Free-will vs Pre-determination (sruti)

From the Bhakti List Archives

• August 16, 2002


SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

The analysis continues: -

The following are the quotes from upanishads, that
support the notion that jivaÂ’s free-will has no
independent existence unless otherwise ‘willed’ so by
the grand-will (of Brahman)
The quotes have been lifted from RamanujaÂ’s
Sribhashyam to V.S.

# “The Eternal among the eternals, the Intelligent
among the intelligent, who though One, fulfills the
desires of many”  - Kath up.v.13 & shveta.up.vi.13

# “Another (viz the Lord) also is seen to be cause of
their association with the qualities of ‘works’ (which
lead to samsara) and the qualities of the self (which
lead to beatific release)  - Shvet.up.v.12

Note: - The second part of the above verse clearly
states that the so-called freewill or positive effort
or conscious effort or whatever you may call by way of
jiva making some effort to do bhakti or prapatti or
yogam to attain the beatific release, is due to LordÂ’s
bounties on the jiva or His granting of the
‘necessary’ qualities to the jiva to enable him to
aspire for HIM.)

# “He is the Lord of the prakruthi and of the
individual soul and is the regulator of the qualities;
He is the cause of samsara, of final release, of
existence and of bondage” -  (Shveta.up.vi.16)

# “He is the cause, the Lord of what is the lord of
senses, (i.e., of the jiva or the individual soul)  -
(Shvet.up. vi.9)

# “He (the jiva) is embraced by the omniscient Self
and knows nothing external” – Briha.up. iv.3

(Note: - the above too vindicates that if ever
freewill is to exist as a separate attribute of the
jiva (i.e., independent of godÂ’s design or will) that
will be an impossible proposition.)

# “Whatever there is here as existent and whatever
there is non-existent in relation to him (jiva) –all
that is contained in Him”  - Chhand.up.viii.1.3

# “In Him all desires are contained.”
–chhand.up.viii.1.5

# “The omniscient Lord who creates all beings gives
them names, and calling them (by those names) He ever
continues to be,” –Taiitri.ar.12.7

# “ He who has entered within is the ruler of all
things that are born, and is the Self of all’ –
Taittri.Ar.iii.21.

# “ He is the Self of the whole universe and is the
best refuge: He is the Lord of the world, and the Lord
of individual souls: whatever thing there is in this
world, either seen or heard, Narayana pervades all
that within and without and so remains for ever. –
M.Nar.xi.3 & 5

jayasree sarnathan.

Quote of the mail: - For a change let me quote a verse
from the famous Pura Naanooru  seyyuL ‘yAdum vUrE,
yAvarum kELirÂ’  (all the world is my place and all are
my relatives)

“Neer vazhi –p- padu-vum puNai pOl, Aruyir
murai vazhi-p-padu-vum enbadu  thiravOr 
kAtchiyil  theLindanam…”
(It has been ascertained with clarity by the
intelligentsia that 
like a canoe that is carried along the water current, 
the jiva is carried along the karmic path ..
(continues) therefore
glorify not the great men and 
denigrate not the mean men)
                               -Kaniyan Poonkundran




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