Miscellaneous - Religion   

Submit to divine will

CHENNAI : A philosophical question that perplexes every earnest spiritual seeker is whether man has a free will. When a person is in total charge of his life situations and everything works out according to his plan he is bound to assume that he has the free will to think and act. But human life is not all that simple. Even the most self-willed person is bound to face situations of doubt and despair. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once explained this enigma for the benefit of his devotees by directing their search inward.

When one analyses this by asking who is raising this question — whether it is the `I' or God within — it will become apparent that there are cannot be two distinct entities within a person. As there is only one `I' inside, God indwells within the heart of the individual and directs the soul. Thoughts arise in the mind not because of free will (if it is so one can enter into the meditative state of Self-union at will) but because God wills them to.

The latent tendencies in the mind (Samskara) are responsible for the kind of thoughts. Due to ignorance the person identifies with his body and this identification creates the mistaken notion of having an independent will and other social identities like gender, age and so on.

In his discourse, Swami Gautamananda said it was God who vested every individual with the notion of free will. Only when he is unable to execute what he wishes would a person realise that a greater power is guiding him from within. So if one submits to the divine will there will be success. Saints are so attuned to God that whatever they think happens. Like a bubble in the river being swept in the direction of the current as it does not resist it, there will not be disappointments in life when man learns to surrender to God and accept the outcome as His grace.

The example of a bulb glowing because of electricity is apt to understand the working of divine will in human life. The Supreme Being can be likened to electricity which can enable any number of lamps to glow. Though the brilliance of each bulb maybe different they are all manifestations of the same electricity. So also, human beings have different capacities according to the instrumentality of their body-mind-intellect personality. When the person identifies with the Lord totally there will be total effacement of the ego, which is responsible for feeling of individuality.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword No. 8490
Solution to Puzzle 8489
Submit to divine will
dated January 3, 1956: PM's call to scientists
dated January 3, 1956: Sudan becomes Republic
dated January 3, 1956: 112 die in stampede
Weather

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu