Sat-darshana Bhashya (translation)

VII THE GRACE

There is a great secret mentioned in the [^100]

[^100]: आहारशुद्धौ सत्त्वशुद्धिः सत्त्वशुद्धौ ध्रुवा स्मृतिः स्मृतिलम्भे सर्वग्रन्थीनां विप्रमोक्षः तस्मै मृदितकषायाय तमसः पारं दर्शयति भगवान् सनत्कुमारस्तं स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते तं स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते.Chandogya Upanishad about Mukti, liberation. The soul of sufficient development discovers the limit to ignorance or in the words of the Upanishad is taken ashore across the Ignorance by Sanat Kumara, Skanda, the eternal youth, the great spiritual teacher of mankind. When by meditation on the subtle truths of the Self and by other spiritual practices, Sadhanas, yielding nourishment to the inner stuff sattva it becomes pure and strong for a steady and constant awareness dhruva smrti, and the various ties of ignorar.ce granthis are loosened in him, then the Divine Grace functioning through Skanda, Sanat Kumara gives the overt and immediate finishing touch to lead him beyond Ignorance by cutting asunder the guha granthi or the root-knot of ego-sense in the Heart-cavity. He is the original Guru, the Great Teacher of mankind, in whom the Divine Grace functions for the individual and collective uplift of mankind. In the Puranas, this supreme Guru is described as Sanat Kumara the eternal youth, a mental offspring of the Creative Spirit Brahma, and also as Skanda and Kumara, an issue of the effulgence of Lord Shiva. It is this Kumara Spirit the Supreme Teacher that presides over the spiritual destiny-and that is the only real destiny-of mankind and maintains the continuity of self-knowledge adhyatma vidya in humanity, by entering into and possessing the developed, fit and chosen soul, or otherwise effecting a substantial union with him. Therefore the Mukta or the liberated soul is said to incarnate the Grace, to represent the influence of Skanda, or even to be taken in and appropriated as a part and parcel of the Divine itself. And many are such liberated souls; notwithstanding their common experience of the Self’s oneness with Brahman there is to be seen a vast difference in their human conduct in life and in their understanding and interpretation of the supreme experience. This is due to the difference in their general capacity and their individual type and temperament, and also to the state of development of mankind in their age, to whose requirements their attitude is specially directed.

Hence this Shastra ’Sat-darshana’ represents the teaching of the Supreme and Original Teacher of mankind who has given it to the World through Shri Maharshi Ramana in whom he is verily incarnate with one of His parts, nijakala.