Can We Change Our Destiny if It’s Already Fixed? What the Gita Really Says
Riya Kumari | Feb 17, 2025, 23:57 IST
Is destiny really set in stone? Or do we get a say in the script? And more importantly, what does the Bhagavad Gita actually have to say about all this? Because let’s be real—if we’re going to debate free will and fate, we might as well consult the book that’s been dropping wisdom long before self-help authors figured out how to package common sense into bestsellers.
There is a certain restlessness in wondering whether we control our lives or whether life is simply unfolding, indifferent to our efforts. If everything is already written, why strive? If we do have the power to change things, why does it so often feel like we don’t? The Bhagavad Gita, spoken on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, does not offer an easy answer. But what it does offer is something far more valuable—a way to understand the question itself.
1. Is Destiny Fixed
Short answer: Yes. And also, no. The Gita does not present destiny as a rigid script that leaves us powerless. It does not say that everything is already decided in a way that renders effort meaningless. What it does say, however, is that we do not enter this world as a blank slate. Our past actions—whether from this life or before—have set things into motion. This is what we call karma. Like an arrow that has already been shot, some things must run their course. But does this mean we are bound by them forever?
No. Because while some arrows are already in the air, we still hold others in our hands.
2. Free Will Within Destiny
The Gita introduces a profound concept: karma shapes circumstances, but our response to them is always in our hands. This means destiny is not an unchangeable decree, but a set of conditions placed before us. Two people may be born into the same situation, yet walk entirely different paths. One succumbs to their hardships, the other transcends them. The difference? Choice.
This is what Krishna tells Arjuna: You have the power to act. The results may not always be in your control, but the action itself is yours to take. There is no life without some level of predestination, but there is also no life without agency. The two exist together, intertwined.
Think of karma like an algorithm. Past actions (your search history) influence what shows up in your life’s recommendation feed. If you’ve spent lifetimes clicking on chaos and poor decision-making, well, congratulations—your destiny will serve you more of that. But here’s the good news: you can override the system. Make better choices, break patterns, and suddenly, life starts suggesting a whole new set of possibilities.
Krishna literally tells Arjuna that while his past karma has led him to this war, his future isn’t just a passive subscription service. "Act, but don’t be attached to the fruits of your action," he says. Translation: Do what’s right, without obsessing over outcomes. (And also, maybe stop freaking out over things you can’t control.
We love the idea of destiny when it’s romantic and convenient. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be” sounds cute when applied to love stories, but nobody ever uses it when they miss a flight or fail an exam. Suddenly, it’s not destiny, it’s just bad luck. See the inconsistency?
The Gita tells you to cut the drama. Stop outsourcing your life to ‘fate’ when you don’t feel like taking responsibility. Yes, some things are meant to be, but you’re also meant to show up for them. Destiny isn’t a passive ride—it’s a co-authored script.
5. What Does This Mean for Us?
If destiny were entirely fixed, effort would be meaningless. If free will were absolute, life would be chaos. The truth lies somewhere in between.We cannot erase everything that has already been set into motion, but we are not bound to walk a single path without choice. Our actions today become the destiny of tomorrow. The person who resigns themselves to fate will find that life moves without them. The person who acts with wisdom, understanding that effort is not wasted even when results are uncertain, will carve a different future.
The Gita does not tell us that we are either prisoners of fate or masters of the universe. It tells us that we are participants—shaped by what came before, shaping what comes next. And that is enough.
1. Is Destiny Fixed
Choice
( Image credit : Pexels )
Short answer: Yes. And also, no. The Gita does not present destiny as a rigid script that leaves us powerless. It does not say that everything is already decided in a way that renders effort meaningless. What it does say, however, is that we do not enter this world as a blank slate. Our past actions—whether from this life or before—have set things into motion. This is what we call karma. Like an arrow that has already been shot, some things must run their course. But does this mean we are bound by them forever?
No. Because while some arrows are already in the air, we still hold others in our hands.
2. Free Will Within Destiny
Free
( Image credit : Pexels )
The Gita introduces a profound concept: karma shapes circumstances, but our response to them is always in our hands. This means destiny is not an unchangeable decree, but a set of conditions placed before us. Two people may be born into the same situation, yet walk entirely different paths. One succumbs to their hardships, the other transcends them. The difference? Choice.
This is what Krishna tells Arjuna: You have the power to act. The results may not always be in your control, but the action itself is yours to take. There is no life without some level of predestination, but there is also no life without agency. The two exist together, intertwined.
3. Karma: The Cosmic Algorithm
Think of karma like an algorithm. Past actions (your search history) influence what shows up in your life’s recommendation feed. If you’ve spent lifetimes clicking on chaos and poor decision-making, well, congratulations—your destiny will serve you more of that. But here’s the good news: you can override the system. Make better choices, break patterns, and suddenly, life starts suggesting a whole new set of possibilities.
Krishna literally tells Arjuna that while his past karma has led him to this war, his future isn’t just a passive subscription service. "Act, but don’t be attached to the fruits of your action," he says. Translation: Do what’s right, without obsessing over outcomes. (And also, maybe stop freaking out over things you can’t control.
4. The ‘Meant to Be’ Trap
We love the idea of destiny when it’s romantic and convenient. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be” sounds cute when applied to love stories, but nobody ever uses it when they miss a flight or fail an exam. Suddenly, it’s not destiny, it’s just bad luck. See the inconsistency?
The Gita tells you to cut the drama. Stop outsourcing your life to ‘fate’ when you don’t feel like taking responsibility. Yes, some things are meant to be, but you’re also meant to show up for them. Destiny isn’t a passive ride—it’s a co-authored script.
5. What Does This Mean for Us?
Help
( Image credit : Pexels )
If destiny were entirely fixed, effort would be meaningless. If free will were absolute, life would be chaos. The truth lies somewhere in between.We cannot erase everything that has already been set into motion, but we are not bound to walk a single path without choice. Our actions today become the destiny of tomorrow. The person who resigns themselves to fate will find that life moves without them. The person who acts with wisdom, understanding that effort is not wasted even when results are uncertain, will carve a different future.
The Gita does not tell us that we are either prisoners of fate or masters of the universe. It tells us that we are participants—shaped by what came before, shaping what comes next. And that is enough.