Sutra 40. Labhyateapi tat kripayaiva.
(The company of the Great Ones is obtained by the grace of
God alone.)
Labhyate: is obtained
Api: nevertheless
Tat-kripaya: by
His (God’s) grace
Eva: only.
In the previous Sutra, it was stated that the company of
the great is “Durlabha” difficult, “Agamya” unapproachable, but “Amogha”
infallible or unfailing in its effects .
One is apt to be discouraged by such a
statement. In this Sutra encouragement is given. It says, “api” even though it
is difficult, etc., yet 'Labhyate' — it is obtained.
The company of the Guru or great one is obtained . It is
an act of divine grace “Tat kripaya eva.”
When the time is ripe, Guru and the disciple are brought
together by the Lord in a mysterious way.
This has been extensively covered in the previous 2 posts.
Author would like to write something on "God's grace" which is mentioned in the above post.
God's grace is not some thing which God will decide himself and will shower on you one day suddenly. It is not a one way shower, without any deserving, without any efforts on the part of devotee.
In various spiritual sessions, to emphasize a point, Author often uses the declaration of Tilak when he fought for freedom. He said "Freedom is our birth right and we will achieve it".
Similarly, God's grace is the birth right of every human being. Everyone deserves to get God's grace and in turn, God is there, ONLY to shower His grace on each and every one.
But, to achieve this birth right, like the freedom fighters would have endlessly sacrificed, the devotee has also to take up sacrifice (of all vices) and develop (all virtues) and once he reaches the ripe stage in his devotion, he stands up and faces the God and God faces him and just showers His grace.
So, God's grace is what you deserve and what you can definitely get, with your Purushartha, with your self efforts in the path of devotion.
Sutra 41. Tasminsthajjane bhedabhaavaat.
[Because there is no difference between the Lord and His
devotees.]
Tasmin: in Him
Tatjane: in His creatures
Bheda-abhavaat: because of the absence of difference.
The devotee is God Himself. He who serves a devotee, serves God Himself. The devotee dwells in the heart of God and God dwells in
the heart of the devotee.
In the Bhagavat the Lord says, “Devotees are My
heart, and I am the heart of the devotees. They know nobody else than I and I
know nobody else than they.”
The Gopis imitated the various sports of Lord Krishna.
They entirely lost themselves, and knew not who they were.
When the individual soul surrenders himself to the Lord,
he comes entirely under the influence and protection of the Lord. He is not
affected by Maya. All differences are wiped out.
“Tat-Jane”. It
means people devoted to Tat i.e., devotees .
When the impurities in the mind are removed, the devotee
recognizes that there is no difference between him and the Lord. Then the
divine grace descends. The grace may appear as the Guru. The grace may come in
the form of concentration, serenity, devotion, vision of the Lord.
The Lord is not partial to anybody. His grace is available
to all without any distinction. It is Lord’s grace that drives a man to seek a
Guru and to attain perfection .
God-realisation becomes natural and easy when a man
willingly surrenders his whole being to the in-flow of the divine grace . The
ignorant man impedes the path of grace by his conceit, arrogance and egoism .
Just as a river loses its name and form after it lias
entered the ocean, also a devotee loses his individuality when he merges
himself in the Lord. The mind that causes distinction is annihilated by devotion.
So, taking clue from this sutra that there is no difference between God and the devotee, the earlier sutra about God's grace can be summed up by saying thus:-
"God and Devotee being exactly same, God having created human being exactly as He himself, with God and devotee essentially same because both are LOVE, when the devotee assumes and fills himself with this LOVE for God and His creation, this common factor LOVE in him and God, makes him realize that he and God are one and there is and there can be no difference"
LOVE IS GOD, LIVE IN LOVE, said SAI and that one line from Sai sums up this sutra completely and wholly.
Love.
