What Is Grace?

“What about the grace of the Diety?” seekers ask. Grace is received from the God when you are consistent in your worship, consistent in your discipline, consistent in your bhakti, your devotion.

With such a foundation in your life, a great shakti, a force or power, will come from Lord Ganesha. This is grace. It is uplifting. It comes unexpectedly. When grace comes, your mind may change and your heart may melt. Your sight will become clear and penetrating. You may say. “I have been graced to see everything differently.” New doors will begin to open for you, and as you go through them, your life will become more full, more wonderful. And the grace of it is that it would not have ordinarily happened to you.

Seekers also inquire, “What is the difference between grace and a boon from the Gods?” Grace is not exactly a boon. A boon comes as the result of something that you ask for and receive. A boon is quite specific. Grace comes because of the state of the soul in conjunction with its particular karma. It comes because we have done everything right up to a certain point in time according to the laws of dharma. It is then that the grace of the God comes.

Grace is not for a specific need or event in your life, as a boon would be. Grace is more of a complete transformation – a metamorphosis. After receiving grace of a God, the devotee can never be the same again, never look at life again in the old way.

By grace we are directed deeper into spiritual life, pointed in the right direction, carefully guided on the San Marga, the straight path to your supreme God. After grace has been received, our thoughts are enlivened, our life is inspired with enthusiasm and energy, and we live daily in the joyous knowledge that everything is all right, everything is happening around us in accord with our karma, our dharma, and God’s gracious will.

from Loving Ganesa
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami