The Path to Understanding Determinism

The Path to Understanding Determinism

The Bhagavad Gita does more than just tell us whether the world is determined or not. It also sheds light on how we are supposed to accept the heavily determined nature of this world. To further understand the sense behind Bhagavad Gita's idea of determinism, one needs to first notice that the realization of the heavily deterministic nature of this world does not come with a day-to-day and mundane perspective of this world. One needs to get 'detached' from the everyday experiences and observe human life as a whole. This is important as everyday experiences 'blur' our vision and understanding. This was elucidated by Ram Das in his lecture- "Ram Dass 1974 - The Yogas Of The Bhagavad Gita - Part Five - Karma and Jnana Yoga" as he says that everyday experiences limit our ability to think comprehensively and rationally. "A hungry man only sees bakeries on the street", he says. This path by 'detachment' to realize the deterministic nature of life is also described as the right one in the Bhagavad Gita.

Detachment

The Bhagavad Gita talks about how we should practice our free will righteously. Krishna clearly states what is righteous and moral in many verses. This starts with Arjuna questioning whether he should fight or not:

"O Janārdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one's family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?" [1:37-38]

Krishna responds:

"In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place." [2:44]

"You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty." [2.47]

In verses [2:44] and [2:27], Krishna tells Arjuna that action is better than inaction and actions should be taken without thinking about the results or outcomes. One should be detached from the reward or loss of the result. Complete devotion to Krishna is only possible when the human is completely detached from the outcome or its consequences. Therefore, these verses explain that even though the world is determined, humans should exercise their free will by acting with detachment and duty (dharma). This is described as Karma Yoga.