Questioner: What is the exact meaning of 'Krupa' (grace) and how can one earn it?
Pujyashri: One can realize the soul through 'Akram Vigyan'. Akram means, one can realize the self directly through grace without any 'Tapa' (penance),'Tyaga' (renunciation), meditation, ritual, Puja, Bhakti, or 'Sadhna' (spiritual endeavor). One does not even need to study the religious scriptures. Now what exactly is grace? If we were to ask the ladies sitting here, did they attend any school to learn to make 'chappatis'? They would say, nothing of the sort, and that they learnt with their mothers' grace, without reading any books. Except in the case of education which is a different matter, lot many things can be learnt merely through grace. Have you come across any college that teaches how to be an expert pick-pocketeer? No. You won't find any. Just by staying with such an expert for six to eight months one can become an expert himself. Let's talk about these farmers. Do you think they must have gone to learn the nitty grittyof farming? Like how and when to sow the seeds or how to tackle the bulls while ploughing the fields? No. They learn all these things merely by working along with the experts and earning their grace. Similarly, one can attain 'gnan' through 'Gnani's' grace. Do you understand? So this is the path of grace. Instead of toiling to realize the soul, one experiences the awareness that this 'Chandubhai' (name given to recognize oneself) is separate and the soul is separate, merely through grace of a 'Gnani'. After realization of the self, we have these 5 'aagnas' (principles) which shall protect us while fulfilling all our responsibilities for the rest of our life. Here, one is not supposed to shut down his business, leave his family or change his seating habits. One has only got to maintain separation from within and have awareness that 'I' the 'knower' is separate from the one who is eating. Thus we recognize our self and stay in that awareness. Thereafter all we need to do is fulfill all our duties and responsibilities by remaining in these 'aagnas'. Do you understand?