The person who advocates the theory of purushartha says, “I am not a straw to be tossed about hither and thither. I can change my prarabdha. I have a free will of my own; I will make it pure, strong and irresistible. I will work out my salvation and become free.” Another philosopher says, “Everything is prearranged in the Grand Scheme. God knows the details of a man’s evolution from mineral to liberated soul. In reality all is prarabdha, but purushartha is preached to give an impetus for the person to work in right earnest. Otherwise he will become slothful and dull.” If a person succeeds in an attempt, he calls it purushartha. He says, “I really exerted myself and I have succeeded.” If he fails, the same person says, “What can I do? Without God nothing can be done: no atom can move, no leaf can wave in the air.”
Destiny is one’s own creation. Life is governed by the law of karma; the law operates and one reaps the fruits of one’s actions. The theory of prarabdha does not make anyone a fatalist. No one can remain inactive even for a second because there is an urge from within to work.
For a bhakta, all is prarabdha because he is a person of self-surrender and has to glorify the power of the Lord. For a Vedantin, all is purushartha because he is a person of self- reliance, who has to glorify the power of his own strong will, atma bala. Both are correct from their own standpoint. Each soul must fulfil the law of karma to gain divine wisdom. Each soul must sit alone at the gate. The guru can lead him up to the gate, but no one can push him through. Everyone must fight their own battle for self-purification, concentration and control of the mind. In the Manusmriti (7:205) it is said:
Sarva karmedamaayattam vidhaane daivamaanushe;
Tayordaivamachintyam tu maanushe vidyate kriyaa.
Success in every undertaking depends on destiny and man combined. The acts of destiny are out of the control of man. Think not of destiny, but act yourself.
Purushartha can do and undo things. If one is ailing, one must do purushartha, instead of taking medicine and leaving the results to prarabdha. Prarabdha is the result of one’s own thoughts and actions. One should change the mode of thinking. Fatalism produces inertia, so one should exert oneself. Man is the master of his destiny. An aspirant should think, “I am the immortal self,” and he will become the immortal self. As a person thinks, so he becomes; this is the immutable law. One’s destiny is mapped out by one’s thoughts.
A person has only as much power as he imagines he has. The limit of a person’s thought is the limit of his possibilities. The world around one is as one has willed it to be, because the circumstances and environments are the materialization of one’s thoughts. The experiences a person has in the world rise or fall in accordance with his thoughts. Whatever thought is cherished in the world will ultimately be realized. Human effort and divine grace are interconnected.
A person is not the product of environmental forces. Many of the world’s greatest people have been born in poverty and adverse circumstances. Many born in slums and filthy surroundings have risen to the highest status in the world. They have won laurels of fame and distinguished themselves in politics, literature and poetry. They have become brilliant geniuses and beacons of the world. Sri Shankaracharya, the exponent of Advaita philosophy, a spiritual giant and a brilliant genius, was born in poor and unfavourable circumstances. There are thousands of instances like this. Therefore, a poor environment cannot annihilate the potential greatness and excellence of a future genius.
A person can grow beyond his environment through right exertion, diligent application, integrity, sincerity of purpose, iron will and strong determination. Poverty has its own virtues. Poverty infuses humility, strength, the power of endurance and the spirit of struggle and perseverance. Luxury begets laziness, pride, weakness, inertia and all sorts of evil habits. Therefore, a person should not grumble about bad environments. He should remember that in his weakness lies his strength, as he will always be on the alert to safeguard himself.
A person can create his own mental world and environments. The person who tries to evolve and grow in an adverse environment will be strong indeed and nothing will shake him. He will be of sterner stuff and have strong nerves. The human being is certainly not a creature of environments or circumstances. He can control and modify them with his capacities, thoughts, good actions and right exertions, or purushartha. Parents prescribe purushartha to their children.
Exert, conquer nature and rejoice in the eternal Satchidananda atman. Do purushartha now, remove raga and dwesha and rest in peace; then nature becomes the obedient servant. One is the master or lord of nature. Do sadhana. Practise! Practise! Realize! Realize! This is the highest duty; one has taken this body to achieve this end!
The husk is natural to rice and rust to copper, yet they can be made to disappear through efforts. Even so, ajnana, or ignorance, which clings to the soul, can be made to disappear through ceaseless effort. The mango tree does purushartha; it gives shade to the weary traveller and delicious fruit to the proprietor. The jasmine emanates sweet fragrance to all. The ants are busy collecting grains in summer that they will enjoy in their holes during the rainy season and winter. The bees collect honey vigorously from the flowers. The rivers supply good sparkling water to people. The sun gives energy and warmth to plants and human beings, and converts the salty water of the sea into good drinkable water. The sandal tree sends out fragrance in all directions. The musk deer gives musk. The earth supplies grains, gold, iron, lead, vegetables and other necessities. An aspirant should learn practical lessons from nature. He should make efforts to destroy avidya and rest in his own self.