ईश्वरदर्शनम् - Ishwardarshanam

Once a great sage was sitting. One day, a certain young man approached him and asked — "O noble one! Is it possible to see God directly?"

"Why not? It is certainly possible. But let me ask you one question first — can you see your own body?" asked the sage.

"Sir! I am indeed fully capable of seeing my own body," said the young man.

"Then look at your entire body once, completely."

Having looked at his body, the young man said — "I have seen my body."

"Did you see all the limbs?"
"Yes. Everything was seen."
"Did you see your own back?"

"Sir! The back cannot be seen."

"Very well then — can all the limbs of the front be seen?"
"Yes," said the young man.
"The chief feature in the front is the face. Can you see your own face?"

"Sir! I am not able to see my own face."

Then the sage said — "My child! If you wish to see all the limbs of the body — front and back — a mirror must be placed before you. In the same way, to have the vision of God, who is of the nature of pure knowledge, both God's grace and the Guru's grace are necessary. Only through the Guru's grace can God's grace be attained."

Hearing this, the young man, recognizing his own shortcoming, offered a full prostration to the sage.

- Balmodini July 2024