Vision of the Lord

Vision of the Lord

Toward the end of last February, one afternoon I was rolling papads [savory snacks] in my house, when a letter came from Sri Vineethji who was at Bangalore. I did not open it then and there but kept it aside. The postman brought the mail and in it there were two letters for me, both from great Yogis of Northern India who treated me like their disciple and who were interested in my sadhana. I felt like a child sitting at their feet. I could not but open their letters; so I got my eyeglasses and read them. They had exhorted me to carry on my sadhana (spiritual practices) and recommended some further steps.

I felt suddenly sad and lost. I sighed and wept because I was struck by the inadequacy of my efforts and the consequent insubstantiality of the progress made. I prayed to God that He might make me worthy of the tenderness and care that these Yogis were bestowing on me. I got some relief from my agony

Then I remembered the letter from Vineethji that lay unopened on my lap. I tore the cover and spread it before my eyes. At the very end of the page he had written, “I had the darshan of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and He spoke to me also. He is the Inscrutable Mystery; He is Omniscient; how can I describe Him to you? I shall try my best when I come, to communicate to you my joy and His glory.” Believe me, when I read that sentence, I felt a flash of illumination pass through me. I became unaware of everything outside me. The eyes closed of themselves. There was no body consciousness. It continued like this, off and on, for two or even three days. Meanwhile, Vineethji came back from Bangalore; we decided to reach Puttaparthi a few days prior to Yugadi [festival].

Some days passed, I was immersed in dhyana, steeped in concentration. Then when I came down, suddenly, I knew not why, I took paper and pen and wrote a letter to Sathya Sai Baba, the Baba I had not seen! Why I wrote it, what I had to write, I did not know. I only know I wrote. It was a call from jiva to Shiva, a call that did not crave a response.

I was like a tree putting forth fresh leaves in spring. That letter gave me so much happiness, merely writing it and sending it to Baba. Two or perhaps three days later, I wrote again. “Lord, You vouchsafed darshan to Vineethji; grant me, too, the darshan and shower on me, too, Thy grace. Make my life worthwhile, giving me the Vision of the Form I worship. You are the Ocean of Mercy; You are the Giver of all Boons.” I sent the letter, but somehow never worried about the reply. The mother is content if the child’s cry “Amma!” reaches her; she might not care to respond every time.

The Lord made everything smooth for our journey; we reached Puttaparthi without any trouble, we had His darshan immediately on arrival. The next day, He called me in along with two other elderly ladies for “Interview”. The door was closed; while He was talking to those others, I was asked to move away into a place from where the stairs climbed to the first floor. I could see Baba, talking and blessing. Suddenly, I had a feeling that it was no longer earth, but heaven. I was thrilled in the Presence of God. I saw God before me in human form. Baba had His Hand on the wall, when He turned to me in the midst of His talk with those others and said, “I know, I know, your sadhana has all along been for merging with Eashwara. But why are you worried about that even when you are in the actual Presence? Do your duties as an embodied Atma and leave the rest to Me.” Thus, I understood that my Lord had known the agitations of my heart. I was overcome with joy at the motherly love and grace of Baba.

My eyes opened a little. I recollected who I was and from where I had come. I saw before me in a flash Narayana Himself—my Ishtadevata, my Upasanadevata, He who came as the friend, guardian, and companion from birth to birth, through countless ages. As a hungry man gets calm when he has secured a plate of rice, I, too, got shanti [peace], at the sight of the Lord. I had not spoken a single word so far. Now, I was seized by the urge to speak. I placed my hands across my heart and said, “Lord! The ‘I’ must go, now, here; ‘You’, ‘You’ alone should exist.” He said, “It will, it will.” I held His Hand in mine (!) and said, “Prabhu! Narayana! You must dwell in this heart.” He replied, “I shall, without fail.”

Two days later, Baba called both of us into that room; I feared that I will have to return to Dharwar and it will be some long time before I could sit at the Feet of the Lord. Then, I felt I had not sat at His feet at all, I entered the room wishing that He would give me that joy. He closed the door and asking us both to sit on the carpeted floor, He sat down Himself very near in front of us. Saying with a smile, “You desired to sit like this, is it not? Well. Do sit down now.”  “Come, come take the saguna (the Absolute with qualities) aspect also little by little.” He ordered. I replied, “How can I stop with the saguna? I do not succeed when I try to halt at that stage. In that vast splendor, this little light gets merged. How can I keep the mind on exterior things? Something pulls it in every time I try. If you grant me the capacity, I may succeed.”

Baba smiled meaningfully and nodded that He would grant me the skill. He said, “While on the path of sadhana, this experience is quite natural. You see, this is unreal; that, too, is unreal. The Atma alone is real and it is neither this nor that. Still, one has to pretend that both are real and carry on. This is one cage; that is another; this is iron, that is gold; but both limit and imprison.” Suddenly stopping His speech, He said, “You know this; why should I repeat it now?” “Just a little anger remains; a passing phase, but still, a little blot is seen more clearly in a clean cloth, remember. Drive it out and become more perfect,” He advised. I cannot express in words the fullness of my heart at that moment. I felt that Sri Krishna Himself was before me; I was overwhelmed. With a quivering voice, I said, “Lord, I am in highest bliss. Yes, my life shall be as the life of a flower.”

