Question: Did God give us short memories so that we don't know why we are getting certain karma from previous incarnations?

Sri Chinmoy: God has done us a big favour by giving us short memories because if we remember what we have done wrong, then we will feel even more miserable. The result of our undivine actions is painful enough in itself. If we start thinking of the karma that caused this result, it becomes even more painful.

After a thorn has been removed from your foot, even then your foot may be hurting you. But if you actually saw the thorn while it was still inside your foot, the very image of the thorn would give you more suffering. You would think, "Oh my God, such a destructive thing!" Or suppose you step on a piece of glass. If the image of that sharp piece of glass flows before your mind, then even though it has been removed, you will suffer more because you know the cause of your suffering.

If we forget the thing that originally created the problem for us, then we decrease our suffering by almost half. We get whatever punishment we deserve, but because we do not remember the actual event that led to our punishment, our suffering is less.