Guru's Grace

 

by Smt. Mandira Lahiri

 

Guru’s Grace/Divine Grace is being showered upon us at all times. We are not aware of it or don’t want to acknowledge it because of our pre-occupations. We are always busy fulfilling our unfulfilled desires. Desires are innumerable. When one desire is fulfilled, another raises its head almost immediately. Our unlimited wants, discontentment, our inflated egos, comparison with others, our senses directed outwards, turmoil in our minds, lack of joy and happiness— results in this craving to possess more. Human beings get caught in the web of worldliness; therefore, the shower of Grace goes unnoticed. 

Sharada Maa once said that Divine Grace which is being poured on us at all times, is not being received by us properly as we have kept our bowls upside down; in other words, we are not good receptors of the Grace since the real yearning for it is absent. 

Divine Grace never deserts us. It is our constant companion. The following poem written by Carolyn Joyce Carty reiterates this.

 

FOOTPRINT IN THE SAND

One night a man had a dream. 

He dreamed

He was walking along the beach

With the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes

From his life.

For each scene he noticed two

Sets of

Footprints in the sand: one

Belonging

To him, and the other to the

LORD.

When the last scene of his life

Flashed before him,

He looked back at the footprints

In the sand.

He noticed that many times

Along the path of

His life there was only one set

Of footprints.

He also noticed that it

Happened at the very

Lowest and saddest times in his

Life.

This really bothered him and he

Questioned the LORD about it:

“LORD, you said that once I

Decided to follow

You, you’d walk with me all the way.

But I have noticed that during

The most

Troublesome times in my life,

There is only one set of

Footprints.

I don’t understand why when

I needed you most you would leave me.”

The LORD replied:

“My son, my precious child,

I love you and I would never leave you

During your times of trial and

Suffering,

When you see only one set of

Footprints,

It was then that I carried you.”

Such enthralling words….it compels us to introspect. 

Another story related to this topic goes this way:

A man who wanted to have a darshan of (i.e. ‘see’) God, went to a sage and started pestering him to make that happen. So, one day when the sage was going to the Ganges for a dip, he invited that man also to go with him. Both of them went to the river and began bathing. When the man took a dip, the sage quickly pushed his head under water and held it that way for some time. When the man started struggling to be free with all his might, he released his head. The man was bewildered and asked the sage the reason for that type of behavior which was totally uncalled for. The sage smiled and asked him about his feelings when his head was pushed under water. The man answered that he had just one thought—which was to save himself. The sage replied calmly that when his urge (to see God) would become that strong and one-pointed, he would definitely see God.

Intense longing is necessary for God realization.

Excerpts from The Speaking Tree in the Times Of India, Bangalore, dated 3/2/21 written by Atul Sehgal:

“The inner voice is the call of conscience or the signal from God. People say that the Divine dwells within you and gives you corrective signals when you tend to go in the wrong direction. The inner voice is really a hint from the supreme spiritual power who is all pervasive. He, being subtler than your soul, pervades even you and knows all your thought processes in a real time setting. He knows your every ambition, every plan, every decision and every dilemma. He, being omniscient, knows the truth of everything and the right and wrong of every matter. Being your preceptor and protector, he has to guide you at every step. He knows that you are weak and fallible, limited by intellect. Hence, it is but natural that He will provide his guiding signal for your course correction. It is up to you to heed his voice or ignore it, because you are free to chart your way forward through life. The inner voice is unmistakably the voice of our Master and the Divine Mentor. He is engaged every moment in facilitating our welfare and progress.”

In ‘Nectar of Wisdom’ our Sadguru Sri Sri Babathakur gives the significance of a Rabindra Sangeet sung before him by a young lady. I am presenting it here.

You had been staying hidden in my heart,

And I could not see you.

You were always present in me,

And gave me inspiration.

You were joy in my everyday affairs.

You were the spirit of my song,

Of pleasure and pain in life.

But I failed to grasp.

I talk about myself but not of You,

What a tragedy it is!

Sri Sri Babathakur further elaborated, “This is a song of realization. The great poet expressed his gratitude humbly, and boldly told how he felt in life.”

What fascinating words! The deep sense of calm that you achieve just by reading it a few times, says it all.

In “Nectar of Wisdom” Sri Sri Babathakur explains— “Absorption in any work, having the Grace of God in the back of the mind, is a divine experience. The bliss and concentration in working means that Truth, Self or God can work through a person. But it is necessary that one works for God, with God, in God, without expecting any reward. That is the way of liberation from ego, which is the root-cause of human suffering.”

He explained a trick to control the mind which he himself had used. “Close your eyes and think of Pure Love, because when one loves fully the Supreme One, there is no room for a second love and mind vanishes. That is the Wisdom of the Spiritual eye, the third eye.”

Sri Sri Babathakur has mentioned about another method. “Relax mind and repeat the words— All is performed on behalf of Thee, for Thee and by Thee.”

Salutations to our Sadguru who is verily the Absolute, Divine Being personified. He is our Atmaguru who is perpetually guiding us through the ups and downs of life. My head bows down in deep gratitude for this constant showering of his causeless Grace. May I never ever deviate from this acknowledgement for the rest of my life.