What is destiny?
Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says:
You cannot baselessly say, "It is destined." Nor can you baselessly say, "It is not destined." Saying so is a liability, it would be a fault! The outcome is in between 'it is destined’ and ‘it is not destined'. If the pocket gets picked even after taking all the precautions, to understand that as destiny is exact.
This means, only after having tried our level best to get a positive outcome happen, whatever finally happens, can be called as destiny, for we do not know our destiny, beforehand. Destiny means the events that will necessarily happen in a person’s life at the defined point of time. And destiny happens because after all, we all have to suffer the fruits of our karmas (our past deeds).
Karma and destiny are actually linked to each other.
You may have experienced that many a times, adverse circumstances surround us so much so, that it throws us in total darkness; we experience an intense feeling of helplessness and despondency, and our mind is unable to figure a way out of such a situation. At that time, we repeatedly happen to ask God, “When I have never wished negative for anyone nor have I tried to hurt anyone, then why did this happen to me? Why am I being punished, God?”
When such a situation arises in anyone’s life, whosoever it may be, Mother Nature certainly comes to our help, and through some or the other evidence, makes us understand the fundamental principles of karma, that serve as a ray of light for the rest of our life.
So with respect to your question, today, let us learn some basic facts of the fundamental principles of karma, which explain the link between karma and destiny, from Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan:
Questioner: What kind of karma brings about suffering in the body?
Dadashri: Do you see these handicapped people? How did that happen? When we misuse our ears, they get affected. So is the case with the eyes, nose, tongue, brain, etc. When we misuse our hands, as a result, they get injured. One will have to bear the fruits of his misdeeds, in this world itself!
Questioner: Is this all linked to past life?
Dadashri: Yes. It is simply the science of cause & effect. Both cannot take place together in the same life. There is a factor of time which plays a crucial role in it. A period of time is needed for causes to be converted into effect.
For e.g. a mango tree cannot bear mangoes as soon as we sow the seeds; it will take some time. Sometime later, the tree does bear fruits, but the fruits are still raw. It will need some more time for fruits to ripen. So, if we want mangoes to ripen the very next day, will that happen? Likewise whatever karmas we charge, or cause to charge, take a few years, and sometimes even a century or more, to give effect and show results.
In the past life, those karmas were in the form of a design, just like a plan projected on paper. And the execution part comes in the next life. We call it 'prarabdh' (destined to happen). There could be a gap of 50, or even 100 years, for a cause to materialize.
Questioner: Is it that we are affected mainly by our own karmas?
Dadashri: Who else is responsible for them? There are no outside forces as such, mingling with us. If one’s wife is very wise at present, and she suddenly loses her wits and becomes mad after a few years, how does that happen? It is the result of one’s own karmas. So we have to understand that it is my pending karmic account that I need to settle.
The resultant effect is something one has to go through; one simply cannot avoid it. Even we have to bear it. Lord Mahavir too had to suffer on that account. In case of Lord, it was the celestial deities who were harassing Him and inflicting pain on Him through various means. But the Lord was fully aware that these deities were not responsible for the atrocities meted out on Him, they were only instrumental in this process, and it was His own 'karmas' that were bearing fruit. He knew that this was destined to happen.
We are wholely and solely responsible for our destiny.
From the above explanation given by Param Puja Dadashri, we can understand how we ourselves are responsible for our destiny. We bind karmas, and these karmas give fruits, which we term as destiny.
Our entire present life is a reflection of the karmas that we have sown in our previous lives. Everything, right from our body to our physical shape and form, our thoughts, our speech, our actions, are all a result of our past karmas. Our karmas determine our birthplace, our parents, and everything and every person that we encounter in our life.
In destiny we have no choice, it is all prearranged; but in binding new karmas, we do have choice! When the past karma is unfolding to give its effect in this life, based on our inner intent at that time, we end up binding a new karma, be it a merit or a demerit karma. For instance, when we are donating Rs. 5 lakhs to a temple, this is our destiny. However, while donating, our inner intent that ‘How I wish I had more money so that I could donate the entire cost of building the temple’ binds a good karma for our future life; whereas the inner intent of ‘Oh! I was compelled to give this money, or else I would never give a dime to these cheats’ binds a very bad karma, the consequence of which we shall have to bear in our next life, as our destiny.
Now, that we know the science of karma, if we introspect and dig out every instance where we made such bad intents in this life; and then do a sincere repentance for each of these before God, seeking His forgiveness; our bad karmas become lighter and then we will not have to suffer as much.
With the help of Gnani’s grace, we stop binding karmas altogether!!!
Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan has discovered a stepless path to Self-Realization (called Akram Vignan), whereby we realize that really ‘I am not the name or the body that I think myself to be. I am actually a Pure Soul!’
When Gnani, the Enlightened One, graces us with the firm conviction of really ‘who am I’ and gives us the knowledge of ‘who is the real doer in this world’, we stop binding new karmas altogether. And then, as we follow Gnani’s given cardinal principles in life, we progress on the path of right belief, the destiny of which is nothing but eternal bliss i.e. permanent happiness.
Pujya Deepakbhai, the Living Gnani, is today, busy shaping the destiny of millions of people, such that they experience eternal bliss and nothing but eternal bliss throughout their existence!!! Then, why we remain behind?!
If this interests you, do have a look at https://www.dadabhagwan.org/ you’ll enjoy it....
Ambalal M. Patel was a civil contractor by profession. In June 1958, spontaneous Self-Realization occurred within Ambalal M. Patel. From this point on, Ambalal became a Gnani Purush, and the Lord that manifest within him became known as Dada Bhagwan. A Gnani Purush is One who has realized the Self and is able help others do the same. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan used to go from town to town and country-to-country to give satsang (spiritual discourse) and impart the knowledge of the Self, as well as knowledge of harmonious worldly interactions to everyone who came to meet him. This spiritual science, known as Akram Vignan, is the step-less path to Self-realization