There are 3 distinct cosmic Forces simultaneously at work in the world and in the life of man. These may be conveniently labeled ‘Law’, ‘Compassion’, and ‘Grace’. They are crucial for nurturing a balanced relationship with the universe.
The Law of Karma
The first one is what people, depending on their psychological inclination and perspective, refer to as the ‘Law of Karma’ or the ‘inescapable causal determinism’ or the ‘mysterious indeterministic Providence’ or simply ‘Fate’. The common underlying notion behind all these concepts is the belief that whatever unfolds in a person’s life does so inevitably, and no corrective measures can be considered that could potentially alter the course of events.
The fundamental principle of this theory is that every individual must inevitably face the consequences of all their previous actions. A mistake made, even unknowingly, or an error committed, even unintentionally, is destined to confront the individual, whether today or tomorrow, in this life or in a life hereafter, with its corresponding outcome of sorrow and suffering: they are ensnared in a trap from which there is no escape.
This is the primary cosmic Force at play in human life. However, if this were the only Force governing existence, humanity and its world would have been annihilated long ago; for, countless mistakes are made daily, and if everyone had to pay the price for their misdeeds in exact equivalence, human life would be a continuous saga of unrelenting sorrows, sufferings, and disasters. But reality is not so grim. The question then arises: why?
The Divine Compassion
Enter the second cosmic Force operative in human life. This may be termed ‘Divine Compassion’. It is an impersonal divine Force of love and benevolence that is constantly active in every person’s life and in the world at large, regardless of any variations in conditions and circumstances. Its sole aim is to alleviate the impact of Karma as much as possible, operating within the realm of Karma itself, without abolishing it entirely. It is due to the beneficial and moderating influence of this Compassion that most of us are often spared from the full severity of the ‘punishments’ that are due to us because of our persistent transgressions.
Such is the universal action of Divine Compassion, always endeavoring to mitigate the effects of the universal laws of Justice and Karma. And this operates universally in every person’s life, regardless of their individual qualities or state of consciousness, or their subjective attitude and readiness.
The Divine Grace
But that’s not all. There is a third cosmic Force at work in the world. It is the person-ward-oriented mobile divine Grace, and this is the most marvelous Force of all, capable of working miracles at any time, overriding completely the laws of universal Karma and strict Justice.
But what is this third Force? Well, it is divine Compassion but, in another guise, and in another mode of operation. In simpler terms, divine Compassion is like a frozen sheet of radiant whiteness enveloping the entire field of world manifestation, but in a mostly static manner due to its omnipresence, always striving to diminish the painful adverse effects of cosmic Justice and Karma, but without showing special concern for any particular individual: its influence is impersonal and widespread.
However, for various reasons, mostly due to a heartfelt and fervent appeal from an individual for divine aid and intervention, this frozen sheet of Compassion melts, so to speak, gains mobility, and begins moving toward the supplicant, acting directly and powerfully in their life circumstances, and completely altering the unfavorable course of events. We refer to this specialized action of divine Compassion as Grace. And this operates in various ways depending on the nature of the difficulty troubling the individual aspirant. As dangers and difficulties threaten human happiness in diverse ways, the divine Grace may assume at least six different forms; they may be identified as ‘Assisting Grace’; ‘Protective and Rescuing Grace’; ‘Healing Grace’;‘Bestowing Grace’; ‘Advising and Guiding Grace’; and finally ‘Liberating and Transforming Grace’.
How about the dark forces? There are no universal dark forces at the level of the universe. However, the three universal forces are not the only forces excersing their presence in the universe; there are also some at the individual levels. Not to mention all, but there are the psychic force, the mental force, the vital force, the physical force… which can be positive or negative for the individual as well as the collectives (which are no more than the aggregation of those forces).
