What is Fate or Destiny (Prarabdh)

Before moving forward on the topic of Fate / Destiny, some truths that are important to know-

Creation on earth is eternal and infinite, that is, no one can tell the beginning or the end of Sanatan Dharma culture.
We have all been born innumerable times in all the 84 lakh species mentioned in the scriptures.
We have been born in human form innumerable times.
84 lakh forms of life which include animals, birds, insects, moths, trees, plants etc. Out of these only human form of life is Karma form of life and all others are Bhoga form of life.
Only humans have the right and freedom to perform actions. The rest of the species did sins when they were born human in previous births, and as a result of that born as animals, birds, insects, moths, trees etc.

The Truth About Fate / Destiny – most people have doubts on..

Why horoscope (made as per birth time, birth place and date) is important in Indian astrology system (Jyotish)? – Our fate is not decided as per the birth time horoscope, instead we get the birth time based on our fate ….the fate is pre-decided based on our good and bad actions in the past births.

The planetary positions at the time of our birth, according to which the horoscope is made, are not a coincidence, that is, the importance of the horoscope for knowing destiny is not because we were born at that time, Rather, the secret is that our destiny is decided before our birth and we are born in the same planetary positions according to our destiny… so to understand this secret better, it is important to understand that:

How is our destiny formed
What is its basis
Who makes it

Who creates our destiny, how is it created, what is its basis?

God himself creates our destiny, by selecting a few (very-very few) among the innumerable deeds of our infinite births. Our current human body created to bear the fruits of those selected few deeds – that’s what is the fate / destiny of our this body.

So our own innumerable deeds are the basis of our destiny or fate. We have to experience and endure (Bhog) the results of those good and bad deeds completely after which death ensues.

Type of Karma (Deeds) – Important for understanding Destiny

The destiny or fate of the present body is MADE based on deeds done in one’s previous lives.

The innumerable accumulated deeds done by us in our previous lives, which have started yielding results due to the will of the omniscient Supreme god, are called destiny (fate).

According to Yoga philosophy (yog-darshan), destiny has three results.

Caste – Caste is the result of our destiny that we receive by birth means in which form one is born, – human, male or female, Varna – Brahmin, Vaishya, Kshatriya, Shudra,.
Age- The fixed number of breaths i.e. our age is fixed at the time of birth but a person can increase his age by practicing Yoga Pranayama.
Bhog (there is no exact synonym for bhog- it means to experience and endure the good and bad fate, pass through it) – Enjoyment, happiness, sorrow, wealth, glory, fame, misfortune, pain etc.,

Lets understand the Doctrines on Fate as per sanatan dharm scriptures:

Fate is like a seed and effort is like the soil. Seeds kept in a bag do not germinate, they germinate only when they get favorable soil and climate. Similarly, good or bad general destiny (mild in intensity) is manifested when efforts are made. If the destiny is very strong (in intensity) , then no matter how much effort is made, it does not stop until it gives results.

If the destiny is favorable, then, through effort it can be made better and if the destiny is unfavorable then through effort it can be made less effective. So as a principle one can, to a good extent control the outcomes of his /her fate, by making efforts. Only humans among all the 8.4 million life forms have this privilege to do new karma (deeds). , rest all life forms, plants, animals are dependent on their fate / destiny cant do anything to improve it.

Prarabdha (Destiny) is of mild, medium and intense categories. Sometimes, as a result of good deeds and worship / rituals, the Prarabdha that causes pain of mild and medium categories is pacified. For example, if a scorpio bite is in one’s fate, by Gods grace it can be replaced by ant bite, By God’s grace (for some staunch devotees) some very strong bad fate is passed by making one experience it in dream, This has happened with many saints, devotees of god. Even the most severest of the destiny can be pacified by remembering God, singing God’s praises, worshipping, chanting his name.

The compulsion of different living beings to suffer their destiny

Trees, creepers, plants are also living beings, they come in 8.4 million species, they are all completely under the influence of destiny, their body is not capable of doing any new deed / effort, hence the life of these creatures is 99% under the influence of destiny.
Ants, birds, other animals, living creatures etc. are mobile creatures, as they are able to move around and are able to protect themselves in adverse conditions. They try to survive in cold, hot, rainy season etc. Before the rains, ants collect food for themselves and find a safe place. These creatures are not completely dependent on facing their destiny. These beings are not completely bound to suffer the consequences of their destiny as they are capable of doing something to protect themselves in difficult conditions like extreme cold, heat and rain.
Humans are the only life forms whose dependence on destiny is much less compared to other living beings. With efforts such as worship, rituals, chanting, penance, etc., one can make the favorable destiny even better, bad destiny less intense.

