The Supreme's grace (anugraha)

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

I have read many times , 'how could the Lord let this happen ? '. The 'happen' can be most anything, yet it's the idea of being slighted in some way, some form.

I find this interesting. Every day thousands of things occur within ourselves and our environment. Think of all the bodily functions that occur - seeing, eating digesting, hearing, walking, etc. - the complete field of action or doing. And of all the people around you doing the same thing. All of these things are governed by intelligence done in a harmonious way - I think of this as His grace (anugraha&#185.

Go into the environment and atmosphere - all the things that occur in terms of the weather, photo-synthysis, the manufacting of air, the conversion of sunlight into food, the winds, rain, transfer of heat; all these laws of nature at work, working hand-and-hand.

Then go into space - the earth moves at the right speed and distance from the earth; all goes well as we live in a most violent universe e.g. stars exploding, black holes consuming, gamma rays ripping apart particles. Yet here we are on this good earth with proper food, clean water, gentle weather ( compared to deep space) and then some incident occurs and we are appauled that this could happen - that our day was disturbed by an incident, or someone fell ill. It seems just so myopic.

The Supreme level of Being can do all this with a wisper, without any effort, just by intent (icchā śakti) and yet many miss the forest by just looking at one tree. They see the thorn on the stem and miss the rose's beautiful bloom.




praṇām


anugraha - favor , kindness , showing favour , conferring benefits , promoting or furthering a good object

[sm78]

If anything, this is actually tirodhana, getting mesmerized by the world, its apparent miraculous existence, beauty and fine balance - letting the soul forget its real identity with shiva.

But the intelligent ones can easily see its false charm when we contemplate that the universe is filled with black holes, collapsed stars, dead planets, innumerable asteroid projectiles infesting earths path through the galaxy, colliding galaxies and how almost all of the universe is virtually inhospitable to life. Red rose seems like a very good luck for the time being till it is ripped off in the next storm. Millions of microbes die with each of our breaths and our young planet has seen so many mass extinctions already. And not to mention of humans killing each other. The beauty of the night sky hides its dark secret, that it is out there to kill us. And how much beautiful space may look, which is supposedly is the first tattva and supports everything else including life as per our shastras - we would not survive an instant up there. Ironical, huh?

From Jina's to Buddha, great men saw the balance of sorrow of existence outweigh what little happiness it has to offer in life, and sough liberation from existence.

Tantrics saw it otherwise, but not through beady eyed romanticism for life but by staring at death, by dying, by calling its bluff!

Pranams

PS: Technically also creation is tirodhana, and the sweet dark processes of life and death are srist-sthiti-laya. None of it is anugraha. But I don't want to be too pedantic - anugraha it may be called in canteen.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste yajvan.

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

I have read many times , 'how could the Lord let this happen ? '. The 'happen' can be most anything, yet it's the idea of being slighted in some way, some form.

It's a concept called theodicy.

I don't know if your comments speak only of modern Hindu thought, or thought in general. If it is modern Hindu thought, is it something that came after the Abrahamic invasions and contamination of India? Personally I think it's a western concept.

If it came after the Abrahamic invasions and contamination of India, there is the answer. The Abrahamic God controls our lives down to the minutest detail, according to Abrahamic thought. And then it's really only Christianity and Islam, the Jewish God is much less controlling.

My parents and grandparents (Roman Catholic Italian immigrants to the US) used to look up towards the sky and say after making plans, or an anticipated event "Si vuo Di" (God willing; lit. "if God wants"). Or to explain away a tragic event such as the death of a child: "It's God's will".

[Friend from the West]

Hari Om

Namaste to all,

Think this universe, through Lord Shiva's Dance is as it is, as it is supposed to be. Think portions with sight problems are as they are to be for now. I wear bi-focals.

Think with what some may identify as calamity in space, is as it is to be. Think for me, with what we are offered here, is awe inspiring. Beyond words and imagination. Even with storms that may take off rose, the opportunity granted to all, if choose to take, is ever so a most humbling a gift. Grace. With sometimes visions of violence participated in and witnessed, with nary a rose colored pair of glasses near to me, I bow down. Not at every moment, yet, but as I remember, this I do.

This beautiful rose is permitted to be taken by storm. A rose will grow again. For the myoptic, they will see a rose once more, where they only saw rose taken from them prior. For those taking opportunity, the rose offered, never went anywhere.

Om Shanti

FFTW

[Believer]

Namaste,

Sorry, I missed this conversation earlier. Just wondering if there is a convergence between anugraha and tirodhana, as the two posters would like to think of the worldly events, or are the interpretations too far apart to reconcile?

Pranam.