D.: What is Guru’s Grace? How does it work?

M.: Guru is the Self.

D.: How does it lead to realisation?

M.: Isvaro gururatmeti ... (God is the same as Guru and Self ...). A

person begins with dissatisfaction. Not content with the world he

seeks satisfaction of desires by prayers to God; his mind is purified;

he longs to know God more than to satisfy his carnal desires. Then

God’s Grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a Guru and

appears to the devotee; teaches him the Truth; purifies the mind by his

teachings and contact; the mind gains strength, is able to turn inward;

with meditation it is purified yet further, and eventually remains still

without the least ripple. That stillness is the Self. The Guru is both

exterior and interior. From the exterior he gives a push to the mind

to turn inward; from the interior he pulls the mind towards the Self

and helps the mind to achieve quietness. That is Grace.

Hence there is no difference between God, Guru and Self. (Talk198)

Mr. A. Bose, an engineer from Bombay, asked: Does Bhagavan feel

for us and show grace?

M.: You are neck-deep in water and yet cry for water. It is as good as

saying that one neck-deep in water feels thirsty, or a fish in water

feels thirsty, or that water feels thirsty. (Talk217)

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D.: How to begin? Your Grace is needed for it.

M.: Grace is always there. “Dispassion cannot be acquired, nor

realization of the Truth, nor inherence in the Self, in the absence

of Guru’s Grace,” the Master quoted.

Practice is necessary. It is like training a roguish bull confined

to his stall by tempting him with luscious grass and preventing

him from straying.

Then the Master read out a stanza from Tiruvachakam, which is

an address to the mind, saying: “O humming bee (namely, mind)!

Why do you take the pains of collecting tiny specks of honey from

innumerable flowers? There is one from whom you can have the

whole storehouse of honey by simply thinking or seeing or speaking

of Him. Get within and hum to Him (hrimkara).” (Talk 220)

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D.: The unknowable can be attained only by the grace of the

unknowable.

M.: He helps the attainment. That is the Grace. (Talk 238)