Sathya Upanishad - Pt. 18

Fate

Q18: If man is ordained to surrender to his fate, irrespective of its being beneficial or malefic, successful or failing, good or bad, then why should man be devoted to God at all, as fate is inevitable?

A: There are three states of existence - devotion, conditional surrender and absolute surrender.  These can be compared to the three types of rail passengers - 1) Those who travel without ticket 2) Those who try to get in just when the train moves but without ticket - as they did not have time to buy it and 3) those who buy it, keep in the pocket ready to produce it when asked for. 

Devotion may be compared to the first type of passenger.  The devotee yearns for everything without bothering about his deserving it or not, just as one wishes to become Prime Minister without ever pausing to think about whether he deserves or not. Devotion often draws the man and leads him partly towards self-opinionating.  

An example - the proverbial Gopikas declared themselves as Krishna's devotees while the Yadavas claimed Him to be one among them.  The Gopikas attained immortal glory.  Then about the second state - the conditional surrender.  Those who lead this path adore God only when they are benefited by his grace - like purchasing a ticket when he is called upon to do so.  Then the third type - total surrender.  He purchases the ticket in advance and is thus least worried.

(To be continued)

(From the book "Divine Directions" by Prof. K. Anil Kumar)