But
when it comes to the life of the individual living being, we do face a problem.
With regard to the creation at the macro level Ishwara’s grace is always there;
everything functions perfectly. But in one’s individual’s life, I do experience
the grace of the Lord on several occasions. In some instances I find the
situations very, very favourable to me and immediately appreciate HIS grace. “I
went there and there was this last ticket, I got the ticket…God’s Grace.” Whenever
extraordinary things happen, I experience God’s grace. But when I look at my
life, at the individual’s level, God’s grace does not seem to be uniform. There
are many situations I face a lot of unfavourable and adverse circumstances; in
such trying circumstances I would wish God to rescue me from those
difficulties. I desperately look for God’s grace. I desperately pray for God’s
grace. There are lots of situations that despite my expectations, in spite of
my desperate prayers, God’s grace seem to elude me. And problems after problems
come and they say Patta kal ayala Paddam….(the
same leg is hurt once more) I face problems like a wave coming one after the
other. Each problem being worse than the previous one. In desperation, I pray
to the Lord. Sometimes the prayers are answered, and sometimes the prayers are
not answered. Sometimes Bhaktas sing the song also: O Lord, I have been
screaming. Aren’t you not listening? Are you also hard of hearing because YOU
are growing old? Do you require an audiogram test as my prayers seem to fall on
deaf ears? Only this morning I heard this song on Kapalieswara: Kathinain Kadarinain (I shout and I
crawl) and Lord you don’t seem to look at me even with the corner of the eye. When
such difficult situations come and when God seems to desert, we get a question:
WHAT ARE THE NORMS FOR GOD”S GRACE? When will grace come and when will grace
not come? Is it an arbitrary choice of God? HE looks around and says: let me
send grace to this person. There are times when HE sees the devotees crying
also and HE chooses to ignore him. So what are the norms for the Lord to favour
the devotees with HIS grace? Are there any norms or is it Bhagawan’s choice? When
we are in dire states; they say Bhagawan is Karunamaya,
Karusindhu, Karunasagarah, Karunandhi….I don’t want to say that
..(laughter). Some bhaktas pray to God very intelligently: O Lord, I am dinahah and you are supposed to dina saranyah. You are the
protector of the desperate one. If YOU have to protect your title, better you
save me.”….(laughter). Otherwise YOU will lose YOUR name. Bhaktas try all
kinds of methods and sometimes everything fails. Then there is a doubt,” Whether
there is a God at all; or whether there is God’s grace at all?” Some people
turn nasthikas also. “Swamiji, I have stopped praying to God and I have stopped
the pujas.” And there are some who don’t know how to answer the question,
therefore they suppress the intellect. We
don’t know the basis for Bhagawan’s grace. Whenever HE feels, let him bless. I
have no right to question HIM? Therefore Bhagawan’s ways are inscrutable;
whenever HE feels, HE blesses. Whenever HE doesn’t feel, HE does not bless. I
should not ask any question because I don’t understand the ways of the Lord. When
these questions arise some suppress the intellect and don’t raise the question, and
some reject the Lord HIMSELF. Two extremes! But our scriptures point out that
when we get such questions, what is the norm with regard to the grace of the
Lord, neither suppress the intellect nor reject Ishwara but try to understand
the principle behind Ishwara Krupa.
What
exactly is Ishwara krupa? And how come Ishwara krupa works for some people for
some time and does not work for another at that time? In an accident the whole
bus falls into a ditch, some people survive the accident while some people die.
