Pañca-draviḍa: What about two people born in the same circumstance? Each has equal education and equal background, but one becomes rich and one remains poor. That's chance.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the fate. Fate is the cause, destiny. Otherwise, so many people are working hard. Why not everyone is becoming rich by chance? Kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. This is the instruction in the Bhāgavatam. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. There are two things—happiness and distress—and they are being controlled by the time. You have infected some disease. In time, it will come out, manifested, and the doctor say, "Oh, you infected this disease. Take this injection." The time factor. It.... You have to wait to see the result. It is not chance. As soon as you do something, immediately the reaction begins. But you do not see the result immediately, but wait and you'll find. Yes.
Madhudviṣa: So we say that everything has a cause.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Madhudviṣa: But then we have causeless mercy. So would that be chance?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Madhudviṣa: We have also causeless mercy, meeting the pure devotee. Is that a chance?
Prabhupāda: No. I.... We don't accept that chance. The causeless is a mercy. Causeless mercy is the cause.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. The mercy is the cause.
Prabhupāda: The mercy may be causeless, but the mercy is the cause.
Madhudviṣa: But the which is the cause?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The mercy is the cause.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a cause.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You did nothing to deserve it, but it's caused your good fortune.
Trivikrama: Jaya.