30 If God controls everything how do we have free will – Gita 09.06

Hare Krishna. Welcome back to our Geetha Kaur Key Verses course discussion. Today we move on to the 9th chapter. The 9th chapter focuses on a deeper level of understanding the interaction between the world and God. The 7th and 9th chapters have many significant similarities.

In this 9th chapter, today we will discuss the topic: Is God’s will supreme? Does God control everything? And if He controls everything, then do we really have free will?

So you have the PowerPoint with you. I’ll also be doing the screen sharing so that it is clear. This is the topic we will discuss today: Is God controlling everything? If yes, then do I really have free will?

This is an old philosophical question because when God—if God controls everything, as is commonly thought by those who believe in God—then that seems to imply that we are programmed and simply doing God’s will. And if we are always doing God’s will, then are we like puppets who are simply made to dance by God? And do we really have free will?

The Geetha addresses this in one of its verses, 9-6. So, Akash refers to the sky. Vayu is the wind. Just as the wind, while always being situated in the sky, moves around—Sarvatrago, moves in various directions, moves in all directions—Mahaan, the wind is also powerful. Mahaan means great.

This means the powerful wind moves in all directions while being situated in the sky. Similarly, Sarvani Bhutanis—all living beings—are situated in me. This means that just as the wind has this freedom to move, but not unlimited freedom to move, similarly, the soul has free will but not unlimited free will. The soul’s free will is situated within God’s will. God’s will is like the sky here, and our free will is like the wind’s movements.

So let’s look at this further. We’ll talk about three broad topics here:

1. Does God control everything?
2. Understanding free will, freedom, and willpower.
3. Freeing our free will.

Here, God is the supreme controller, not the sole controller. Everything that happens is within God’s plan, but everything that happens isn’t necessarily God’s plan.

We have discussed this earlier in one of our sessions when we talked about free will, evil, and God’s will in 5.15. So, God is the supreme controller. The Sanskrit word for this is Parameshwara. He is the supreme controller. Ishwara is the controller; Param is supreme. So God is Parameshwara.

At the same time, there are also many other Ishwaras. Even Ishwara means controller. Each of us, as souls, are also controllers. So God is not the sole controller. That means within His controllership, He has given us all some varying level of controllership. When we exercise our controllership to act in particular ways, that is within God’s plan, that is within God’s control, but that is not necessarily what God wants.

For example, in every country, there are citizens, and we could say that certain actions are illegal. If a citizen does such actions, they will be persecuted for that. Now, there are certain actions that are desirable. The desirable actions are what are best. However, certain actions may not be desirable, but just because something is undesirable, it doesn’t mean it is immediately made illegal.

Say, for example, alcoholism. Prohibition, in terms of the government making alcohol illegal, has been tried in the past and has never worked because people’s craving for alcohol is such that it goes underground. This means that the government allows alcohol under some regulation.

Now in America, there is currently a debate with respect to drugs. Should drugs be legalized? If drugs are legalized, which drugs should be legalized? Some drugs are given as medicine for dealing with pain, and sometimes patients become addicted to those drugs. They are legally available when prescribed by a doctor but not legally available afterward when wanted on their own.

The point here is that there is something desirable and something legal or illegal. Certain illegal things may not be allowed at all. For example, rogue states wanting to acquire nuclear weapons may not be allowed at all. Influential actors in the world stage simply don’t allow nuclear weapons to be developed in certain places.

Otherwise, ordinary citizens may acquire some weapons. How those weapons are to be used will vary from person to person. Weapons can be knives, rifles, automatic machine guns, or machine guns—it varies.

The point here is, if you consider God to be like the government (and there are limitations to this metaphor), the idea is that just as the government recommends something and if the government doesn’t allow something at all, it won’t happen. But just because something is undesirable doesn’t necessarily mean that everything undesirable is made illegal.

For all of us, there are some things that are desirable, some things that are possible, and some things that are impossible. Impossible means if we want to fly on our own, that is just impossible.

There is so much control on us in human bodies that we can’t fly on our own. There are certain actions that are desirable and some that are undesirable—ethical and unethical.

Let’s look at this further. To understand this concept, we can differentiate between what God sanctions and what He intends.

There is a traditional saying: Not a blade of grass moves without God’s will. This might be a saying, but the more precise point here is that “will” is used in the sense of sanction. If God doesn’t sanction something, the blade of grass will not move.