Some people have Ishwara’s grace while some people don’t have HIS grace. Why is
there a reason, is there a norm behind it? The scriptures say we have the
answers to these question but we must study the scriptures to understand it. And
what do the scriptures say with regard to Ishwara krupa or Ishwara anugraha? It
says Bhagawan does not select the people with regard to HIS grace. If Bhagawan
were to choose some people and favour some people and does not favour other
people, then what will it mean? Can you guess the answer? Suppose in an
accident Bhagawan saves some people and allows some people to die, if Bhagawan
is responsible for choosing the people then HE will be open to the charge of
favouritism. The Lord will be polluted with RAGA and DVESHA. We human beings
have this problem of raga-dvesha, strong likes and dislikes, HE will also
suffer the same problem if HE favours some and doesn’t favour some others. In
Brahma Sutra Vysacharya dedicates an exclusive adikaranam that clearly states
that Bhagawan does not choose the people for favouring with grace. Bhagawan
does not choose, HE cannot afford to choose, and if Bhagawan does choose, HE will
be open to the charge, in Brahma sutra, it is called Vaishamya Nairgrunya dosah. Vaishamya
means favouring someone and helping them to escape an accident. No doubt the
person who is alive will come and say,” All
this is due to God’s grace” and Swamiji nothing happened to me”. It is very
nice to hear but we should ask the question: If Bhagawan saved that person with
grace, why didn’t Bhagawan save the other person with the same grace? This
means the Lord is partial with regard to this person and HE is very cruel to
the other person. So Vaishamyam means partiality or favouritism and Nairgrunyam
means cruelty. And if Bhagawan were to choose objects or people for HIS grace,
HE will be accused of FAVOURITISM and CRUELTY. We had the recent flood havoc in
Kedarnath, the temple itself was saved because a huge boulder came before the
temple. All the waters were diverted and so the temple was saved from
destruction. And everyone was praising the glory of the Lord as HE was able to
save HIS temple. They talked about the miraculous role of God in protecting the
temple. But if you go to the villages and those people who lost their near and
dear ones, many lost their entire savings and livelihood and you tell them,”
Bhagawan saved HIS temple, they will argue what kind of Bhagawan is HE? HE is
so selfish to look after HIS temple but not my wife and children. So if you say
Bhagawan is great because HE saved some people, will it not imply that HE is
cruel as HE did not save some other people. Therefore in Brahma Sutra Vaishamya Nirgrunya Adhikaranam,
Vysacharya clearly states that the Lord does not select people for HIS grace. Bhagawan is an embodiment of grace and his
infinite grace is open to all. It is not directed towards a person or a society
or a particular country, it is not unidirectional but it is omni-directional –
HIS grace is there for all people. It is available. Therefore HE does not have Vaishamya Nirgrunya dosah, Bhagawan is uniform with regard to availability of HIS grace.
This is lesson number one. And Lord Krishna says this in the Bhagavat
Gita amo 'ham sarva-bhutesu na
me dvesyo 'sti na priyah ye
bhajanti tu mam haktya mayi te tesu capy aham I am uniform with regard to everyone. In an
accident if someone is saved, it is not because I directed MY grace to some
person and withdrew MY grace to some other. I don’t DIRECT and I don’t
WITHDRAW. Then there would be this question: if Bhagawan’s grace is uniformly
available for all people, how come only some people benefit and some does not
in an adverse situation? How do you explain the disparity with regard to
enjoyment of Bhagawan’s grace? In an accident some survive and some die; what
is the reason for this disparity?
The scriptures say the differences or disparity is
not because of Bhagawan. The disparity is caused by the individual jiva, they
alone are responsible for the disparity with regard to availability and
non-availability of his grace. Grace will be available
for me only if I earn my grace. Only when I tap the grace, only then it
will be available. And if I don’t tap I am only the loser. Grace is available for all; but you must know how to tap it.
The disparity in grace is not caused by Bhagawan but by
the individual jiva – by tapping or non-tapping, by earning or non-earning.
Several examples are given in the scripture but let me take a modern one. Solar
energy is available is everywhere. But if you want electricity, whether I
should get or not that I have to decide and not the sun. I have to fix solar
panels to avail this energy. The sun god gives the solar energy uniformly to
all the people, but I have to work if I want to tap this energy for my
electricity. Then I can light up my lamp. But if my neighbour’s lamps glow and
mine does not, then I cannot complain about Sun’s partiality. I must fix these
solar panels like my neighbor to access it. In Soundarya Lahiri, Sankaracharaya
says,” O, mother you are like the moonlight available uniformly for all.”
Therefore tapped grace alone will be useful for us. As long as we don’t tap, we
will not be able to benefit from the grace of the Lord. Therefore TAPPING THE
GRACE is required. As Lord HIMSELF says you can have MY GRACE by tapping it
using a solar panel. The question is, what is the panel I need to fix, Can I
just look at the picture of Lord and ask,” Give me 500 units of grace.” Grace
is not available for asking but you have to deserve. By mere asking nothing can
be gained. You can’t go to a shop and say,” Give me 5 kg of sugar.”
Many people falsely propagate that Lord will
provide anything you ask. Thattuga Kadavu Tharaka Pattum; Kelunga and
Kuttaka Padam (meaning Knock , and the door will be opened. Ask, and it
will be given). That God is a karunamurthy and HE will give anything is asking
is an exaggeration. We have to earn grace by putting
forth the right effort; mere asking will not help. I read a joke in
Readers Digest. A religious preacher was telling people about the glories of
the Lord and telling them how kind HE is. You pray and ask; prayers will move
mountains. You just have to ask, and the Lord will give.” This preacher goes to
several villages and gives this talk. In a gathering there was a young boy. The
preacher wanted to inculcate this Bhatkti to the boy. He told the boy,” The
Lord is so great that HE will give you whatever YOU want. And I have got
everything in my life through HIS grace.” The boy was very impressed by the
talk and he looked at the beautiful watch of the preacher. The boy asked for
the watch, he looked at it admiringly and the boy asked,” How did you get this
watch?” The preacher said,” Everything including this watch is God’s grace.
