Ramanisblog

Tag: Determinism

  • Kayena Vacha Surrender Origin Free Will

    Free Will or Determinism?

    Which runs the individual’s life?

    This is question that engages all religious thoughts.

    Free Will or Determinism?
    Surrender sloka kayen vacha

    Do we have Free Will to do anything?

    Or everything is preordained?

    In the latter case, one does not accumulate sins because everything is determined.

    Equally baffling is the application of Free Will.

    Simple analysis  of the operation of Free Will in our Lives, without engaging ourselves about Free Will in philosophical terms, would show we are not free.

    When we perform an action, choices presented to us are limited.

    We do not have access to ALL options.

    We act on the basis of choices presented to us at a given point of time.

    Hence we have Free Will as well as we are Limited.

    kāyena vācā manasendriyair vā
    buddhyātmanā vānusṛta-svabhāvāt
    karoti yad yat sakalaṁ parasmai
    nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayet tat

    Word for word:

    kāyena — with the body; vācā — speech; manasā — mind; indriyaiḥ — senses; vā — or; buddhyā — with the intelligence; ātmanā — the purified consciousness; vā — or; anus ta — followed; svabhāvāt — according to one’s conditioned nature; karoti — one does; yat yat — whatever; sakalam — all; parasmai — to the Supreme;nārāyaṇāya iti — thinking, “This is for Nārāyaṇa”; samarpayet — he should offer; tat — that.

    Translation:

    In accordance with the particular nature one has acquired in conditioned life, whatever one does with body, words, mind, senses, intelligence or purified consciousness one should offer to the Supreme, thinking, “This is for the pleasure of Lord Nārāyaṇa.”

    ( Srimad Bhagvtham  11.2.36) explained by Rishaba to Nimi of Rama’s dynasty’

    Sri Vaishnava sect (of which I’m a member) uses another verse called the Sattvika Tyaga for much the same purpose:

    bhagavan eva svaniyamya sva-śeṣa-bhūtena maya
    sva-ārādhana-eka-prayojanāya idam (name of the karma)
    svasmai svaprītyai svayam eva karayati |

    The auspicious deity, exerting control on himself, using me (his other part) as an instrument, himself effects , with his pleasure/ worship being the only purpose.

    In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna tells Krishna,

    ‘You assert that the cycle of birth and death is because of one’s action and its repurcussions thereof.

    If one were to desist from performing action, is he not freed from the results of action and its reactionKarma Phala?

    Krishna replies,

    ‘ There is nothing in the world that is not Mine nor does anything take place withiut Me.

    There is nothing I desire for everything is Mine.

    Yet I am here performing Duties?

    Why?

    It is because of Swabhava, one’s disposition.

    Once born , he is impelled by his disposition.

    He can not escape from action, it may even be breathing.

    Even that is an action and it attracts karma phala’ reaction.

    So one is not free.

    YET one is endowed with Buddhi, power of discrimination to choose from options available to him’

    That’s it.

    One has freedom to express himself , impelled by his disposition, which he can not avoid yet he has the choice to perform righteously.

    Reference and citation.

    http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/11/2/36

    http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/8978/what-is-the-source-of-this-kayena-vacha-text-or-where-does-it-come-from

     

  • Choices And Life

    Quote on Life and Choice.
    Choice Quote

    I studied in a premier college with dual scholarship as I could not afford Higher studies.

    I was very active in the Students’ Union and was responsible for three strikes in that premier Institution.

    The causes were just, the authorities knew it, though could not admit it openly.

    I finished my degree as the first rank holder in the University in major(Philosophy,Psychology and Sociology), only first class in The University in the language(Tamil),and one of the seven second class students who scored in English.

    Though the college authorities knew I had created problems, the Chief of the group called me and asked me to continue MA , financial help for boarding, lodging and fees  will be taken care of by them, I could not, because my family circumstances warranted that I take up a job.

    Hence I had to refuse the offer despite their assurance that they will provide me with a job in the college as a Lecturer(Mind you the salary was good for the post in those days) because I could not  wait for two more years to earn.

    I took up a job, went out of the city, fell in love for over three years with my friend‘s( who was around 48 years) daughter.

    As much I wanted to marry her, I did not ask her father.

    in my view to marry one;s friend’s daughter was a betrayal of Trust!

    I got married and me my friend with my wife.

    His daughter along with him extended hospitality.

    As we were returning Home, my wife told me that she saw Love in my friend’s daughter’s eyes and asked me what the matter was.

    I explained her and she admonished me for not having married her and felt sorry for me too!

