tal, and the started to talk about the costs, Rukmani couldn’t understand why people gave so much money to help. Kenny said, “Because they have means, do no the sick die in the streets because there is no hospital for them? Are not your children born in gutters? Etc.” “You must cry out if you want help.” Rukmani then thought, “Well, and what if we gave in to our troubles at every step! We would be pitiable creatures indeed to be so weak, for is not a man’s spirit given to him to rise above his misfortunes?”(p. 115) And this is the essence of the argument presented above. They believe that their life is the way to fulfill the karma given to them. So Rukmani would fulfill her poor life as a wife of a farmer. And then, if she “completes” her karma, maybe she would be reincarnated into a being with a better life. And also all the hardships may be punishments for bad deeds in the previous life. This is precisely why Rukmani is always so optimistic and leads her life passively through all the hard times. This passivity comes from the belief. Maybe it is a better way of life, the passivity worked for Gandhi’s independence movement. Plus, Rukmani did survive, and tells us this story as an old woman, probably hoping that she fulfilled her karma. ...
