3 Necessary Blessings for the Moksha Pursuit
(From Vedanta – the river of wisdom podcast by Swamini B)
To listen – #68 Three necessary blessings
The silence of the valley was broken by an animated discussion amongst three friends.
These 3 friends called 1, 2 and 3 were arguing about the importance of three kinds of blessings required for the pursuit of moksha, freedom from seeking.
Person 1 said – I think Ishvara krpa, the blessings of God is the most important for a seeker. Even a blade of grass cannot move without the laws and principles of Ishvara.
What is most important is devotion and love for Ishvara. Only then Ishvara can give moksha to the person.
Person 2 said – I don’t agree with you. How can Ishvara give moksha?
Firstly, Moksha is not a thing to be given like candy. .
Secondly, Moksha is not a state to be achieved. If it is a state, it will come and go.
Thirdly, Moksha is not a place to be reached.
Fourthly, Moksha is not a process of purification.
Ishvara cannot give you what you already have.
You are already free but you insist that you are not free.
Already, you are all pervading consciousness but you insist on identifying yourself as a human being. You can be quite adamant about that!
By praying to Ishvara all the time, you are intensifying your identity as a devotee. You are intensifying your separation from Ishvara.
What is most important is the Guru. A guru true to her name has nothing else to share except the teachings of the shastra, Much like a faithful mouthpiece, she brings the shastra alive for the student in every generation.
A person may be a devotee but without the Guru, even Ishvara cannot bless a person. The Guru is the most important in the pursuit of moksha.
It is the guru who points out the abiding equation of the jiva, the individual and Ishvara, God.
Although Ishvara krpa may be there in a person’s life unless, guru krpa is there, unless blessings of the guru in the form of teachings is there, how will the person understand the equation of oneness?
Person 1 argued back – I think you are obsessed with your guru. You better watch out. Why do you need these middle men in your moksha pursuit?
If you want to know Ishvara just pray fervently and Ishvara will reveal the truth to you.
Person 3 was listening to persons 1 and 2 and quietly said,
Hey you two. You are forgetting about Atma krpa – you blessing yourself by saying yes to your many pursuits and having the necessary commitment to achieve it.
Unless the seeker decides to bless herself, neither moksha nor any other pursuit can be fulfilled.
Ishvara krpa will give the person many opportunities for learning.
Ishvara krpa will bless you with a comfortable situation in terms of finances and family such that you are not distracted all the time by only managing them.
Ishvara krpa can also lead a person to come into contact with a guru. Yet that is not enough.
There are enough teachers at this time in history. Yet there can be much confusion about which guru to follow. There can be much temptation to approach many gurus all at once such that you gain ‘more and more’.
Atma krpa is present when the seeker becomes a knower.
Atma krpa is present when the knower commits to the pursuit of systematically listening to the shastra with a guru and doing whatever it takes.
The guru tells the person to focus on building life competency in relating to people and does not encourage an escape from people.
Atma krpa is present when the knower has more of ‘I can’ in her vocabulary than I cannot.
Atma krpa is present when you are strong enough to surrender to the altar of the shastra.
Surrender is for the strong not for the weak. It takes something to acknowledge that ‘I cannot do this on my own.’
Atma krpa is present when you are humbly able to say – I don’t know and I am willing to try learning from a guru. Perhaps what the shastra says about learning from a live guru is true.
Person 2 argues back
You are over emphasizing atma krpa. Let’s assume that there is a lot of atma krpa but not enough guru krpa. Will it work?
Person 3 says
Do you know who the most important person in your life is? No, it is not your partner nor your children nor your parents. Go and stand in front of the mirror.
It is you! Each and every action is done for one’s happiness. We seek to be pleased in all situations.
Having atma krpa means that even when you go to the Guru, you are willing to learn, you are willing to be cut to size, you are willing to see your life in the light of the Shastra, you are willing to be open and vulnerable to relating to a guru.
Relating to a guru is not easy. It is unlike any other relationship. The guru does not need you nor is dependent on you, like other relationships are. Yet, the guru is most committed to your self growth and self discovery.
The guru gives out of the fullness, not for the sake of fullness. She does not seek to gain from you or has any ulterior agenda.
In some cases it is atma krpa that helps you walk away from a teacher who is not true to the name ‘guru’.
Once the guru decided to do a practical experiment to teach the student about the harmful effects of alcoholism. She brought two glass bottles which had worms and kept it on a table. She told the student, now watch what happens. Saying so she poured a few drops of alcohol in one bottle. After wriggling for some time, the worms died. And she said, now you see, what alcohol can do to you.
The student said – Exactly! That’s why I drink! All the worms in my stomach get killed. It is the best deworming treatment!
The student had guru krpa but not enough atma krpa to suspend his conclusions and allow himself to see what the guru was communicating
Having atma krpa is having working trust in the words of the guru to try out the teachings for some time.
Having atma krpa also means that you are not lackadaisical about doubts you have. You value clarity. You don’t want to suffer.
You value the time you have been given in this human birth.
You ask. You clarify. You are clear.
You also serve the guru with tasks that need to be done but not necessarily the ones you are fond of. Your seva comes from the sensitivity and thought to what the guru needs, so that the guru can devote all the time for teaching and major projects.
Guru krpa is earned by seva to the guru and sharing your understanding with the guru from time to time. It takes initiative and willingness to be open and to say that perhaps my conclusions about myself, the world and Ishvara may be wrong. I am willing to change.
Looking at each other, the 3 people decided to look at stories in the tradition to see which had played the maximum role – Ishvara krpa, Guru krpa or Atma krpa. And they found that all 3 were equally important. One cannot isolate any of the 3. All 3 work in tandem.
Ishvara krpa in the form of blessings are always there. Yet it is the guru who introduces you to the glory of Ishvara. The guru has been blessed by her guru and is just revealing the words of the Shastra, which are the words of Ishvara himself, in a way that you can understand. It is the guru who introduces you to yourself, in a way that no one can.
The guru walks into your life and stays there because of Atma krpa. It is possible that you may have atma krpa but the guru may die suddenly or move away to another place. It is Atma krpa that helps you make the most of your time in this human realm
All 3 matter – Ishvara krpa, Guru krpa and Atma krpa.
If that is the case then how can I hasten my learning. I want it now!
We are reminded of a beautiful saying, subhashita in the tradition.
आचार्यात् पादमादत्ते पादं शिष्यः स्वमेधया ।
पादं सब्रह्मचारिभ्यः पादं कालक्रमेण च ॥
A student obtains one quarter (of what is to be known) from the teacher, one quarter from one’s own intelligence, one quarter from fellow students, and one quarter in time.
If the whole pursuit were divided into four quarters, only one quarter is what the student learns from the teacher.
Another quarter is from applying oneself to the process of self growth and an objective look at one’s life. Is the pursuit complete?
No, another quarter of your learning comes from clarifying your understanding with your fellow travelers in the moksha pursuit. You are open to check your understanding and seek inputs. Very often you will be surprised at the amazing insights your contemporaries offer you.
And finally one quarter of your learning depends on the time for maturity. Just like you cannot force a rose bud to bloom, you focus on your pursuit and allow time in the form of Ishvara krpa to carry you forward.
Ishvara krpa, guru krpa and atma krpa matter because you matter. Your life matters. What you do with your life matters.