    (My friend’s daughter , in a fit of anger and desperation to get even with me got married of her own to a non worthy who tortured her and she got a divorce.)

    My wife, whom I loved and love still died in child birth.

    I went off my mind for a couple of months, got remarried , begotten grand children.

    I had choices, at all times,

    to opt for higher study and a sinecure job.

    to marry the one whom I loved,

    to remain unmarried after my beloved wife’s death,

    I did not choose any of these options.

    On hind sight I wish I could have taken them.

    The cost?

    I do not know.

    But what forced me to choose one in place of another, may be circumstances, but still?

    I had chosen what I thought I liked.

    In retrospect, I find it could have been otherwise.

    May be after couple of years  or even a days later I might find my present choice mentioned here are incorrect!

    So a decision is made by one with out his control, though it appears to be voluntary.

    Choice is really determined, if you look at it this way.

    So decisions are made for me and I am under the illusion that I am choosing them!

    True, I feel the pain at all times, I am Human.

    But what is Life with out this!

  • Yoga State Can Be Attained Faster Yoga Sutra 1.22

    Paramahamsa Yogananda, A Great Yogi
    Paramahamsa Yogananda, A Great Yogi

    Some people attain Yoga Siddi very fast.

    It takes a long time for the others.

    It might take even more than one Lifetime.

    The inclination to practice Yoga due to one’s Vaasanas.

    The success depends on one’s tireless efforts and following of the Yama and Niyama strictly.

    Yet one would find that even those who follow these rules rigorously  do not get results,

    On the other hand there are some who seem to attain the State of Yoga relatively easy.

    Why?

    Patanjali would be explaining this in the next Sutra on the importance of Iswara Pranidhaana, complete surrender to God,(Iswara)

    The fundamental of India philosophy is that one is totally responsible for one’s action,.

    You can not shift the responsibility to God, hold Him responsible nor can you expect Him to atone your Sins, as it were, as in some other Religions.

    In Indian Philosophy , Free Will Vs Determinism is dealt with exhaustively.

    While it is true that , being a Part of Brahman, The Reality,our individual Self , is not affected by our actions,we are responsible for our action at the Empirical level when and if we do not perform an Action as a Non Action,if we are driven by only our senses.

    Such actions beget results , the remnants of the Impressions or the Vaasanas linger and they condition our development.

    As Krishna declares in the 14th Chapter of The Bhagavad Gita, Sathva Guna is the result of previous Vaasanas or Impressions, though,

    ‘There may be innumerable Forms and beings , living and non living;yet Prakriti, Nature is The Mother and I am The Father , The Seed”

    (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14.4)

    Ramana Maharishi and Paramahamsa Yogananda
    Ramana Maharishi and Paramahamsa Yogananda

    This Sathva drives a Man for Yoga Sadhana.

    As I have been mentioning on various occasions, Yoga is not an exercise that can be mastered in 30 days or following some lectures;it is life long spiritual practice.

    It takes in most cases, more than a Life time.

    If one were to die before attaining Yoga in that birth, he is born , in the next birth, in a Family of Devotional disposition which helps him to continue his attempts at Yoga, thus rendering the attainment of Yoga faster in the present Birth.

    ( for who question the theory of Rebirth, I shall be posting an Article on this)

    Their fore,the dispositions must  be there, , the continuous practice must be undertaken.

    Then Yoga is achieved faster.

    The next is a step less than this.

    In some cases, every thing mentioned above might have been followed, yet the Siddhi does not materialize.

    The reason is that the Yoga has not been practiced correctly and remnants of Impressions linger.

    In such cases , the practitioner attains partial success as the Siddhas.

    They have no doubt attained Yoga Siddhi, though of a Lower Order.

    This the reason why some Yogis are reborn.

    Please read my post” Why some Yogis are reborn?

    This level is an average level (Madhyam)

    The last is the level we belong to’,

    We attempt and do not follow it up regularly.

    Here the results will be very slow in forthcoming.

    Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
    Yoga Sutra 1.22

    mridumadhyadhimatratvat tatopi visheshah

    mridu = mild;
    madhya = medium;
    adhimatratvat = by intense;
    totopi = further;
    viseshah = differentiation;

    The time necessary for success further depends on whether the practice is mild, medium or intense.

    They again differ according as the means are mild, medium or supreme.

    Yet, again, it is possible to see a distinction between mild, middling and intense zeal, energy and effort, although yoga (which is spontaneous realization of oneness) and effort (which implies duality) are contradiction in terms.

     

    Related articles