evening, a person runs around, preoccupied with his job or
business, respires, reads books and scriptures, meditates, does
chanting of God’s name (japa or mantra) and penance. That is
destiny (prarabdha). After we eat our food, what purusharth
(self-effort) do we make for its digestion? Nature runs our ‘inner
machinery’ so pleasantly, without any interference in our part, so
will it not run the ‘outer’ matters as well? But because of the
ignorance about it, one cannot help one’s egoism of, ‘I am the
doer’!
In the running waters of the river Narmada, if a rock turns
into the shape of an idol (shaligram), who did what sort of self-
effort there? And if the other rocks remained stones and sunk in
the ocean, is it because of their ‘laziness’? Who is the ‘doer’
here, and how much ‘doership’ is there? Things happen
according to whatever circumstances one encounters! In the
path of natural and spiritual evolution (samsaran marg), all the
living beings, some after infinite collisions and wanderings, take
birth in India. And there, if one meets the Gnani Purush, and
by his grace, attains the Self-realization, one becomes an idol
(shaligram)! Only after Self-realization does one become the
‘Self’ (Purush) and does the ‘real’ ‘Self-effort’ (purusharth).
Until then, it is called deluded or illusory self-effort (bhrant
purusharth). Real Self-effort is when there is no attachment-
abhorrence in the resultant effect of the non-Self complex
(pudgal).
Because of the existence of ego, the seeds (causes) of
karma are being sown. And when they yield fruits (effects); the
result is either bitter or sweet. Now it is considered deluded
self-effort (bhrant-purusharth) to change an improper ‘effect’
to a proper one! Whatever circumstances that present themselves
is destiny, and self-effort is needed to maintain equanimity. To
maintain steadiness in ‘slippery’ circumstances, is self-effort. To
change artadhyan and raudradhyan into dharmadhyan is self-
effort.
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