Predestination
Will of God versus Human Will, eternal heaven/hell
One bhakta of the Lord asked me my view about Predestination and Free Will. The following is my response:
Of course, no rational theory would give a convincing answer to such a subject. At the same time, we need not brush it under the carpet of ‘mysticism’ or faith stands where reason fails.
Though this is a heated topic debated by several scholars and theologians, as a lay person, untrained in theology [also without having any understanding about it] I should keep away from such topics. Where scholars fear to tread and often stumble it would be a nightmare for me. However I would like to share my reflections. I think the key to this question is in a counter question: who is the reason for this eternal hell/heaven? God or Devil or Human.
For me it all begins in Adam’s mythology where God clearly warned him ‘you shall not eat’ the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. God never gave any suggestion with ifs and buts. No alternative. Don’t eat and live or eat and die. Of course, as Adam never knew death, what death here stands for is not a question as it clearly means ‘separation’ from God. God also gave the warning only to Adam and not to Eve. Created later she might not have known about it. While Eve was absent when God warned, Adam was present when the devil talked to his wife. He never stopped the devil by asking counter questions. Even from the beginning men cannot interfere when women engage in conversation with others.
So the devil played the trick talking only to her and pointing that ‘did God actually say that’. Of course Adam might have warned her also as her response to Devil shows. Like most of the women, she too could have ignored her husband’s warning. Anyhow no excuses for her also. Though she was advised by the devil and prompted to eat, it was finally her choice as the devil never said to her, ‘the fruit also serves as a good food as it looks very delightful’. But God nowhere said to Adam that if eaten, he or his wife will become ‘wise’. He only talked about ‘death’ viz., separation and not wisdom. But the devil added nice spice to the food and Eve yielded to that smell of the spice. Any food that looks very delightful and smells good, will definitely increase the hunger and they both yield to their own choice. Eve knew that she didn’t require the fruit of that tree as food because even before that they were eating from several other trees. Probably as she became tired of all those other fruits and roots, she thought that this new forbidden fruit would improve her cousin. Though her husband knew about the danger, still he cannot interfere in the kitchen as it is exclusively a woman’s domain.
Here the question is not why God allowed in the first place the devil to enter in His good creation, forcing to tempt an innocent man. That could be the untold story in the myth that in order to test how Adam is going to UNDERSTAND and use his free will. Unless this test was put before him, he himself could not be sure what this free will means and how to use it. And God who created the Tree of Knowledge and Life allowed this test to take place to help Adam to choose between his free will and God’s warning. It is interesting to note that God has already warned him not to touch. With his free will it was expected of him to understand that there is something dangerous behind it and it is better not to touch it. But he failed to heed or understand the warning of God and accepted it as given by his wife [to which in any way he cannot say ‘NO’ as a husband—whatever served , eat and go away silently.]. The suggestion of the devil which looked very good—God’s warning about danger and devil’s suggestion about some benefit. Rest was history or mythology.
The moral of the story is that we have the right to choose but not the consequences of our choice as they are in the hands not that of our own.
Adam made his choice and faced the consequence. However the immediate result was a discipline not eternal punishment by kicking out of Edan. Now he learnt the consequence of his free will both positively and negatively. And that experience of toil and physical suffering should have taught him a good lesson on how to regain the last paradise by cooperating with God. That is the story of Hebrews—God put two choices before them, Curse or Blessing, Wider path and narrow path, eternal heaven or hell.
So who is the cause of that eternal separation—God or devil or human, my understanding is human. This is also the theme of Marie Corrilie’s book: Sorrow’s of Satan where he finally accepts that it is human’s free will to yield his temptation that eternally separated him from God.@
Once saved, ever saved, was a very famous theory among several Christians. However, I don’t see any place in Muktiveda for that. Till the end we have to work out our mukti with fear and trembling. Those who hold till the end alone will be saved/preserved.
Here the Indian karma theory might help us to complement our understanding on this subject. Of course bhakti tradition emphasizes grace which would even overcome Karma. Still, as Indian philosophical traditions hold a pluralistic view on most of the [doctrinal] subject, we have to consider the overall picture that Hinduism paints where karma holds the final key. We make our future based on our past. God remains neutral in this like the rain. It pours down on every kind of land. It is left to the nature of the soil and seed how that rain would yield the result. We all know about the famous theory of cat and monkey school. Cat school insists total dependence on grace like a kitten whereas monkey school on human efforts as baby monkey has to hold its grip strong when the mother jumps from branch to branch by carrying it.
However, another concept of Prapati or saranagati = total surrender without any reservation tries to add new views. Anyhow, in both schools the importance of kriya or karma is never neglected. In fact in Sri Vaishnavism in which these two kinds of thoughts prevail, doing proper ritual and sadhana is prerequisite even to receive grace. Also this saranagati is also a kind of karma as we have to take the first step to reach God to surrender. He has come seeking after us, but we have to do the karma of surrendering. Asylum seekers alone are called ‘refugee’. A country can give asylum but never call anyone to come as a refugee. Vibheeshna has to leave his brother Ravana seeking asylum to Rama as a refugee. Rama never called him to come and join his camp. We cannot do God’s part and He won’t do our part. None can snatch us from His hand, but He is not going to SNATCH us from us. It is like God giving a long rope keeping one end in His hand and giving the other end to us. Either we can climb back to reach Him or hang ourselves to die. He won’t pull us as He left that choice to us by giving us Free Will.