People can do certain things according to their will, and we can too. But it is not that this is what God wants us to do. So, do we have free will? Yes, we have free will within certain limitations.

The example here, as used in the verse, is the sky and the wind. God determines the scope of our actions, not our actions themselves. Just as the sky determines the scope over which the wind can move, but not the specific movement of the wind itself.

So this is the first point: Does God control everything? Yes, He is a supreme controller but not the sole controller. Now, let’s move forward and discuss these three related concepts: understanding free will, freedom, and willpower.

First of all, let’s look at free will. Free will and freedom are not the same thing. Why not? Free will is the inner capacity to choose. That inner capacity is innate to the soul, and in that sense, we always have free will. Freedom, on the other hand, is the external area over which we can exercise our choice.

For example, consider a prisoner. The prisoner has free will but does not have freedom. The prisoner may desire to move in various directions or go to various places. In this sense, the “inner” here refers to the capacity to desire, which is not restricted. The prisoner has the capacity to desire to go to various places, but physical freedom is limited by either the bars of the cell, the walls of the prison, or, in some cases, even shackles that restrict movement.

There could be different degrees of restriction on freedom. For instance, there might be limited movement within the cell due to shackles or handcuffs, or movement may be restricted entirely if the cell door is locked. If the prisoner is allowed to work, they may move within the walls of the prison. The point is that freedom may vary in degrees, but it is often not entirely in our hands.

God has given us free will, but has He given us freedom? The answer is both yes and no. He gives us freedom, but how we use our free will determines whether our freedom increases or decreases. We’ll come to that point later, but for now, let’s understand that free will and freedom are two different things. Free will is the inner capacity to desire and choose, while freedom is the external area over which that choice is exercised.

Now, moving forward to free will and willpower, these two are also not the same. Free will, as discussed, is the inner capacity to choose. Willpower, on the other hand, is the inner power to follow through with a choice amid opposition, to persevere with that choice.

Consider, for example, an alcoholic. An alcoholic has free will but may lack willpower. They may resolve, “I am going to give up drinking,” but after trying and failing repeatedly, they may become frustrated and say, “I have given up trying to give up.” This means that while they desire to give up drinking (free will), they lack the power to resist temptation, whether it arises from inner recollection or external association, such as someone proposing, “Let’s drink.”

In such situations, free will exists, but willpower is insufficient. Free will is constrained not just by outer constraints but also by inner constraints. Properly exercising our free will can significantly reduce these constraints, both inner and, to some extent, outer.

First, we focused on God and discussed how He is the supreme controller but not the sole controller. Then, we focused on ourselves and understood the degrees of our capacity for action in terms of free will, willpower, and freedom. Now, we will move on to the interaction between the two—how God’s will leaves scope for our will.

If God’s will is supreme, how is there scope for our will? This is a well-known example from Vedantic texts: When clouds shower water on the earth, if there were no clouds and no rainfall, there would be no vegetation growing. The clouds are essential for vegetation to grow, but they don’t determine which vegetation grows where. That is determined by the kind of seeds present on the ground.

Similarly, God’s will is like the clouds, and the vegetation that grows represents the actions taking place. The seeds represent our will. The clouds are the ultimate cause of all vegetation, but they are not the immediate cause of particular vegetation growing in a particular place.

In the same way, God’s will is the ultimate cause of everything, while our will is the immediate cause of various things. Without God, we would not have the power to act—for instance, the power to speak. Some people may speak sweet, spiritual truths glorifying God, while others may speak harshly, hurting others and causing lifelong wounds.

The power to speak comes from God—it is by God’s grace that we have this power—but how we exercise it is up to us. The particular speech we make is determined by our desires, conditioning, and attitudes. This is akin to how the specific vegetation that grows is determined by the seeds present in the soil. Thus, there is abundant scope for our will, even within God’s will.

This brings us to the second point. Now, this is a somewhat philosophical section, but we’ll try to understand it. We first discussed God’s will, then our will, and now we are exploring how the interaction between the two takes place.

This is a prominent theme in the Gita, which seeks to explain who the “doer” is. The Sanskrit word for “doer” is Kartha. A well-known verse from the third chapter of the Gita states:

Prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah, ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate.

The soul, deluded by ignorance and arrogance, thinks, “I am the doer,” while material nature performs the actions.

