[Advaita-l] Karma, Prarabdha and Destiny

[Hitanshu]

Hi,

Thanks to all the members to help me understand the relationship b/w destiny
and free will.

Really appreciate.

Thanks
Hitanshu

On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 2:51 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>wrote:

> Parables of Acharyal
>
> The fields of two farmers were identical in size and had
> similar kinds of soil. They worked equally hard, tilled their lands
> well and sowed seeds of uniform quality. The rainfall over the
> fields was neither excessive nor scanty and so the crops grew
> well. At the appropriate time, they commenced their harvesting.
>
> Before they left for their homes on an evening, they were able
> to behold with joy large heaps of grains, the result of their
> efforts. There was hardly any difference in the yields obtained
> by them.
> That night, while they slept, there was a very heavy
> downpour on one land and only a light drizzle on the other. The
> next morning, when they went to their lands, one was dismayed
> to find that the rain had ruined his grains while the other felt
> relieved that his heaps of grain were intact.
>
> Thus, notwithstanding the similarity in their efforts, the
> results they obtained were markedly dissimilar. It was the
> unfavourable destiny of one farmer and the favourable fate of
> the other that led to the loss of the former and the gain of the
> latter. Those who have faith in the Veda-s and saastra-s and are
> logical do not regard the experiences of humans as just fortuitous.
>
> Two students wrote an examination. The boy who had
> studied better answered all except two questions well. The
> other managed to answer just two questions correctly. The
> examiner was an impartial but lazy man. He scrutinised two of
> the first boy’s answers. They happened to be the incorrect
> ones. Assuming the other answers too to be incorrect, he
> awarded the boy low marks.
> Then, he took up the second boy’s answer book. The
> answers he selected for checking happened to be the correct
> ones. Taking it for granted that the remaining answers were
> also correct, he awarded the boy concerned high marks. On
> seeing the results, the boy who had studied better grieved, while
> the other rejoiced. Thus, hard work fetched a poor result and
> poor preparation yielded good marks. Here too the hand
> of destiny is seen.
>
> Dyumatsena was destined to be blind and live in a forest.
> By SAvitri’s efforts, he regained his sight and his kingdom.
> Ashvapati was not destined to have sons, but obtained them.
> SatyavAn was to die young, but he lived long, he sired sons and
> ruled the Shaalva kingdom for many years. This story is a
> striking example to show that what is destined to happen can be
> markedly changed by human effort.
>
> MArkaNDeya was fated to die at the age of 16 but lived on
> because of his devout worship of Lord Shiva. Shuka, the son of
> VyAsa, was such a great yogin that he attained disembodied
> liberation at the time of his choice. Numerous instances of the
> alteration of the course of fate by personal effort and by the
> grace of God can easily be cited.
>
> Neither destiny nor personal effort singly determines the
> course of human life; there is great interaction between the
> two. Destiny or actions of the past that have begun to fructify,
> human effort and divine grace together govern what happens
> now. Manu has compared destiny and personal effort to the
> two wheels of a chariot; a chariot cannot move on a single
> wheel.
>
> Om Tat Sat
>
> On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 2:40 PM, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > Namaste.
> >
> > It is a very nice explanation of the concept of Fate and Freewill, Siva
> > Senani ji.  Thanks for such a fine exposition of the topic.   Here is an
> > excerpt from the book 'Exalting Elucidations' containing a dialogue where
> > Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Swamiji of the Sringeri Peetham gives replies to
> > questions:
> >
> > 13. FATE AND FREE WILL
> >
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