Do we have Free Will?
“Oh Manik, I think we were destined to meet.” ~ my gorgeous date last night
”I think so, too, cutie.” ~ Me
”Hold up love birds, it’s more complicated than that & here’s the tea.” ~ Krishna
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
In some verses, you’ll see Krishna saying that we’re delulu in thinking we deserve the credit for our actions because we’re & actually controlled by the 3 puppeteers of nature called goodness, passion & ignorance. So he’s saying it’s fixed like fate.
”Whether seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, or breathing, the knower of truth should think - I do nothing at all.” (5.8)
”You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.” (2.47)
”All activities are carried out by the three modes of material nature. But in ignorance, the soul, deluded by false identification with the body, thinks of itself as the doer.” (3.27)
”You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.” (2.47)
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
But in others, He says that we can gain control over our own lives with meditation & discipline i.e. yoga so that means we have free will up to a certain extent.
”As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities.” (4.37)
”One must elevate, not degrade, oneself by one's own mind. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well. Discipline and control over the mind and senses are essential for exercising free will effectively. A controlled mind can make better choices.” (6.5)
”One who controls the mind and senses, who is free from attachment and aversion, can attain the supreme perfection of freedom from karma through renunciation.” (6.18).
”For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, the mind will remain the greatest enemy.” (6.6)
”Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.” (9.3)
”One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.” (5.1)
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
And in yet other verses, He says although he doesn’t actually cause or is responsible any for our good & bad actions, He does control the universe & so everything happens with his permission. So basically he’s doing everything?
”The Supreme Lord said: I am mighty Time, the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds. Even without your participation, the warriors arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to exist.” (11.32)
”These warriors stand already slain by Me, and you will only be an instrument of My work, O expert archer.” (11.33)
”The Supreme Lord dwells in the hearts of all living beings, O Arjun. According to their karmas, He directs the wanderings of the souls, who are seated on a machine made of material energy.” (18.61)
”Not even a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.9.6Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (18.66).
This is the reason why there is so much debate about whether we do have free will or not.
Is bro confused? Nah, Krishna is much smarter than that.
So do we have free will or are our fates sealed? The Srimad Bhagavad Gita has an answer to this.
In practical Gen-Z terms, Krishna’s telling us that life is a game of 3 levels:
🌟 LEVEL 1 - Be passionate & control your destiny 🌟
Since we take many births, the past karma in our last births does partially affect our current situations, including financial, career, relationships & personal. We call this prarabdha & we can spot some of its influence in our kundalis.
Thankfully, the more good we intentionally do now, the more positive our balance in our karma account will become & the better our lives will turn out to be.
Krishna says to develop discipline & hustle hard to build the life we want.
This is called karma yoga or steadfast action.
🌟 LEVEL 2 - Work without expectations as a service or offering to God 🌟
If we do everything with a selfless intentions, including our job, art, eating & living as a service to the society & to God, we’ll earn freedom from the whole karma game i.e. the effects of our actions.
Krishna’s basically saying that stop worrying about what will happen & not just surrender yourself to Him but offer both your wins & failures to Him as well.
This is called bhakti or devotion.
🌟 LEVEL 3 - Learn more deeply about yourself & eventually realize that you are One with God 🌟
Ultimately, as your acting in the interest or Krishna & his society, through meditation & yoga on the side, start slowly gaining an awareness of your inner self. The more we understand our own nature & why we think or behave the way we do, the more control or free will we gain.
This knowledge will burn away all material side-effects & ultimately help us realise that we are not just a unique part of God but in fact, God Himself, too.
This gnyana or divine knowledge, expressed best through the Achintya Bheda Abheda philosophy which says that both duality with God & unity as God exists at the same time, as inconceivable that might be for us.
So in one line, Krishna’s saying we have the free will to continue being delulu or choose & surrender all the work we do to Him, which would ensure we’re doing things that will make him happy, like helping the poor, being kind, and loving other living beings.
And when we do that, we reach liberation or moksha i.e. the ultimate freedom from the cycle of life & death.