To understand this, there are three factors involved: the soul, material nature, and Krishna. Each plays a distinct role in the execution of actions. Let’s use an example to clarify.

Consider an event: A thief is put in jail. What caused this event?

1. The thief committed a robbery.
2. The police arrested the thief.
3. The judge sentenced the thief to jail.

All three are causes, but they represent different gradations of causation. The most fundamental cause is the thief’s robbery. Without it, the judge wouldn’t have sentenced the thief, and the police wouldn’t have arrested them.

In this example:

• The thief is like the soul.
• The police represent material nature.
• The judge symbolizes God or the Supersoul.

Understanding their roles can help us grasp the interaction between God’s will, material nature, and our will.

We’ll explore this further with diagrams and discussions to understand how these forces interact. Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into this concept.

So, this whole box represents the embodied soul. That means we are all embodied souls right now. There is the soul, and within the embodied soul, there are three things: the soul, the super soul, and the body. The body here is referred to in a generic sense as material nature.

Now, how do things function? There is perception from outside. When the soul perceives, a desire arises. The soul is the desirer, and when the desire comes up—let’s take the example of a thief. Imagine a petty thief, like a shoplifter, walking through a mall or a supermarket. They see something and think, “Maybe I should just take this.” The desire to steal arises.

However, when the thief reaches out for something, they notice a camera or see someone walking by. This external observation can stop them from acting on the desire. Sometimes, there are many things we desire but are unable to carry out. This shows that unless the super soul sanctions our desire, it can’t move forward.

For example, we may desire to lash out at someone because we are angry, but our culture or decency might prevent us from doing so in public. Let’s say a colleague upset us, and we want to confront them. Every time we get alone with them, someone else calls them or us, or a distraction occurs. We want to express our anger, but the desire is not sanctioned by the circumstances, and it doesn’t manifest in action.

Desires can work in various ways. We may desire to swim underwater like an aquatic creature, and while we can learn swimming skills and swim to some extent, we can never swim as they do. Some desires are simply not sanctioned. For example, we may have the time to swim, but something else comes up and prevents us from doing so.

So, the soul desires, and the super soul sanctions. Only when the super soul sanctions the desire can action be executed, and that action is carried out through material nature. Material nature, in this case, is the executor of our actions. For instance, if I’m speaking right now, but my throat is parched or sore, I won’t be able to speak clearly. Unless the instrument (material nature) is functional, I can’t execute the action.

If someone experiences paralysis, they may perceive something and want to respond, but they can’t, because they no longer have the functional tools to do so. Material nature influences the soul, and that influence leads to conditioning.

Conditioning means that every action we take, once translated into physical action, creates a deeper impression within us. This impression, over time, impels us to repeat the action. For example, if an alcoholic sees a bar, the desire to drink arises. A person who has never drunk alcohol may not feel this desire, because they haven’t gone through the cycle of desire and sanctioning. But if someone has already been conditioned through previous experiences, the desire to drink resurfaces quickly.

This is how conditioning works: desires arise, they are sanctioned, and then the soul becomes conditioned. An alcoholic may desire to drink, but despite promises to abstain, they may relapse. This happens because the desire has been conditioned into their nature.

At the same time, if the person is in an environment where they are not sanctioned to drink—perhaps they are surrounded by people who don’t drink—the desire might not be fulfilled. Here, the soul desires, God sanctions, and material nature executes the action.

In conclusion, we can say that we are powerfully powerless. We are powerful in the sense that we can choose our desires, and desiring is a great power of the soul. But we are powerless in the sense that we can’t always execute our desires. Once we desire something, we set in motion a series of actions that are beyond our control.

To illustrate this, imagine a river flowing. We can choose whether to jump into that river, but once we jump in, we are swept away by it. We have no control over whether we will be swept along or not. The flow of the river represents our conditioning.

For example, an alcoholic trying to recover may get the desire to drink, and then they step into a bar. Once they step in, it’s almost as if their fate is sealed. While they can still choose not to drink, the temptation is overwhelming. It’s extremely difficult, almost impossible.

This is what happens when we desire something: once we choose a desire, we set into motion a flow that influences our actions. We may feel that we don’t have free will, but we are mistaken. We do have free will, but we may lack the willpower to control our desires once they arise.