Most importantly, only a human being can surrender to God in this very life and destroy all the sins and good deeds of his previous lives and attain God

The bond of karma is extremely complex, it is very difficult to get free from it even by the most rigorous means

We always do some or the other action, we cannot stay without doing something even for a moment, that action will either be auspicious or inauspicious… all these are Kriyaman actions, The results of Kriyaman Karmas are not obtained immediately, these innumerable Kriyaman Karmas get accumulated into Sanchita Karmas, and some portion of these innumerable Sanchita Karmas forms the destiny of our present body.

Prarabdha can only be overcome by suffering it…Along with suffering the Prarabdha of the present body, we are also performing new Kriyaman Karma and they are continuously getting accumulated / deposited in the accumulated Karma (Sanchit karma).

The means elaborated in ancient hindu scriptures to attain God are three knowledge (gyan), action (karm) and worship (Upasna). The means include Yoga, rituals, worship, devotion, chanting, penance, etc., these means are only for the ultimate welfare of living beings. But in the present dire circumstances, we cannot get rid of the bondages of karma by resorting to these means alone.

The storehouse of accumulated karmas is so vast, so infinite that we can never get rid of them by these means. If we had got rid of them, then the present birth would not have happened.

Why do we need to destroy our Vast deposits of karma

To attain God, Salvation we first need to be from all the bondages of karmas, as explained above, one cannot get rid of them through experiencing /suffering them because our lifetime is too short, and every birth we add huge karma into accumulated karm depository.

How Huge is our accumulated karma warehouse?

Accumulated karmas are vast. Lets understand this by an example:

Suppose the number of our accumulated karmas is 1 lakh crore (1 Lakh is 100,000, 1 Crore is 10 million). God took out 200 sins and good deeds from 1 lakh crore and made our present body, we will experience and endure the fruits of these 200 sins and good deeds through this body (That’s fate). The results of these 200 fate items will keep showing up time to time and when we have finished experiencing all 200, its our departure time, we leave this body i.e., death ensues. so in this one present birth, in whole life we have been able to destroy or nullify only 200 karmas.

Taking cue from this example one can calculate how many births and lifetimes will be required to destroy all accumulated karmas …..1 Lakh Crore. So what we are trying to say here is, there is no way one can destroy all accumulated karmas. By taking births and experiencing them they cannot be finished because newer kriyaman karmas are getting deposited in every birth. No means of worship can destroy them, our lifetimes are too short…

So how do we handle difficult destiny/fate when all “MEANS” are ineffective

First of all it is essential to destroy the accumulated karma

Accumulated Karma (Sanchit karma) is vast, good and bad deeds of trillions and billions of our human births are stored there without being endured/experienced. God will keep choosing little bit of good and bad deeds from our Sanchit (Accumulated) karma deposits to make a new body for us and we will keep taking newer births infinitely, not necessarily human body every time…

So lets admit it, Its not possible to get rid of accumulated karma, they are too many and increasing daily. The means like vedic karm-kand (worships, rituals etc) , yoga, chants, teerth travel etc are all ineffective, so what do we do?

Goswamy Tulsidas in his Ramcharit Manas say:

“koti vipr badh lagahin jaahu, aaye saran tajahun nahi taahu.

sanmukh hoi jeev mohi jabahin, janm koti agh naasahin tabahin”

Almighty God Shri Ram says, rather vows that, if someone completely surrenders to me and takes my shelter, I never abandon him/her, even if he/she has killed crores of brahmins (one of the most heinous 5 crimes). Those devotees who try to be close to me and love me, their all sins of billions of previous births are instantly destroyed.

God’s benevolence and kindness only can destroy the accumulated karmas and this is possible only by completely surrendering to God.

Complete surrender to God is called Sharnagati in hindi. Sharnagati by definition is complete surrender to God but its not so simple, if you have a guru, his guidance can make sharnagati possible and success, otherwise its difficult to completely surrender. Lack of faith in God often makes it very difficult. If your sharnagati is successful, all your sins, accumulated karma is destroyed. you are then free from all bondages, so there will be no further births, you will attain god, live in his abode…

Sharnagati (complete surrender to God) is the path to salvation

Summary:

Without the destruction of all the accumulated Karmas (sins and virtues), it is impossible to, attain God /salvation etc. The good and bad deeds accumulated over our infinite births are the cause of bondage due to which a soul has to take birth again and again in many species.

We can never destroy these infinite accumulated karmas by, our efforts, by experiencing and enduring them. It is only by surrendering to God and by his mercy that all sins and virtues (Accumulated karma) can be destroyed.

The words of God (Shri Krishna) in the Bhagavad Gita are:

सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।, अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः।।18.66।।

Abandoning all forms of rites and duties, take refuge in Me alone. I shall free you from all sins. (Therefore) do not grieve.