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 The role of fate-6
A strict belief, fate is the worst kind of slavery; on the other hand there is comfort in the thought that God will be moved by our prayers.
Epicurus
Greek philosopher (341 BCE - 270 BCE)
VI. Fate versus free will--contd.
Note to readers:
An enlightened reader from Canada, knowing my scientific background, sent me a note challenging me to provide a scientific and rational interpretation of fate. I must politely decline his entreaty since the two tracks of fate and rationalism run parallel and can never merge. Either you accept fate or deny it. As a third option, one can ignore it totally. Attempts by other people to integrate the two were just academic exercises at best. This series of articles are intended to point out the recognition of the pervasiveness of fate in epics and legends and offer an analytical perspective with philosophical undertones rather than justify or demolish the concept of fate. The premise of fate is qualitatively similar to Newton's third law of motion (every action has a reaction). Besides, the intermingling of the fates of several individuals makes it an irreducibly complex situation that leads one to think along the lines of what Einstein said about quantum mechanics ("God does not play dice"). It appears that fate is of a complex and directed design, at least to the extent portrayed in the epics and legends.
There is a Macedonian folk tale which illustrates that the mind (free will) can conquer fate. Over the mountains, Fate and Mind (during their aerial peregrination) were engaging in a discussion about who between them is more important. Unable to reach an agreement, Fate spotted a poor shepherd and told Mind, "I will make this poor shepherd get rich and marry the king's daughter with my power," and dropped a bag of money in his path. The shepherd thanked his fortune, went into town bought food, wine, and some trinkets and blew all the money in one stretch. Fate and Mind watched that and Mind laughed at the frivolity of Fate's efforts. Fate persisted and made the shepherd marry the king's daughter anyway. After a few days the shepherd was very unhappy that he had to live away from his sheep and the mountain and did not pay attention to his wife. The king's daughter got annoyed and complained to the king. The king was angry and ordered that his son-in-law be executed.
Fate and Mind came on the scene again. Fate asked Mind to help. Mind thought of several ideas and finally superimposed one on the shepherd's brain. The shepherd on hearing about his execution went to the king and argued his case about how he missed his sheep and the mountain which was the reason for his misery. He also said that he loved the princess very much. The king was moved by the shepherd's argument and decided to forgive him and let him visit the mountain and his sheep periodically while staying in the palace with the princess.
Mind was pleased with the outcome and told Fate that while Fate may be essential for man to prosper, it is ultimately the Mind that can guide him to have a happy and peaceful life. Fate agreed. This folktale suggests that good fortune alone is not enough and that a strong mind would complement the good fortune.
What happens when fate does not confer good fortune but punishes an individual? What can mind do at that time? Can the mind manage the situation to the advantage of the individual? That is what happened in the case of SAvitri, when fate decreed an untimely death for her would-be husband.
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Savitri chasing Yama |
SAvitri was born to king Aswapati of Madra after the latter's rigorous prayer. She grew up to be a lovely maiden besides attaining scholarship in all the scriptures. When the time came for her marriage, her father was hard put to find a match for her. He asked her to choose her husband herself. SAvitri chose SatyavAn, the handsome son of Dyumatsena. Dyumatsena lost his kingdom and eyesight and lived in the forest with his wife and son. However SAvitri was dissuaded from marrying SatyavAn since he was fated to die within a year. But SAvitri persisted in her choice, married SatyavAn, and lived with him in the forest. When the fateful day arrived, SatyavAn fell ill in the forest. Yama took SatyavAn's life. SAvitri followed him and engaged in an extended conversation with him. Yama was impressed by her knowledge and ardor of discussion and granted her a boon. She sought the eyesight and kingdom for her father-in-law and continued with further discussions. One by one she obtained more boons and finally sought 100 sons born of herself and SatyavAn. Yama, in a forgetful moment, granted her that boon too which led to SAvitri getting her husband's life back. Sage MArkaNDEya related this story to Yudhistran, indicating that Draupadi too shall save the Pandavas from disaster.
Here it is a case of strong will and determination that prevailed over fate. What made SAvitri choose a husband who would die soon? Fate decreed a short life for him. Did she know she would be able to conquer fate or did she take a deliberate risk? The outcome she obtained in negotiating with Yama indicates that using smart tactics one can outmaneuver fate. Perhaps in her case she too was ordained to marry SatyavAn and was just following the fate's course. Her scholarship was just a tool which came in useful at the appropriate time. Whether it is a case of her being dragged along by fate or she resisted it with all her might and persuasiveness is a subject matter for interminable discussion.
Sethuraman Subramanian
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