Everything Predestined

Sri Ramana Maharshi

4-1-1946 Afternoon

With reference to B's answer to Mrs. Desai's question on the evening of 3-1-1946, I asked him, "Are only important events in a man's life, such as his main occupation or profession, predetermined, or are trifling acts in his life, such as taking a cup of water or moving from one place in the room to another, also predetermined?"

B: Yes, everything is predetermined.

I: Then what responsibility, what freewill has man?

B: What for then does the body come into existence? It is designed for doing the various things marked out for execution in this life. The whole programme is chalked out. 'அவனன்றி ஓர் அணுவும் அசையாது' (Not an atom moves except by His Will) expresses the same truth, whether you say அவன் அன்றி அசையாது (Does not move except by His Will) or கர்மமின்றி அசையாது (Does not move except by karma). As for freedom for man, he is always free not to identify himself with the body and not to be affected by the pleasures or pains consequent on the body's activities.