Amma had recently started a new topic of discussion at her beach meditation sessions these last days. Two days ago, Amma had asked a question on "Effort and Grace" starting with a small story. Two candidates were called for an interview. One of them was excellent and answered all the interviewer's questions correctly while the other could only manage a few. However the average candidate was chosen. Amma asked the question 'how do you explain the choice of the interviewer?' One group of answers said it is purely the effort taken by the candidate while another said it was purely Grace. Someone mentioned that attitude was the choice of the interviewer. One came out joking that the astrological charts of the second candidate matched with that of the interviewer. Amma then asked a bramacharin to answer the question. He said that it was becoming more of a management attitude to choose an average individual rather than a clever one so as to retain him longer and train him during as a process to excellence. Amma said that the answer is partly right because of its management perspective but Amma had wanted the reason to justify whether it was effort or whether it was Grace or whether it was both. Amma hinted saying people now either say it is purely self-effort or purely Grace. Infact some people who say it is purely Grace, even go lazy expecting things to happen. As Amma was speaking a coconut fell from a tree-top onto a metal roof just few centimeters away from people sitting close to it. Amma said "look even that is Grace. It could have fallen on someone's head yet it missed and fell onto the roof." Amma pointed that the attitude of saying effort alone or grace alone saves, is like two people walking from either sides of a thin corridor where only one can pass and both persons coming from either directions claim he is supposed to pass first.
At every beach meditation session, many devotees and visitors would give their life-experience based opinions and Amma would hear them all. Later that evening, Amma continued the discussion with a beautiful but short discourse. Amma said, two people were trying to break a rock with a hammer. One gave ten blows and having got exhausted, still could not break it while the other after just giving 2 more blows could break it. It was not just those two blows but the ten that came before that led to the rock being broken. Amma said that the situation is similar in Life. What we experience now is based on the Karmic balance that one carries from the past. Some bring good Karma and hence are recipient to good fruits of actions now. Some people come with a lot of "balance" from their previous lives while some others have taken "loans" and are still repaying them in this life. Amma continued saying we should not be egoistic and that we should continue doing good deeds. Death, Amma said, is like a period. Amma insisted that we need to learn to remain positive based on our experience in the past.
Amma continued saying that we should make our best with self-effort but added that effort should come without ego. She told the story of Karna and Arjuna, the valiant warriors of Mahabharata, who faught on opposite sides. Both Karna and Arjuna, were very good bowsmen but Karna was capably more advanced than Arjuna. During the Mahabharata war, Karna's chariot was driven by King Shalya while Arjuna's charioteer was Lord Krishna. Arjuna, unlike Karna, fought with surrender to the Lord. Karna was very egoistic. At one time both the chariots were against each other and Karna took his aim at Arjuna's throat. Shalya who saw the aim told Karna that it would be better to aim for Arjuna's heart so as not to miss the target but Karna, out of his ego, did not change his aim. When the arrow was let loose, Lord Krishna intervened and used his feet to press the chariot and bury it a bit deeper in the ground. The arrow missed its mark and hit Arjuna's crown. Thus the Lord had saved Arjuna's life. This saving Grace came from Arjuna's humility. Arjuna, even at war, always felt that he was only a brush in the hands of a painter.
Amma said that we need to be humble to receive Grace. Ego keeps us away from Grace. Amma contined with a story of a boy who had come to Amritapuri. During one Darshan day, a baby had vomitted while on the Darshan line. Some people, nauseated by it, covered their noses and quit the line while some others came and told Amma to make arrangements to get it cleaned. Amma said that after some time she observed a boy taking some water and piece of cloth removing the vomit and cleaning the place. When the boy rejoined the Darshan line and came for Darshan, Amma could not but keep giving him extra Prasad and extra hugs. That day, after Darshan when Amma had come back to her room, her mind would remember that boy. His selfless attitude had moved Amma's heart. Such is the nature of Grace.
Amma told another story where a devotee from America had come after struggling for long to save money for the trip. Once she reached Amritapuri, this devotee noted that her neighbor with whom she had a long-standing grudge was sitting beside Amma. While the devotee was on queue, she lost her patience and was completely confused and could not enjoy peace. After a few days, this devotee came to Amma and told her that she was leaving back to America as she could not find herself at peace.
Amma pointed out saying that the devotee could not find peace because of her hatred towards her neighbor. Amma said that one must remain humble to receive Grace.
The evening had already mellowed and Amma concluded the Satsang with a beautiful bhajan "Hari bol".
At every beach meditation session, many devotees and visitors would give their life-experience based opinions and Amma would hear them all. Later that evening, Amma continued the discussion with a beautiful but short discourse. Amma said, two people were trying to break a rock with a hammer. One gave ten blows and having got exhausted, still could not break it while the other after just giving 2 more blows could break it. It was not just those two blows but the ten that came before that led to the rock being broken. Amma said that the situation is similar in Life. What we experience now is based on the Karmic balance that one carries from the past. Some bring good Karma and hence are recipient to good fruits of actions now. Some people come with a lot of "balance" from their previous lives while some others have taken "loans" and are still repaying them in this life. Amma continued saying we should not be egoistic and that we should continue doing good deeds. Death, Amma said, is like a period. Amma insisted that we need to learn to remain positive based on our experience in the past.
Amma continued saying that we should make our best with self-effort but added that effort should come without ego. She told the story of Karna and Arjuna, the valiant warriors of Mahabharata, who faught on opposite sides. Both Karna and Arjuna, were very good bowsmen but Karna was capably more advanced than Arjuna. During the Mahabharata war, Karna's chariot was driven by King Shalya while Arjuna's charioteer was Lord Krishna. Arjuna, unlike Karna, fought with surrender to the Lord. Karna was very egoistic. At one time both the chariots were against each other and Karna took his aim at Arjuna's throat. Shalya who saw the aim told Karna that it would be better to aim for Arjuna's heart so as not to miss the target but Karna, out of his ego, did not change his aim. When the arrow was let loose, Lord Krishna intervened and used his feet to press the chariot and bury it a bit deeper in the ground. The arrow missed its mark and hit Arjuna's crown. Thus the Lord had saved Arjuna's life. This saving Grace came from Arjuna's humility. Arjuna, even at war, always felt that he was only a brush in the hands of a painter.
Amma said that we need to be humble to receive Grace. Ego keeps us away from Grace. Amma contined with a story of a boy who had come to Amritapuri. During one Darshan day, a baby had vomitted while on the Darshan line. Some people, nauseated by it, covered their noses and quit the line while some others came and told Amma to make arrangements to get it cleaned. Amma said that after some time she observed a boy taking some water and piece of cloth removing the vomit and cleaning the place. When the boy rejoined the Darshan line and came for Darshan, Amma could not but keep giving him extra Prasad and extra hugs. That day, after Darshan when Amma had come back to her room, her mind would remember that boy. His selfless attitude had moved Amma's heart. Such is the nature of Grace.
Amma told another story where a devotee from America had come after struggling for long to save money for the trip. Once she reached Amritapuri, this devotee noted that her neighbor with whom she had a long-standing grudge was sitting beside Amma. While the devotee was on queue, she lost her patience and was completely confused and could not enjoy peace. After a few days, this devotee came to Amma and told her that she was leaving back to America as she could not find herself at peace.
Amma pointed out saying that the devotee could not find peace because of her hatred towards her neighbor. Amma said that one must remain humble to receive Grace.
The evening had already mellowed and Amma concluded the Satsang with a beautiful bhajan "Hari bol".
0 comments:
Post a Comment