Tag Archives: past

Driver and Living Entity

Arjuna was not the supreme knower, and his decision to fight or not to fight was confined to his limited discretion. Lord Krishna instructed that the individual is not all in all. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, or He Himself, Krishna, as the localized Supersoul, sits in the heart directing the living being. After changing bodies, the living entity forgets his past deeds, but the Supersoul, as the knower of the past, present and future, remains the witness of all his activities. Therefore all the activities of living entities are directed by this Supersoul. The living entity gets what he deserves and is carried by the material body, which is created in the material energy under the direction of the Supersoul. As soon as a living entity is placed in a particular type of body, he has to work under the spell of that bodily situation. A person seated in a high-speed motorcar goes faster than one seated in a slower car, though the living entities, the drivers, may be the same. Similarly, by the order of the Supreme Soul, material nature fashions a particular type of body to a particular type of living entity so that he may work according to his past desires. The living entity is not independent. One should not think himself independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The individual is always under the Lord’s control. Therefore one’s duty is to surrender, and that is the injunction of the next verse.

Fate and Free will

Q. Can I choose to be Krishna conscious or is that decided by fate?
And do I have the freedom to choose Krishna or is that decided by fate?
I want to be Krishna’s servant, can I choose that or is that decided on fate?

A. Thanks for posting this question.
You have full rights to exercise your free will.
If you desire to serve Krishna or you want to become Krishna conscious, it is your free will.
It is not decided by your fate or predetermined activities.
Our present is the result of our past actions and our future is the result of our present actions.
As soon as you decide to choose Krishna, you are going closer toward him.
The moment we forget Krishna, we again suffer.
It is fully dependant upon your strong will.
Fate can be changed.