The time for anything is both fixed and fluid. What this means is that there is a certain kind of fixity of fate in everything, including the moment when it will happen. But this fixity is not absolute. It belongs to the cosmic determinism and can be changed by the intervention of the Transcendent Will. That is the secret of yoga that it brings into play the Highest Will that is Master of Time and can alter fixed fate. It is to bring this intervention of the Divine that things like faith, aspiration, surrender are advised.
So we can say that while everything is determined at a point where the play of space and Time begins yet by our attitudes and approach towards things we can shorten or prolong this moment. If this were not so then there would be no meaning in yoga itself since everything will happen in its own time and neither personal effort nor yoga will have much role to play except as a supportive factor. However yoga is precisely meant to compress the time needed to arrive.
Interestingly and somewhat paradoxically it has been said that those who rely only or largely on personal effort tend to take longer, presumably due to the strong ego-factor which inevitably enters personal effort. Whereas those who rely upon the Grace while doing what needs to be done tend to realise faster. Similarly those who are impatient for a quick result take longer due to the restlessness introduced by the desire-self. On the other hand those who trust the Divine and know how to wait upon Him tend to shorten the journey. Surrender and self-giving makes the journey shorter while faith and trust make it smoother.
This is the secret.
