We are aware of what autopilot is. It is a system that automatically controls a vehicle’s path, allowing it to operate with minimal or no human intervention. Why am I using it for us human beings? Believed or not, our material bodies are vehicles, as described in the Bhagavad-Geeta by Lord Krishna in verse # 18.61. He states, “God, present as a part, in the vehicle (our body), resides in the hearts of all beings.” Before I go any further, let me give you the Big Picture. There is God on top, as we can imagine. Then, there is the Divine Authority, which works under the superintendence of God. They oversee the working of the material nature, which gives birth to the world along with moving and stationary things. And on account of this, the world cycle goes on. (9.10) Then, there are all living beings with souls, which are parts of God. (15.7) And, of course, there are trees, plants, etc. This entire setup is under the control of God, who is the Controller.

Now returning to the topic, how are we on autopilot? For us to understand this, we must know the ‘Karmaphala Principle’ and the personal nature. The first one is simple: “What you sow is what you reap.” For example, one thinks of starting a business. If the thought is a serious one, he will one day get started on it. Similarly, someone is working as a menial labourer. He gets paid for it. The third example is of words. Teachers are the best examples of it. They get salaries for the effort made. Personal nature is a little more complex matter. For this, an understanding of the three ‘gunas’ (modes) is important. Whatever we see is made up of the three gunas, which are goodness, passion and darkness.

These are the basic ingredients of the Creation. Surely, our natures also consist of goodness, passion and darkness in various proportions. A good person will have a higher percentage of the ‘sattvaguna’ (the mode of goodness) and a small per cent of the ‘tamoguna’ (the mode of darkness). Similarly, a bad person will have just the opposite proportions, i.e. more tamoguna and less sattavoguna. ‘Rajoguna’ (the mode of passion) constitutes the majority percentage in nature of a common man. Then, how are our natures formed? Life after life, we associate with the three gunas, and that gets embedded in our natures. And when a person dies, the impression is carried to the next body. For example, a good man associates with objects in goodness. He eats foods, which are wholesome and nutritious. He sees programmes, which have natural scenes and even spiritual content. He hears mostly what is instructive. Contrarily, people, who are greedy, lusty, angry or hateful, engage in acts related to these hellish emotions. Lord Krishna warns, “Lust, anger and greed are the three different doors to hell, which cause ruination of the soul. Therefore, one should give up these three. (16.21) Lord Krishna is very stern about hate. The Lord states, “I send those envious, harmful, cruel and low-grade people to the world again and again, and that too in demonic species.” (16.19)

Now I come to how we are on autopilot. It should be clear to us that karmaphalas generated by pious and impious acts will manifest in our present lives or future ones. There is no escape from it. Even God does not interfere in it.

What God does do in the case of a person in God’s consciousness? Lord Krishna states, “Having My consciousness, you will cross all impediments by My grace.” (18.58) The rest of us will have to face and tolerate the consequences. There is no escape, which is what autopilot is. We are programmed that way. The other feature of autopilot in our lives is much more serious. Our natures are continuously evolving as a result of what we do or associate with. For example, a person is naturally lusty. He will get attracted to objects of lust automatically. He can stop himself using the free will given to him, but few can do so. One needs God’s help to undo what the present nature ordains. So what have we learnt? That we are on autopilot helplessly. Our karmaphalas will determine what happens to us. What we do today will largely determine what we will get in our future and subsequent lives. Our  present efforts will have some effect, but not of any great significance. Are we stuck? Not really. God is the Controller. As explained earlier, God can change things. He can help tackle our bad karmaphalas, as well as help us in changing our faulty natures. You will be surprised by the outcome. We would no longer be on autopilot but in good control over our lives.

(The author is a spiritual coach. Views expressed are personal)