Holy Company Is Won Only by God's Grace
Even the rare blessing of saintly company comes ultimately through the grace of God himself.
Narada continues in Sutra 40: 'Labhyate api tat-kripayaiva' — 'Yet even that holy company is obtained only through His grace.' The seeker cannot manufacture access to the saints by cleverness or merit; the very meeting with a great soul is itself arranged by divine grace. This deepens the theme that the entire path of love unfolds within an economy of grace, from the first stirring of longing to the final union. Narada removes every ground for spiritual pride, since each step is a gift. The teaching invites a posture of humble receptivity and gratitude, recognizing that the doors that open on the inner journey are opened by a love that precedes and exceeds our own.
Even holy company is obtained only through His grace.
Narada's insistence that even the means to grace come by grace mirrors Augustine's teaching that God's grace precedes and enables every movement of the soul toward the divine.
Narada Bhakti Sutras
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- What the Narada Bhakti Sutras say about friendship
Sutra 40 then undercuts the advice: even holy company is obtained only through His grace. Strive for it, he says; you cannot arrange it, he also says. The text leaves that unresolved.