The Divine Grace acts upon everything. If the surrender is active and dynamic which means that one is putting in one’s own share of effort then the Divine Grace acts much more swiftly due to the collaboration of the sadhak’s will. But where the surrender is tamasic where the person refuses to put in any effort and expects the Divine Grace to do everything then the Divine Grace labours to first correct this laziness which is quite contrary to the spiritual life. The Grace then pushes the individual first gently and then through a few shakeup. This is the reason why blows come or are allowed to wake us up from our slumber. It naturally prolongs the working and complicates the process. The Divine Grace rejects none. It comes to the sinner to cure him of his sinfulness and it comes to the virtuous to cure him of his self-righteousness.
It has to be understood here that the Divine Grace does not act in a vacuum. It takes into account the sum of possibilities as well as the resistances of the sadhak, the helpful materials his nature offers as well as things that stand in the way of his progress. It also takes into account his unique past and a yet more unique future. The Divine Grace does not act like an arbitrary despotic dictator bulldozing human nature into subservience of the Divine Will. It rather patiently opens all the complex entangled knots of our nature, straightens and then transforms them with all the tender love and care of a mother as well as all the patience and wisdom of a father.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
