Amazing Grace: An Interpretation

In his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney in Charleston on 26 June 2015, President Obama talked about amazing grace. God showers on us grace, whether we deserve it or not. God is kind, and we are sinners, but we must try our best to deserve God’s amazing grace. He also sang solo the song– amazing grace. The audience, comprising of more than 5000 people, sang with the President:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see…

President was emotional, his tone and expression reflected that. The matter is something serious the President said. He emphasized on equality. His eulogy not only inspired the black people of America, or all Americans, but the people of the whole world. His speech was certainly not a political speech, but a wise counsel to rise above narrow thinking, and embed kindness, equality, and justice in thought and action.

Amazing grace is unconditional, and moved by God’s love for mankind. As God does not see color of skin, or social status, or wealth in showering His grace, individual must learn this from God’s amazing grace. The individual when learns God’s way, or the way in which there is no discrimination, no bias, he or she would not do anything that hurts others.

The President named all nine victims of the shooting. He said these people were decent people; they did not deserve to die in such a manner. He said such kinds of activities can not divide the communities in America. God works in mysterious ways, and perhaps this incident would show the way that there are many long miles to walk, and to do a lot of hard work, to address the bias. Equality should be in all spheres of life – whether in education, in employment, or in other spheres of social life, the President emphasized.

I am particularly interested in the idea of amazing grace. Only God is capable of amazing grace. Because human beings expect something when they give something – there is a kind of reciprocity in human behavior and actions. But, in God’s kingdom there is no such thing. God is perfect, most beautiful, most kind, and most powerful; He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. God exists on His own, He does not need help or support from anybody. He is complete on His own, He is eternal. Hence, His grace stands on its own. It is amazing as it pervades through every corner of the universe. Nobody is untouched of the God’s grace. Before God – the sinner and the virtuous are equal.

In Hindu religion, there is also a concept of amazing grace. There is a term in Sanskrit, Karunamaya. It describes God as full of grace. It is difficult to have an exact translation of this word in English. Broadly it implies God is kind, and He diffuses His rays of kindness to all human beings. Whether it was Dasyu Ratnakara (who later became Valmiki and wrote the great epic Ramayana) or bandit leader Angurimala (who later became a disciple of Buddha) or furious king Vishwamitra – all of them got God’s grace.

As Obama rightly said, it is difficult to know God’s mysterious ways of working. God works in His own way, which is not amenable to human intelligence and human rationality. To explore and analyze God’s way is like using a torch light to match the light of the sun, or to building a ladder to the moon from the surface of the earth. God works beyond rationality, rather He transcends rationality. Kant beautifully summarized this that our knowledge begins with senses, and then it proceeds to reason, and ends in Idea. God, according to him, is inexplicable to reason. Reason falters to explain God. When individual develops his or her consciousness in a slow and continuous effort, and devotes his mind, body and soul to the thinking of God, then gradually he or she can feel God.

I would rather argue that the idea of amazing grace occupies a key place in all religions. I would go to the extent to argue that without this grace, this world can not exist.

This amazing grace also shows us way, and guides us to widen our hearts and minds. The boundary of amazing grace extends beyond a state, its legal treaties and agreements. In the world of amazing grace all are equal, irrespective of their religion, gender, status, race, nationality.