Who can change destinyIJ The first person who can do so is the self. Others don't have such powers. But God can certainly influence it
What’s destinyIJ This is an accumulation of good and bad deeds, which have not come to fruition as yet. For example, someone has worked hard to get something, but the task is not complete so far. How is destiny createdIJ We are always doing something with our minds or bodies. They accumulate and fructify at an appointed time. For example, a student has worked hard for his exam. When he does appear for it, he will reap the benefit of his hard work. Similarly, another student neglects his studies and he will get the result as per his efforts.
Can destiny be changedIJ It is an important question. The answer is: There are two types of destinies — changeable and unchangeable. The example of changeable destiny is of a student who pays little attention to his studies during his initial schooling, but makes amends later by working hard. An example of unchangeable destiny is of someone who has committed a murder. Punishment is bound to follow in this case.
The next question is: Who can change destinyIJ The first person who can do so is the self. Others don’t have such powers. But God can certainly influence it. However, God does not normally interfere with the working of destiny. He does so only for His earnest devotees but that too in a limited way and in extreme cases. He delays the punishment or brings it down to tolerable levels.
What, then, is the best way to shape one’s destinyIJ The first requirement is to come to the mode of goodness, as different from being in the mode of passion or ignorance. The second requirement is to take refuge in God. Then, all our acts will be conducive to good destiny, because God gives spiritual intelligence; He warns; He stops; He sends help, if required.
Will our destiny become perfect thenIJ No, it will not happen in the immediate future, because our bad deeds of the past are yet to be exhausted, but we will certainly not add anything to them knowingly. However, we may still act in a bad way unknowingly due to our faulty nature, bad conditioning, poor habits and defective samskaras; these will take time to get over. Also, we live in a material world where lower, baser modes are more active. Destiny becomes perfect only when we get liberated in every sense of the word.
How does good destiny pan outIJ The events in our lives will be mostly good, though not perfect. There will be some troubles and pains, which will be tolerable. One should learn from such experiences. There will be gradual improvement in the quality of life, and if one is linked to God, one will make spiritual progress. So, what should we doIJ We should make sincere efforts to shape our destiny. Else, we would continue to lament about our bad luck.
The writer is a spiritual writer