Sambodhi 1982 Vol 11

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 16

free-Will & Destiny
But if we accept the principle of destiny-that is, if we accept that the Primal Cause has fixed all our thoughts, words and deeds.... if we are not free agents then why do some of us suffer and others be happy. If we are different and act differently it is no fault of ours. We are made so and made to act thus be what we are. Why then do we suffer for our actions, for our Karmas. It would be a gross injustice. The fatalist explains this on the basis that the creation is merely a play. In a drama one will be a king, the other a begger, a third a villain, a fourth a vietim and so on. The actors play the various parts only to please the audience. The pain and the joy displayed are feigned by the actors, they are not really a part of their lives. If they suffer or be happy over these feigned emotions expressed in the drama they are fools. That is why Lord Krishna says "dedicate all actions unto Me and you will be free from their fruit. Identify yourself with the Play...." Now, if God has produced actors to act the parts assigned to them, as soon as the play is over, He will reabsorb them. That is the only logical conclusion. Then, wherefore this strife, and endeavour to progress and effort for evolution ? Wherefore the suffering ?
But since Lord Krishna advises "dedicate all actions upto Me.... Identify yourself with the Play....", it means that man has the freedom to dedicate and identify or to refuse to do so. This shows that man is free.
Fatalist says that there is no suffering, no pain, no pleasure. That is all illusion-māyā. There is nothing for us to do. Even this discussion, these doubts..... strife, endeavour, effort are all pre destined. This argument results in something grotesque-reductio ad absurdum. It means that we cannot talk, cannot question, cannot act, can do nothinga condition impossible to accept.
Effort, progress, evolution seem to be the law of life. Position of a living thing is measured by its capacity to absorb the wealth of nature, use it productively, and return it back with the impress of its individuality. Thus life is a creative process. Further by the study of science, man has gained control over the forces of nature (to some extent) and shaped them to his ends. This has profoundly affected our conduct, our culture, our evolution. Thus we see that we have effort, control and evolution. It is true that this control is within certain limits. We can not do what we like. But then is it not that there is something wrong with our idea of freedom". Ordinarily by freedom we mean to be able to do anything we like. But this is orroneous. Nobody can do "anything" he likes. Even God can not do "anything". He is all Good, all Beautiful, all Truth-He cannot d) anything tha iz ot good, not beautiful, not true. He can do that