On the first day during a bus trip, Swami Vishwananda answered some questions:
- Are Mercy and Grace the same?
- Everyone is looking for the mercy of the Lord, also the Christians pray for mercy when they say 'Kyrie Eleison'. Mercy means taking the person under God/Guru’s wings. Grace is total surrender and completely different, said Swami.
- Do we have to do something wrong first to then get the mercy of the Lord? asked SV Vijaya.
- No, Kripa is mercy. To progress on your spiritual way, you need the mercy of the Lord. Because there are many obstacles on the spiritual path and through His mercy, He takes the obstructions away. Otherwise without His mercy the people just forget about their path. But to get His mercy you need to have the longing for it. First you need the longing. Once you get the mercy there are no obstructions and you can do your true Sadhana, says Swami.
- So, once you attain the mercy of God you are safe? asked Pramod.
- Yes, and the Grace of the Lord comes later, during your Sadhana. But you need both together: the mercy and the Grace, says Swami.