Foreword: Destiny and free will are obverse and reverse sides of the same coin. The general conditions of individual's life are pre-decided at the time of his birth due to prarabdha karma. However one is not imprisoned by his prarabdha karma. One is at absolute freedom to exercise one's freewill and change the course of one's life. But this does not mean that one can achieve whatever one wants the end result is a complex issue which follows law of cause and effect, and takes various aspects into account. Hence, our lives are pre-decided by our destiny and at the same time not. While we exercise our free will and endeavour to achieve things, it is Ishwara (God) who bestows on us the fruits of our action. In the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna highlights this with his message: ''You have the right to act and not to the fruits thereof." Swami Vivekananda toured across the nation for a few years, mostly on foot, to ascertain the cause of people's poverty and suffering, and to suggest remedial measures thereof. He noticed that people were immersed in laziness and lacked exertion of free will. He awakened the slumbering nation with his invigorating message of exercising their free will to develop both economically and spiritually. The author, Sri A
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