We often assume that presence of divine grace means the rise in luxuries, success, fame, and basically a life free of difficulties. We imagine that when grace is present, everything flows smoothly, nothing truly challenges us, and all our wishes are fulfilled. Manifested promptly.
Yet this far the whole story.
Luxuries, fame, and power are often the result of past-life good karma—punya—not necessarily an indicator the inner purity, present inner evolution or closeness to the Divine. We have all seen individuals with questionable character enjoying these priviledges with ease, throughout their lives.. This is not grace at work—it is karma unfolding.
What must be clearly understood is that this store of punya is finite. When it gets exhausted, the fortune it sustains begins to fade. And if, during that period of abundance, a person does not cultivate awareness, does not generate fresh good karma, and does not grow in inner worthiness, they gradually move away from the possibility of divine grace itself.
History has demonstrated this repeatedly. No empire, no tyrant, no matter how powerful, if not rooted in goodness and dharma, eventually collapses. Every Every tyrant believed their golden phase would last forever. It never did.
So, when you look around, do not be dazzled by those who merely appear successful. Instead, learn to recognise those who carry a certain quiet grace.
Such people live with an active inner life. Like a calm duck gliding on water, there is constant movement beneath the surface. They reflect. They observe themselves. They question their own reactions, patterns, and choices.
This sincere introspection brings them face to face with their own falsehoods and shadows—the dense layers that keep us disconnected from the light within.
Over time, they become seekers of truth—both personal and eternal, which ultimately converge. As this deepens, certain qualities begin to emerge naturally: gratitude, calmness, fortitude, forgiveness, surrender, and generosity. These are not cultivated as performances, but as inner states.
And these states draw them closer to the Divine.
Without grace, a person rarely feels a genuine pull towards inner truth or God. The mind remains occupied with accumulation, achievement, and consumption. The inner journey simply does not begin.
For most, this journey is not born out of comfort. It is born out of disruption.
Chaos. Loss. Tragedy. Betrayal. Illness. Failure. Moments where the outer world no longer holds meaning the way it once did.
This disillusionment can go in two directions. It can pull a person into numbness, bitterness, or resignation. Or, if approached with awareness, it can create a sacred pause—a space where the inner light can finally be seen.
If one learns to remain still in the midst of turmoil, a certain detachment begins to form. Not indifference, but clarity. And in that clarity, the search for inner peace begins.
This is where hardship transforms. It stops being a punishment and becomes a doorway.
So when you find yourself face to face with suffering, do not be too quick to conclude that something has gone wrong, or that the Divine has turned away from you.
Consider the possibility that you are being gently turned inward.
Towards your own inner life.
Towards the light you may have been unknowingly seeking in the external world.
When God wants you close, He plants the seed of bhakti within you. And without grace, make no mistake, we cannot move even a step closer to Him.
But once that movement begins, you can trust this deeply:
You are not walking alone.
You are being led home.
Inner Journeys 