Individual Strength, the Power of Sincerity and the Action of the Divine Grace

Particularly in the West, historically, but more and more a world-wide phenomenon in the modern era, there is a strong bias toward the idea that one needs to be a “self-made man”, implying that it is through individual strength and accomplishment that one can accomplish anything. This bias is something of an illusion, even in the exte
al world and its results, as much of the success we see in the world may be the result of family or school connections, or just being in the right place at the right time. There is no doubt that in some cases, a particular individual exhibits some high capacity in some direction or another and receives the positive fruits of his efforts. Great inventors, athletes, artists, musicians all provide testimony to the value of individual strength and capacity. Yet if we examine closely, we find that success in the world and individual strength are not necessarily linked to one another all that closely and that other powers are at play.

When we turn our focus to the inner life, to spiritual development, we find that there can be a similar bias, with a similar element of illusion involved! We observe individuals who are able to undertake extreme austerities, practice advanced techniques of Hatha Yoga, or enter into states of deep meditation and we believe that these must be highly advanced spiritual beings, as well they might be. However, there is no absolute certainty of reaching the objective based on these manifested powers. It must also be noted that some of these individuals have exercised a discipline and a spiritual focus over a number of lifetimes so that they may indeed be ‘advanced’ by virtue of the focus and dedication they have exhibited in their spiritual endeavours. This raises up the need for the power of sincerity. Sincerity is an indication of the long-term and focused efforts that avoid being dissipated or distracted. The power of sincerity overcomes many limitations that individual strength alone in a particular individual or situation cannot resolve.

Reliance of self-accomplishment also can tend to create a sense of superiority and egoistic vanity in the person who relies on strength alone and does not credit other powers as having their due. Thus, there is an ego-trap that can set back the spiritual progress, with particular relation to those who believe, one way or the other, in the ‘self-made’ illusion of accomplishment.

What this viewpoint tends ot overlook is the reality that each and every individual is part of the vast process of manifestation of Nature and it is not an individual’s power, but the power of the divine manifestation that creates the strength, the opportunity and the result. Thus, we come to the power behind all success, which we may call the Divine Will or Divine Grace.

In his book, The Mother, Sri Aurobindo states: “In all that is done in the universe, the Divine through his Shakti is behind all action but he is veiled by his Yoga Maya and works through the ego of the Jiva in the lower nature. In Yoga also it is the Divine who is the Sadhaka and the Sadhana; it is his Shakti with her light, power, knowledge, consciousness, Ananda, acting upon the Adhara and, when it is opened to her, pouring into it with these divine forces that makes the Sadhana possible.” Thus, we see that when we see strength, we are actually observing the working of the Divine Grace through the individual nexus of the ego-personality.

Sri Aurobindo writes: “There is nothing unintelligible in what I say about strength and Grace. Strength has a value for spiritual realisation, but to say that it can be done by strength only and by no other means is a violent exaggeration. Grace is not an invention, it is a fact of spiritual experience. Many who would be considered as mere nothings by the wise and strong have attained by Grace; illiterate, without mental power or training, without ‘strength’ of character or will, they have yet aspired and suddenly or rapidly grown into spiritual realisation, because they had faith or because they were sincere… these facts… are facts of spiritual history and of quite ordinary spiritual experience….”

“Strength, if it is spiritual, is a power for spiritual realisation; a greater power is sincerity; the greatest power of all is Grace. I have said times without number that if a man is sincere, he will go through in spite of long delay and overwhelming difficulties. I have repeatedly spoken of the Divine Grace. I have referred any number of times to the line in the Gita: ‘I will deliver thee from all sin and evil, do not grieve.’ “

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 5, Attitudes on the Path, pp. 124-125