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Individual Strength, the Power of Sincerity and the Action of the Divine Grace · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Particularly in the West historically, but more and more
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  a worldwide phenomenon in the modern era, there is a strong
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  bias toward the idea that one needs to be a self-made man,
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  implying that it is through individual strength and
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  accomplishment that one can accomplish anything.
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  This bias is something of an illusion even in the external
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  world and its results, as much of the success we see in the
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  world may be the result of family or school connections or
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  just being in the right place at the right time.
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  There is no doubt that in some cases a particular individual
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  exhibits some high capacity in some direction or another and
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  receives the positive fruits of his efforts.
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  Great inventors, athletes, artists, musicians all provide
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  testimony to the value of individual strength and
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  capacity. Yet if we examine closely, we
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  find that success in the world and individual strength are not
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  necessarily linked to one another all that closely, and
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  that other powers are at play. When we turn our focus to the
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  inner life, to spiritual development, we find that there
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  can be a similar bias with a similar element of illusion
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  involved. We observe individuals who are
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  able to undertake extreme austerities, practice advanced
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  techniques of hatha yoga, or enter into states of deep
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  meditation, and we believe that these must be highly advanced
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  spiritual beings as well they might be.
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  However, there is no absolute certainty of reaching the
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  objective based on these manifested powers.
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  It must also be noted that some of these individuals have
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  exercised A discipline and a spiritual focus over a number of
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  lifetimes so that they may indeed be advanced by virtue of
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  the focus and dedication they have exhibited in their
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  spiritual endeavours. This raises up the need for the
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  power of sincerity. Sincerity is an indication of
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  the long term and focused efforts that avoid being
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  dissipated or distracted. The power of sincerity overcomes
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  many limitations that individual strength alone in a particular
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  individual or situation cannot resolve.
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  Reliance of self accomplishment also can tend to create a sense
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  of superiority and egoistic vanity in the person who relies
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  on strength alone and does not credit other powers as having
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  their due. Thus there is an ego trap that
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  can set back the spiritual progress with particular
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  relation to those who believe one way or the other in the
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  self-made illusion of accomplishment.
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  What this viewpoint tends to overlook is the reality that
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  each and every individual is part of the vast process of
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  manifestation of nature, and it is not an individual's power,
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  but the power of the Divine manifestation that creates the
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  strength, the opportunity and the result.
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  Thus we come to the power behind all success, which may we may
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  call the Divine Will or Divine Grace.
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  In His book the Mother Sriorbindo states quote, in all
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  that is done in the universe, the Divine through His Shakti is
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  behind all action, but He is veiled by His yoga Maya and
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  works through the ego of the Jiva in the lower nature.
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  In Yoga also it is the Divine who is the Sadak and the
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  Sadhana. It is His Shakti with Her light,
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  power, knowledge, consciousness, Ananda, acting upon the Adhara
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  and when it is open to Her, pouring into it with these
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  divine forces, that makes the sadhana possible.
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  End Quote. Thus we see that when we see
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  strength, we are actually observing the working of the
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  Divine grace through the individual Nexus of the ego
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  personality. Sri Orobindo writes quote.
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  There is nothing unintelligible in what I say about strength and
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  grace. Strength has a value for
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  spiritual realization, but to say that it can be done by
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  strength only and by no other means is a violent exaggeration.
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  Grace is not an invention, it is a fact of spiritual experience.
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  Many who would be considered as mere nothings by the wise and
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  strong, have attained by grace. Illiterate, without mental power
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  or training, without strength of character or will, they have yet
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  aspired and suddenly or rapidly grown into spiritual realization
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  because they had faith or because they were sincere.
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  These facts are facts of spiritual history and of quite
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  ordinary spiritual experience. Strength, if it is spiritual, is
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  a power for spiritual realization.
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  A greater power is sincerity. The greatest power of all is
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  grace. I have said many times without
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  number, that if a man is sincere he will go through in spite of
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  long delay and overwhelming difficulties.
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  I have repeatedly spoken of the divine grace.
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  I have referred any number of times to the line in the Gita.
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  I will deliver thee from all sin and evil.
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  Do not grieve. End Quote.
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  Reference. Shrioro Bindu and the Mother
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  looking from within. Chapter 5.
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  Attitudes on the Path, pages 124 to 125.