FATE AND DESTINY

‘Pramod Mahajan was destined to become Indian Prime Minister one day but fate willed otherwise’. This has been the common statement by many in India in recent times. In reality this is what happens in the case of most of us. We are all destined to become someone somewhere but end up as someone else somewhere else. Life is nothing but an interplay of destiny and fate in a real environment of opportunities and impediments. Thanks to the accumulated karma from our foregone lives and the spill over of extra-ordinary karma from those of our parents, all of us are born with pre-determined destinies in each life. But only a miniscule number among us live up to these ‘blueprints of life’ in toto, while most others deviate from it due to reasons known and unknown. To put it briefly, it is not only enough to be born with a good destiny to become a good man but it is also necessary to model a fate that would help us to achieve it. It is entirely logical to assume that while destiny is beyond our control, fate is something that is willed by us. We are given a powerful tool to control the overall results of our life and it is upto each individual to use it the way he or she wants.

Frozen Destiny

Destiny for each one of us is frozen and there is absolutely nothing that is in our hands regarding destiny. Apart from the unknown karma factor which determines our parents and background, there are only three others that determine our destiny viz. date, place and time of our birth. For any astrologer looking at these four or five parameters it is simple reading about where each one of us is destined for. But any yatra is not complete just by knowing its destination. Our life journeys are no different. As an example, take the case of mountaineers. Many of them who are attempting to climb Mount Everest may be destined to do it, but how many of them really achieve it? Some of them make it with difficulty but many others die attempting to do what is in their destiny. Even if our destiny is promising, its fulfilment is always dependent on our actions, attitude, luck and above all the grace of God.

Examples are more illustrative in the case of our leaders. There have been hundreds and thousands of freedom fighters in India prior to the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa. There were many more new ones even after his return. And it does not take much time to realise that many among them were more intelligent, innovative and bold. But the mantle of leading Indians to the current political freedom fell on him for whatever reasons. Leaders like Bose, Arabindo and Savarkar were equally qualified to throw out the British, but fate willed otherwise in their cases. Gandhiji had the luck, timely ideas for action and appropriate attitude that could galvanise public support to frighten the mighty British. Above all he had the necessary grace of God to achieve what was in his destiny. The same pattern continues even today everywhere. There are several talented, innovative and committed leaders in all countries. But only those who can get a grip on their fate make it to the top.

Current Fate

Currency of fate is something we are led to believe by compulsive evidence. The ultimate fate of those who live by swords (bombs and AK-47 now) is always well known. Those who spew venom and malign others for no noble reasons always fall victim themselves to the same tactics. And an unscrupulous villain is always subjugated by another more evil villain. All these facts of life seen all round us point to only one direction ie. we dig our own downfall or build our own welfare. It is always good to remember that in our own attempts to bring about good fates to match our good destinies, we are not always alone. There is a sense of ‘herdity’ involved in this. Just like evil men getting together to destroy what is good, there is always a natural drift involving good men in any society. What is often lacking for many is the strength of will to stick on with the group especially when the going gets tough.

The ways of fate are always confusing and contradictory. It is our fate that puts us through trying times and makes us feel arrogantly exuberant. We are presented with difficulties at one moment and the next moment with temptations for evil passions. Invariably many of us fall for its games and slide down the path of destiny like in a snake and ladder chequer board. All the good that we did in a life time can be lost in a moment by a wrong move. Those who are consistently cheating others forget the watchdog within themselves and the fact that these watchdogs are nothing but the pets of fate. It is only the determined and stable few who can withstand the tests of fate ultimately succeed in attaining the destined positions. But an acceptance and understanding about the control we have on our own fates is in itself a step in the right direction.

Thus the secret of a successful life is crystal clear. For those who realise the simple principle that destiny may be frozen but fate is still within their control at early stages in life are most likely to reach their destinations. They can avoid the pitfalls and proceed in life without ever losing the focus on their destiny. Those who consult astrologers must always keep in mind that the predictions and readings are concerning their destinies only. To a very large extent, their fate is still under their control and with the grace of God it is possible to alter the coming events in their favour. What is required for all those who are losing their grip on life is this simple realisation of their own inherent power to dictate their fate.