A. Devaraja Mudaliar

Is Everything Predetermined

One summer afternoon I was sitting opposite Bhagavan with a fan in my hand in the Old Hall, and said to him: “I can understand that the outstanding events in a man’s life, such as his country, nationality, family, career or profession, marriage, death, etc. are all predes- tined by his karma, but can it be that all the details of his life, down to the minutest, have already been determined? Now, for instance, I put this fan that is in my hand down on the floor here. Can it be that it was already decided that on such and such a day, at such and a such an hour, I shall move the fan like this and put it down here?”

Bhagavan replied, “Certainly.” He continued: “Whatever this body is to do and whatever experiences it is to pass through was already decided when it came into existence.”

Thereupon I naturally exclaimed: “What becomes then of man’s freedom and responsibility for his actions?”

Bhagavan explained: “The only freedom man has is to strive for and acquire the jnana which will enable him not to identify himself with the body. The body will go through the actions rendered inevitable by prarabdha (destiny based on the balance sheet of past lives) and a man is free either to identify himself with the body and be attached to the fruits of its actions, or to be detached from it and be a mere witness of its activities.”

This may not be acceptable to many learned people or philosophers, but I am sure I have made no error in transmitting as above the gist of the conversation that took place between Bhagavan and me. Though this answer of Bhagavan may upset the apple-cart of our careful reasonings and conclusions, I am satisfied that what Bhagavan said must be the truth. I also recall in this connection the following lines that Bhagavan once quoted to me from Thayumanavar on another occasion: “This is not to be taught to all. Even if we tell them, it will only lead to endless discussion.”

It may be well to remind readers that Bhagavan has given his classic answer to the age-old question ‘Can free will conquer fate?’ as follows in his “Forty Verses”:

“Such questions worry only those who have not found the source of both free will and fate. Those who have found this source have left all such discussions behind.”

The usual reaction of Bhagavan to any such question would be to retort: “Who is it that has this fate or free will? Find that out and then this question will not arise.