Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Maktub

Maktub. It is written.

Destiny. Fate. Karma. It is all written.

But where we err is in believing that is irrevocably written. In believing that our fates were pre-determined and that the “prarabdh” we carried forth from our previous lives is unalterable. I have seen too many individuals, bright and promising, giving up at the first sign of resistance and consigning their lives into the hands of what they deem to be their ordained lot in life. Even worse, they seem to use this pre-disposition towards the supremacy of the heavens to justify their meek surrender to the privations of life, while absolving themselves of any guilt at not having put up a struggle.

Einstein once said that “God does not play dice”. Translated into the myriad aspects of the universe, it reflects that the rhythm of His creation is rooted in reciprocity. The human race has been set forth with one primary challenge-to struggle with their mortality while combating with the perennial mutations of heaven and earth.

Man has been given command over the elements that comprise his being (air, water, fire, earth and ether) to nourish or exploit as he deems fit. At the same time, he has also been made subject to the outer disintegrating powers of nature-planetary stimuli that determine the course of his life, beyond what he himself may determine or crave.

According to the ancients, a child is born at a time when the celestial rays are in harmony with his individual karma. As such, his horoscope is a portrait not just of his unalterable past but also of his probable future. Probable, for the stars themselves have no conscious benevolence or animosity-they merely offer a direction based upon what each man has set into motion in the past.

The message indicated by the stars is not meant to emphasize fate as an inevitable result of past good or evil. Rather, it is meant to serve as a road-map, a reckoner of one’s limitations and potentialities. In its purest form, it is meant to arouse man’s will to escape his universal thraldom. To show him that what he has done, he can also undo. Since none other than he himself was the instigator of the limitations he now finds himself burdened under, it is he himself who can overcome them. And he can do so merely by taking the right actions, actions that are principally dependent on his ethereal resources and are not subject to planetary influences.

Once we identify the latent power within each of us to shape our own destinies, it becomes evident that a superstitious awe of astrology and the power of the stars denigrates us to mere automatons, slavishly dependent on mechanical guidance. If it is true that God created us in His image, it is impossible that he intended for us to be to so servile in our subjugation to extrinsic forces. The logical corollary is that we are meant to use the gift of our “free will” to choose our destiny. And once we have made this choice, we will also, without exception, gain an understanding of the travails and sacrifices it entails.

The multitude will never even contemplate upon what their destiny might be; they will merely resign themselves to it. Of the few who do ponder over it, the majority will yield to the severity of its demands. The chosen few who do dare to pursue their destinies will be mocked, scorned and ridiculed. And if they stick the course, they alone shall be admired, revered and idolized. But above all, they alone shall find happiness.
For all too often, a person finds his destiny on the very road he took to avoid it.

“A wise man struggling with adversity is said to be a spectacle upon which the Gods look down with favour”

7 comments:

  1. Reminds me of a famous punjabi quote 'Hasth rekhawan di chinta na kar,hath sirjanhar ne takdeer de'
    I would like to believe that it is true in most of the cases but I am sure that there are things that are beyond our control-Life, death, love et al.Thus,we can't ignore fate or destiny completely..the belief just varies depending upon the situation a person is in.

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  2. I am reminded of a dialogue from the movie Waqt when Balraj Sahni says, "panditji, kedare ki taqdeer hathon ki lakeero mein nahi, peeth pe padi lakeeron mein hai."

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  3. intellectually written... i love the first line where u rightly say that where we err is in believing that fate is irrevocably written. fate is there but sometimes we do manipulate it; it gives us chances to act of our own free will too.

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  4. @Jaspreet-sure, there are many things beyond our control. It may even be that there is nothing in our control and that we are mere puppets in the hands of fate.
    Yet,it does not justify laying down our arms and meekly surrendering to the flow of life.
    We may not get what we want but there is no other purpose in being born with intellect than to exercise it in the pursuit of what we desire.

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  5. @Adarsh-just yesterday,had a very long discussion with a friend about this very movie.
    I havent seen it yet but now i think i must !
    Btw, what is "kedare"??

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  6. @Mehak-i agree. Its like that anecdote about Napoleon where he slashed his palm to give himself the missing line which would ascertain a bright future for him.

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  7. it was Balraj Sahni's name in d movie...u must watch it...amazing movie..

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