Wednesday 22 January 2014

Destiny or Freewill - the third option by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Debate Classics 
With God, there is always a third option which is completely different
from the available two options. 


There are some debate topics that are considered timeless because they seem to rage on in the hearts and minds of people with no apparent solution at hand. Like the famous question on whether the hen came first or the egg, such debate topics have no provable answer. That is the reason why they are picked for debates - because they showcase the debating skills of the participants without actually concluding anything. I remember one such debate in my college days on whether the means justify the ends or whether the ends justify the means. After an hour of grueling and intense debate, the moderator walked up to the lectern and said,
"The debate appears to have come to an end today as the allotted 1 hour is up. However, in reality, the debate has not ended. It has just begun in the minds of all that have assembled here and that should rage on till we find answers for ourselves."

I must confess that living with my Master, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and experiencing His divinity, I have got my answers to several such debates which rage in the inner recesses of one's being. The question of means v/s ends has been amicably resolved with the experience of Mr.Pushkaraj Gumaste. Another debate that raged on within me till recent times was the timeless classic on whether one is governed by destiny or by one's efforts. The destiny v/s freewill debate has been battled out in many bustling classrooms, on daises and stages of different levels and even on television shows. However, while everyone has a point of view and fiercely argues for it, even to this day not many can claim clarity on the subject. Nobody is convincing enough for us to accept completely, without reservations.

Would it raise eyebrows if I were to claim that this debate too has been resolved in a beautiful manner for me by my Swami? The answer arrives via the experience of Prof.Raghunath.N.Safaya in the early 1980s with 1983 being the most probable year of happening. It was narrated to me by one of the first students of the revered professor, Sunam Gyamtso. Sunam's account gave me a very unique answer for this question of freewill v/s destiny and, more importantly, filled my heart with a lot of cheer. Without further ado, let me spread and share that same cheer to all the readers.

A very different teacher in the class

That eventful day in the spring of 1983 is unforgettable for Sunam. He was sitting along with his classmates, awaiting the beginning of the Philosophy class. The lecture was to be delivered by Prof. Raghunath Safaya. He was a stickler for time and was never late for class. Today, however, seemed to be a rare exception. He walked into the class after a good five minutes of the bell being rung. And even as he walked in, he seemed to be quivering and quaking. The students looked at each other. They knew that something was amiss. Did they spot a few tears behind those thickset glasses that the professor wore? Was there a faint quiver in his voice when he wished the whole class 'Good Morning' and 'Sairam'?

Prof.Raghunath Safaya in a group photograph with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and other teachers in the foyer
of the college building. He is seated to the extreme right of Bhagawan. To his left is Gangadhar Shastry. To Swami's

left is Kirti Ravel (Hindi) and to his left is CLN Murthy. To extreme left of Swami is Kuppuswamy beside whom 
Sandeep Shastri is kneeling. 
A brief history of the revered professor is in order here. Prof.Safaya was well-versed in his subjects and was a master in philosophy and history. His hometown was Chandigarh in North India and he had traversed hundreds of miles to serve as a teacher in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. Previously, he worked at the Teachers' Training Institute at Chandigarh. His greatest passion, hobby and love in life were astrology and palmistry. That was something that he had inherited from his ancestors, all of whom had been respected for their knowledge of the way in which the planets and stars in the skies along with the lines on one's palm influence one's life.
And so, Prof.Safaya was the owner of a set of heavy books on astrology and palmistry which had arrived into his hands like an heirloom. He often fascinated his students with his knowledge of these sciences which seemed to be far greater than his knowledge of history and philosophy too. In fact, his faith and confidence in these sciences was also far greater than his faith in Swami.

According to him, Swami was a very wonderful and evolved human being who was spreading goodness in society - nothing more, nothing less. That was what had attracted him to Him and he tried to imbibe as much goodness from Him as he could. Swami, on His part, seemed very happy with the professor's efforts. He appreciated them and Prof.Safaya often got interviews.
Sunam and his classmates knew that today was another such day when the professor had received an interview with Swami. But never before had they seen him in such a state of overwhelming emotion. What had transpired today?

