Destiny and free will, the imponderables in human life!

Is everything predestined in this world? None can say “yes” or “No’ to this question. Several theories go into this argument. 1. God is the creator of the universe; he sustains it for a while and absorbs it later. 2. There was nothing behind the super power. That power alone was, is and will be! When there is no secondary aspect apart from God, it lends to the theory that he has created this world out of himself! The Lord asserts in the Bagawat Gita, “The creation is part of me; It is the projection of my will.

Now several other arguments crops up from the above theory. 1. Why God has given ‘free will’ to the human beings? If he is fully covered by the ‘destiny’, what is the use of this free will? Yes, this argument seems correct by applying Logic! I have read several interesting answers to this perennial problem of “Destiny and Free will. I will detail some of them which evoke interest. I will give one nice example narrated by Sathya Saibaba during one of His Divine discourses. One man, who was rearing a cow, tied the animal to a post leaving a lengthy for its free movement. His idea is to let the cow eat the grass around the circular area available as far as the rope’s length. Saibaba has said, the length of rope that is tied to the cow’s neck is its free will. It can either eat the grass within the circular area or lie down idle. But the determined length is its fate and it can not move beyond the length!

In a similar manner, human beings are created with some restrictions. Within the parameters, they can move around, function and perform their tasks and earn their livelihood. If they lament their fate and remain doing nothing, it is their foolishness. We have seen that two persons growing within the same environment, but one turn a millionaire by his hard work. The other one remains poor since he has not exerted himself for his betterment. He will be always blaming his fate and envying the prospect of the other man. There is a proverb that “God helps those who help themselves”. There is a beautiful couplet in Tirukkural,the famous one written by saint Tiruvalluvar, who was a weaver lived in South India many hundred years ago. He said, “Even if the God does not grace one’s acts, the efforts put forth by the individual will definitely yield fruit”

Hence fate is not a steel jacket.

There are many great personalities in this world who rose from obscure surroundings and occupied the highest offices. Abraham Lincoln who became the President of America started his schooling in obscure poverty. He had no alternative dresses to wear for the school. His coat and pants were in totters. Other student used to make fun of him. He will return home and cry bitterly to his mother unable to tolerate the fun by his school mates. His mother possessed lot of wisdom though she was illiterate. She told Lincoln, “Study well and achieve laurels in your studies! Then none will decry you. One day you will be able to earn and wear decent dresses. Her advice pacified the young boy, who never cared anymore for the opinion of other class mates. He excelled in his studies and slowly made his way through public service to the highest post of President, which none can even dream off. Though his marital life was an utter failure, yet he is honored as the best President, America has ever had. He was simple, honest and applied his intellect in the matters of administration. He understood human psychology and never criticized even when one of his General committed grievous blunder. He simply told him, “Had he tried the other way, it would have been nice! Likewise, the world over, there are exemplary persons who rose from nothing! They never blamed their fate but utilized every opportunity to improve them!

Let us go into the question of fate itself. Fate is nothing but the effects of our past performances. Sow a mango, reap a mango” is the adage. If you have sown bitter neem seed, how can you expect a mango fruit later? Newton’s law of action and reaction applies well in human affairs as well as in spirituality.

Hence the scriptures of the world affirm “Do good, see good and hear good” and you will reap only good results later! Fate is like the blue print, civil engineers draw before construction of a structure or building. The Engineer will strictly follow the dimensions on ground and he won’t deviate from the blue print since all the estimates, cost, time hangs on the plan and elevation. In this respect, the blue print is like the fate. We can carryout the superstructure only where there is a basement wall. Hence our past acts in previous births determine the course of our life. Within this parameter, we can undertake the construction and complete it. Hence, let us forget the fate, work hard relying on our intelligence and God. We are sure to succeed if we put all our efforts in the task.

There is no use to investigate about the Fate and Free will which are imponderables.