Everything is possible with divine grace

Dec 9, 2009, 12.00am IST

VIJAY VANCHESWAR.

Grace plays a significant role in our spiritual evolution. So say seers and scriptures. The Katha Upanishad mentions that only one who is chosen by the atman or consciousness, realises the Truth.


Ramana Maharshi mentions that God's ways are inscrutable. In the presence of the Sun, which is ever shining, some buds blossom, not all. The fault however does not lie with the Sun, though it is true that the bud cannot blossom by itself. It requires the sunlight to do it. Grace is thus recognised as a key ingredient for deliverance.

Faith and unconditional surrender help us to receive Divine Grace. Whether it is meditation, prayer, introspection or self-enquiry, the route used would depend on a person's temperament and inclination. What is encouraging is that sincere steps taken on the spiritual path lead to progress that we might not even be aware of.

Psychiatrist Scott Peck who wrote The Road Less Travelled reveals an interesting perspective to the aspect of Grace and healing. He points out that much as one examines, the workings of Grace cannot be ascribed to a set pattern. Try as we might to obtain grace, it may elude us, yet it might find us when least expected. He talks of neurotic patients who, on an average, are easier to treat than those who suffer social behaviour disorders. Surprisingly, he also reports of cases of complete turnaround amongst psychosis patients, while those suffering from the milder forms of neurosis have made insignificant progress, despite prolonged treatment. The element helping the revival process has been identified as the "will to grow" akin to earnestness and faith demonstrated by a spiritual aspirant. This concept again has an element of mystery shrouding it as evidence is rather inconclusive on the dominant role of parental nurturing and love.

Scott ascribes a lead position to the role played by Divine Grace, which in some cases operates throughout a person's life. The remarkable survival stories of Jewish prisoners of war in concentration camps substantiate this. The assertion of Jesus Christ that "Many are called, but few are chosen", can also be interpreted as "All of us are called by and to Grace, but few of us choose to listen to the call."

Grace transports one from the platform of understanding of Truth to its full realisation. Speaking of the unpredictability of Grace, Jesus is reported to have told Nicodemis, a believer in Christ as the true Messiah, amongst the Pharisees, a sect of non-believers, "Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it will go next, so it is with the Spirit. We do not know on whom He will next bestow this life from Heaven." Suffice to say that we are vastly limited from the dimension of our minds to find answers to the ways and workings of the omnipotent force.


Ramana Maharshi said that to try and understand the nature of Self-realisation with the mind is presumptuous. Dependent as the intellect is on the light of the Self, it is incapable of understanding the magnificence of the entire manifestation, of which it is but a limited part. It is like trying to measure the sunlight at its source by the standard of the light given by a candle.


Instead of limiting oneself to the intellect, the wise one opts for the path of devotion or inner reflection, conscious of a higher power. The door of Grace unfolds when the mind bows in wonder, reverence and gratitude to the power of the divine.