Post #714

Disciple : How can we possibly wipe out the past record when we do not know nor have the means of knowing what it is? Jagadguru: Except to a very few highly advanced souls, the past certainly remains unknown. But even our ignorance of it is very often an advantage to us. For, if we happen to know all the limitless varieties of results which we have accumulated by our actions in this life and the countless lives that have preceded it, we will be simply staggered at the magnitude and number of such results and give up in despair any attempt to overcome or mitigate them. Even in this life, forgetfulness is a boon which the merciful God has been pleased to bestow on us, so that we may not be buried at any moment with a recollection of all that has transpired in the past. Similarly, the divine spark in us is ever bright with hope and makes it possible for us to confidently exercise our freewill. It is not for us to belittle the significance of these two boons-forgetfulness of the past and hope for the future. - Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Swamigal, 35th Sringeri Shankaracharya