Is My Life Scripted by God?

The Truth About Destiny and Free Will

Question: It is said that God is Omniscient, which means He is all-knowing. Does that mean He knows what I'm going to do next? Does He decide my next action? If so, why is it said that I have free will? And if I have free will and act on my own, how does God know what I’ll do next?

Answer

Answer: Yes, God is Omniscient. He knows the past and the present intimately. However, regarding the future, the answer requires a nuanced understanding of how karma works.

God predetermines some events in our future, but not all. The events He predetermines are the specific results of our past actions that must be experienced in this life. This is what we call Fate or Destiny (specifically known as prarabdha karma). However, destiny governs only a small fraction of the events in a whole life.

The Hitopadesh states:

आयुः कर्म च वित्तं च विद्या निधनमेव च । पंचैत्यान्यपि सृज्यन्ते गर्भस्थस्यैव देहिनः ॥
āyuḥ karma ca vittaṁ ca vidyā nidhanameva ca | paṁcaityānyapi sr̥jyantē garbhasthasyaiva dēhinaḥ ||
"Five things are predestined for a soul while it is still in the womb: Age (longevity), Karma (profession/occupation), Wealth, Education, and Death."

Beyond these specific parameters, God does not pre-decide your entire future. He does not script the future actions of the mayabaddh (Maya-bound) soul.

God Knows the Past and Present

To understand how God knows our actions, we must understand His position.

• The Past: The earth exists within a Brahmand (cosmic egg) created by Lord Brahma. In this vast Samsara (Material World), there are countless universes and innumerable souls. God keeps a detailed record of every thought that has crossed the mind of every soul across infinite past lifetimes to determine their Prarabdha (destiny) for the current life. Shri Krishna Himself gives the fruits of the past actions. This task is never delegated to any saint or svansha (descensions of God).
• The Present: God dwells in the heart of every living being as the witness (Antaryami). The human mind is active constantly; except in deep sleep (sushupti) and unconsciousness. God observes every thought that crosses your mind in real-time.

The Crux: Free Will vs. Foreknowledge

God grants the fruits of past actions, but He does not force future actions.

Prior to taking an action, human beings weigh the pros and cons. Most mental work (thinking) does not result in physical action. For example, if someone harms you, you may think about retaliating but eventually decide against it out of fear or wisdom.

• We have been given Free Will to decide what we want to do.
• God, sitting in the heart, records these mental choices.
• These new actions performed in this lifetime are referred to as Kriyaman Karma.

Does God know what I will do next? Though God does not force the thought that enters your mind, He knows your decision the moment you make it, before you physically enact it. He observes the resolve of the intellect. Therefore, He knows the immediate future because He is witnessing the decision-making process within you.

Conclusion: You Are the Architect

It is true that God knows the past, the present, and the destined part of the future. However, regarding our moral choices and spiritual growth, we have free will. God does not act on our behalf or intervene to stop us from using our free will.

As Jagadguruttam Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj explains in the Radha Govind Geet:

सुकृत या दुष्कृत गोविंद राधे । भाग्य हरि काल न कराता बता दे ॥
sukr̥ta yā duṣkr̥ta gōvinda rādhē | bhāgya hari kāla na karātā batā dē || 1151

कर्म शक्ति मात्र दे गोविंद राधे । कर्मों में स्वतंत्र सब जीवों को बता दे ॥
karma śakti mātra dē gōvinda rādhē | karmōṁ mēṁ svataṁtra saba jīvōṁ kō batā dē || 1153

"We cannot blame our circumstances, destiny (Bhagya), Time (Kaal), or God for the actions that we perform—whether righteous or sinful. God merely grants us the power to perform actions; the soul is independent in choosing how to use that power."

Further Reading and Reference

Who Really Shapes My Fate?

In King Kuru’s family King Dhritarashtra was born to Queen Ambika, the first wife of King Vichittravirya. After death of King Vichittra Virya, His mother Satyavati asked her first born sage Ved Vyasa to give Queen Ambika a son. So, Dhritarashtra was born from glance of Ved Vyas. Similarly Ambika’s

Kripalu Vedic WisdomJKP Literature

Is God the True Doer Behind My Actions?

Question Shri Maharaj Ji has told us that, “due to Their oneness with God, the words spoken by the Saint , are the same as those of God”. Saint Kabir was a God-realized Saint. And he has said जो करै सो हरि करै, होत कबीर कबीर । jō karai

Kripalu Vedic WisdomJKP Literature

Sow with Wisdom, Reap with Joy

Broadly speaking, all things in the world are categorized as being either good or bad. Even the karma that one performs, is categorized as: * Good actions or sukarma (Devanagari: सुकर्म ISO15919: sukarma ) and * Bad actions or kukarma (Devanagari: कुकर्म ISO15919: kukarma ) Within the spiritual realm, the

Kripalu Vedic WisdomJKP Literature

Which Religion is Right?

Uddhava, a dear friend of Lord Shri Krishna was the greatest Brahma Gyani (see gyan ) in the age of Dwapar . He once asked Shri Krishna – वदन्ति कृष्ण श्रेयांसि बहूनि ब्रह्मवादिनः ।तेषां विकल्प प्राधान्

Kripalu Vedic WisdomJKP Literature