Whatever you want, lord will give.” The boy said,” Preacher, I will suggest
this. I will take this watch, you can pray to the Lord and get another watch.”
……(laughs). After by praying, if you are going to get just like that, you will
ask for a palatial bungalow in Nungambakam or in the centre of the city and you
will get a house. God’s grace is definitely there but not merely by praying or
asking but by earning, by doing appropriate karma. Therefore
karma is compulsory for earning the grace of the Lord. In scriptures
Lord HIMSELF has talked about different kinds of karma that will earn the grace
of the Lord. Several karmas are suggested but we have seen one karma in our
Gita classes, in the context of Karma yoga I have mentioned those “grace
earning karmas” (GEK). GRACE EARNING KARMAS ARE CALLED PANCHA MAHA YAGNAS.
I have to earn the grace of the Lord by doing one or two or three or all the
Pancha Maha Yagnas. All with the pure motive of serving the lord, worshipping
the lord, or for the welfare of the entire creation – loka skhemartham,
sarva bhavantu sukinah.
Today’s puja was also “loka schema” with a pure and
open motive of doing pancha maha yagna. Deva Ygnah, all kind of pujas I do and
praying for loka skhema. Instead for praying for my children and grandchildren
and family centric prayers, the more puja I do for loka skhema. Every such
prayer will bring me grace in my saving account. Everyone has got a bank
account in which Bhagawan deposits grace. If a devotee performs such selfless
prayers, his/her grace amount will increase. The first is “deva yagnah”. “
Pitru yagna” is the second, all forms of service we
do for our parents which is slowly dwindling now. Because of a nuclear family
and no one is interested in taking care of the old parents – scriptures insist
on that karma. Service to parents in particular and service to elders in general
is extremely wonderful karma when it is done without any expectation. Without
having an eye on the property; without hoping for any favours in the will of
the parent! If I serve the parents for the sake of parents, matru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava that is
another powerful grace earning karma.
These are all solar panels; second of the five
panels! Deva Yagna is grace panel, Pitru yagna is grace panel, and the third is
“Brahma Yagnah”. It means spreading the message of the scriptures especially
this message of performing pancha maha yagna to as many people as possible.
Brahma means Veda. Thus preserving and propagating
the message of the Vedas will come under Brahma Yagnah. Even regular
parayanam will come under Brahma Yagnam; chanting Vishnu Sahashranam or Gita or
all of them. Any parayanam done without having any motive for one’s worldly
gains but when done for loka samastha sukhino
bhavatu. If this is the attitude before any chanting, then Bhagawan
will deposit in my grace account. Since grace is invisible which we don’t see but
definitely it increases.
The fourth one is called “Manushiya Yagnah”, any
service done to any human being around. Any kind of social activity I do, even
a simple smiling. Some people even in smiling are very stingy. What are they
going to lose, even a simple smile is beyond them. If you smile, it makes the
other person comfortable and Lord will add one unit of grace in your account.
At the end of the class, do it freely….(laughter). Even a thought that when
someone is suffering and I cannot do anything, a simple prayer: O Lord, may
he/she have your grace. Such a prayer will come under manushiya yagnah.
Every service to other human beings is grace earning karma (gek) and the last one is “Bhuta
yagnah”. This is very popular in our culture, service done to all animals that
serve us. So many animals are serving us, we also have a duty to serve animals
and plants. So many Mahatmas are undertaking “go samrakshanam”. Cow is such a
sacred animal that it serves us even in its excretion. Even cow dung and cow’s
urine are useful, only one animal whose excretion is fragrant. Any other
species, it would stink. We will hold our noses and run away. So cow is worthy
of worshipping and serving; sadly slaughter houses are increasing and in lacs
and lacs they are slaughtered. So many people have started “go samrakshnam
kedram” to protect aged cows that cannot give anything. Thus anything we do to
protect the animals, plants, and environment which will in turn bless us will come
under “Bhuta yagnah”.
Thus pancha maha yagna will help me deserve
Ishwara’s grace. So if a person escapes an accident with God’s grace, it is not
because of god’s favoritism but this person has got “tapped grace”. The other
person, don’t say does not have grace, he does not have tapped grace. Whether I should tap god’s grace or not, who should decide?
I or Ishwara? If Ishwara decides or
makes some people to tap and others not to tap, then what will be problem? If
that were to be the case then the Lord will be open to the charge of
favouritism. Whether one should tap grace or not; Bhagawan will not and cannot
decide. Therefore whether I should tap or not is
dependent on my own freewill. We should accept every jiva has a freewill
with which he/she can decide to tap or not to tap Ishwara’s grace. By doing
what? PANCHA MAHA YAGNA.
