Three kinds of suffering human beings generally suffer. Adi-bhoutik, as physical and mental diseases, accidents; Adi-daibik, as natural calamities and Adhyatmic, as delusion or ignorance of our real nature. Suffering is tangible through physical pain born out of diseases, mental agony born out of various mental-emotional imbalances, Spiritual unrest born out of not having peace and purpose in life. 

Modern medical scientist is successfully addressing the cause of physical pain in most of the cases and trying to remove the suffering and psychiatrist, psychological counselor also trying to remove it from psycho-emotional plane and spiritual leaders are trying to remove suffering of spiritual nature. With all available human endeavor, is it not a fact that we are yet to conquer suffering of various nature? 

Though anesthesia, pain killer and many kinds of other modalities such as temperature, pressure, stimulation etc. reduce physical pain sensation; sedatives, psycho-inhibitor drugs reduce restlessness and various methods of meditation address spiritual imbalances, still we find hardly few individuals depart from this earth with a healthy body and mind without suffering. The majority of mankind fall as a rotten fruit rather ripe one. 

We know that during sleep or dream, we don’t feel any pain rather in waking state only, we suffer. So, the question arises who suffers in the waking state? Which part of ‘I’ really suffers? In sleep state suffering vanishes and in dream state though suffering seems real during dream but on waking it becomes false. How can body suffer, as it can be said that my hand is paining but can hand say, my hand is paining?  

So, neither body feels pain nor consciousness feels pain. And thus, conditioning of the mind that identifies with the body or consciousness separately through some psycho- neuro-pathological process, gives rise to pain sensation. In samadhi experience also, when one goes beyond the identification of the body and mind, one does not feel any pain or suffering. Henceforth, human suffering is conditioned by the so-called mind upon its superimposition as real self on deluded self.

 

Every yoga practitioner pursues yoga practices to achieve physical fitness, psychological peace and spiritual bliss or realization while choosing one as per time, temperament and tendencies among various available methods. Prevalent proverb says, ‘practice makes a man perfect’ or ‘an ounce of practice is priceless preference than tons of theory or philosophy’. Thus, one must put the procedure rightly into practice with patience and perseverance. 

 But can anyone assess or judge how, when, where and what intensity, interest and attention one is putting rightly or truly while practicing. One might get demoralized after several abortive efforts and procrastinate, postpone or cease to practice if the result or success is not visible or experienced in due course of time.  Yet, one must understand that knowing, doing or desiring is in our hands but the result is not within our reach like a plant that can be nurtured by watering, fertilizing, weeding and fencing but cannot be stretched to bear fruit forcibly. 

Moreover, if one is rationalizing or expecting about result in future and pondering about past memory or experience, then mind will not be fully attentive or focused on the present performance and therefore, will lack the potency to produce desired result. We are so conditioned with conceptual knowledge or memory that success should shoot as per preconceived ideas or theories that may be the main cause of delay or deter desired result. 

In the material field, we know that every action produces equal and opposite reaction. In the mental realm, every effect relates to a definite cause. Also, we know that one may get stressed in one event or work at one time and not at another time while others may not. Thus, it is very difficult to find out the exact or definite cause of any effect. So, results cannot be obtained scientifically for every individual with practicing the same method. 

Results are obtained instantly or spontaneously with the feelings of satisfaction and in fact, everything is really happening in this present moment perpetually, but the mind is delusively thinking as per own conditioned expectation while relating to previous relative experience. Hindrances, obstacles, barriers or blocks are like failure is the pillar of success, or result is the report of effort. If one looks at it as a process and not divided into parts, then life will be balanced or peacefully flowing between both positive and negative aspects. 

Throughout the ages of human race, the concept of God has been assumed as creator and savior from misfortune and human suffering. Over the period, Avatar and Gurus came as agent to disseminate different concept about God with different theories or philosophies about relationship between creator and its creation. Thus, followers or devotees came up following different religion in different region under spiritual leadership of different Gurus and their teachings. 

It is generally said that without God and Guru’s grace hardly any progress can be made with self-effort in spiritual realm. That indicate, God or Guru is having free will to shower grace to individual whimsically as they (personal God or deity in form, guru in physical body) feel. Can they be so partial? Definitely not. There is another concept of impersonal God without name and form and change, that is neutral, fundamental entity on which whole universe is manifested or created. 

It’s too abstruse to believe that nothing has created something. If nobody is there overhead, who will shower grace, like gravity attracts upward to downward or center. Thus, there is superstition or blind faith regarding grace. By the way, what is grace? A form of esoteric energy that can be induced in the way to success in desired field. We understand that without any cause there will be no effect, thus, without effort from individual part there will be no grace delivered. 

Also, we know water flows downward naturally. But if faced with obstruction it automatically changes its course of direction. Of course, vessels with holes cannot retain water. Thus, grace is here, there and everywhere, within and without. One must be eligible, elevate, purify, tune or leakproof oneself to sustain grace that automatically flows with one’s own experience, gratitude and humility. God or Guru has nothing to bestow grace to devotee or disciple in first place. 

Many devotees believe or has conditioned ideas like God or Guru ‘krupa hi kebalam’. Thus, there attention is mostly on the objective part of grace, rather than subjective purification through various means or methods, such as puja, prarthana, japa, yog and dhyana etc. And we see, though lakhs of followers are following or practicing the laid down Guru’s principles, rites and rituals, yet many of us seems to be stagnant and dissatisfied about spiritual progress towards enlightenment.  

So, inner flowering (manifestation of samskaras those are acquired from previous births) and self-effort both approaches should be balanced and synchronized or attuned in a holistic manner thus, grace happens or flows on its own. Gratitude develops spontaneously along with humility while understanding ego and identification with personal part of doing or effort. Finally, it is understood and experienced as Spirit and Nature is not doing anything, everything is happening as it is, without rationalizations about grace or gravity.