Very few people understand the true meaning of the word ‘kripa’ (grace). Kripa means to perfect and complete another person without any selfish desire. It is the act of giving everything without expecting anything in return. Any action undertaken with the expectation of receiving something in return is not kripa; it is rather a business transaction. Everyone in the world engages in such so-called “kripa” – shopkeepers with customers, mothers with their children, neighbours, etc. Parents appear to show kripa towards their children by nurturing and raising them, but even there, some self-interest is involved. Whether that self-interest is fulfilled or not is a different matter, but the expectation remains.

This means that all souls bound by maya are incomplete. Therefore, they are incapable of bestowing true grace. To become complete, we need three things:

1. Sat – Eternal life; liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

2. Chit – Omniscience, All-Knowing.

3. Anand – Infinite, transcendental, divine bliss.

These three are collectively described by the word Sachchidanand.

Whoever attains all three for eternity becomes complete. Such a person no longer needs anything from anyone. Only the Complete One can bestow true grace. Everything else is a deception. There are only two beings who are truly complete:

1. God

2. The Saints – those upon whom God has bestowed His grace, liberating them from maya and granting them His divine power, making them complete.

Thus, God and the Saints alone are forever satisfied and complete — they have received Sat, Chit, and Anand forever. Therefore, only God and the Saints can bestow grace. In fact, they can do nothing but bestow grace. Their grace is beyond human comprehension.

Apart from God and the Saints, no one else can bestow true grace, even if they wish to, because:

1. The souls bound by maya always expect something in return. Even if they don’t seek material gain, they hope for prestige in this world or a better afterlife. Since they are incomplete, they naturally seek completeness. These are covertly selfish people with hidden self-interest, striving to secure a better future.

2. Even if someone bound by maya tries to bestow grace, they can only give worldly things that can never satisfy the divine soul. For instance, if someone offers a blanket to another, the blanket will either tear or be stolen. If someone feeds someone, hunger will return in six hours. Even a grand material gift will provide only temporary happiness, and that happiness vanishes when one encounters something even greater.

God and the Saints do not need to do anything, as they have become the embodiment of bliss. They have no need to perform actions. Yet, for the welfare of souls, they descend on earth and perform various actions. In other words, everything they do is solely out of grace. This grace takes many forms — some comprehensible and straightforward, others beyond the reach of human intellect. God and the Saints embracing someone is grace; Shri Krishna wielding the Sudarshan Chakra (Lord Krishna’s divine weapon) at someone is also grace. Whether a divine personality gives or takes something away from us, it is always an act of grace.Even if the material intellect cannot comprehend this, every action of theirs is an act of grace, performed selflessly for the welfare of others through thought, word, and deed. 

To receive this grace, we must have complete faith. One with 100% unwavering faith that “God and the Saints only bestow grace” will plead for it with genuine longing, not just words. Currently, each of us possess a different level of faith- some have 1%, some 10%, and others 99.9%. When faith reaches 100%, grace will manifest instantly; no will is required.

The story of the illiterate Dhanna Jaat is an example of someone who attained his goal solely through his firm faith. Dhanna was a simple farmer who prayed to his “stone-God” (Shaligram) to partake of his food offering with full faith. However, due to the sins accumulated over countless births, we are unable to develop complete faith. Deep down, many believe that God neither eats nor partakes of our offerings. People simply close their eyes, place food before Him, and then consume it themselves without even waiting to see if He has accepted it. Ultimately, reciting Sanskrit mantras matters little; what truly matters is the intention behind the act and the love within the heart.

It is only through firm faith that God can be attained. To develop such complete faith, you must eliminate every trace of doubt and disbelief. To achieve this, make consistent efforts to attach your mind to God. Practices like sadhana, bhajan, and kirtan exist for one purpose alone-  to strengthen this faith. But in this, one must understand that the mind alone has to do everything. Therefore, devotion through the senses alone will not work; it is the mind that must be engaged.

Sincere practice, coupled with the grace of God, establishes complete faith and purifies the heart. This is called ‘antahkaran-shuddhi’ (purification of the mind). When the mind is purified, all accumulated karmas (past impressions) will be cleared, and by the Guru’s grace, the senses, mind, and intellect will be infused with divine power. At that point, complete faith will arise naturally, and grace will manifest instantly.

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Based on the teachings of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj