Karma and destiny are keys of a locker

Karma is like "Iron" which gets attracted towards "magnet" of Destiny. It is a beautiful interpretation of Karma and Destiny. There is an Idli/Dosa corner near my house run by a Pensioner. He is quite a talkative person, loves inoffensive humour and can talk endless long hours on any topic. I always make it a point to eat at his joint not only for his delicious food but also for his philosophical and humour filled talks to accompany the food.

While discussing the outcome of his son's job placement, we started debating on Karma and Destiny. I asked him does success comes with hard work or with Destiny/luck? Hearing the reply what he gave, all the traps in my mind were cleared. He asked me politely, do I own a Locker in the bank? I said yes, he said the key to the locker is the answer to your question, I stood there in displeasure, while he was busy tossing onion fritters in hot oil.

He said, let me explain. Every locker has two keys. One you have and one with the Bank Manager. Consider the key you hold as ‘hard work/diligence’ and the key Bank Manager hold as ‘Destiny’. Unless both the keys are fitted properly, the Bank Locker cannot be opened. Here you are a hard-working man and the Bank manager is God. You should continue using your ‘key of hard work’. Someday God will put his ‘key of luck’ and boom... that will be your day of success.

Else, you give up on your ‘key of hard work’ and one fine day when God decides to use his key but unfortunately, your key is missing and sadly you miss on the big opportunity of success. There is no fixed destiny or so called fate. You have free will, in a limited sphere of will power, i. e. you can move and act in a limited sphere of activity and have freedom in that sphere. Through past karma or Prarabdha karma, we get a particular situation, parents, friends, to act, in that sphere. These situations and our actions in this sphere is sometimes called destiny and we accept it.

Through our will power, we can enlarge, this sphere of activities, if we increase our will power to break the limitations of this sphere given to us by our past karma or so called destiny. We can take new initiatives, we can travel and move among new countries, new people,we can make new discoveries, new initiatives to improve our and society’s lot. We can establish new enterprises, without any capital. What we cannot do by our increased will and efforts. We can achieve anything in life,through our efforts.

So to accept a fixed fate or destiny, is to desecrate, the image of God in, you. You are not limited. You are infinite soul, and not limited to this physical body. Shri Krishna says in Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta, that the ‘Jeevatma mera hi Ansh he. Mujhme aur, jeevatma me koi bhed nahi'. So never accept a fixed fate or destiny. People have achieved, anything in life due to the power of will and efforts. Never accept failure. Make efforts, in spite of many failures and achieve what you want.

People have done this in all fields of activity. Spirituality, science, business,sports etc. So cannot you do. Never be a fatalist. Karma is not fate, for a man acts with free will, creating this own destiny. To full- fill your destiny stay true to your heart. Create your own destiny by doing good karma from now onward. The original source of this answer is my astrology experience which may help you in understanding the difference between the Karma and the destiny.

Let’s put it this way …God already knows what you’re destined for, but why should it mean that your individual choices don’t matter? You create your destiny, because you will and you want, and once your desire sets into motion a causal chain of events, you are sucked in and made to face the consequences, even if you desire otherwise. This is destiny! Karma is the very fabric on which destiny is woven. And justice is the very foundation of Karma, the great equaliser. So, needless to say, wrap yourself in good cloth?. Jay Shri Krishna