destiny and free will

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Home Base: Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Navadwip Dhama, Nadia, WB, INDIA

 

> Please accept my humble obeisances all glories to Srila Prabhupada

> My question is how can there be simultaneous destiny and free will? Hope

> you are well

>

> Your servant bhakta Jason

 

The fact that Lord Sri Krishna knows what will happen doesn't mean that we

don't have free will to decide. Srila Prabhupada wrote about this to

Madhuvisa Prabhu in 1970 as follows:

 

Because Krsna know everyone's future does not remove our free will. Someone

may commit a theft, and if I know that then I know that he will be captured

and punished. That is knowing his future, but know that future does not mean

that he had no choice not to commit the criminal act. There are two

destinies for every one. One destiny is in Krsna Consciousness and the other

destiny is in material consciousness, so if someone is in Krsna

Consciousness then Krsna knows his future and if he is in material

consciousness and acting in that way then Krsna also knows his future. In

this way the free will is not affected by knowing the future of the living

being, that is an erroneous conclusion.

 

Letter to Madhuvisa 70/02/14

_______________________

 

Srila Prabhupada also mentioned the following point on free will:

 

Regarding free will and pre-destination, yes, materially everything is

decided. Spiritually you can make advancement despite all material destiny.

Materially you cannot change things as they are but spiritually it is

possible.

 

Letter to Sukadeva 74/11/24

 

So the conclusion is we should try to be fixed in Krishna consciousness and

then we will be able to reach Lord Sri Krishna at the end of life by using

our free will to want to be Krishna conscious.

 

I hope that this finds you in good health.

 

Your ever well wisher,

 

Jayapataka Swami