Grace of God

Grace of God is one that is most essential for our living. It is the grace of God that sustains us in our journey on this earth. Without this grace, it’ll become very difficult for us. Now what is this grace all about?

The bhakti literature is replete with references to grace (kripa) as the ultimate key required for spiritual self-realization. Kripa has been categorized in various ways as Ishwara kripa (grace of God), variously Hari Kripa, Shastra kripa (grace of the Scriptures), Guru kripa (grace of the Guru) and lastly Atma kripa (grace of the Self).

In Quran, grace is mentioned as the unmerited favor of Allah. Islam further believes that no man can enter paradise, but by the grace of Allah.  Bible says, “My grace is sufficient for thee” i.e., in Christianity Grace is considered as the spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favor, love and clemency. That is, we as human beings are unworthy in the sight of God but by his Grace, we can be made worthy.

Today the concept the grace is somewhere mixed with mercy. But it is entirely different from it as mercy means that God feeling sympathy for us and granting us that what we need. It is earned by asking, whereas grace is free. When we do things by grace of God, we do it more efficiently and it becomes more successful than if we do without it .Therefore, grace is a free gift as no man should boast that the work was done by Him rather with the help of God, through showering His abundant Grace upon us.

Those who are atheist or agnostic may not believe in the concept of Grace, but Grace of God is made known to those who believe by various religious gurus. These gurus have themselves experienced this grace and they help the people also to receive it.

One great religious man who always says Grace in all his speech is Nirmal Baba.  Nirmal Baba is a spiritual guru who is blessed with the divine eye. He guides people to righteous ways of living and practicing religion. He has brought about the realization of existence of “All seeing” divine eye of God in devotees’ lives and realization that there are Heavenly Supreme Powers watching over us all the time. He always says that if we do a particular thing that which is pleasing to God, Kripa will be showered on us.

Even amongst the believers, there are many who do not believe the power of Grace as they have not experienced it yet. And on the other hand, stand a whole lot of people who have experienced this wonderful Grace of God, offered freely to them. I myself am a witness to this amazing Grace of God. It always flows to us in time of our need and helps us to do things which we would never be able to do on our own. So those of you who have not yet experienced His immaculate Grace, in your life, its high time you need to. See what wonders it produces in your life. 

SPIRITUAL GURUS OF INDIA

India is perhaps the only country on the globe which is full of diversities. Diversity in religion tops the list. No other country follows religions so sincerely and has so many internal disputes on religious issues. Religion is one topic that gets everybody talking, be it those who believe and those who does not.

There are various religious gurus further establish these already found religions. Such gurus make sure that the people of their particular religion follow the set guidelines already jotted down in their scriptures. Anyone interested in the spirituality and mediation looks for a Guru or a teacher who can guide him/her in the right direction. India is full of Gurus, spiritual as well as religious. These are the people who have promoted spirituality, meditation, love, peace, brotherhood, serving others and other such humanitarian values to people in India and the rest of the world. 

I would like to mention a few gurus who have personally made an impact on me. One who tops the list is Mata Amritanandamayi. Fondly known as Amma, she has only one aim in life, which is to provide people with her supreme guidance and lead them on a path of sadhana (meditation) and service of the mankind. Meeting Amma for the first time was a wonderful experience for me. Her soothing words, her calm voice, and her calm and composed personality easily makes one forget all the miseries in life. She hugs each and every individual who comes to attend her discourses.

Another leader which made a difference is Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh founder of Osho movement - a spiritual and philosophical movement. As per Osho, there is nothing more valuable or precious in this world than love, meditation and laughter. Enlightenment is the normal state in which a human being lives. It is because of being bounded in the emotional ties that he fails to recognize this state. Meditation is not something that needs to be taught, it is the state of just being.

Yet another spiritual leader is Nirmal Baba who with his wonderful teachings has registered himself in the minds of common people. His simple and honest teachings about following any religion or faith but respecting all have been beneficial to the society as a whole.

Many of these gurus work relentlessly towards easing the sufferings of the people in this world. Their sole mission in life is to "love and serve one and all". They are totally devoted to the well being of the mankind. They start their own missions and ashrams and engage in a whole lot of philanthropic work that serves as a welcome retreat for all those people who have become tired with the pain and suffering in life. Various discourses, provided by these gurus are a welcome relief from the ill will so widespread in this world.

CHRISTIANITY

Ours is a world full of different faiths and beliefs. Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism are among the majorly followed religions. Christianity is the religion which has the most number of world population, followed by Islam and then Hinduism.  . Strangely all religions speak of love and peace.

All religions follow God but in varied forms. Religion is one of the major reasons of fight between countries. But strangely all religions speak of love and peace. All the religious leaders also try to propagate love amongst mankind as their beliefs. Christianity is one such religion which is the epitome of Love of God towards mankind.
Christianity is a monotheistic  religion and based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Followers of this religion are called Christians. Jesus Christ is known as the son of God who came to this earth to redeem mankind. He died for the sins of the mankind and according to Bible, rose again on the third day and later ascended to heaven. The Bible says that those who believe on him will not perish but have eternal life.  Jesus Christ gave love, hope, peace and joy to the mankind. Christianity is perceived by its followers more as a way of life rather than a religion. The followers adopt the traits of Jesus Christ in their day to day life. Simple teachings like being humble, being patient, to be loving and caring towards everyone, etc. are the ones mostly followed by Christians as a whole.
Christains as a whole are a peace loving folks. According to them going to church gives them the much required peace and joy.
I had cherished a long term desire to go to a church which got fulfilled one fine Sunday. The Church did not behold the outward beauty that we have always seen in pictures but very well attracted my attention. On the outside was a cross and on a white board was written, “Come all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. I reckoned that it was a verse from the Bible. I went inside to see the church and got all the more surprised by the whole number of verses written across the walls. One could really feel the peace of God through the beautiful songs and other worship. The songs were really melodious and were sung in a choir which made it all the more heavenly. The sermon was also about love and peace - which in its true sense is missing from whole of humanity.
After listening to the sermon my mind began to wander about what all other religion speak about the same topic. I realized to my surprise that all the religion along with the religious leaders speak of this same topic more often than necessary. Be it the Bishops or other religious leaders like Nirmal baba, Asaram Bapu, all speak of the same. But what effect it has brought to the society as a whole is a question to be asked.