Is everything in life predestined? Does a solider die because the bullet has his name written on it or did the mammoth Titanic sink merely because it was meant to be?

Whether the order of Nature is all pre-planned with Homo-sapiens being just pawns in the game, is something man has tried to decode time and again.

Tarot reader Roopa Patel thinks that stars can provide an outline to our lives but winning and loosing depends on the choices one makes.  Roopa illustrates by giving the mythological example of Satyavan and Savitri. Satyavan (Savitri’s husband) died and was taken away by the Yamaraj (the lord of death in Hindu mythology). But Savitri didn’t give up and eventually  brought her husband back to life because she believed in her actions.

Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla also maintains that though astrology cannot predict everything, it can  provide direction. “The word jyotish is a combination of jyoti (light) and Ishwar (God). Stars can only impel but never compel,” he says. “According to Indian astrology, a person’s past karmas (deeds) govern his present life. Therefore karma plays an integral role in shaping one’s destiny,” adds Bejan.

Numerologist Bhavikk Sangghvi believes in destiny and the power of numbers. “Everybody cannot be a SRK or a Big B. Reason? Besides the powerful stars that they are born with, their respective names also vibrate at high frequency.”

He explains further, “Destiny is all about being at the right place at the right time. Talent can go waste if this combination is not correct,” adding, “Altering alphabets in names can help get the desired results.”

He cites the example of actor ‘Riteish’ Deshmukh whose career saw an upswing after he added an ‘I’ in his first name. Sangghvi added, “Vivek Oberoi’s name adds to number eight. This is the number of karmic influences, where one is called upon to pay debts incurred in this and previous lives.

The hardships that number eight faces in pursuit of its rewards are extreme. Apparently, this is the reason why Vivek is going through rough patches in his career and personal life.”

Sangghvi also cites the example of the ‘talented’  Manoj Bajpai, who despite a great success like Satya has still not been given his due. “His name is not vibrating at a pleasant frequency,” he reasons.

So whether it’s the planets that govern our lives or it’s our actions, Swami Vivekananda’s words seem to profess a wise blend of the two— “If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future, can be produced by our present actions. So we have to know how to act. We have the power to make ourselves.”