Hindu Article-Transforming experience

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Transforming experience

 

 

CHENNAI, SEPT.9 . The descent of divine grace in an individual's life

is the turning point in his spiritual evolution over countless lives.

Till this happens the person is unaware of the guiding hand of God

directing his destiny which is the reason that this first spiritual

experience has some typical features as can be seen in the hymns of

mystics. This is first of all a transformative experience since after

this there is no more doubt about man's spiritual nature and that he

belongs to God. It is a fleeting experience but its effect is lasting

and hence the immediate response is one of despair of having lost it.

Christian mystics refer to the phase of spiritual evolution after

this experience as the "dark night of the soul." It is as a result of

this experience that the devotee gets the certainty that God is not

beyond human reach. This makes the devotee yearn for the experience

again and hence the spiritual evolution becomes a conscious striving

from this stage.

 

In his discourse, Sri T.V.Venkataraman said Saint Tirujnanasambandar

received gnosis directly from the Divine Mother as a child of three

when She fed him milk. Sekkhizhar in the Periya Puranam says that

Sambandar experienced "Siva jnanam" at that moment with his whole

being— a matchless knowledge of the Reality. This child understood

the facts of life acknowledging God's grace in shaping his destiny as

can be seen from the incidents in his life. There was total

submission to the will of God and gratitude that He had even without

his knowledge enabled him to ascend the ladder of spirituality

through the travails of life. Each mystic's expression of this is

unique but these distinctive features are evident in this

transforming experience.

 

Manikkavasagar in his Tiruvachakam expresses his despair thus, "You

appeared before me Your servitor even as You truly are; I beheld you.

Yet, I do not behold You. What ocular witchery is this?" Along with

this sentiment there is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that God

has taken charge of his life; that he is irretrievably related to Him

and He has enslaved him eternally. But the fact that the devotee has

been singled out for divine grace must not be taken lightly as

Manikkavasagar in another verse says without mincing words that even

the denizens of heaven do not have knowledge of the Supreme Being.

The Tiruvachakam is thus a song of grace; a soulful expression of

gratitude to the Almighty for the experience bequeathed by Him.

 

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