(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
In Order To Receive The Grace, The Soul Must First Qualify By Surrendering To God
तमेव शरणं गच्छ सर्वभावेन भारत |
तत्प्रसादात्परां शान्तिं स्थानं प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतम् || 18.62||
tam eva śharaṇaṁ gachchha sarva-bhāvena bhārata
tat-prasādāt parāṁ śhāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śhāśhvatam|| 18.62||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 18- Ver. 62:
O Bharata, give your whole surrender to Him alone. You shall achieve perfect tranquilly and the dwelling of eternity through His grace.
Explanation
Because the soul is dependent on God, it must also rely on his grace to overcome its current situation and reach its ultimate objective. Self-effort is never going to be enough for this. But if God shows his mercy, he will give the soul access to his divine wisdom and joy and free it from its shackles to material energy. Shree Krishna emphasizes that one will achieve eternal bliss and the imperishable abode through his grace.
However, the soul must qualify itself by giving itself over to God in order to receive that grace. Even a worldly father will wait until his child is old enough to take care of his valuable assets before giving them everything to him. Similarly, God’s grace is not a random act; it is given in accordance with perfectly logical norms.
If God breaks the law while yet extending grace, people’s faith in him will diminish. All of the saints in history will lament and ask, “What is this?,” if God bestows his favour upon us without our deserving it. While it took us many lifetimes of self-purification before we could receive God’s favour, this person received it without having to do anything to merit it.
Our attempts to better ourselves after it were fruitless. God declares, “I do not operate in such a senseless way.” I grant my grace on the basis of an eternal condition. I also stated this throughout the Scriptures.
The first of the six components of surrendering to God is 1. to only desire what God desires. 2. To refrain from wishing against God’s will. 3. To firmly believe that God is watching over us. 4. To continue to express thankfulness to God. 5. To believe that all we own is a gift from God. 6. To let go of the arrogance of surrender. If we can perfect these six aspects of surrender in ourselves, we will satisfy God’s condition and he will bestow his Grace onto us.
Verse & what we can learn
According to Shri Krishna, those who are still enmeshed in the physical world and unable to reject it in order to learn about the eternal nature do have a chance of attaining nirvana. Only by seeking refuge in Ishvara is this possible.
But this is not your typical kind of haven. Sarve bhavena, sometimes referred to as sharanaagati, means complete surrender. We cannot take partial refuge in Ishvara and also in worldly things like money, power, and influence. We are unable to balance our risks in this way. Ishvara must be completely surrendered.
What is the outcome of sharanaagati then? It is Ishvara’s blessing, or prasada. It resembles a mother lifting her child without the child making any effort. This grace purges the mind of all impurities, bringing about parama shanti, or absolute tranquilly. We know that our food, clothing, and shelter have always been in the care of Ishvara, therefore we cease worrying about them. We simply keep doing what needs to be done. Through Ishvara’s grace, the seeker eventually arrives at his or her true home, the shashvata sthaanam of Ishvara, which is freedom from all suffering.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next shloka Shri Krishna talks about knowledge.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…