Talk 209.
Mr. B. C. Das, the Physics Lecturer, asked about free-will and destiny.
M.: Whose will is it? ‘It is mine’, you may say. You are beyond will
and fate. Abide as that and you transcend them both. That is the
meaning of conquering destiny by will. Fate can be conquered.
Fate is the result of past actions. By association with the wise the
bad tendencies are conquered. One’s experiences are then viewed
to their proper perspective.

I exist now. I am the enjoyer. I enjoy fruits of action. I was in the
past and shall be in the future. Who is this ‘I’? Finding this ‘I’ to
be pure Consciousness beyond action and enjoyment, freedom and
happiness are gained. There is then no effort, for the Self is perfect
and there remains nothing more to gain.

So long as there is individuality, one is the enjoyer and doer. But if
it is lost, the divine Will prevails and guides the course of events.
The individual is perceptible to others who cannot perceive divine
force. Restrictions and discipline are for other individuals and not
for the liberated.

Free-will is implied in the scriptural injunctions to be good. It
implies overcoming fate. It is done by wisdom. The fire of wisdom
consumes all actions. Wisdom is acquired by association with the
wise, or rather, its mental atmosphere.