Free will is our capacity to choose whether or not to enter the river, whether or not to contemplate a desire, or whether to cultivate that desire. But once the desire is cultivated, it’s like the river has started flowing, and once it begins, we can’t do much to stop it. Another example: imagine being in the riverbed with a dam. If we open the dam doors, we lose all control over whether we get swept away. We will simply be swept along.

Similarly, once we unleash the flow of desires, those desires can carry us away. Now, let’s discuss the last part of our talk: freeing our free will. What factors shape our actions, and how can we influence them?

One factor is past life karma. Even people who don’t believe in past lives recognize that we all have a starting point that influences our orientation, which today we might refer to as genetics. This is often called genetic determinism. People who believe in genetic determinism argue that our genes determine everything about us.

But there are other factors as well. Some believe that our upbringing determines who we are, which is called parental determinism. For example, if someone is short-tempered, they might say it’s because they grew up in a household where conflict was resolved by anger or aggression. While upbringing can influence us, it is not the sole factor. Parental determinism holds that everything about us is determined by our upbringing, but this is an oversimplification.

There are many factors that shape our behavior, and none of them alone determines who we are. We’ve already discussed how free will is ultimately within God’s sanction, but let’s analyze how we can enhance or free our free will.

Another factor influencing behavior is association. Specifically, this refers to the people we associate with. We often say we should associate with spiritually-minded individuals, but association can also refer to the broader society we are part of—our neighborhood, or the general environment we are exposed to. Some people believe that society alone determines how we behave, which is known as social determinism.

Consider issues like racism, which is a significant controversy in the United States and the Western world. Racism often relies on genetic determinism, where it is believed that people of a certain race are inherently a particular way. For example, a racist might believe that people of one race are violent, manipulative, or simple-minded based on their race. However, this view oversimplifies genetic determinism. While our genetics play a role in shaping certain aspects of our behavior, such as gender differences, it does not mean that a person’s entire identity is determined by their race or gender.

Gender differences do exist, of course. For instance, biologically, only women can become pregnant, and there are psychological tendencies tied to gender. Women may gravitate toward caregiving professions like nursing, while men may be more drawn to technical fields like engineering. However, this doesn’t mean that every man is unsuited for nursing or every woman is unsuited for engineering. While genetic factors influence behavior, they don’t determine everything.

The idea of social determinism can extend beyond race and gender. For example, leftist thought (associated with communism) posits that societal conditions are the primary drivers of behavior. According to this view, if social conditions improve, society will become virtuous. However, this is not always true. For example, many terrorists come from well-educated backgrounds, disproving the idea that education alone determines behavior.

So, while social and genetic influences shape our behavior, they don’t solely determine who we are. The absolute self-determination view, where we believe we can shape everything about ourselves, is also an illusion. For example, individuals suffering from gender dysphoria, who feel uncomfortable with the gender they were born into, may try to change their gender through surgery or other means. While they can alter certain aspects of their appearance, there are limits to what can be done, and we must recognize these limits.

In some parts of the world, there are laws allowing children, even teenagers, to undergo gender reassignment surgery without parental consent, claiming the child has the autonomy to make such decisions. While autonomy is important, it’s not absolute. We have autonomy within limits, but not in every aspect of our lives. These extremes of free will can sometimes blur the line between free will and the need for guidance.

Finally, divine determinism suggests that God determines everything. This view acknowledges the role of a higher power in guiding and shaping our lives.

The idea that God determines everything is deeply problematic, and it’s known as divine predestination. The issue with this concept is that if God determines everything, then we have no free will. Yet, we are still held accountable for our actions. Take, for example, an alcoholic: if an alcoholic has no free will, does that mean God has made them an alcoholic and is causing their suffering? If someone does evil and suffers karmic consequences for it, does that mean God is orchestrating their evil actions and punishing them for something He made them do?

This view would make God seem more like a devil than a benevolent being, as a devil delights in misleading and making others suffer. Calvinism, a school within Protestantism, teaches the concept of divine predestination, where God has already decided who will be saved, and humans have no control over this. According to this belief, even if someone tries to turn to God, they cannot be saved unless God has already chosen them. This idea makes God appear as a tyrant, and it’s a deeply troubling interpretation.

