Where Does Free Will End

By krishnasmercy on September 4, 2024 • ( 0 )

“In the way that parents intervene when the children play with a snake or put a hand in fire, Sita and Rama are like the mother and father who protect Tulsidas in the manner of a small child.” (Dohavali, 147)

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खेलत बालक ब्याल सँग मेलत पावक हाथ
तुलसी सिसु पितु मातु ज्यों राखत सिय रघुनाथ

khelata bālaka byāla sa~ga melata pāvaka hātha
tulasī sisu pitu mātu jyoṃ rākhata siya raghunātha

“I have seen this described across various religions. It is a way to resolve the supposed contradiction between an all-loving, all-benevolent God and the cause of the many sufferings we witness; at least those within our present memory. From the human experience, there is so much horror that takes place. Even birth is kind of a miserable event, because we know that there will be a forced exit at a later time.

“All of those old people we interact with today. The ones in assisted living facilities. The people who can barely walk. They were once small children, full of energy. They were once eager and enthusiastic young adults. Time has since taken its toll. They have so many health problems that it is difficult to imagine how they carry forward on a daily basis.

“That is but one aspect to the misery. What to speak of the tragedies that take place. Life taken too quickly. An untimely and unexpected passing. The torture that innocent people endure at the hands of the wicked, the cruel, the envious, and the miserable. I am upset just thinking about it.

“We can explain everything through free will. God is all-kind. He loves everyone. He is the origin of everything. The Vedic understanding, which applies universally, has the most details. The Supreme Lord is the original seed-giving father. He is the animating force to the universe itself. Without His prior approval, no result could manifest.

सर्व-योनिषु कौन्तेय
मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः
तासां ब्रह्म महद् योनिर्
अहं बीज-प्रदः पिता

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.4)

“At the same time, we hear that in the bhakti path, in devotion involving full surrender, God takes the helm. He carries whatever someone lacks and maintains what they already have. No one loses anything in accepting the shelter of the all-attractive one. They come under the protection of a higher energy.

अनन्याश् चिन्तयन्तो मां
ये जनाः पर्युपासते
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां
योग-क्षेमं वहाम्य् अहम्

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

“But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.22)

“That is comforting to know, but what about free will? Does that not still apply? Cannot someone choose a different direction? If they are still protected, does that not invalidate the whole concept of freedom? How can someone be free and restrained at the same time?”

Goswami Tulsidas provides a nice comparison in this regard. It is something we can all understand. There is a young child. We can put ourselves into the same situation, as we are always young in terms of maturity in understanding. There is the guardian. These are the parents. Someone is always there to protect us.

Since we are not all-knowing, since we are not satya-sankalpa, we make so many plans. We will go in this direction. We will try that. We are not exactly sure what this button does, so let’s press it. Maybe these people are good to spend time with. Maybe we will uproot our family and decide to move next to them. Best friends as neighbors. What could go wrong?

In this situation, the parents step in. They are not shy about intervening. They provide oversight without reservation. Whether the child protests or not. Whether the child curses in return or happily accepts that they have been saved from danger. The parents are diligent, since they take the role of protectors seriously.

Tulsidas says that Sita and Rama are the same way. The Supreme Lord and His eternal consort, His pleasure potency, guard the devotee in the manner of caring parents. There is still free will, but the choices may not always lead to the intended result. If something is not good, God in His role of Hari will take away. He might take away so much that the devoted soul is left crying on the floor, cursing their supposedly awful situation.

But that situation will be best for them. In the long-term, in meeting the objective of the human birth, in realigning with dharma, which is eternal, the oversight is necessary. For such benevolence and attention, there are no words to properly show appreciation. We are left to simply continue to pay obeisances, to always remember the loving parents, who are our guardians in birth after birth.