Grace of God (was Re: Tat tvam asi?)

[Sankaran Kartik Jayanarayanan]

On Tue, 12 Feb 2002, nanda chandran wrote:

> >If that=92s so then why does Shankara still assert that in the ultimate
> >moment liberation is only possible due to divine grace?
> >---------
> >
> >Can you give the reference for this quote?
>
> Ravi, I wanted to write to you earlier with the exact references, but have
> been travelling and hence do not have references at hand. But this I can
> tell you : there are two such references that the removal of avidhya is
> effected only by divine grace. One is in Shankara's commentary on the Brahma
> Sutras and the other is in his commentary on the Katha Upanishad.
>
> Maybe others can help here?
>

Ravi had quoted a verse earlier starting with
Shiva prasAdena vinA na siddhiH
Shiva prasAdena vinA na buddhiH
Shiva prasAdena vinA na yuktiH
Shiva prasAdena vinA na muktiH

I have read this in "sarva-vedAnta-siddhAnta-sArasangraha" attributed to
Shankara, and published by the RK Math as "Quintessence of Vedanta of Sri
Sankaracharya".

Verse 279:

The Guru says:
--------
Unless the gracious Siva is pleased, there is no success. Without the
grace of Siva, there is neither knowledge nor reasoning: and without the
grace of Siva, there is no liberation.
--------

But this should be taken in the light of what Ramana Maharshi has said:
the grace of God is always present. Personal effort must be made in order
to see that grace. If one does not make effort, grace is not perceived.
Also, the very fact that we seek God's grace is due to the grace of God!

Therefore, IMHO, the verse must be interpreted as "One who has made the
necessary effort attains liberation by the grace of God."

-Kartik