Descent of Grace

Swami Satyananda Saraswati

If one wants to enter the temple of God, in the beginning external steps such as practices and rituals are beneficial. However, the supreme temple, Shiva's real dwelling, is only found within. External shrines are built of bricks and mortar; they are merely models of what people have experiences and envisioned within themselves, only expression of what is found within. It is very important to know the way to the inner shrine, and only by entering can one know God as the deity dwelling there. As long as there is awareness of the external symbols, one is within the boundaries of the mind. In order to experience reality, these boundaries have to be transcended, because God is beyond the limited, finite mind.

There are many techniques which lead to the point or brink at which one has to jump over the mind. However, how to make this final jump cannot be taught. Up to this point the yoga practices given by one's spiritual guide, or any spiritual practice for that matter, can help. But beyond this point no spiritual practice can serve as a guide, and no book has ever written about it. All spiritual pursuits and religious practices take one only to the edge of this boundary of material consciousness, but to go beyond surpasses all human power of communication. The aspirant alone must find the way.

Only grace can help one transcend the mind. Spiritual life, divine life or yogic life is difficult to navigate because it is the inner path. It is entirely and utterly dependant on God's grace. When the mind soars high in inner life, the path is uncharted; one does not know which way to go. Nothing external can help, for the unfoldment is within, not without. All the treasures and riches of the world are within. Gods grace is required every step of the way. It cannot be denied that in order to achieve something effort has to be made. Many things can be done to prepare oneself, but ultimately one is completely dependant on Gods grace. It is His decision how one's life moves. If the aspirant is true to it, then he can accept whatever is given. The more self illumination there is, the more the grace will flow. The little 'i' must go, then the big 'I' will dwell in the devotee.

Gaining grace

The way to attain His grace is satsang, remembrance and prayer. Satsang, being where God and spiritual life are glorified, or where there is singing of bhajan and kirtan, helps to purify the self and the inner environment. Satsang must be compatible with ones inner environment. The name of the Lord is the greatest gift one can have. One should try to keep one's mind firmly anchored in the name. It is the highest sadhana, and beyond the comprehension of the mind.

To receive God's grace one must aspire for purity. The heart must be kept clean. To invite God to dwell in ones' heart and to make sure that He continues to remain there and give His blessings, it is essential to clean the heart. How will the devotee know that his heart is clean? Ramakrishna Paramahansa used to say that where there is dirt, flies come, where there is wealth thieves come, but if there is a beautiful garden with a lake, blooming lotuses and chirping birds, everyone will come. Similarly, the aspirant can tell the quality of his heart by what he attracts. If the heart is clean, it will invite grace. Yet, the paradox is that God's grace does not come; it is always there. Nothing is possible without grace. No matter how long one works to remove the rubbish, it will not be possible without higher assistance. To think that one can do it alone is speaking the language of the ego. One may make the effort, but ultimately everything has to be left to God, because when His grace showers, all the rubbish of life is instantly removed, just as darkness is removed by the first rays of the sun.

Grace falls on everybody at all times, but people do not realize it. Gods grace flows not only towards a saint, but towards every being. To be worthy of Gods grace, one must become aware of His grace. In order to receive Gods grace, one must be prepared to live in constant communion with Him, even if it means sacrificing the very best in one's life. It may be at the cost of social prosperity, it may turn one into a beggar, but when grace fills one's life, none of that matters.

All those who come to Him with pure devotion receive His grace. The Lord of the universe and infinite plentitude has no pride. He does not see how scandalous was His devotee’s past life. He looks not at the conduct, qualifications, status, prosperity or learning. All He sees is devotion. Both a deceitful merchant and debased criminal, when immersed in devotion, make God their own. No matter what one's standing according to the codes of social conduct, in the eyes of God it is devotion alone that counts. From the moment a person begins to worship God, his connection with his past, caste, family and social conduct is broken. God looks upon him only as His devotee. Samskaras from past births vanish or subside with the Lord's grace. When a devotee completely surrenders to God, all his miseries, ego and past are completely transformed. Like a servant, God protects whoever worships Him, for He is a devotee of His bhakta. He becomes the slave of the slave and applies Himself silently to his service. The way of God is such. One who realizes this truth realizes God's grace.

Ways of grace

There are signs which indicate that God is accepting the devotee. This, of course, depends on the groundwork that has been done. The aspirant does not know if God will really accept him. Everybody says that they love Him, but how does one know whether He is accepting that love? This is the weakness of any love. No matter how intensely a lover loves his beloved, a doubt always remains in the back of his mind. Does she really accept my love? Does she love me? This is the great tragedy in the life of every lover. There is a beautiful song by Rabi Balen:

This is the way of the world,

Whosoever loves me

Binds me with a string of love.

But your intense love is peculiar,

Its ways are quite new.

