Karma: Fate

Q. Is the choice of our spouse predestined by karma (are marriages made in "heaven")? Is it predestined by God? Does my free-will have a role in such a choice?

If I like one person and am neutral towards another, how do I make a decision that is best? Should I simply surrender to God and let God decide - is such surrender cowardice or escapism? If God will make a decision, how does God decide in such situations - will God take my preferences into account?

Q. We are a product of the environment that we take birth and grow up in. To a great extent this environment determines whether one will be religious or not. If God is in control of this, then why should one have to suffer the consequences of being born in an atheistic family?

Q. As it said in Bhagawad geeta Ch 3 Text 27 everything is under the control of three modes of nature or the Supreme Lord we under the false ego think that we are the doers. not even a blade of grass move without His will. Bg. Ch 18 Text 14 also says in 5 things are require for any action to be done and in that the doer is one of them. my question is that than how the free will works? if any thing good or bad happens how is the doer responsible for that particuler act since everything is controlled by Krsna. second question is that do we get our modes according to our previous karma and that mode forces us to do particular kind of karma.

Q. Was it destined when I was born that I would one day become associated with ISKCON and do all these spiritual activities? If yes, then why do we preach? Won't people destined to join ISKCON join it, and those not destined to join ISKCON not join it? If no, then does it mean that joining ISKCON is outside the influence of destiny?

Q. A seven year old devotee asked:

SB 1.5.18 says "... As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them."

Q. Can any person get more than he is destined to get especially by worshiping demigods? Prahlada Maharaja has said that material happiness and unhappiness is fixed. Then why do people get immediate results when they start worshipping demigods? Are these results in addition to what they are destined to get? What is destiny then?

Q. Both in spiritual life and also in material life people speak of attitude. What should be the approach of a spiritual aspirants towards other spiritual aspirants and with materialists?

Q. 1. I am very unclear and confused. Bhagavan Shri Krishna says that all that is happening is predestined and nothing moves without His sanction. Then He says in BG 2.47 'Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself.'

Q. We often hear devotees saying that whatever they or others are experiencing is due to their karma. So our question is, how does taking responsibility come into the picture? Can we just 'lay the blame' on past karma for our present misdeeds and wrongful activities and get away with it?

Q. I have been struggling for some time with questions such as: Is everything pre-determined? Do we have to accept that everything is pre-determined and occupy ourselves with devotional service while still performing our duties? Or do we have to strive toward a goal (even if that means being competitive) while still performing devotional service?