A ruler of lines falls in line with the rules of the ruler

Prof. Safaya himself narrated the powerful happenings of the morning. Swami had called him in for an interview. He entered the interview room and for the first few minutes, the interview went along the lines of the previous interviews. Swami asked him how things were going, how the students were and so on. Then, out of the blue, Swami told him,
"You seem to have great faith in the predictive sciences of your forefathers. That overpowers even your faith in God's strength! Do you believe that commensurate to your surrender, I will take care of everything for you?"

The professor was taken aback. The question was direct and almost in his face. However, it was not easy for him to instantly transform his reverence for Swami into implicit faith. He had heard about the power and grace of God, but wasn't it this very Swami who had gifted him with an emerald ring to wear? Emerald was his lucky stone and green, his lucky color. Having adhered to such talismans of luck Himself, how could Swami ask him to give up all that he had learnt as ancestral wisdom? Little did Prof.Safaya realize then that with God by his side, even misfortune could become a good-luck talisman - that is the capacity of Divine power.

Swami continued to taunt,
"Professor, your sciences can only predict. Can they help you intervene if something is unfavourable?"

Prof. Safaya knew this to be the truth. Though astrology and palmistry suggested some remedial measures for impending 'disasters', he knew that none of these remedies were foolproof.
Swami now did something that he had never imagined. Calling him closer, He held both his hands. Slowly, Swami brushed His palms over the professor's upturned palms. Then He told him,
"Tell me, what does life hold for you?"

The professor looked down at his palms. Having seen them every day of his life, he actually had no need to do that. He knew the contours on his palm by heart. The lines were etched in his memory stronger than they were on his palm. It was only out of respect for Swami that he looked at his palms. He was in for a shock.
Amid tears, the professor told his philosophy class students,
"When I looked, I did not find a single line on my palms. They had been wiped clean - no trace of even the faintest etch!"



The power of surrender

As the class listened with bated breath, the professor continued his narrative. Swami stood smiling in front of him, apparently enjoying the professor's discomfiture and shock. Prof. Safaya just broke down and Swami lovingly patted him.
"Don't worry about anything. Once you surrender to me, I shall take care of everything."

The professor fell to his knees and touched Swami's feet. What he had thought as impossible had actually happened - his reverence for Swami had transformed into implicit faith in a moment!
"Yes Swami! Yes Swami! I believe that commensurate to our surrender, you take care. Complete surrender means a life completely taken care of!"

Swami smiled at him again and touched his palms again. The lines were all back again - to the last detail! The professor was overwhelmed at the presence of this Master who could wipe out and re-draw the lines on his palm at will.

"You have nothing to worry when I am shouldering your lives. Just surrender, that is enough."
The interview was complete after that. Swami opened the door and let the professor out. It was time for his class in the Institute and Swami knew that he was a stickler for time. However, the dialogue on surrender had been so powerful that the professor decided to temporarily suspend his punctuality.

Instead of walking to the Institute, he walked straight to his room. He gathered his precious heirloom - all the thick books on astrology and palmistry. He bundled them all up in a big cloth and carried the bundle out of the room. He walked to the large ground-level well that was located behind the planetarium beside the Institute building. Without further thought, he just dumped all the books into the well. Then, wiping his tears, he walked to the waiting class.

Destiny or Freewill

"Dear students", he told them, "trust me, the science of astrology and palmistry are nothing compared to Swami's grace and power. I feel so redeemed today."
As I heard Sunam recounting the greatest philosophy lesson of the professor, I got my answer to the destiny and freewill debate. So, is it destiny of self-effort finally? My answer is - Who cares? I know for sure that Swami's grace is more powerful than my destiny, more effective than my efforts. And so, when presented with the choices, I go for the third option. As martial artist David Carradine says,
"There's always a third way, and it's not a combination of the other two ways. It's a different way."
And that way, for me is surrender. Swami has also given an elegant, practical way to practice surrender. If I can just follow that, it will be enough. The debate will cease and it will not matter to me whether it is destiny or my effort that is affecting me because I will have something far more powerful taking care of me. That is the way I shall go about in life now. And now, Swami's quote on destiny and self-effort gains greater meaning for me



"What you meet in life is destiny. How you meet it is self-effort."

