CHAPTER - 2
Destiny Unfolded;
Destiny- Envisaged by scriptures

Fate is usually thought of as a predetermined course of events which is beyond human control. A typical response to believing in fate is resignation – if nothing is in our control then why should one even try. Whatever happens, happens and we can’t do anything about it. This is called ‘fatalism’. Fatalism is the major premise of Islam, which demands total submission to the Sovereignty of Allah or Khuda. In Hinduism also, its believed that the God is Vidhata and  he writes the Vidhi or Fate of everything/every being. Whatever written in the Vidhi by the Vidhata cannot be transgressed or erased. But Hinduism does recognize Karma as supreme and even the Vidhi is written by the Vidhata on the basis of the previous karmas of a living being who is able to do karma. Resignation to fate in extreme cases of miseries in Hindu thought is akin only to Fatalism. Greeks also believes that three Goddesses pictured as weavers, weaves the men / women’s destiny or fate (called in greek as Moirai). There writings cannot be annulled or cancelled even by the other Gods. But Bible when speaks of destiny, it speaks like Hinduism of the works and deeds which brings the destiny upon doers. So each person is judged according to what he had done. Bible teaches that Man was created with an ability to make moral choices and was made also responsible for his/her choices. The famous Biblical fall of Adam was not a predetermined event in which Adam and Eve were just only the hapless victims or puppets of the Master or God. On the contrary they had the choice as well as ability to choose obedience (with consequent blessings) or disobedience (with consequent curse). They thus knew what the result of their decision would be, and hence they were held accountable for it. This theme of being held accountable for choices man makes is omnipresent and continuous in the scripture. As it’s said that “He who saws wickedness reaps trouble”. ‘All hard work brings a profit / but mere talks lead to poverty.’ ‘Do what is right and he will commend you.’So, according to Bible, we sin because we choose to. We can’t blame for our sins the fate, kismet, predestination or even God. When tempted no one should say God is tempting me. For neither God can be tempted by Evil nor does he tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the God or Fate. In this way he persists with his folly. Scripture also teaches us in having belief and faith in God and his sovereignty. But again the choice is yours. You can believe in God and be his disciple or disbelieve in Him and be a disciple of the Saitan or the Evil.
The sovereignty of the God is not any time in question. It was once questioned by the angel Iblis and he was then discarded by the God and declared a detractor. He then became Saitan or Evil who tempts the man with worldly pleasures and encourages him to sin so that he is punished. The sovereign control of the God is ‘Providence’. The God is all wise and all powerful, hence nothing in this world happens by accident or even chance. Everything, including even accidents happen according to a divine plan, which is always holy, wise and benevolent. So the Godly providence only works to bring about his original plan for the creation. Fighting against this plan is pointless and there is no wisdom or insight in it. Even what we call normally a chance or fate is under that divine plan only. God doesn’t take ‘hands off’ approach in running his creation. Evil exists but he is never allowed to thwart Gods providence. Rather, Evil exists only by the mercy of God and to serve his divine purpose, as God even uses a sinful man for his purpose. God has chosen to give us a free will/discretion and he has created a moral universe in which the law of cause and effect is a reality. God rewards those who trust him and he has promised to glorify his children. Gods plan reaches even to our individual lives and he appointed Christ as a Prophet even before he was born. David also realized that the Lord had a plan for him. Even Jesus Christ, the prophet had pre-arranged plans for a many of his associates and disciples.
