Confronting fate with Free-will, or conforming to its
mandate with resignation is a dilemma faced by every individual. The
fundamental question every skeptic faces/ poses is if fate has fore-ordained/
fore-closed every happening in our lives, do we really have the free-will?
Contrary to conventional
wisdom, the conflict is not just between Fate and Free-Will, but has additional
actors in the drama called life.
Existence
has two aspects – the Universal (Samashti)
and the Individual (Vyashti). Like
the Individual will, there is also the Cosmic-will. Like the Individual
efforts, there are also the Collective efforts.
Free Will: Each individual is endowed with an
Intellect (Buddhi). Free-will is what
is decided by Intellect. Therefore, whatever an individual analyses, discriminates
and decides is with/through this faculty.
All other beings are either
duty-bound (Celestials) or instinct-bound (Animals). Humans alone are
intellect-bound (hence the mother of all Mantras, the Gayatri Mantra, is a hymn in praise of/ in supplication to Sun God
to illumine Intellect).
Cosmic-will: Cosmic-will is what is decided by a
higher force (Daivam) – it is one of the five factors which influence
the results of every action. Cosmic-will may help (called grace) or hinder (called
destiny) our secular and spiritual pursuits.
Cosmic-will
is, however, very transparent – it is codified in Law of Dharma. Hence,
a seeker need not remain clueless to understand if he has the free-will to
decide and act, and whether his actions will be in line with, or contrary to Cosmic-will.
Individual
Efforts: It means
the actions performed to attain
something, to reach another place, to modify something or to purify something.
It also refers to the energy spent in exercising our skill (Kriya Shakti),
will (Iccha Shakti) and knowledge (Jnana Shakti) – their presence
or absence helps or hampers our endeavors and evolution. It also concerns the
attitude (selfish or otherwise) with which an action is performed.
Collective
Efforts: Many
egoistic ones are under the notion that success in their endeavors is only due
to their efforts. They arrogantly or ignorantly dismiss the contribution of
countless people/ forces (their family, organizations, society, environment …),
the collective efforts, in their success story.
An
acclamation we received or even a dish we relished is due to the efforts of
innumerable people over a period of time. Individual efforts pale into
insignificance if the magnitude of collective efforts that go into every
success story is given its due and weightage.
In a way,
the foundation for collective efforts is laid by individuals through good and
bad karma accumulated in the past. They manifest as helpful/ harmful objects, caring/
cantankerous people, and hospitable/ hostile environment.
How does Cosmic-will overrun free will?
World and
life being God’s creation, Its writ and will alone reign supreme. However, each
individual is also God’s creation. Therefore, God’s writ and will also
manifests/ acts through the individual.
Intellect is
the medium for Cosmic-will as well. It is the reason why/ when a calamity is
imminent, the judgment is destroyed first (Vinaash
Kaale, Vipareetha Buddhi). When Intellect gets blunted/ clouded, it is no
longer sharp enough to dissect or clear enough to discern what is good or bad.
Since Intellect
is inactive, the Psychological mind (Manas)
impels us to run after what is pleasant (and not necessarily what is good), or
the Emotional mind (Chitta) which
compels us to act in a convenient way (and not necessarily the appropriate
way). The individual then ends up in a disastrous situation.
How do Collective
efforts outrun individual
efforts?
The
Collective-efforts refer to the development in the ‘field (Adhistanam)’
of action. It may run parallel or contrary to the individual efforts.
For example,
we may toil hard on our farm, but the rains may play truant, or the
government’s policies/ actions (collective efforts) may deprive us of our
rightful share.
We may do great things with a noble intent to alleviate the
hardship of disadvantaged people in our society. But disgruntled Politicians may sabotage
all the grandiose plans of ours.
We may work sincerely to further the progress
of the organization we work for.
The results, however, may not be as rewarding
because insecure bosses and jealous peers may throw many a spanner in the works.
If what we
achieve is due to Cosmic-will/ collective-efforts, then what happens of free-will/
individual efforts?
The answer is best expressed in
a mathematical form:
Individual Will/ Efforts +
Collective Will/Efforts = Fate (actual happening)!
When the Cosmic-will
runs parallel to individual efforts, the individual has a success story.
Wind-fall, which means a result much higher than what was expected, is due to
this reason.
When the Collective will/ efforts run contrary, they reign
supreme. We then come a cropper with a question and exclamation, ‘what went
wrong’?!
Most of the
times, however, it is not pure black and white, but has innumerable shades of
grey. In such cases, the individual achieves the wished-for object, or
wished-for quantum with much hardship.
Cosmic-will determines what is
destined to happen;
Collective efforts decide how that
happens!
Free will determines what is done to
modify/ mollify it;
Individual efforts decide how that
happens!!
It is the Universal will which makes
us Prisoners of Past, helpless and hapless;
It is the individual Efforts (Prayatna)/ Free-Will (Paurush) which makes us Architects of
Future, fortunate and formidable!!!
The net
result is called Fate/Destiny.
It is
interesting to note that as authors of (past) karmic actions, it is we who had
laid the foundation for Collective efforts. It is also interesting to note that
as authors of (present) righteous efforts, we lay the foundation for Cosmic-will.
With
Free-will, we can counteract/ soften the Universal will, as the level and
intensity of both determine the final outcome.
Why shouldn’t we allow Success to go
to ‘head’, nor failure to ‘heart’?
A wise man is one who assumes that his effort was the
proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back (Cf. Yoga Vashishta: ‘like a
crow sitting on a ripe coconut just when it is ready to fall – it is purely
coincidental’)!
Thus, when
we meet with success, we should have the humility to accept that the Universal
will ran parallel to ours and circumstances were more amenable to make our
efforts bear fruit. It is sheer folly to get excited and allow the success to
go to our ‘head’.
If we fail,
it would be equally foolish to feel discouraged or devastated and allow the
failure of our attempt to go to our ‘heart’. Instead, we should have the
equanimity to accept the infallibility of Superior will. We should develop
determination to make a better attempt next time.
In either
case, what is important is not whether we over-powered Universal will or not.
What matters is that, irrespective of whether it is a success or failure, we
should learn from the accompanying experience. Each experience has a lesson or
two to teach – how to or how not to act/react in same/similar situations.
The best
action, however, is that, having exercised free-will and the corresponding
efforts (Prayatna), we should accept
the outcome (both positive as well as negative) as a gift of God (Prasada Buddhi). This indeed is
Equanimity (Samachittatvam Yoga
Uchyatete)BG.
Such
attitude/ actions alone help to keep the Wheel of Creation, a divine intent, in
eternal motion.
God does not
punish/ reward anyone for wrong/ right decision/action on-the-spot. When the
decision/ action is wrong, God ‘allows’ the Intellect to go astray at the
opportune moment and thereby the individual meets with his own destruction.
When the
decision/ action is good, an individual with indomitable spirit is ‘rewarded’
by God through Its Grace (Anugraha).
Sooner or later, the individual has a glorious future.
Thus,
· He wills,
therefore, I exert;
I exert, therefore, He blesses.
· A successful
event may be due to individual will (and collective efforts).
However, a successful life is always
due to the sum total of individual efforts (and divine blessings).
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