There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One must adhere firmly to either of these courses.

 

Ramana Maharshi

(from "Gems From Bhagavan"): 

Ramana Maharshi: Renunciation is always in the mind, not in going to the forest or solitary places or giving up one’s duties. The main thing is to see that the mind does not turn outward but inward. It does not really rest with a man whether he goes to this place or of past action; it concerns the body.

Let the body act as may suit it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention to it? Free will and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one’s past actions, of divine will and of other factors.

There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny, and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self, and that the ego is non-existent.

The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one’s helplessness and saying all the time, ‘Not I, but Thou Oh Lord’ and giving up all sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self-inquiry or bhakti marga (path of devotion).

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(from "Conscious Immortality"):

There are two ways open to One: bhakti and jnana.

A bhakta surrenders to God and rests secure in His protection. A jnani knows that there is nothing beside the Self and so remains happy.

One must adhere firmly to either of these courses. This path is the highest of all and suited only for advanced aspirants. Those who follow the other paths are not ripe for this until they become advanced on their own paths. [See Spiritual Instruction 2.2]

Thus it is really by the Grace, whether Guru, Self, etc. that they are brought to this highest path. Of course, they might have practiced the other paths in former existences and thus were born ripe for this one; others try the other ways and after progressing finally turn to Self-enquiry.

But the last laps of all paths are the same — surrender of the ego. This is the only direct method. The other methods will also ultimately lead everyone to this method of the investigation of the Self. The other methods are meant for those who cannot take to the investigation of the Self.