Miscellaneous - Religion   

Power of God’s grace

CHENNAI: The unique nature of God experience is indescribable and saints, seers and realised souls who have been privileged to become conscious of it have spontaneously burst forth into fervent hymns that reflect the ecstatic state they have reached. The emphatic claim that this state was revealed to them through sheer God’s grace accounts for the noticeable strain of humility that runs through their hymns, said Sri T. V. Venkataraman in a lecture. Their hymns manifest the truth of God’s grace — a divine power whose workings are beyond human comprehension and hence difficult to figure out. Since it remains unidentifiable in tangible terms its very existence remains questionable to many. Being of the nature of an inner awakening, it assumes a mystical quality.

It is not something that is grasped by the mind, intellect, etc. Intellect or intelligence may be helpful in one’s attempt to gather information. One may be able to analyse, debate or discuss whatever one has learnt. But knowing all this does not ensure that one has gained knowledge of God.

God chooses the Jivatma He wants to grace and bestows the Jnana to understand its unique quality. In such a person, the mind, intellect, and sense organs undergo a change. This is the effect of the association of Jnana that one experiences. It is believed that Saint Gnanasambandar became enlightened when as a child he had cried out in hunger in Sirkazhi. God chose to enlighten the child with the milk of Jnana. The child became aware of the truth of Siva and was able to experientially live in that state.

This saint’s purpose was to inspire others in this path. His heart was filled with the truth that God is the one all-pervading force. God is responsible for uniting each soul with the body and protects each Jivatma through every moment. God plants the desire to long for Him, and when this desire grows, attachment to worldly objects wanes.

Through superior Jnana, one understands that the sense organs belong to the body, mind, etc. and these to the world of Maya. Sense attractions fuel the desire for worldly objects entangling one in worldly bondage.

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