Guest guest Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Dear all, Are we actually capable of utilizing the free will, a gift from God showered only on human form of life? Can we use the free will to make any decision in life? Is the first opportunity to exercise the power of free will to decide whether we want to surrender to God or not? Bhagavad Gita promises that if we choose to surrender, then with out even our own knowledge, Bhagavaan takes over and our free will become harmonious with Bhgavaan's will. Our free will stays under the big umbrella of Bhagavaan's will and that umbrella protects us from all dangers. When we think about it, don't we need His blessings even to surrender to Him? A saint of ISKON, Kundali Das Swamiji's words about free will are impregnated with deep meaning and gives us food for thought: " Fate and free will, as described in the Bhagavad-gita, are analogous to the relationship between the state, the law-abiding citizen, and the criminals in prison. A citizen is considered free only if he obeys the laws of the state. If he breaks the law, he goes to jail. A prisoner may enjoy limited freedom to choose between reading a book or writing a letter: between Jell-0 or ice-cream for dessert; between work in the barber shop or in the kitchen. But he is not free to abandon the prison altogether. By comparison, the free citizen is in a better position, but both are controlled by the law. Practically, the only unconditioned exercise of their free will is in their decision to choose between being a good citizen or a criminal. Similarly, as eternal spirit souls, we are forever free to choose between being a free citizen of the spiritual world or an imprisoned citizen in the material world. The choice is entirely up to us. In the spiritual world we voluntarily agree to be controlled by Krishna, in love. As a result, we relish perpetual transcendental bliss in the association of the pure devotees of God. In the material world we are controlled by Krishna also, but through His agent material nature in the form of the three modes, (Saathwic , Raajasic and Thaamasic). Here we must undergo repeated birth, old age, disease, and death, as well as other concomitant physical and mental miseries. " It is said that soul acts through desires or vaasnaas. So let us pray that our souls' desire be to surrender to God and let that become the expression of our free will. As Vivekaananda puts it: " complete surrender to God gives complete freedom or bliss. " At this point, knowledge of free will and other complicated terms and phrases ceases and dissolves in the strong solution of Bhakthi. And as we know, our problems are infinite, but there is only one solution and that is prayer! Regards an dprayers Savitri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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