This is known as ‘common grace’ and ‘saving’ grace in Muktiveda. By sending rain and sun shine God bestows His common grace to all, but one has to use her FREE WILL to choose the savings grace though available for all. Of course, as nothing can separate a bhakta from the love of God, still one has to pay the cost for the lapses as Sevanand points out that it is like escaping from the fire. It is the reverse of the famous saying, ‘the operation is successful but the patient is dead viz., the operation failed but the patient still remains alive. The doctor has to decide whether the patient needs another operation or would allow him to live with impediment and die a natural death. It all depends on various other factors like the health of the patient, how fast he would recover for the next operation, etc. This is only an illustration and don’t stretch it beyond its limit.
Finally, Hinduism gives a different approach altogether: we are punished not FOR our sin but BY our sin.
So we humans alone caused eternal heaven/hell and not the devil or God. God accepts our weakness but never our excuses. Theology could give the best excuses [once saved ever saved] but bhakti/faith accepts weakness and confesses it to Him by seeking more and more grace. I would like to close this reflection with the song that I have written on April 4th 2024 about my nature as a broken vessel
1591 Broken vessel
Grace is bestowed
To the undeserved
The same grace alone gives deservedness
Help us to receive it
Though I received
That undeserving grace
As I still remain
A broken vessel
As it continuously leaking
By giving more and more
New each day, the same grace
Fills me again and again
Seeing which
Deservedness in me
You came
Seeking after me
You saw the
Un-deservedness as
My deservedness
And sought after me
I saw your nobleness
That bestows
To the innocent
By hiding to the wise
I also saw
your leela of
humbling the haughty
And uplifting the meek one
When I with much
Remorse blamed me
That I am a
Waste vessel
But as you poured
Your grace also in it
I saw the grace
Overflowing form it
I will receive more
And more grace
By becoming
That deserving vessel
As that grace
Upholds me each day
I will complete my race
By living in you
Gurukulam, 4-4-2024, 11.30 pm.
1591 விரிசல் பாத்திரம்
தகுதி அற்றோர்க்கு
தருவது கிருபை
பெற்றிடத் தகுதி
அருள்வது கிருபை
ஆயினும் அதனை
பெற்றிடும் நானும்
விரிசல் நிறைந்த
பாத்திரம் ஆனதால்
அதிகம் கசிந்து
குறையக் குறைய
அனுதினம் புதிதாக
நிறைப்பதும் கிருபை
எந்தத் தகுதி
என்னிடம் கண்டு
என்னைத் தேடி
நீயும் வந்தாய்
தகுதி அற்றவன்
என்ற தகுதியை
மட்டும் என்னிடம்
நீயும் கண்டாய்
ஞானிக்கு மறைத்து
பேதைக்கு அருளும்
மேன்மை அங்கு
உன்னிடம் கண்டேன்
தாழ்ந்தோர் உயர
உயர்ந்தோர் தாழ
செய்யும் உனது
லீலையை கண்டேன்
ஒன்றுக்கும் உதவா
பாத்திரம் என்று
என்னை நானே
நொந்து கொள்ள
அதிலும் உனது
அருளை ஊற்ற
ததும்பி வழிந்து
ஓடக் கண்டேன்
உனக்கு ஏற்ற
பாத்திரம் ஆகி
உனது அருளை
நிறைப் பெறுவேன்
அந்த கிருபை
அனுதினம் தாங்க
உன்னில் வாழ்ந்து
ஓட்டத்தை முடிப்பேன்
குருகுலம், 4-4-2024, இரவு, 11.30
@Long time ago, before I became a bhakta of the Lord, I read one interesting Novel: Sorrow of Satan, by Marrie Corelli, a Nun turned writer in the early part of 20th century. Corelli is a wonderful writer and I enjoyed reading several of her books: Vendetta, Thelma, She, He, Romance of the Two Worlds. Sorrows of Satan is available on the net.The main theme of that Novel was that God promised Satan that He will forgive him and restore back to his original status before the fall, provided if one human being can resist his temptation and come out successfully. Accepting this condition, Satan came to the world in the form of a beautiful Prince and he will tempt so many people with a hope that at least one person will resist him so that he can regain his lost status. But unfortunately all will fall and finally he will weep bitterly as now ‘human’ beings stopped his redemption and he continues to remain as a Satan with much sorrow, because of our ‘fall’—a second fall of Adams . [It was Eve who first ‘fall’ but like all other falls it is attributed as Adam’s Fall. Double punishment.]
It is like what happened with Valmiki. He was a thief and hunter. When Naradha confronted him and persuaded to give up the theft, Valmiki said that he did it only to take care of his family. Then Narada, according to the legend, tells him to go and ask his wife if she would also have a share in the sins that he acquired because of this sinful act. And when Valmiki went and asked his wife, she bluntly said to him, ‘why should I share in your sin. It is your duty to take care of your family. How you do it is not my concern. So I cannot share in your sins’. This opened Valmiki’s eyes and then instructed by Narada chanted the mantra of Rama [actually as he cannot even pronounce the word ‘Rama’ due to his sin, Naradha taking pity on him as him to chant ‘Mara, mara’. As he did it repeatedly ‘Mara’ became ‘Rama’ in his lips and was saved by chanting the Rama Nama. Then he composed Ramayana.
Leave a Reply