The moment you turn your mind to God, you will gain grace, immense strength and peace. – Swami Sivananda
You can notice God’s Grace in every inch of creation.
In a hot summer you enjoy the delicious sweet juice of grapes, cucumber, oranges and pomegranates and cool Ganga water of Rishikesh and Haridwar. This is God’s Grace.
When you suffer from any serious ailment, you get immediate relief and cure from herbs. This is God’s Grace.
When you walk in a dark night, the stars twinkle and the moon shines, throwing light on your path. This is God’s Grace.
When you are unable to bear extreme pain you become unconscious. This is God’s Grace.
When the weather is sultry, a gentle breeze blows and refreshes you. This is God’s Grace.
God’s Grace will descend in proportion to the degree of surrender. The more the surrender, the more Grace.
The Katha Upanishad says in a thundering voice:
Not by study or discourses, not by argument, not by intelligence is the higher Self attained. God chooses the aspirant who attains Self Realisation through Grace. God reveals Himself to such a chosen person.
The subtle forms of lust, anger, egoism, pride, etc., can only be totally destroyed through God’s Grace. However hard you may strive and do Sadhana, these subtle forms cannot be eradicated through your Sadhana alone. The God’s Grace completely purifies your heart.
It is God only who stirs the aspirants to do Purushartha – right exertion.
You should not sit idle and say God’s Grace will do everything for me. Why should I do any Sadhana? This is the wrong philosophy. God helps those who help themselves. God’s Grace will descend only on those persons who exert. You cannot expect God to do Self Surrender for you. Be up and doing. Strive. Plod. Persevere. God will shower grace upon you.
Mira abandoned everything. She renounced kingdom, husband, relatives, friends and property. She remembered her Lord Krishna, whole day and night. She shed tears of Prem. She sang Krishna’s praise with single minded devotion. She gave up food. Her body got emaciated. Her mind was ever absorbed in Lord Krishna. Only then, did Lord Krishna shower Grace upon her.
The Lord has five duties. God is Karta (actor), Akarta (non-actor), Anyatha Karta. God veils the Jiva (Tirodhana, Tirobhava). God removes the veil through Grace (Anugraha).
I depend upon God’s Grace alone. In order to remove the inertia, Sri Vasishtha and others have preached the Purushartha Vada. In reality, it is all God’s Grace only. Even a leaf or an atom will not move without the sanction of God.
May you all obtain God’s Grace through faith and devotion! May God shower His Grace upon you all.
Glory to God and His Grace – Kripa, Anugraha, Prasad.