You never tie me in the bondage of love.

You keep me forever free.

Other lovers do not leave my company

For fear that I might forget them,

But You are one

Who does not show his face,

And days pass.

Your love is unique,

Whether I call You in prayer or not,

Whether I remember you or not,

Your love always awaits my love.

Sometimes the devotee may think that it does not matter whether or not God accepts and loves him. He just has to do his duty, just play his part in His divine plan. On the other hand, if one attains God's love, he gets everything. What is the form of God's love? The definition of God's love varies. The form in which grace manifests varies from person to person, especially for those immersed in worldly sorrows, who do not have the power to bear this sorrow. If a couple do not get a child they badly want, they will keep breaking their head against God's image. People sway on their swings of happiness and misery. Each person has his own desires, which are most important to him. When grace manifests, a childless person is given a child and an incurable disease is cured. People accept these instances as God's grace.

It has been said in the Srimad Bhagavatam: "One who experiences thy grace deeply, eagerly, every moment, who enjoys the pleasures and pains destined by karma, with a clear mind, and surrenders totally with a heart full of love, a body full of delight- he becomes qualified for liberation, just as a son becomes the heir to his father's property."

There are many examples which provide evidence of a higher power working in every sphere of one's life. Consider this. At night a person goes to sleep and in the morning wakes up, but in between there is a gap, a total void. When he wakes up, how does he know that he is the same person that existed yesterday? Although there is a total gap in which there is no continuity of identity, he never looses his identity. What is this process, and who carries it out? If one listens to a speech, one is able to immediately understand the speaker. What is the process of understanding? What is it that enables this simultaneous understanding? If this is not His grace, then what is? A person who thinks he is responsible for his own existence id the greatest fool!

Divinity exists within every being. Without His grace one could never live, breathe or think. A person eats food and the bones are strengthened, without any effort being made other than swallowing the food and discarding the waste product. Who is carrying out the process of catabolism, anabolism, metabolism and assimilation? It is Him alone. This revelation in itself will humble one’s ego.

Grace and effort

Only when total surrender becomes part of one's life does one begin to live in the spirit of God. Before that one is only walking in the world and trying to be spiritual. Only by complete surrender can the grace of god be drawn down. The devotee must feel the grace at every step and surrender to it.

Nothing happens without God's grace. Whatever one receives, whatever one's successes in life, it is all His grace. Everything is an expression of that universal law. It is the supreme law. It is an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent law that controls every aspect of one's life. A true devotee receives guidance every step of the way. Everything is His grace. Initially one may think it is one's inner being who is speaking, the super soul giving guidance. Who is one's super soul? God is the first and the last. Everything is the grace of God, whom one has not seen and perhaps will not even see in the future. That realization must dawn.

Whatever is achieved in spiritual life is due, not to personal effort or diligence, but to Gods grace. Not external things, but that which is eternal has only been given by the Lord. When there is grace, nothing is impossible. Tulsidas has said: “I prostrate at the lotus feet of Lord Hari by whose grace, a blind person can see, a deaf person can hear, a mute person can speak and a penniless person becomes a king.”

The Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, other scriptures and all philosophies discuss this question: if God is the doer, then what is an individual’s role? However, no one has been able to give a final answer as yet, so it can only be discussed. People look for a conclusive answer to this question, but they will not find it because their mind is not ready for it. When one does get the final answer, the questioner will have ceased to exist.

Whatever happens in an aspirant’s life is not due to his own effort, his purushartha. Even without effort it will happen. Yet he makes the effort, because that in itself is a part of the will of God. This is an important point. If God wants one to achieve, it is impossible not to make the effort. God gives the inspiration to make the effort; he gives the mind with which the effort can be made.

Everyone has to do purushartha, to exert, whether or not fate exists. The train will arrive at the station at its prescribed time, not earlier. One has to fill in time somehow. One receives whatever has been decided by destiny. The question arises therefore: why is effort necessary? The individual has to exert because he cannot exist without action. What will he do if he does nothing? If he gets money, a house and everything else that he wanted, what will he do? People work out of a sense of self, out of their ego, ahamkara; they work because life demands work, because work is inseparable part of life.

Destiny and purushartha are two different things. One will receive from destiny whatever one has to receive. The work that one does, the effort one makes in life, is the need of the ego. It is all His grace. We are dependant on grace. The aspirant may try everything possible in spiritual life. Eventually, when the desires are exhausted, he says, “God. I am tired. I can do nothing more.” Then he renounces everything that can be considered his accomplishments. He surrenders to God like a defeated soldier. He receives amnesty from God.

If one can remain without action, there is no problem. One works for as long as one needs to work. When one can live without desires, thoughts, worries, without feeling any sense of responsibility, when a person attains this state, he can give up work and depend exclusively on God’s grace.