Now, let’s talk about free will and willpower. Exercising our free will expands our willpower. For example, an alcoholic might have a strong urge to drink, but by using their free will, they might decide to drink less—perhaps only twice a day instead of thrice, or every other day instead of daily. The more we exercise our willpower, the stronger it becomes. Willpower is like a muscle—the more we use it, the stronger it grows.

Among the factors that shape our actions—past life karma, upbringing, association, free will, and God’s grace—some things are beyond our control. Past life karma and upbringing are difficult or impossible to change, while association can be changed to some extent. Free will, however, is something we can develop by making wiser choices, which in turn strengthens our willpower.

So, what does God’s grace do? God’s grace acts as a powerful factor that weakens the negative influences of past life karma, upbringing, and association. Although we may be pushed toward certain actions by our past conditioning, God’s grace gives us the strength to counter these impulses. By practicing bhakti—chanting the holy names, studying scriptures, associating with devotees, and worshipping the Lord—we can strengthen our free will. As we do so, our capacity to resist negative influences grows, and over time, those negative forces may no longer torment us, or at least their effect will decrease.

The ultimate goal is to use our free will to love and serve Krishna, the Supreme Being, who is the source of all pleasure and fulfillment. Krishna removes the constraints on our free will, including weak willpower and strong past conditioning. Our longing for freedom is fulfilled by Krishna, and it’s fulfilled in Krishna. The best use of our free will is to direct it towards loving and serving Krishna, as this leads to the greatest satisfaction.

To summarize, we discussed three key points:

1. God’s controllership: God is the supreme controller, but He does not control every specific action. He determines the scope of our actions, much like the sky determines the range of the wind’s movement but not its specific path.
2. Understanding free will: Free will is the inner capacity to choose, freedom is the outer range within which we can exercise that capacity, and willpower is the inner strength to persist in our choices.
3. How things work: The soul desires, the super soul sanctions, and material nature executes. The soul is influenced by past life karma (through genes), upbringing, and association, but our free will and God’s grace provide the power to resist and overcome negative influences.

Let’s examine the problem with absolutizing any of these five factors. First, genetic determinism is the idea that everything about us is determined by our genes, which is a flawed and racist ideology. On the other hand, social determinism holds that our actions are entirely shaped by our social environment, which is also incorrect, because we do have free will. Some people go to the other extreme by absolutizing free will, but this is also an illusion. We don’t have complete autonomy; we have some degree of autonomy, but it is not absolute.

The idea that God’s will alone determines all our actions is also mistaken. While God is supreme, the notion that He directly dictates every action, including evil ones, turns Him into a tyrant or even a devil. This view is problematic because it removes human agency and moral responsibility.

Among the five factors—past life karma, upbringing, association, free will, and God’s grace—we can change our associations and expand our free will. By exercising our free will wisely, we increase our willpower. Accessing God’s grace through bhakti practice strengthens our ability to use our free will effectively and reduces the negative influences from our past conditioning. Over time, this leads to a weakening of past karmic influences, and our free will is increasingly fulfilled by Krishna and in Krishna.

Now, let’s address a couple of important questions:

1. Does God sanction killings?
   It’s not that simple. Each of us has free will, which allows us to make choices, including harmful ones. However, our capacity to act is constrained by material nature. For example, a tiger can kill with its claws, but a human cannot do so in the same way. Even if someone desires to kill, circumstances often prevent them from carrying out their intentions. This is not God’s intervention, but rather a reflection of how material nature and free will work together. Krishna doesn’t directly intervene in the workings of material nature. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says He is equally disposed to everyone, and conflicts among people arise due to the influence of Kali, the mode of passion. While Krishna doesn’t intervene in every action, He does work through material nature to provide devotees with the circumstances that lead to higher realizations. In this sense, Krishna’s involvement depends on the devotee’s surrender and devotion.
2. Is the sanctioning of actions based on karma or God’s will?
   It’s both. We all have a stockpile of past karma, and certain results are bound to come to us. However, when those results manifest is not predetermined. For example, if someone is destined to have an accident, their actions, such as driving fast or cautiously, will influence the severity of the accident. So, while karma sets the stage for our experiences, Krishna’s will sanctions how and when they unfold. Karma is not random—it works under the sanction of God, just as a judge determines the timing and nature of a punishment based on the actions of the individual. Krishna arranges the results of actions in a way that is in line with the individual’s past actions, but the specific timing and circumstances are influenced by Krishna’s will.
3. If a suicide bomber kills many people, was it because it was their time to die?
   While the deaths of the victims could be part of their karma, the actions of the suicide bomber are also determined by their free will. The bomber’s free will plays a role in deciding whether they act on their impulses. However, they cannot carry out their intentions without divine sanction. If someone desires to harm others, the circumstances must align in such a way that they are able to act. Free will plays a role in initiating actions, but it is only when God’s sanction aligns with the situation that these actions can come to fruition.