We however, have been given a freedom to follow the moral or dictate of the God. God blesses the obedient and punishes those who avoid his dictate and side track to sin. God is patient even with those who disobey, even to the point of seeming laxity. This is what the Holy Bible has to say regarding destiny of the man which is of course preordained. There is no dicotomy between sovereignty of the God and the man’s free will. God’s sovereignty is benevolent and is supposed to be a comfort for us, and not an issue to be concerned about or debated. We should rather live our lives making wise decisions as per the God’s dictate. We should not disobey him as there are no excuses for disobedience. Since the free will has been given to us, we cannot blame anybody other than ourselves for our sin. Even when we sin, last but not the least we should worship him and beg his pardon. He is wonderful, infinite powerful, full of grace and mercy. Confess your sin and beg his pardon, he may show mercy to you. He will change our hearts so that even our free will chooses the righteous and chooses him in place of the Evil / Satan. Predestination is a Biblical doctrine according to which God in his sovereignty chooses certain individuals to be saved from sin or the Evil. Why would God choose only some individuals and not the others? Isn’t it unfair? The important thing to remember is that we all have sinned and no one actually deserve to be saved. We all are worthy of eternal punishment, and should spent eternity in the Hell. However, God chooses to save some of us. But He is not unfair to those who are not chosen. No one deserves anything from God, therefore, no one can object and call it unfair if he or she is not chosen by God. The selection of God is random and hence it’s fair and justified. But there is a silver line. And the silver line is to believe in God as Bible says that those who believe in God will at least be saved. God never rejects anybody who really believes in him. Mysteriously thus the predestination works hand in hand with belief in God and believing him unto salvation. Calvinism is a five point summation of the clear doctrines of the Holy Bible. It says that man is totally deprived on his own to be salvaged. God only randomly choose in exercise of his sovereignty, some persons who will be saved from sin and salvaged. The decision to elect is totally unconditional and random. After election their sins are atoned. The atonement of their sins is made by the Prophet Christ. Then the holy spirit applies the finished work of salvation to those who are elected in ‘space and time’ by irresistibly drawing them to faith and repentance. This saving call of the holy spirit is irresistible and is referred to as an efficacious call. The elected persons became saints and saints are preserved in faith until the last day when they attain salvation. This is called the doctrine of the ‘perseverance of the saints’. it is said that Prophet Christ died through crucification only for the atonement of the sins of those persons whom the God had elected for salvation. All of them were the believers in God and followers of Christ. Gods elect are chosen not only from the Jews.They were throughout the world from every nation, tribe, people, creed and language. But they were the believers. So if you want to be saved from sin, believe in God and pray to him. One day you can also be selected and then preserved against sins till you achieve salvation which is the ultimate destiny of you and your soul.
Among the Indian scriptures, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Geeta and the oldest among them, the Vedas have prescribed a theory of destiny which though is preordained but is decided by the works/ deeds of the living beings in the past lives and in the past, of the present life.To sum up, it can be said that (Chanakya in Arthshashtra).
“What the living beings think in their minds, they speak accordingly. What they speak from mouth they act accordingly. Whatever they do and whichever manner they act, whether righteous or otherwise, they reap the fruits accordingly. No one can escape from the fruits of whatever he/she/it does and the deeds and works and the fruits attached to them always hounds the living beings and find him/her/it wherever he/she/it may be.”
But surprisingly in Bhagwat Geeta, Lord Krishna goes to some other dictates. He propounded that – “Doing a karma or duty is a must and no one can remain or survive without doing the deeds / work / duties assigned to him. However, if he / she / it is involved as the doer of these deeds / works/ duties and believes so, he becomes attached to them and if he also wishes to get fruits by doing the deeds / works / duties then he is bound to get the fruits accordingly, though he may not get them immediately but ultimately he / she / it has to reap the fruits whether good or bad. So, He proposed the theory of nishkam karma yoga. According to this theory –
“If one does the works and duties which are assigned to him / her / it without being involved in them as a doer and just doing them and observing disinterestedly (nirpeksha or drushta bhav) and he / she / it also doesn’t have any attachment to the results or fruits of these works and duties (feeling of detachment) then the works / deeds done by him do not tie his soul and the soul is not concerned to the fruits of the karma. It becomes an emancipated soul and the works / duties done by him are the enlightened ones (divya karma).”
The person who has mastered this style or art of doing the works / deeds assigned to him is a karma yogi and is like the Biblical Saints who cannot sin and are destined for salvation. But attaining such an expertise in doing the karmas of not believing one a doer of them even when they are being done physically by him and also being detached with the fruits / results of them, is not easily possible, though it may not be impossible also for some persons like Krishna himself did.
Lord Krishna has clearly proclaimed it in Geeta by saying:
          Na maam karmani limpanti,
          Na me karma fale spriha,
          Itimam-yobhi janati,
Karmarbhina sabadhyate.
(Neither I get involved as a doer in the deeds I do, nor am I attached to the fruits of them. One who understands this methodology of mine for doing works / deeds, he also is not tied by the strings and bonds of the deeds / works done by him. So one should do the work with same feelings for pains / pleasures, losses / gains and loosing / winning.                                                                          
Sukhe – dukhe saime krutva,
Labhalabhau Jaya-jayau.
So, according to Lord Krishna, the Karmic Theory of Destiny is not firm and not applicable to those who are Nishkam Karm Yogis, as are the elected beings of the Lord or Saints in Bible. They are destined to be salvaged.The difference is only of freewill.In Christianity, the free will of the elected one is no more exercizable (some scholars differ with it) once they are elected by the Lord, but in Hinduism the free will of being a karma yogi is solely in the hands of the man. Lord Krishna inspired everyone by saying….
                   Sarvadharmani parityajya, mamekam sharanam vrajah,
                   Aham twam sarva papebhyo mokshaishyami maa suchah.
(Leaving everything to me if one comes into my compassion or shelter then it’s me who will ensure that he is atoned of all his sins and attains salvation.)