Deepavali, Role of Grace in Bhakti

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

In this ongoing discussion on Sadhana there arises questions on the

role of the Lord's Grace in one's Spiritual Sadhana. Spiritual

seekers often wonder how much effort they need to

exert on their own and to what extent does the Lord's

Grace plays a role in Spiritual Sadhana. Does a seeker have to

persevere on their own for very long or will there be help on the

way?

 

The answers to these questions are provided by the Sringeri

Acharyal, Sri Abhinava VidyaTheertha Mahaswamigal in a

discourse while explaining the meaning of a popular verse from

Sivananda Lahiri. The distinguished Acharyal was born on this the

Deepavali day in 1917. Today is Deepavali - I felt it is appropriate

to discuss the Acharyal's teachings on Sadhana on this

Auspicious occasion.

 

 

In Sivananda Lahiri (Sloka #61 meaning of the sloka is given

at the bottom of this message), Sri Sankara has described the

stages of devotion and illustrated them using beautiful

similes. Initially the devotee forcibly turns his mind towards

God and holds on to His feet. The seed of an Ankola tree

sticking to its parent tree serves as an example. When the

devotee has turned his mind towards the Lord, the latter

becomes intensely favorable towards the devotee and graces

him. It is as if Ishwara is pulling the devotee towards Him

and preventing any departure from Him. An illustration for

this is a needle being drawn towards a magnet. This marks the

second stage.

 

The third stage accrues when the devotee's heart is

Completely concentrated on god and the Lord, in turn, is

extremely affectionate towards the devotee. The situation is

comparable to that of a chaste wife showering her husband with

love and the husband reciprocating her feelings of affection.

 

The devotee gradually becomes an ornament of the Lord. In

fact, but for Prahlada, the Lord might not have manifested as

Narasimha and graced the world. So in a way, the devotee adds

to the glory of the Lord. An analogy is a creeper entwining a

tree and beautifying it. On transcending this fourth stage,

the devotee attains total union with the Lord. An example of

this is the merger of a river with an ocean. Once the river

has joined the ocean, it cannot be distinguished from the

ocean. The devotee too becomes inseparable from the Lord.

 

Happy Diwali to all Advaitins.

 

Pranams

Sundar Rajan

 

Sivananda Lahiri sloka #61

 

aN^kolaM nijabiijasantatir ayaskaantopalaM suuchikaa

saadhvii naijavibhuM lataa kshitiruhaM sindhuH saridvallabham

..h |

praapnotiiha yathaa tathaa pashupateH paadaaravindadvayaM

chetovR^ittirupetya tishhThati sadaa saa bhaktirityuchyate ||

61||

 

Just as it's own series of seeds reaches the

Ankola tree here, the needle the loadstone, the chaste

woman her own lord, the creeper the tree and the

river the ocean, likewise, (when) the state of the mind

having approached the two lotus feet of Pasupati,

stays there always, that (state) is said to be

devotion.