So now, are those people who die at such times meant to die?
At one level, yes. If you have attended our previous classes, we have discussed this point elaborately. We are not meant to judge people based on their past actions, past life’s actions. We are meant to assess people based on their present life’s actions. So, from a present life’s perspective, somebody who’s victimized by a suicide bomber is innocent, and such an action is an atrocity that needs to be strongly condemned, punished, and prevented.

Past life karma of the victims is never to be used to justify the bad karma of the victimizer. We never see that in any way in the scriptures. When Ravana abducted Sita, nobody holds Sita responsible for her abduction, saying she must have done something in her previous life to deserve it. No, it is Ravana who is held responsible for the abduction, and Ravana is corrected and punished for that.

So, the focus of karma is more forward-looking than backward-looking. Karma is meant more for prognosis than post-mortem. Prognosis means how we should act and how we should not act, and what the future consequences of our choices might be. We try to understand that, but it is not for post-mortem reasoning: “Why did this happen?” Seeking the specifics of that way of karma can be very dehumanizing. Yes, at a philosophical level, sometimes understanding that if somebody has departed, it was their time to depart can give us a sense of acceptance. But that doesn’t mean the wrongdoer should be let off the hook for their actions, or that the victimizers are excused from being blamed for what has happened.

From this life’s perspective, the victims were innocent, and those who victimized them need to be proportionately penalized.

Does God know what we will precisely do in the future?
God’s knowledge of the future is like our knowledge of the past: it is information without intervention. Just like we know what we did yesterday, but we can’t change it now, in God’s case, He knows it and has the power to change, but He doesn’t change it. So in that sense, God’s knowledge of the future is information without intervention. He knows the choices we will make and their consequences: “If we take this choice, this will happen; if we take that choice, that will happen.” Which choice we take is up to us; God doesn’t control that.

Is the future already determined and just waiting to manifest?
No, it’s not that simple because we have free will.

No metaphors are adequate enough to fully convey spiritual truths, but metaphors can be used to illustrate them. For example, if someone is driving and they come to an intersection, they can go straight, left, or right. From their perspective, they see only these three roads. However, someone who knows the whole area, such as with a GPS, can see all the roads and know the consequences of each choice: “If you take this choice, you’ll go here; if you take that choice, you’ll go there.”

Similarly, we see our choices but cannot fully see their consequences. God, on the other hand, sees both the choices and their consequences. God’s knowledge does not influence our free will, but He sees the full picture.

God’s omniscience is informational, not interventional.

How does the Super Soul influence us?
The Super Soul influences us through the voice of conscience, called Viveka Buddhi in Sanskrit. When someone is about to do something wrong, they are prompted from within, “Don’t do this, don’t do this, don’t do this.” That is the voice of the Paramatma speaking from within us.

Of course, not every voice inside us is the voice of the Paramatma. We must discern whose voice we are hearing.

Did Prahlad Maharaj, by his bhakti, get the ability to counter-push the atrocities caused by his father?
Yes, he got that ability internally, not necessarily externally. For example, when someone is thrown into a pit with snakes or placed in front of marauding predators like elephants, it’s natural to feel fear and become overwhelmed, paralyzed, or panicky. But Prahlad was able to counter-push those internal reactions. Fear was a natural response, but he resisted it.

The extent of external counter-pushing may vary. Sometimes Krishna empowers devotees to counter-push external actions to a great extent; other times, to a lesser degree. For instance, when Draupadi was being disrobed, the Pandavas were present but were so constrained circumstantially that they couldn’t do anything to stop it. While Draupadi was praying to Krishna, the Pandavas were also remembering Krishna and seeking His help. But at that moment, they were not in a position to intervene. Later, in the Kurukshetra war, they had the opportunity for retribution.

By Krishna’s will, we are given the inner capacity to counter-push, and in some cases, we are also given the external capacity. The extent to which this happens is not predictable—it varies from person to person.