That is why Lord Krishna says in the Gita: samo
'ham sarva-bhutesu na me dvesyo
'sti na priyah I am uniform to
all. Arjuna if some people get moksha, it is not because I chose them. But they
chose moksha. Therefore the choice is
yours. You can get Bhagawan’s grace and accomplish all the goals that you want.
Here the scriptures add one more point. Tapping the
grace alone is not sufficient because the tapped grace will not become
operational instantaneously. Just as a seed cannot produce a tree or a fruit
instantaneously; the seed can give benefit only after a duration and
manifestation to become operational. Therefore the tapped grace will be there in
the account of all living beings who chose to tap through pancha maha yagna. So
in all our accounts, what kind of grace will be there? The tapped grace will be
there, but it will require some time to become operational which is gestation
period, incubation period, manifestation period. In Sanskrit it is called “Pari
pakvam” which means to fructify. It is
like some fruits we buy and wait for it to fully ripen. Tapped grace will not
benefit you, but only tapped grace which has become ripened. Therefore TAPPED
RIPENED GRACE will be available to me by giving me favourable situations and
condition. Therefore TRG, whoever has more trg will have an extra advantage. And
whoever does not have TRG or ERG (earned ripened grace) will not have that
advantage. This earned ripened grace alone is called “pari pakvam punyam”.
When an individual has ERG or pari pakvam punyam they will find all the
situations favourable. Without that, they will not have that extra advantage. So grace requires two conditions: a) it should be earned
grace and b) it should be ripened grace. Unearned grace will not
benefit, earned and un-ripened grace also will not benefit; earned ripened
grace called pari pakvam punyam alone will bless us. So when you find some
people have advantages and so people don’t have that advantage, what should we
understand? Don’t say Bhagawan is partial; or HE is blind and deaf; don’t
complain against Bhagawan. It will only means that I don’t have enough in my
grace account, ERG is missing. So we can all work for EARNED RIPENED GRACE only
if we choose and practice Pancha Maha Yagna in our daily lives.
And lastly when we practice pancha maha yagna for pari pakva
punyam or Ishwara Anugraha (both these words are synonyms) we can earn it for
two types of purposes. This punyam can be allocated in both ways, just like in
those charitable trusts. We can allocate money for building fund or temple fund
etc likewise when we have Ishwara krupa; we have a freedom for any one of the
two purposes. We have the choice. One for spiritual purpose, meaning I should
grow internally and my mind should become purer and purer – kama, kroda, moha, mada,
matsarya; all of them should get diluted. Sadhana Chatushtai Sampathi I
should gain; my mind gets spiritually oriented. That I should get a spiritual
guide so that I can pursue moksha; when I seek grace for that then it will come
under “spiritual purpose”. Guru is available but I am not able to go? For what,
you need HIS grace. For Shravanam, Mananam, Nidhidyasanam; I must have grace. So
self-enlightenment and moksha is spiritual purpose. When I earn Ishwara’s grace,
I can allocate it for spiritual purposes. That I should tell in my sankalpa: Annpurne
sada purne shankar pran vallabhe Gyana vairagya siddhiartham; immediately God will mark it for
spiritual purpose. Suppose you say: Putra
Pautra sidyartham, dhana dana sidyartham ….(laughter) promotion sidhyartham; so any non-spiritual things you mention that
Lord allocates accordingly. One is called “Sreyah” and another “Preyah” – there
are two types of anugraha Sreyah Ishwara
Anugraha and Preyah Ishwara Anugraha.
We can decide which one we want. Today we did puja, and when you offer flowers;
watch your mind. If you pray for your son, daughter, father, mother while doing
namaskaram, then the grace will be attached to it. But spiritual gain will not
be there, we will be dying an ignorant person. Punarapi janam, punarapi maranam. Today’s puja will come under deva
yagnah. And if you dedicate these prayers for Jnana Yogyatha Prapthi. Jnana Prapthi, Jnana Nistta Prapthi then
desire for knowledge of spiritual knowledge comes.
All
these will come only from Ishwara’s grace. Can you use the right word? EARNED
RIPENED ISHWARA ANUGRAHA (ERIA). This grace will bring you to Vedanta class. And
ERIA will keep you awakened in Vedanta class. ….very tough (laughter). ERIA
will help you understand the teaching. Therefore we should increase earned
ripened Ishwara anugraha, flow must be there continuously. If you want
continuous flow of ERIA, what should you do? There is only one way and that is
you should do pancha maha yagna continuously.
Therefore
Ishwara Angraha is available for some and not available for some not because
Bhagawan is partial because some have earned and some don’t have the earned
ripened grace. Let us all earn Ishwara’s grace and accomplish either preyas as
you like or if you are an intelligent bhakta you can use it for jnanam and
moksha.
