If something is destined, then will it not happen even if we don’t endeavor?

Transcript

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Ray Krishna question if something is destined then will it not happen even if we don’t endeavour for it in your article on fatalism you mentioned that if the crops if the destiny is favourable then the rains will come and the crops will grow but then isn’t it true that if that were destined then the crops will grow anyway even if the rains don’t come so what exactly does it mean when we say something is destined answer yes the word destiny can have multiple meanings so for example people say this is my destiny or I am going to discover my destiny or I am going to achieve my destiny so there people use destiny in a positive sense where there is a young cricket player he says I want to become the next national superstar cricket batsman that is my destiny and I am going to achieve it so in this case the person is talking about something future which will materialize in the future and destiny is used in a positive sense sometimes they say that my destiny is rotten or something like that there the word destiny is used in a negative sense and often the word fate is used with that it was my fate so that is often used in a negative sense so now we have to look at the context to see in what sense destiny is used so is everything destined certainly not if everything were destined then the scripture would not tell us do this and don’t do this because we would not have the power to do this or not and scripture not only gives us choices but scripture also tells that choices will produce consequences so that means that the consequences are not determined are not predetermined the consequences are determined by the kind of choices we make Krishna says if you think of me if you become conscious of me you will pass over all obstacles by my grace otherwise you will be lost and like this Krishna gives multiple choices in the Bhagavad Gita and similar scriptures give us choices not necessarily between where Krishna is intervening and Krishna is not intervening there are choices between goodness, passion, ignorance also and they also have consequences so now the important point to recognize is that Krishna focuses that the point of destiny is not to say that everything that is going to happen in our life is determined so when we say is something destined or something is not destined the focus in that case is on what circumstances in our life are changeable and what circumstances are unchangeable now as it is said in the general wisdom tradition also and commonly repeated that oh God give me the strength to know the thing that I can change to change the thing that I can change to accept the thing that I can’t change and the wisdom to know the difference between the two so now that means there is certain thing which we can’t change and there is certain thing which we can change this is understood in historical wisdom also and that is talked about in scripture wisdom also so in this specific example if we are using something of destined in the sense that it has to happen then we yes we are not saying that the growth of the crops is destined what we are saying is when we talk about something is destined at least when we talk in philosophical terms not in today’s contemporary terms where oh I am going to achieve my destiny when we say I am going to achieve my destiny when we use it in that sense there the focus is on our doing something it is not on something which is ordering from outside so yes if something if the result of something involves our playing a role in it then that result is obviously not destined that result depends that not just on what happens but also on how we respond to what happens so for example now are the crops destined no the crops usually speaking they grow only when the land is flown and the land is irrigated so if rains don’t come then obviously the crops won’t grow and even if the rains come if the soil is not flowed if the seeds are not sown then again crops will not come weeds will come so there are certain things where we practically play no role and those things where we at least from this life’s perspective play no role when those things turn out in a particular way then we can say that that is destiny say a student writes an exam and while checking the paper the teacher is in a bad mood now the student has done nothing to put the teacher in a bad mood so if the teacher is in a bad mood that affects the marks of the student then that is the student’s destiny but if the student did not study or chose to study inconsistently or unintelligently focusing too much time on some things and neglecting some other important things then can the student say that oh my poor marks are destined no there the student made imprudent choices and that’s what caused the result so to summarize the point is that wherever things are not in our control then we understand that that is destiny itself determining that result but when we have a certain role to play in the way things work out then we understand that destiny may be playing a role but our role is also important the whole point of the discussion of destiny and duty is to recognize that we should be inspired to stick to our duty amidst all situations and not let considerations of destiny either give up our duty out of lethargy where we feel nothing is in my hands why should I work that is tamogudam and nor should we give up our duty and over endeavor in the sense of even crossing the borders of immorality and civility and doing sinful activities thinking that I will achieve more so at that time we recognize that we recognize that yes certain results are going to be fixed and they are not going to change so why should I do something sinful to try to get something which I will not get anyway so Kamsa was told by Devaki’s husband that if your death is already ended at this time then what will you achieve by killing your own wife so this is the kind of reasoning which inspires one to stick to the path of dharma and that is what is recommended in scripture so to summarize the understanding of destiny we should cultivate it in sattva guna and it should inspire us to act in sattva guna that means detached dutifulness if destiny is not understood if the concept of destiny is rejected then a person will go into unfettered rajoguna and if the concept of destiny is misunderstood in terms of nothing in our hand then a person goes into tamoguna where that person uses destiny as a rationalization for lethargy and apartheid thank you so the question is that if we are practicing bhakti but then say because of something