Question-

Today I was thinking that this body, this human life and the tools like Viveka that I currently have are only to understand, learn and reach the highest truth. But I’m just happily using it for all this worldly Maaya stuff. For a person to understand this higher truth is it also destiny? But you have said that there is freewill to be exercised to help get out of this cycle. How do I know if I’m using that free will or not ?

Answer:

No, it is not destined that you will understand this Truth dear.

What is destined? By whom?

You will have all the experiences of people, situations & things propelling you in the direction of the Truth as part of your past Karmas, this is what you have destined for yourself. But whether you understand the Truth or just choose to ignore, is NOT a part of that destiny.

That is where Freewill comes in. When you exercise your freewill to invest time and efforts in increasing your spiritual knowledge rather than worldly knowledge, you start progressing spiritually.

When you progress spiritually, you are bound to hit certain milestones for example –

• A natural dispassion occurs towards the futile aspirations & rejections of the mind that you succumbed to easily earlier.
• Pleasure and pain start seeming the same.
• Compassion arises towards all.
• You are propelled by an inner force to help others in every way.
• Finally an unshakable peace arises from total dispassion [Parama Vairagya].

These are just a few but there are many such milestones that have been described in various spiritual texts by sages who attained them. These milestones provide you the proof that you are exercising your freewill in the correct direction!

Now, ask yourself – are you using your freewill appropriately?