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26 comments:

  1. One of the most powerful blog from you Aravind ! You have answered more than one question for me today through this. It's not a coincidence I am sure of that ! Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. Glad Atul that your questions were answered! I am also convinced that it is no coincidence. It is just one way in which God showers His love on you.

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    2. The narrative is wonderful.
      Its really an eye-opener.
      Thanks a lot for sharing.

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  2. I just needed that thank you !!! Om Sai Ram

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  3. I Just needed that !!!!! thank you Om Sai Ram

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  4. Just yesterday I had a copy of horoscope reading for my niece which I downloaded and sent it to her and wondered , "why don't we have any choice accept to act as the planets make us do. how can we reduce the bad effects of the so called bad period in our lives. and if everything is predetermined what are we doing actually by ourselves." so many questions bothered me , a LO morning what I see is this blog.
    How should I thank GOD and YOU for all the timely answers? We LOVE you Swamy for always being there for us. Thank You .Sairam.
    Saraswuthi.

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    1. When you speak of planetary influences, I remember a very common statement that Swami makes (especially during Ugadi and New Year)
      "When you have God's ANUGRAHA (Grace) what can the NAVAGRAHA (9 planets) do to you?"

      Swami's answers are always timely...

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  5. ANOOP VIJAYAKUMAR22 January 2014 at 19:30

    Sairam Dear Brother.... Thank you and tons of gratitude ...forthis article... thankful to SWAMI for having you on facebook... this article is very special to me... in the sense 2 months back SWAMI blessed me with a dream where in HE came close to me took my palm in HIS and re drew many lines with HIS finger...hence I am 100% sure that here after no astrologer or palmist can predict my future ... :) ...it will unfold in a way HE wishes.... With Love & Prayers

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    1. I have also heard a few narratives where Swami has redrawn the lines on one's palm. Happy that you have had this wonderful experience and blessing.

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  6. The best part of Swami's life has been these small and cute leelas like a Krishna. we all know we need Grace of the Lord, we get constantly tricked by mind to believe that we are the doer and our efforts are superior and when something goes wrong we can blame on destiny, Monkey mind always does tricks. If only we can realize fully His Divinity in Ourselves, this planet would be so Divine.

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  7. Wow! I am speechless...what a powerful post...Thank you Aravind!

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  8. sairam aravind,

    The blog is very interesting and kind of continues on the topic we discussed in parthi. We just have to surrender to the lord.

    Manoj

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  9. a powerful and faith instilling story - thanks!

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  10. if the Nadis(Suka,Agastya talk of past and future bithhs as well then even our future bitrth is being planned by Swami?

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  11. Sai Ram Arvind, feels like Swami just answered me through you. Thank you so much for that!!!!!!! Now, I can be so much more at peace.

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  13. JAI SAI RAM,through this event sri sai ram answered my query today which was till today bothering me a lot .let me surrender to the almighty sai ram who will take care of me and my family in every manner . our pranams to sri sai ram at HIS LOTUS FEET.desigamani

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  14. JAI SAI RAM,through this event sri sai ram answered my query today which was till today bothering me a lot .let me surrender to the almighty sai ram who will take care of me and my family in every manner . our pranams to sri sai ram at HIS LOTUS FEET.desigamani

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  15. Swamy is beyond anything. He takes care of us. Love and surrender.

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  16. Thank you sir. I was going through lot if Selina. Being a swamy devotee I should not be in this state of mind. I went to astrologer and he mentioned my grahas are in neech position and I won't get any thing in life. Y my devotion towards swamy faded why I trusted creation more than creator. Thanks you reminded me what swamy can do for us. Thank you sairam

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  17. Never doubt on Sai, have faith always and surrender.

    Sri Sai Ram!

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  18. Sairam sir,I was finding out about Swamis guidance on astrology..and this this post is such a divine eye opener!!Also,only you being his chosen instrument have written about it and I just cannot thank you enough.keep writing and enlightening us.Thank you.Jai sairam!!

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  19. I have read "Prayer of Surrender" many times. It has amazing power when we put our complete faith in Swami Swami is helping me in many ways. I advise many to read and Think Positively only. Positive results are our faith in Swami (or God of choice) never fails us. Thanks for this very powerful article showing third option-Swami's grace.

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