Kripa (philosophy)
Encyclopedia
Kripa is the concept of divine grace
in Hinduism
. It is the central tenet of Bhakti Yoga
and Bhakti movement
s, which are seen as reform movements in Hinduism as compared to the Hinduism which finds its origins in the Vedas; though variously it can mean "grace", "mercy", or "blessing", depending upon the context.
of all traditions. Here as well, the descent of divine grace of Kripa is considered an event which catapults a devotee or bhakta into a period of intense personal transformation leading to his Moksha
.
Devotional or Bhakti
literature available throughout India is replete with references to Kripa as the ultimate key towards realizing the spiritual path of self-realization In fact, some like the ancient sage Vasistha
, in his classical work Yoga Vasistha
, considered it to be the only way to transcend the bondage of lifetimes of Karma. He states to Rama
that divine grace of Kripa is the only way to help us go beyond the effects of Prarabdha karma
, or collection of all the past Karma
s, Sanchita karma
chosen to experience during a lifetime.
The Hindu philosopher
Madhvacharya
held that grace was not a gift from God, but rather must be earned.
As Krishna
says to Arjuna
in the final chapter of the Bhagavad Gita
, Verse 18.66, "Setting aside all meritorious deeds (Dharma
), just surrender completely to My will (with firm faith and loving contemplation). I shall liberate you from all sins. Do not fear."
Similarly, Adi Shankaracharya composes his famous verse Bhaja Govindam
in 8th century, where he declares:
The Skanda Purana
mentions the grace of a Guru in various places, especially in the Uttarakand, section Guru Strotram, known as Guru Gita
, in the form of a dialogue between Shiva
and Uma
(Shakti):
or devotion has often remained an ignored aspect in Indian philosophy
, hence its significance lost to majority of the populace, at some point it was considered befitting only to the lower classes and woman, as only the elite were able to comprehend the message of the Vedic
tradition; though things changed with the revival and reform movements in Hinduism which brought aspect of Kripa into a new light and made the divine accessible to all, and away from the supremacy of the priestly class.
Kripa, Shastra
kripa (grace of the Scriptures), Guru
kripa (grace of the Guru) and lastly Atma
kripa (grace of the Self).
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. It is the central tenet of Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of God....
and Bhakti movement
Bhakti movement
The Bhakti movement is a Hindu religious movement in which the main spiritual practice is loving devotion among the Shaivite and Vaishnava saints. The Bhakti movement originated in ancient Tamil Nadu and began to spread to the north during the late medieval ages when north India was under Islamic...
s, which are seen as reform movements in Hinduism as compared to the Hinduism which finds its origins in the Vedas; though variously it can mean "grace", "mercy", or "blessing", depending upon the context.
Significance of Kripa
Kripa is akin to similar beliefs prevalent in mysticismMysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
of all traditions. Here as well, the descent of divine grace of Kripa is considered an event which catapults a devotee or bhakta into a period of intense personal transformation leading to his Moksha
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
.
Devotional or Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
literature available throughout India is replete with references to Kripa as the ultimate key towards realizing the spiritual path of self-realization In fact, some like the ancient sage Vasistha
Vasistha
Vashist in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara, and the Rajpurohit / Rajguru of the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. He was the mānasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners...
, in his classical work Yoga Vasistha
Yoga Vasistha
Yoga Vasistha is a Hindu spiritual text traditionally attributed to Valmiki. It recounts a discourse of the sage Vasistha to a young Prince Rama, during a period when the latter is in a dejected state...
, considered it to be the only way to transcend the bondage of lifetimes of Karma. He states to Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
that divine grace of Kripa is the only way to help us go beyond the effects of Prarabdha karma
Prarabdha karma
Prarabdha Karma are the part of sanchita karma, a collection of past karmas, which are ready to be experienced through the present body ....
, or collection of all the past Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
s, Sanchita karma
Sanchita karma
In Hinduism, sanchita karma is one of the three kinds of karma. It is the sum of one's past karmas – all actions from one's past life follow through to the next life....
chosen to experience during a lifetime.
The Hindu philosopher
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
held that grace was not a gift from God, but rather must be earned.
As Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
says to Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
in the final chapter of the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
, Verse 18.66, "Setting aside all meritorious deeds (Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
), just surrender completely to My will (with firm faith and loving contemplation). I shall liberate you from all sins. Do not fear."
Similarly, Adi Shankaracharya composes his famous verse Bhaja Govindam
Bhaja Govindam
Bhaja Govindam[Praise/Seek Govinda ] also known as Moha Mudgara is a popular 8th century Hindu devotional composition in Sanskrit attributed to Adi Shankara...
in 8th century, where he declares:
-
- "Bhajagovindam bhajagovindam
- Govindam bhaja muudhamate
- Sampraapte sannihite kaale
- Nahi nahi rakshati dukrijnkarane.."
- Worship GovindaGovinda' and ' are names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a cowherd. He is regarded as the Supreme Godhead in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition...
, Worship Govinda, - Worship Govinda. Oh fool!
- Rules of Grammar will not save you
- At the time of your death.
The Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
mentions the grace of a Guru in various places, especially in the Uttarakand, section Guru Strotram, known as Guru Gita
Guru Gita
The Guru Gita is a Hindu scripture authored by the sage, Vyasa. It is a part of the larger Skanda Purana. It describes a conversation between the Hindu God, Lord Shiva and his wife, the Hindu Goddess Parvati, in which she asks him to teach her about the Guru...
, in the form of a dialogue between Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Uma
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
(Shakti):
-
- "Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
- Guru Devo Maheshwara
- Guru Sakshat Param Brahma
- Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah"
- "Dhyana Moolam Guru Murti.
- Puja Moolam Gurur Padam,
- Mantra Moolam Gurur Vakyam,
- Moksha Moolam Guru Kripa".
Bhakti movement
BhaktiBhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
or devotion has often remained an ignored aspect in Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
, hence its significance lost to majority of the populace, at some point it was considered befitting only to the lower classes and woman, as only the elite were able to comprehend the message of the Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
tradition; though things changed with the revival and reform movements in Hinduism which brought aspect of Kripa into a new light and made the divine accessible to all, and away from the supremacy of the priestly class.
Kinds of Kripa
Kripa has been categorized in various ways as Ishwara kripa (grace of God), variously HariHari
Hari is an Avatar, another name of and , and appears as the 650th name in the Vishnu sahasranama of Mahabharata. In Sanskrit "hari" sometimes refers to a colour, green, yellow, or fawn-coloured/khaki. It is the colour of the Sun and of Soma...
Kripa, Shastra
Shastra
' is a Sanskrit term used to denote rules in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice; e.g., Bhautika Shastra , Rasayana Shastra , Jeeva Shastra , Vastu Shastra , Shilpa Shastra , Artha Shastra ' is a...
kripa (grace of the Scriptures), Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
kripa (grace of the Guru) and lastly Atma
Atma
Atma may refer to:*Atman , in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions: the higher self.* Atma, a 2011 album by the band YobATMA may refer to:...
kripa (grace of the Self).