Book Title: Practice of Karma Yoga
Author(s): Swami Sivananda
Publisher: Divine Life Society

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Page 188
________________ PRACTICE OF KARMA YOGA powerful of the two always overthrows the other (II-6-10). Whether they are the past or the present efforts, it is the stronger ones that determine our destiny. In either case, it is man's own effort that determines his destiny by virtue of its strength (11-6-8). Man determines his own destiny by his thought. He can make those things also happen which were not destined to happen (V-24-28). The soul of man is powerful enough. Only those things happen in this world which it creates by its own free efforts, and not others (V-24-35-36). One should therefore overcome one's unfavourable destiny (the effect of one's past efforts) by greater effort in the present, gnawing his teeth (II-5-11) There is nothing in the world which cannot be achieved by man by right sort of efforts " (III-96-8). 2. "Destiny is simply the limitation imposed by an already exercised freedom of choice, or what is commonly called free will." (Kingsland: Rational Mysticism, p.353). 3. "The past can never be cancelled though it may be utilised. We have a good deal of the present constraint and previous necessity in human life. But necessity is not to be mistaken for destiny which we can neither defy nor delude. Though the self is not free from the bonds of determination, it can subjugate the past to a certain extent and turn it into a new course. Choice is the assertion of freedom 184

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