God's Grace Is All You Need...

[Guest guest]

GOD’S GRACE

IS ALL YOU NEED

 

It was the battlefield of the Great Mahabharata War (an ancient battle that was fought between

Pandavas—a clan of five brothers, symbolizing

righ

10.0pt;color:navy">teousness; and Kauravas—a

clan of hundred brothers, symbolizing

evil). When the Pandavas were

emerging victorious, Ashwathamma, a great warrior in the Kaurava army,

ou

10.0pt;color:navy">t of desperation, released the unfailing

“Narayanastra”—a

weapon

10.0pt;color:navy">that can never fail

in causing complete destruction. The divine

weapon was such that there was no

remedy, nor any protection against its fury. The

weapon created havoc in the Pandava army.

Soldiers were dying by the millions; it appeared as if the entire Pandava

dynasty was in the brink of extinction.

 

Finding

color:navy">themselves completely helpless, the Pandavas

surrendered to Lord Krishna, their protector and sole

refuge. In times of adversity, it is only the Lord who comes

10.0pt;color:navy">to the rescue of his

devo

10.0pt;color:navy">tees. In response to their heartfelt prayers, Lord

Krishna advised the Pandavas to follow the most unusual strategy. He advised them to drop all

weapons and humbly surrender to the weapon.

Ordinary individuals would have never followed such advice, but the Pandavas were

no such. With implicit obedience, they immediately complied with God’s

command. The weapon, though destructive, was one of

divine origin. As soon as the Pandavas bowed

10.0pt;color:navy">to it in reverence, it immediately calmed down

and disappeared.

 

Indeed, the Lord’s

grace had saved the entire Pandava army

from des

10.0pt;color:navy">truction. The

Lord’s “will” must manifest and even nature will obey the command of

divini

10.0pt;color:navy">ty with utmost reverence. Such

is

10.0pt;color:navy">the power of God.

 

At the beginning of the Mahabharata War, Lord

Krishna gave an option to both Duryodhana, the Kuarava king,

and Arjuna, a Pandava prince. One would get Krishna’s huge

army and

10.0pt;color:navy">the other, Lord Krishna

Himself—unarmed, though. Arjuna

chose

10.0pt;color:navy">Krishna, whereas Duryodhana, His mighty army. Arjuna

was wise in choosing the Lord and hence

he won despite the mighty forces and

wicked s

10.0pt;color:navy">trategies deployed by

10.0pt;color:navy">the Kauravas. It was only the Lord’s

grace

10.0pt;color:navy">that helped Pandavas

achieve victory. Following

Arjuna’s example, in the battle of life, the wise man

always chooses God, and not his mighty army—a

mere illusion of worldly pleasures. The one who chooses God and wins his grace

will always emerge victorious in the battle of life and attain the final goal of

libera

10.0pt;color:navy">tion.

 

The Sage

Markandeya. According to a divine boon,

Markandeya, an ancient sage, was allotted a lifespan of

only 16 years. The parents of this young boy

were very perturbed on the arrival of the sixteenth year of this boy. On his

six

10.0pt;color:navy">teenth birthday, the parents revealed to the young boy the

truth about his short lifespan.

 

The young lad was

no

10.0pt;color:navy">t disturbed. He had

firm fai

10.0pt;color:navy">th in the Lords’

grace and knew that His sankalpa

[will] could alter the writ of destiny itself. With this faith in his chosen

dei

10.0pt;color:navy">ty, Shiva, Markandeya, on his sixteenth, and supposedly

las

10.0pt;color:navy">t birthday, visited the temple of Lord Shiva. At the temple, he

immersed himself in deep prayer and clung to the Shivalinga [a

symbol of Shiva]. At the allotted time, Yama, the God of Death, appeared on the

scene and cast his noose around

10.0pt;color:navy">the young boy’s neck. The

lad, however, did not yield and prayed

10.0pt;color:navy">to Lord Shiva to such an extent that he literally became one

wi

10.0pt;color:navy">th Shiva. Pleased with his devotion, Maheshwara

[shiva] appeared on the scene and

rescued his beloved devotee from the jaws of death. Not only did he save

Markandeya’s life, he also bestowed on him the boon of

immortality—thus overruling the writ of destiny itself. God’s

grace had saved the boy.

 

God’s grace

confers all else. A mother-in-law was

complaining against her new daughter-in-law that she consumed

large quantities of milk,

curds, cream, butter, and ghee. The

girl’s brother, on hearing the story, called her,

and af

10.0pt;color:navy">ter reprimanding her, advised her to give up stealing all the

items, except milk. “Milk,

you can drink any quantity you like but why steal these other by-products of milk.”

(Prashan

10.0pt;color:navy">ti Vidwanmahaasabha, Ananthpur,

07/31/1967). Milk is nothing but the Lord’s

grace and once you have it, all other byproducts will naturally follow it.

 

Another story comes to mind: A man who

had four wives was once traveling on

business. When the time to return home came, he

sen

10.0pt;color:navy">t a word to his wives,

asking each what they desired. The three oldest wives sent a long list of desired things. The

younges

10.0pt;color:navy">t, on the other hand, only

asked for the husband to return. On his

arrival,

10.0pt;color:navy">the husband, sent each of the three wives what they desired

but, personally, with all his wealth, visited the youngest wife.

God’s grace is like that. It will confer on

you wha

10.0pt;color:navy">tever you choose, but you must ask for the Lord Himself,

all else will follow him like loyal slaves.

 

Hanuman. Hanuman,

10.0pt;color:navy">the great protagonist of Ramayana was

born among the species of

monkeys. Despite the birth among monkeys,

Hanuman’s devotion, purity of heart, and surrender,

won Rama’s heart, and hence his

grace. Wi

10.0pt;color:navy">th this grace,

Hanuman performed the most impossible of

fea

10.0pt;color:navy">ts as if they were mere

child’s play. Hanuman lifted and transported an entire mountain from Sri

Lanka to Ayodhya, made

rocks float on water, and destroyed the most terrifying

demons—all because of Rama’s grace.

 

God’s grace

is for everyone. God’s grace, contrary to human fancies,

is no

10.0pt;color:navy">t reserved for a chosen few. He is the most generous of

givers and confers His grace on one and all.

 

The door will be

opened, but did we knock yet? When we knock

someone’s door, don’t we wait patiently till it is opened? If there is a delay,

don’t we keep knocking

10.0pt;color:navy">till the call is

answered? God’s door is like that. We must knock and wait till He answers

the call. Till the call is

answered, we must pray without giving up, as He

has promised to answer every

knock on His door. Patience and faith are the twin virtues that Shirdi Sai Baba,

Swami’s previous incarnation, taught to all His

followers.

 

No karma, no sin,

no imaginary shortcoming of ours,

can come in the way of

God’s grace. His grace will spare no barriers and change our lives once

and for all. Remember, our Swami can alter the writ of destiny itself. Why fear

and despair then? He is always

wi

10.0pt;color:navy">th us. Let us strive for nothing short of God’s

grace. God’s grace is all you need. All else will follow.

- nimish thakkar