Grace

Grace : Akshaya Trithiya Day article for the blog.

Today is Akshaya trithiya day: It is a day when both luminary planets the Sun and the Moon are in their exaltation signs. It is also the beginning of “krita yuga” and the day Lord Ganesha starts writing the Puranas, being dictated by Veda Vyasa.

In the religious/spiritual/and even mundane levels, it is believed that anything started today endures; as the name “akshaya” means one which does not decay…..the materially inclined buy Gold, conduct mass marriages (in remote areas of India) and for the spiritual lot, initiation into a mantra is considered very auspicious.

Having lost the full steam of recent past in blogging articles after the arrival of the contents in a book form, I thought the best way to get back to the old habit is to start today and the topic “grace” would be the most apt, I imagined, as in our perpetual jignyaasaa for enlightenment, His Grace has to be “akshaya”. So folks here I go, and hope that my enthusiasm rubs on some of you and the blog continues to get contributions and helps us all in our journey towards that final beatitude.

Some time back, I had come across an article where a Western author had written about the word “grace” having no parallel in Sanskrit in the way it is understood by all of us. Unfortunately I am unable to trace this piece but since this came to my mind, I asked some including our “mama” in Chennai, who to my mind is quite unparalleled in his knowledge of the Sanskrit knowledge besides our Texts. Perhaps getting no response is also a “grace” from Him, as this continued to agitate my mind for the last few days, till last night over a disturbed sleep, I thought I had some vague answers, which I felt like sharing.

Surprisingly, however, in the morning when I checked the Sanskrit-English dictionary, to find the meanings of all the words that sprang to my mind for the English word “grace” namely “krupa” “Anugraha” and “prasadaha” none had “grace” as one of the unequivocal meanings, listed. This dictionary let me assure is considered as one of the best.

The dictionary meaning of the word “grace” on the other hand fits exactly into our understanding of what we presume the Sanskrit words imply, namely “Divine favor inspiring influence –state of receiving this”. Notwithstanding this, I am still left with the feeling that while the profound meaning of the word “grace” is not readily found in the Sanskrit parallels, our texts offer a better understanding of the profoundness of the word. Let me elaborate:

Imagine say a terminally sick man going to Sai Baba, the latter just touches him, and miraculously the man is cured. We have come across such stories. Take for instance the stories in the bible. A blind man is goes to see Jesus, is then touched by the Lord, and lo behold - a miracle- the poor fellow is able to see. As per the author, our understanding of these must be “grace”.

Remember the kindergarten sloka “mookam karoti vaachalam… etc” ? The translation is I bow down to the lord whose compassion makes the lame climb over the hills, and the dumb to be able to speak. These are exact parallels to the cited examples. The words are clearly “Yath krupa” meaning pity, compassion. Definitely not “grace”

Let’s turn now to “prasadaha” . In the gita 18^th chapter, 73^rd sloka, Arjuna says that by your Prasada all my desires have perished, and I have “remembered” ( obtained smriti- smiritirlabdha), clearly establishing the fact that prasadaha here means “grace” –as one should understand namely Lords divine favor inspiring influence, and a state of receiving that. One of the dictionary meaning is propitiousness -favorable to a purpose, which is very close to English "grace".

(Incidentally after this realization, having got into that undoubtedly blissful state of non-dual “oneness” with Him He says “now I shall obey your command”.)

Take the instance of “dhruva swamy” . The Lord in all His splendor, appears before the child of 5 and odd, and the child is speechless. The Lord just touches him, and there is a transformation; there comes forth a terrific eulogy of the Lord from the child. Again truly Lords “grace”.

Which brings me to the point I want to make; Whether one wants His grace merely to get rid of a handicap (which to our minds and the Sanskrit language is just compassion) or one would like to transcend from this to a state where there are no longer doubts, one remembers where he/she came from and where one has to go, and be in that state of oneness with Him, all of which again depend on His grace, is indeed one’s individual choice. The interpretation of the word is left to the context.

This however begs a few more questions. Why does a man who has realized, say a Shankara, who in pure Bhakthi -which surely pre-supposes a dual relationship- eulogize the Lord? And is this Bhakthi same as one who does “jay jay vital” to earn every conceivable material benefit. To me answers are simple. Since all experience cease once you reach the “I am Him” stage, a dual relationship with Him is a considered choice just to experience bliss in unalloyed Bhakthi like say gopikas with Krishna, A Narada in his Bhakthi treatise going by his name, or a Shankara eulogizing the lords, or our own acharyals doing puja more for their pleasure than for our benefits etc , or perhaps like Arjuna who just enjoys obeying Krishna. This is not the “Thursday bhajans” of the neighborhood, period.

And pray what is the lesson for me? While I am fascinated with the idea of self- realization, and will love to seek His prasada on a perpetual basis till I get my smriti back, I need an overdose of His “krupa” for my yogakshemam to sustain this pursuit, and all my actions while they have the former as the ultimate goal, still seek the latter to overcome/bear handicaps in multidimensional forms that He chooses to visit me.

Make sense? Please respond with comments……

Love Vichu