state fraught with troubles and diseases, then he would have to be the victim of that bad state when he is born in the animal class. Therefore, from the standpoint of public weal as also from that of his weal, it becomes necessary for man to maintain his conduct so good and so righteous that it may have good, instead of evil, influence on both the societies-human and animal. Just as improvement of the city results in the happiness of all its residents, even so the improvement of the human and animal worlds would result in the happiness of all their members. Readiness to improve these two worlds is but the readiness to improve one's paraloka.
There is also another paraloka. It is one's own progeny. The live impressions of good or bad bodily activities performed by man are transmitted to his progeny through his blood and semen. If he is afflicted with the transmittable diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis, diabetes, cancer, his progeny will have to experience their fruits. Evil impressions of his vices like licentious behavior, drunkenness, etc., are transmitted to his progeny through his blood and semen, and this will ultimately lead to the grave degeneration and ruin of the whole human society. The meaning of 'improving one's paraloka' is, therefore, 'improving one's progeny' which necessarily implies 'improving one's own self'.
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