Destiny

In life there are no punishments and rewards – there are only consequences. Our scriptures have always said what Science finally discovered: that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

As you sow, shall you reap. What goes round comes around. Say it any way you like it, the fact is all that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own. And that is what brings us to destiny. Often destiny is misunderstood to be a fatalistic theory where we have no control over what’s happening in our life and have to silently bear what life doles out to us. This is a very limited take on destiny. Destiny is only a part of the Doctrine of Karma.

We write our own destiny. Probably many will not agree with this statement with arguments such as ‘Why would anyone chose poverty/sickness/handicap?’ Many would say it is God who has decided for us. But I cannot accept this. It goes against all reasoning because if God has decided what kind of life I have, then it makes Him a sadistic and partial God who chooses joy for some and pain for others. I deny such a God.

The only thing which has given me acceptable answers is the Doctrine of Karma. And that brings me back to destiny.

Destiny is nothing but the consequences of our actions in the past. What I do today will decide what I face tomorrow, and tomorrow I will call it destiny. So the destiny that I face today is nothing but the consequences of my actions and choices I have made in the past. I cannot change the circumstances that have arisen as a result of my past actions but I can surely alter my tomorrow by making the right choices today. This is called ‘self effort’. Thus, the circumstances that we are in is our destiny (result of our past actions), what we do and how we act, in those circumstances, is entirely in our hands.

We cannot plant cacti and expect roses and mangoes. If it’s roses and mangoes that you want, plant those! The Doctrine of Karma puts the responsibility of our life in our own hands. Thus, our destiny lies not in the lines of our palms but in the grasp of our hands. Let us think and act, for with every choice we make today we are writing our tomorrow.