Free Will & Fate

Let us first examine what does the term ‘Will’ denote. Is it Awareness, Consciousness or our so called effort?.
Awareness is infinite. It is not bound by space or time.. The expression of life- consciousness takes place in Awareness. To put it in simple term – We know we are alive; we do not have to think that we are alive. This knowledge is Awareness. Consciousness is the expression of Awareness. The first expression is “I” and then “I am” and thereafter “Iam so and so” The first expression has neither a pseudo-subjective body nor it assumes a name and form. The second one “Iam” is conscious of a body considering itself independent with the power of thinking and action. The third one “I am so and so” assumes name and form and subjects itself to the attachment ‘mine’.. Vedantins describe these three stages belonging to Agnanam terming it as beeja jagrat, jagrat and mahajagrat respectively. It is believed that only one fourth part of that Awareness or potential energy is expressing the consciousness as ‘I’, ‘Iam’ etc., with name and form, time and space and cause and effect, as we call it as prapancham or viswam.. In one of the sukthams it is said “Padosyaviswa bhoodani” that is one part gets expression as viswam.
Consciousness is ever present with expression as life. Consciousness is the expression of Awareness. It is not that each individual possesses a separate consciousness. It is Consciousness which possesses millions of forms like the Ocean with innumerable waves. Our so called body is not caging or it is a casing to consciousness. The physical appearance is only a psychosomatic appearance of that consciousness. It is the Consciousness that expresses names and forms, time and space and cause and effect. It is the consciousness that constitute the five elements and three gunas. Even the apparent unconscious stage of the mountains conceals the consciousness in a dorment stage.




Next is effort. The so called effort man claims as his volition is similar to the fluttering of the wings by a caged bird! From birth to death every event, is precisely computerised and every event happens as it should and not as we wish.
Again the question remains to be answered. What is Free Will and what is fate? Freewill – is it Awareness, is it consciousness or is it effort? The source of Free will and Fate is beyond our comprehension. This play of freewill and fate takes place on the surface – upon the one fourth part of Awareness. The other three fourth part is described by sages as ‘Amritham’ – “thripadasyamritham divi”. The one fourth part appearing as viswam is only an appearance – vivartham – according the adwaita vedanthins,similar to mirage in a desert, whereas visishtadhwaithies hold the view that it is manifestation like spark from fire.So all our attempt to study the role of fate and freewill is confined to the surface notwithstanding the view that the surface is appearance or manifestation of that Supreme Truth.
According to adwaitha theory, freewill and fate are only concepts. The truth is beyond these two. Once we have experienced the supreme truth, we will not be affected by fate
and we will not be concerned with free will too. This is the truth from the Absolute stand point. From the relative stand point let us examine both fate and freewill.
As we have discussed above, Awareness is the Absolute truth and consciousness is its expression either appearance or manifestation. The first appearance or expression of the
Absolute is from its own volition – sankalpam or Free will. Fate comes subsequently and it is the making of the individual through his anthakaranam. We can therefore conclude that out of the two Free will and Fate, the former has the supremacy over the latter and Fate is the child of Free will! In this connection certain thoughts of a philosopher by name Epictetus (lived in 60 AD) are worth recollecting: ““Of all existing thi ngs, some are in our power and others are not in our power. In our power are thoughts, impulse, will to get and will to avoid. Things not in our power includes the body, property, reputation, office. Things in our power are free.” Thus it can be seen that


as early as 60 AD , in Rome, intellectuals have thought over this and recognised free will and fate.What disturbs men’s minds is not events but their judgement on events., and we have the freedom to tune our mind so as to respond to events and not to react.
It is in our power to outlive like and dislikes, to outlive our small ego i.e. feeling of individuality and in the positive side to develop equanimity and to respond to events without reacting. We should have faith in that supreme truth on the surface of which the appearance or manifestation exist. Once we constantly attune our mind with that supreme truth we will not be disturbed by any of the events that occur on that surface. Thus by constantly remembering that supreme truth which is the source of free will and fate and at the same time beyond the twain, we realise peace – shantam, shivam, adwaitham.