So, does a pure devotee’s will align with Krishna’s will, or do they have no free will?
Well, sometimes in poetic expressions of surrender, a pure devotee may say, “I have no free will,” or “Take away my free will,” but a devotee definitely does have free will. A devotee aligns that free will with Krishna’s will. We also understand that Krishna’s will is not just one line. Krishna’s will can be in one direction, and a devotee can accommodate or harmonize with Krishna’s will in various ways. For example, Srila Prabhupada prayed to Krishna in his song on the Jaladuta, “Make me dance like a puppet, O Lord, make me dance.” At the same time, Prabhupada also had his desires and plans.

Prabhupada said that his spiritual master told him to share Krishna bhakti in the Western world, and he did that. He also said, “I want you,” addressing his disciples, “to continue that.” But Prabhupada also said, “It is my desire to share Krishna bhakti in India now.” That was his desire, but it was also in harmony with Krishna’s desire. Krishna wants everyone to be elevated everywhere.

So, the desire to enjoy sense objects comes from the mind. Intelligence, above the mind, can override the mind. Where does free will come from? Is it from the mind or the soul? Free will comes from the soul. We could say that the mind and intelligence are both sources from which the soul chooses. The mind is impulsive; the intelligence is reflective. The mind suggests “let’s do it without thinking much,” while intelligence analyzes and reflects. Free will is the capacity to choose between the mind and the intelligence. The mind gives us one suggestion, and the intelligence gives us another. Which one we choose is our free will. So, free will always resides in the soul, and it is the capacity to choose among the various voices that come to us.

If we have a desire to serve Krishna, but it is not working out, should we see that it is because of lack of willpower, or is it because of lack of Krishna’s sanction?
It could be either. We have to use our God-given intelligence. For example, Srila Prabhupada was trying his best to share Krishna bhakti in India, but despite his repeated attempts, nothing was working out. So, what did Prabhupada do? He changed strategies. He thought, “If it’s not working out in India, let me go to the West.” In the West, he first went to upstate New York, and then to the Lower East Side of New York City. He tried different things.

If something is not working out, we shouldn’t immediately think that Krishna doesn’t want us to do this. We should ask, “Are there circumstances preventing this from happening? Can I adjust my approach to them?” Sometimes, certain circumstances can be adjusted, and things can change. However, sometimes some circumstances are just not adjustable. Our own abilities may not be adjustable either.

For example, post-independence India, for the first few decades, was driven by a lot of political and economic aspirations, and there was neglect of spirituality. Spirituality was mistakenly associated with a lack of development. Prabhupada couldn’t change this broad perception. So, he decided to go to the West. Even when he returned to India, it wasn’t that Prabhupada changed this perception. Very few people in India, in Prabhupada’s time, became dedicated devotees following the sadhana and teachings of Krishna bhakti. Many became well-wishers, but often because of nationalistic pride, not spiritual dedication.

They felt, “See how great our culture is! These Western people who ruled India for so long are now adopting our culture, and the Swami has done this, so he must be great. Let me help him.” But they didn’t become his followers in the sense of committed disciples.

Certain socio-cultural, socio-political, and socio-economic realities cannot be changed. Trying to do the same thing in such circumstances could be foolish. So, we shouldn’t think, “Krishna is not sanctioning this, so I should quit.” Instead, we should see if there is a different place or approach where things might work better.

Sometimes we find that it’s not our ability that is the issue. Someone may not have the inclination to do managerial services for Krishna, for example. They may try repeatedly, but they feel miserable and make a mess of things. If this happens once, twice, or thrice, we shouldn’t think, “Oh, Krishna doesn’t want me to do this service.” Instead, we should recognize that this might not be what we are endowed to do, and see how else we can best serve Krishna.

Even if we escalate something to Krishna’s level, we should never allow ourselves to become discouraged. We always need to remain encouraged to serve Krishna and be enterprising in finding the area where we can serve Him best.

Understanding this requires deep prayer, introspection, and honest and candid association. We need to pray within and introspect to understand why something isn’t working out. We also need honest and candid guidance from others. Devotees or guides in our lives who can be candid with us are invaluable.

By using prayer and introspection internally, and honest and candid association externally, we will be able to understand how we should proceed when our service is not working out.

There are some questions that remain, which we will discuss in the future. I will answer them in a recording later on. Thank you very much.