I am generally very patient and quiet; but I cannot tolerate anyone walking away from God, or trying to force the world on me. Then I really do get angry. How can I keep this trait away from the all-knowing Lord before me?

Both of us were with Baba again for a few minutes. The next, we left. “The external life is a dream, it is hollow. How then can it be worthwhile?” I despaired.

The train moved on; men came in; men got down and disappeared; everyone was on the move, endlessly, tirelessly.  I came to know in a flash, “The core of life is steady, and the hub is fixed; only the rim goes round and round. If the hub is steady, the rim can move faster and faster, round and round.” “The external life is the rim, the internal is the hub.”

We reached Dharwar. The film moves on, and the pictures are focused on the screen; on the back wall of ananda the pictures of sadness and joy, of meanness and nobility, move on and on. Let them move I decided. I shall be the wall, the ananda; My Lord has given me the way to reconcile this with that. “Lord, with one glance from Thy Eye you have transformed my life into LIFE.”

                                                                        ~Prabhu Dasi Niveditha
(From the original Marathi Article)

Vision of the Lord – Divine Experience, Purity, and Inner Awakening

Vision of the Lord is one of the deepest longings of a sincere spiritual seeker. It is not merely a desire to see a form with the physical eyes, but a sacred aspiration to experience the living presence of the Divine in the heart. When devotion becomes pure, the mind becomes calm, and ego becomes weak, the seeker begins to feel that God is not distant, but beautifully near.

Many people imagine divine vision as something dramatic, rare, and supernatural. Such experiences may come to some souls by grace, but the higher meaning is inner transformation. To see the Divine truly, the heart must become pure, loving, humble, and receptive. A restless and selfish mind cannot easily recognize the sacred presence that is already shining within.

Vision of the Lord requires purity of thought, speech, and action. If the mind is filled with anger, jealousy, pride, greed, and attachment, spiritual perception remains covered. Just as a dusty mirror cannot reflect clearly, an impure mind cannot reflect divine light. Through prayer, self-control, service, meditation, and truthfulness, the inner mirror becomes clean.

Devotion plays a central role in this path. Knowledge may guide the intellect, but devotion melts the heart. A devotee who remembers God with love, chants the Divine Name, serves others, and surrenders ego becomes inwardly soft. This softness is not weakness; it is spiritual sensitivity. It allows the heart to feel grace more deeply.

Vision of the Lord is not gained by curiosity or pride. It comes through sincere longing, humility, and surrender. The seeker should not demand spiritual experience as proof of progress. Instead, one should pray, “Make me pure, make me faithful, make me worthy of Your grace.” When the heart becomes ready, divine presence reveals itself in its own way.

The Lord may be experienced in many forms according to the devotee’s faith. Some see God as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Devi, Vishnu, Ganesha, or another beloved form. Some feel the Divine as light, peace, silence, love, or pure awareness. The forms may differ, but the essence is one: the soul recognizes a reality greater than ego and worldly limitation.

A seeker should also understand that divine presence can be seen in daily life. The kindness of a good person, the beauty of nature, the peace of meditation, the voice of conscience, and the strength received during difficulty can all become signs of grace. God does not reveal Himself only in extraordinary moments. He is present in simple, quiet, and humble ways too.

Vision of the Lord becomes clearer when selfishness reduces. The ego says, “I want, I control, I deserve.” Devotion says, “Let me serve, let me surrender, let me love.” As this change happens, the heart becomes spacious. Compassion grows, anger becomes weaker, and the seeker begins to see divine life in others.

Meditation helps prepare the mind for higher experience. When thoughts become quiet and attention turns inward, the seeker begins to feel a deeper presence beyond the ordinary movements of the mind. This presence is peaceful, steady, and luminous. It cannot be forced, but it can be invited through regular practice and purity.

The spiritual path also requires patience. Some seekers become discouraged when they do not receive quick experiences. But divine realization is not a matter of impatience. Every sincere prayer, every act of kindness, every moment of self-control, and every remembrance of God prepares the heart. Nothing is wasted in spiritual life.

Vision of the Lord should transform conduct. If someone claims spiritual experience but remains proud, harsh, selfish, and careless, the experience has not matured into wisdom. True contact with the Divine makes a person humble, loving, truthful, forgiving, and peaceful. The real sign of grace is not display, but transformation.

The devotee must also avoid comparing spiritual experiences. One person may have visions, another may feel deep peace, another may grow in service, and another may awaken through knowledge. The Divine guides each soul differently. Comparison creates restlessness, while faith creates steadiness. The seeker should walk sincerely on the path given by God.

Vision of the Lord is finally not only seeing God outside, but recognizing the Divine presence within and everywhere. The Lord shines as awareness in the heart, as love in noble actions, as wisdom in discrimination, and as peace in silence. When ignorance fades, the world itself begins to appear as filled with divine meaning.

In the end, Vision of the Lord is the sacred fruit of purity, devotion, humility, meditation, and divine grace. It begins as longing, grows through sincere practice, and matures into inner recognition of God’s presence. Through faith, surrender, and pure living, the seeker moves from outer searching to inner realization, from restlessness to peace, and from separation to divine union.

Temple Entry