Destiny and Endeavor

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Hare Krishna,

Destiny and Endeavor***************************

People often wonder that if destiny is all powerful, then what is the importance of endeavor? If one is pre-destined to enjoy or suffer as ordained by fate, then why must one exert needlessly? Why do bad things happen to good people and why do evil people flourish? Is it just by dint of their effort, in which case what is then the law of karma?

These questions have haunted thoughtful men for long, and have been addressed authoritatively in the Vedic scriptures. At the dawn of creation, Satyavrata Manu inquires of Lord Matysa, “Oh Lord, which is superior - fate or one's own exertion and effort? I have got doubts on this, kindly solve them”.

The Lord explains in the Matsya purana that there are three elements that conjointly bear fruits. These are fate, effort and time. The situation is explained by the example of a farmer. First, he must prepare his field, ploughing it, sowing the seeds and making every thing ready. Then he waits for the rains to fall. He has no control on the rain, and if they do not fall then all his efforts are in vain. However even if the rains fall, and he has not prepared the field, there will be no crop. Finally there is time, even if he has prepared the fields, and the rains have fallen, he must wait for Nature to take its time and the

crops to grow.This example clearly brings forth the three basic elements that are at any given time deciding our situation. Based on our past and present activities, we must suffer and enjoy the results. That is the infallible law of karma, and every one performing fruitive activities is bound by them. However, destiny only provides us opportunities. Therefore, how much we enjoy or suffer the results of

our destiny is now dependant on how we use or misuse these opportunities. And then there is the inexorable cycle of time, that is processing these two factors and serving us its results.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna further expands this field of action into five agents. These are Isavara (God), Jiva (living entity), Kala (time), Karma (destiny) and Prakriti (material nature). God is eternal and all-powerful, but He does not concern Himself with the sufferings or the enjoyment of people involved in fruitive action. The jiva is also eternal, but is infinitesimal as opposed to the infinite God. The jiva has been given a limited amount of free will. Time is also eternal and brings forth the results of one’s past and present activities. Karma is the field of action that a person has performed or is performing and according to the Vedic injunctions may be sanctioned as good or bad. And finally there is Prakriti, material Nature, which is also eternal, even though it may be cyclical, that is manifesting itself in one of the three modes: goodness, passion and ignorance.

The scriptures explain that each one of us is suffering from three kinds of miseries. adhyatmika (inflicted by oneself), bhautika (by other people) and daivika (by divine providence). These three types of miseries are generated by a confluence of destiny, effort and time. People in the mode of goodness are addicted to performing pious activities, and are thus awarded the results. In the mode of passion, people are very attached to the fruits of the activity and strive very hard to achieve them. In the mode of ignorance, people are bewildered, in a state lethargy and inaction, and thus suffer the results of this.Lord Matysa further explains, effort is superior to destiny. Without effort, one will never be able to avail of the opportunities offered by destiny. And with proper effort one can secure the future, and even the present. A person carrying an umbrella on a hot day can alleviate his personal discomfort to some extend, though not change the weather. Similarly by effort one can soften the effects of fate, if not fate itself. Each one of us has that free will to use for or against ourselves.

This seems to imply that destiny is changeable. This is a fact and is confirmed by Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. Of the five agents elaborated, Isvara, jiva, kala, karma and prakriti, only karma (destiny) is not eternal, the other four our eternal. Fruitive activities performed in one of the three modes of material Nature will always yield actions, good or bad. That is the intrinsic nature of these, and in that respect they are eternal. However when one performs activities in

devotional service, the cycle of action and reaction, suffering and enjoyments ceases. Externally one may continue to perform the prescribed activities, but internally if there is a renunciation of results to Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such activities become devotional service and transcend the three modes of material nature. The destiny of a person performing pure devotional service is controlled by Sri Krishna Himself and is not subject to the laws of karma.

Superior to destiny is endeavor, for one has to engage in activity simply to sustain one self. Superior to any whimsical activity is the performance of prescribed activity as per the scriptural injunctions, performed in the mode of goodness. But surpassing all this is devotional service that frees one from the cycle of material duality and takes one back home, back to Sri Krishna, the Supreme

Godhead .

Please Chant :Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareAnd Be Happy.

Bhaktasevak