---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your suffering was repayment for the…"
description: "\"“Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred then”\" — Devdutt Pattanaik"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png"
---

#  Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred…

![“Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred then” quote by Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png)

> ““Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred then””

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Karmic debt is repaid through present suffering, linking past actions to current pain.

**In simple terms:** Suffering reflects past karma.

Key Takeaway

Recognize patterns and seek growth.

Themes

karma retribution spirituality

Mood

contemplative serious

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- spiritual practice
- healing
- self‑awareness

Key Concepts

cause and effect moral responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this view affect your response to hardship?
- Can you find alternative explanations?

A Different Perspective

Suffering may not always be karmic; other factors can cause pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Debt Incurred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt-incurred-4492728/) [Incurred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incurred-4492729/) [Karmic Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karmic-debt-2695996/) [Repayment Karmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repayment-karmic-4492726/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Repayment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-repayment-4492727/)

## Related quotes

> [We are not the first Who with best meaning have incurred the worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/we-are-not-the-first-who-with-best-meaning-have-incurred-the-worst/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“The law of karma has made it so. According to classic Hinduism, if someone were to help those people by easing their suffering, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-l-geisler/the-law-of-karma-has-made-it-so-according-to-classic-hinduism-if/)

[Norman L. Geisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-l-geisler/)

> [“ANYTHING THAT HURTS OR INJURES THE TEMPLE OF GOD (THE BODY) IS A KARMIC DEBT THAT MUST BE PAID!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/anything-that-hurts-or-injures-the-temple-of-god-the-body-is-a-karmic/)

[Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/)

> [“This Karmic Debt was created when you did things you felt guilty of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/this-karmic-debt-was-created-when-you-did-things-you-felt-guilty-of/)

[Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/)

[Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/)

> [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/)

[Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/)

> [“But, you know, if you choose to be with someone you should feel good with them, otherwise it doesn't make sense... How do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assia-petricelli/but-you-know-if-you-choose-to-be-with-someone-you-should-feel-good/)

[Assia Petricelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assia-petricelli/)

> [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

## More by Devdutt Pattanaik

> [“What is the most amazing thing about the world? 'Every day creatures die, yet the rest live as if immortal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/what-is-the-most-amazing-thing-about-the-world-every-day-creatures/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [In Greek mythology, the hero wants to be great, but the very concept does not exist in the Indian vocabulary. Yet it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/in-greek-mythology-the-hero-wants-to-be-great-but-the-very-concept/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Dharma is about exchange, about giving and receiving, It is about outgrowing animal instincts, outgrowing fear, discovering the ability to feed others, comfort others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/dharma-is-about-exchange-about-giving-and-receiving-it-is-about/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Life is difficult and people are imperfect. Unable to cope with the vagaries of this world, everyone makes mistakes. True love is the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/life-is-difficult-and-people-are-imperfect-unable-to-cope-with-the/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“To let our potential be realized without deriving our identity from it, or without denying its existence, is the hallmark of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/to-let-our-potential-be-realized-without-deriving-our-identity-from/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Each tool symbolizes one of the four things to keep in mind when supervising any project. •The conch-shell trumpet stands for clear communication. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/each-tool-symbolizes-one-of-the-four-things-to-keep-in-mind-when/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“his size, change his shape. He seeks independence from nature. Withdrawing from nature is the first step in this process. Detached from nature, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/his-size-change-his-shape-he-seeks-independence-from-nature/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Hindu thought, however, looks at truth quantitatively: everyone has access to a slice (bhaga); the one who sees all slices of truth is bhaga-van.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/hindu-thought-however-looks-at-truth-quantitatively-everyone-has/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Treta yuga, when the bull of dharma stands on three legs. Krishna’s story takes place in a later, third quarter of the world, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/treta-yuga-when-the-bull-of-dharma-stands-on-three-legs-krishna-s/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“B.R. Ambedkar believed the tale was not so much about Ram’s character as it was about the unsustainability of the caste system that needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/b-r-ambedkar-believed-the-tale-was-not-so-much-about-ram-s-character/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“How does one know the true path? 'Not through arguments-- they never reach a conclusion; not from teachers--- they can only give their opinions;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/how-does-one-know-the-true-path-not-through-arguments-they-never/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Janaka told her to bring happiness into marriage, rather than seek happiness from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/janaka-told-her-to-bring-happiness-into-marriage-rather-than-seek/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Arjuna, immerse your mind in me and I will uplift you from the ocean of recurring death. If you cannot do that, then practise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/arjuna-immerse-your-mind-in-me-and-i-will-uplift-you-from-the-ocean/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [If you don't have imagination, you stop being human; animals don't have imagination; Alzheimer's is the death of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/if-you-don-t-have-imagination-you-stop-being-human-animals-don-t-have/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

> [“Control creates domesticated animals. The purpose of society is to inspire humanity, not tame them,’ said Ram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/control-creates-domesticated-animals-the-purpose-of-society-is-to/)

[Devdutt Pattanaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

[Explore all 119 Devdutt Pattanaik quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/)

## More Suffering quotes

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“But, you know, if you choose to be with someone you should feel good with them, otherwise it doesn't make sense... How do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assia-petricelli/but-you-know-if-you-choose-to-be-with-someone-you-should-feel-good/)

[Assia Petricelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assia-petricelli/)

> [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/)

[Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/)

> [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/)

[Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

[Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [“Because we live in a fallen world, we suffer. But those of us who know Jesus are never alone in the suffering, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-turner-lee/because-we-live-in-a-fallen-world-we-suffer-but-those-of-us-who-know/)

[Melissa Turner Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-turner-lee/)

> [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

[Browse all 13,957 Suffering quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred then”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Devdutt Pattanaik"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-karmic-debt-incurred-then/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Suffering"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-karmic-debt-incurred-then/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/devdutt-pattanaik-3900_suffering_your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-kar_2146340.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Your suffering was repayment for the karmic debt incurred then” — Devdutt Pattanaik",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Devdutt Pattanaik",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devdutt-pattanaik/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Your suffering was repayment for the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-karmic-debt-incurred-then/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devdutt-pattanaik/your-suffering-was-repayment-for-the-karmic-debt-incurred-then/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
