Punya means 'meritorious acts', acts beneficent to others and so beneficial to oneself. Phala means 'consequence, effect, fruit'. Every act has its inescapable consequence; Punya will have pleasant consequence and its opposite Paapa (wicked, harmful, malicious acts) will have painful consequence. The Lord grants those consequences to each for it is His plan, the rule that He has laid down, in order to compel man to rise to the height of the divinity inherent in Him. Swami Amrithananda, at the ripe old age of 85, was given by Baba a vision of Himself as Ganesha, since he had performed the Ganapathi Homa for 41 consecutive days while he was 7 years old!. This is Punya Phala prada indeed! Hence, Baba has very often said that He is not moved to pity at the sight of extreme distress in some one, because He knows it is only the consequence of flagrant disregard of His law. Inequalities in physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual equipments are due to Punya Phala or Paapa Phala. Man can avoid suffering from this Phala which takes the form of Good fortune and Bad fortune if (1) he does all acts as his 'duty', without reckoning their results (2) he does them as 'acts of worship' to the Lord in a fixed attitude of surrender 'Sarva Dharmaan Parithyjya Maamekam Saranam Vraja, Aham Thwaam sarva Papebhyo Mokhayishyaami Maa Suchah" -"Giving up all obligations and claims, surrender to Me and My will, I shall liberate you from all consequences that are unpleasant". (3) he acquires the recognition of the Atma that is his reality.
Baba teaches us our 'duty'. He assures that if we surrender to His will, He will liberate us by revealing to us our Reality.