First of all we must understand what is fate? According to the Hindu scriptures there are three types of karmas (which form our fate). They are

Prarabhda Karma is that which we are presently undergoing and experiencing. Sanchita Karma means all the past karma.

Agami refers to Karma that will follow in future.

Prarabhda is in between the Sanchita and Agami, and we are experiencing this Prarabhda karma on account of the previous Sanchita Karma meaning the past karmas.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives a small example to explain all these three karmas from our daily life.

He says:
We have got a store room in which we stock all our rice. We have already the old stock of rice in the store. So what we have stored in the room is called Sanchita. When we want to cook, we remove some rice from the store room for cooking today called Prarabhda. What we cook now and what we eat today will pass out our body, tomorrow. Sometimes what we eat may come out in the shape of a belch. Therefore we can not escape from Prarabhda, we must experience it in this life. In the store room, there is only one rice. When we bring it we will be able to convert it into many preparations. In this way, we can make the rice into food; we can make it in the form of Puliyodhara (meaning rice mixed with tamarind to make a delicious dish). We can cook it in the form of Chakkara pongal (meaning rice mixed with sugar to form a tasty dish).

It can be made into Daddhojana (meaning rice mixed with curd to form a delightful dish). We can make from it idlis (rice cakes) and also Dosas (one more variety of food) and so on, all of which the base which is always rice. You have to start any preparation with rice only. Even though there is Sanchita, if you try to behave in a Sathwic (meaning in a pious and good) way you will be able to change even Sanchita. You may say that in the rice store, there are big stones. They are the results of our bad actions. They are in the store mixed with the rice. Before we cook, do we not try to remove away the stones from the rice? So it is quite necessary that when we experience Sanchita we can overcome the bad effects to some extent or a great extent and make them clean, just as we make the rice clean. But can the Sanchita and Prarabhta karmas can be weaken or overcome by prayer?

Yes, says Sri Sathya Sai Baba giving a beautiful example which we can see in our next article.