People get very excited about knowing their future. Vedic sciences such as palmistry, numerology and astrology fuel excitement by predicting what is in store for one. These predictions can bring happiness, but also distress if they are not what we expect or desire. This can either make us too hopeful or it can make us feel hopeless because we tend to resign ourselves to what has been predicted. However, we have news!
We are not programmed robots! We are human beings blessed with the ability to make choices.
If everything is pre-written, then why work at all? We always have free will, something even God Himself will never interfere in. What happens to us is destiny, but how we respond to it is entirely our choice, and by our choices we can brighten or darken our future.
Essentially, any method of learning about the future is like a weather forecast. The weather forecast might saythat it will rain tomorrow, but we decide if we want to get drenched. And even if we do decide to go out, we can always equip ourselves with an umbrella or a raincoat and thus avoid getting wet.
The various branches of Vedic knowledge that are concerned with knowing about the future are based on an understanding that there are signs of the future that are present either in our bodily characteristics or in the planetary alignments at the moment of our birth, or the date of birth and time. But these are just signs and not compulsions. Any form of prediction can primarily determine what might happen to us, but it doesn't determine our response. So, destiny essentially refers to 'what happens to us', and free will essentially refers to 'how we respond to it'.
Even astrologers, numerologists or palmists give remedies such as wearing certain stones or performing certain rituals. This goes to show that even they things can be changed by taking the proper steps. Now whether we come across a genuine practitioner is a matter of good luck, but the point is that things can change.
Of course, destiny is strong, and its influence might still give us the urge to go out when it rains despite knowing the weather forecast, but again, we do have the choice to resist the temptation. The ultimate choice lies with us, and we can always choose to act in a way that is for our personal growth. That ability becomes more and more pronounced when we have the right association, especially with those who are spiritually advanced.
Lord Brahma tells us in the Brahma Samhita(5.27):
karmani nirdahati kintu cha bhakti-bhajam
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
'I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who burns up to their roots, all karmas of those who are imbued with devotion.'
Lord Krishna Himself says in the Bhagavad Gita (18.66):
sarva-dharman parityajy
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tuam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
'Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions.Do not fear.'
A person who commits a serious crime and is punished by the law can still be pardoned by the king or the president of a country if they see a genuine reason to do so. If a human being can have such authority, why do we think the Supreme Lord cannot pardon us if we sincerely repent and choose to rectify our wrong behaviour?
Anyone who engages in the devotional service of the Lord can have their destiny changed at any time. We cannot change it, but through our choices, we can attract His and He can do it for us. grace
So the best choice is to engage in devotional practices, beginning with the chanting of the holy names of the Lord (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare) and hearing from scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam on a regular basis. These practices can sharpen our intellect and thus help us make the right decisions in life.
If our lives were just unchangeable scripts, then there would be no point in God giving us scriptures and sending spiritual masters and saints into this world to guide us about the do's and don'ts. The very fact that Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, talks about various choices and their consequences and then says, 'Now do as you like," proves that after knowing everything, the ultimate choice lies with us.
Palmistry, numerology and astrology, as brilliant as they are, have their limitations. Srila Prabhupada, the Founder Acharya of ISKCON, stated that if we just clap our hands in the kirtan of the Lord's holy names, then all the lines of our hands will change. Thus, by the sincere practice of devotional service beginning with hearing and chanting (as mentioned above), destiny can certainly take a U-turn for the better. Every moment is a choice, and every choice can bring a drastic change.
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