Gita Rahasya -Tilak
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CHAPTER X
THE EFFECT OF KARMA AND FREEDOM OF WILL
I have explained the independence of inherent tendencies, or Freedom of Will, on the basis of the proposition of Non-Dualistic Vedanta, that the Jivatman (personal Atman) and the Paramatman (Supreme Atman) are fundamentally uniform [1]. But for those who do not accept this Non-Dualistic doctrine, or when Dualism has to- be accepted in order to justify the Path of Devotion, it is said that this power of the Jivatman is not its own power, but is received by it from the Paramesvara. But, in any case, it is always said that in order to acquire this power, the Jivatman must first make the necessary effort, having regard to the- principle enunciated in the Rg-Veda, that "na rte srantasya sakhyaya devah" [2], i. e., "the gods do not help any one except the man who makes effort, until he is tired" ; and 1 - the principle of personal effort, and inferentilly the principle of the Freedom of the Atman, is left intact [3]. Nay, the Buddhists do not accept the theory of the Atman, or of the Parabrahman ; hut though they do not accept the theory of the Realisation of the Brahman or of the Atman, their religious treatises contain the advice that "attana (atmana) codayattanam" , i. e., "one must put oneself into the right path" ; and in support of that doctrine, it is said that : atta (atma) hi attano natho atta hi attano gati I tasma sanjamaya 'ttanam assam (asvam) bhaddam va vanijo II [4]. that is, "one is the owner of oneself, and there is no other redeemer for oneself except one's Atman ; therefore, just as a merchant keeps under proper control his good horse, so must one keep oneself under proper control"; and the importance and the existence of the freedom of the Atman is there shown in the same way as in the Gita. [5]. The French Materialist Comte must also be included in this class ; because, although he does not accept the theory of the Absolute Self, yet, he has, as a matter of personal experience, that is to say, without any logical justification accepted the fact that every person can by his own efforts improve his conduct and his circumstances.
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