Miscellaneous - Religion   

Descent of grace religion

CHENNAI: Spiritual tradition asserts that when an individual seeks the truth earnestly the Supreme Being will appear in some form to impart spiritual knowledge to him. This is metaphorically referred to as “descent of grace” and it is not possible to ascertain beforehand who will be rewarded thus or when it will come about. Divine grace is channelled through the Guru.

It is not possible to refer to someone as a Guru until a spiritual seeker experiences the Self (Atman) through his grace. This can be compared to referring to a man as a father only after he begets a child. The term “Guru” is a Reality (Tattva) in spiritual parlance and he cannot be equated with a preceptor who teaches the scriptures. By definition a Guru is a Self-realised person whose very presence can transform the consciousness of the spiritual seeker to become aware of the Self.

In his discourse, Nochur Sri Venkataraman said the Guru was the manifestation of the Self which the spiritual aspirant sought. This is the reason for the instant Self-awareness that takes place in the disciple’s consciousness in the presence of the Guru. The life of Sri Ramana Maharshi documents how as a young boy he went in search of Arunachala, whom he recognised as his Guru, the moment he heard someone mention the sacred abode of Tiruvannamalai.

Self-realisation happens as a result of practising spiritual exercises that involve retracting the mind from engagement with the world because the nature of the sensory organs is to seek gratification in objects.

The Bhagavata Purana highlights this through Devahuti’s bewilderment when she asked her son Kapila (a manifestation of the Lord): “I am awfully sick of the craving (for enjoyment) of my wicked senses. It is because of my unremitting efforts to gratify this craving that I have fallen into the deep abyss of ignorance… Please dispel my great delusion.” Kapila’s instruction to His mother is one of the most profound teachings in this Purana. He told her that the mind alone was responsible for the bondage and emancipation of the soul. Attachment to the objects of the senses is the cause of bondage and when the same affinity is directed towards God it brings about liberation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 8996
Solution to puzzle 8995
Descent of grace religion
dated August 20, 1957 : Law and order in Kerala
dated August 20, 1957 : Mangal Pande memorial
dated August 20, 1957 : Madras University VC
Weather

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu