Is everything already determined in our lives by God?

A widely held belief is that we all are born with our individual pre-determined fixed destiny which determines our wealth, education, fame, lifespan, behavior, and health.

There is a popular saying: binā bhagavān kī kṛipā ke ek pattā bhī nahīṅ hilatā. ‘Without the will of God, not even a leaf can move.’

This implies that whatever is written in our fate by God will happen, no matter what we do. And what is not written, we will never get it, no matter how hard we try. Hence, there is no point in putting effort to accomplish anything.

If God is the doer, can we even control our destiny?

Fatalism vs. Self-Effort

Fatalism is a belief that we are bound by an unalterable destiny. Thus, putting in effort is futile. Fatalists assert that all events are predestined to occur, rendering human beings powerless to alter their fate.

Even when questioned about their mistakes and hurtful behavior, people say, “It must be the will of God.” They argue that they are merely puppets in His hands, quoting scriptures like:

umā dāru joṣhita kī nāīṅ, sabahi nachāvata rāma gosāīṅ (Ramayan)

"Just as a puppeteer makes wooden dolls dance, the Lord is making us all dance to His tune."

In the Mahabharat, Duryodhan justified his wrongdoings by blaming a celestial deity within him. He said,

jānāmi dharmaṁ na cha me pravṛittiḥ jānāmyadharmaṁ na cha me nivṛittiḥ kenāpi devena hṛidisthitena yathā niyuktosmi tathā karomi

"I know what is right, and I know what is wrong. But there is some devata (celestial god) sitting inside me. As he provokes me, so I behave."

Therefore, according to these people, the Almighty is responsible for all our actions.

However, this is a misleading interpretation of spirituality that needs to be addressed and corrected. God is perfect and incapable of error. If God were the doer of all our actions, we would never make mistakes. The fact that we err shows that our self-effort can influence the outcome.

Furthermore, God is impartial and just. If He were controlling our actions, everyone would behave the same. However, the world shows great diversity—some people are saints, while others are sinners. This variety indicates that individuals have the freedom to choose their actions.

The law of karma states:
karama pradhāna visva kari rākhā jo jasa karai so tasa phalu chākhā
(Ramayan)
"The world is under the wheel of karma. What we do is what we get."

The Bible also speaks to this principle.
"Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7)

The existence of the law of karma implies that we are responsible for our actions, not God. If God were in charge of what we did, we would not have to deal with the consequences of our karma.

Finally, If God were the doer, there would be no need for scriptures like the Vedas or the Bhagavad Gita. God would simply declare, “I am the doer of everything. You need not understand anything.” Yet, after relating the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna advises Arjun to contemplate and then act as he wishes, emphasizing the importance of informed and deliberate action or free will.

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā
vimṛiśhyaitad aśheṣheṇa yathechchhasi tathā kuru (18.63)
"O Arjun, I have given you divine knowledge. Now, contemplate it deeply, and then do as you wish."

Similarly, When Lord Ram delivered a discourse to the residents of Ayodhya, He said to them:
sunahu karahu jo tuhmahi sohāī (Ramayan)
"Hear me out, and then do as you wish."

Read more about self-effort in the Spiritual Secrets From Hinduism by Swami Mukundananda.

Our Actions Forge Our Destiny

We have now understood the absurdity of the notion that everything is predestined and comprehend the significance of self-effort. That said, there does exist an element of destiny in our lives. In fact, our own actions forge our future destiny. The scriptures state:

pūrva janma kṛitaṁ karma taddaivamiti kathyate (Hitopadeśh)

"The actions we performed in our past lives created our destiny in the present life."

Destiny does play a role in our lives, but it is a result of our past actions and efforts.

The Vedic scriptures explain three kinds of karmas:
• Sañchit karma: The accumulated stockpile of our karmas from countless lifetimes.
• Prārabdh karma: A portion of sañchit karmas given to us at birth to experience in this life.
• Kriyamāṇ karma: The actions we perform in the present life using our free will.

While sañchit karma and prārabdh karma are fixed, kriyamāṇ karma is in our hands and can be changed based on our self-effort and proper exercise of free will.

Compare this to a game of cards. We receive a fixed hand that remains unchangeable. But how we play with the cards is not pre-decided. Good players win even with bad cards, whereas bad players lose even with good cards.

Watch Swami Mukundananda's video on the types of karma and free will.

Our actions determine our destiny

How is our destiny created?

The Concept of Prayojak Kartā and Prayojya Kartā

While we have identified self-effort as key in determining our destiny, there are some places in the Vedic scriptures where God is called the doer. However, their context must be understood very carefully to avoid confusion. For this, understand two key terms: prayojak kartã and prayojya kartã.

Prayojak kartã: This term refers to the one who bestows the power to perform works. God is the prayojak kartã, as He provides our senses, mind, and intellect with the capability to engage in actions.

Prayojya kartã: This term designates the one who employs the bestowed power to work. The individual soul is the prayojya kartã, as it harnesses this divine power for its actions.

A good analogy is of the electrical station that supplies electricity to your house. If it did not provide power, you would not be able to do any electrical work. However, once you have the power supply at your home, what you do with it is your own choice. You could heat or cool the house, as you wish.

Similarly, God bestows our eyes with the power to see. What we see is our own choice. We could go to the temple and have darshan of the deities, or we could waste our time by watching movies and shows. God is merely giving us the faculty of sight. He is not deciding how we choose to use it.

God also observes our actions and provides us with the results according to the law of karma. When negative consequences arise, we often complain, “Why did God do this to me?” But God is merely giving us the results of our own actions, much like a judge sentencing a criminal based on evidence.

Therefore, we must take responsibility for our actions, learn from our mistakes, and strive for self-improvement. Putting the onus of our actions upon God is not only unfair but also hinders our growth.

Concluding Remarks

We must understand that God gives us the ability to act, but it is our responsibility to use it wisely. Self-effort is crucial. We might encounter good and bad situations as a consequence of our own past actions, but how we exercise our free will to manage each situation becomes our Kriyamāṇ karma, which in turns drives our future destiny.

Hence, we are not mere puppets in God's hands. We have the free will to choose our actions and create our destiny. Let us not blame God for our mistakes and shortcomings but take responsibility, and strive for self-improvement. By balancing self-effort with divine grace, we can achieve our highest material and spiritual goals.