Again, providential dispensations such as heat and cold, rain, hunger and thirst -- which are not the consequences of human action -- can be thwarted by human effort. Again, apart from those acts which a man is destined (as a result of deeds in past lives) to perform, one can always free oneself from all other actions undertaken by one's own will, as both Smriti and Shruti testify. Therefore, O son of Pandu, it is impossible to live in this world without acting. One must therefore engage in work, knowing that the goal is attained through the combination of Fate and Effort. He who acts according to this understanding never suffers from failure nor rejoices in success.