We often experience a thrill for various reasons. Spiritually, thrill is described as body sensing the action of Grace. A young man is selected in an interview. He is relieved of the tension he was so far in. A case is judged in one's favour. The client is pleased. A negotiation turns out to someone's expectation. He is satisfied. He understands how it concluded so. He sometimes knows the role his skill played. Relief is of the nerves, pleasure is a positive feeling of the nerves. Satisfaction is of the mind. Understanding is a mental process. What acted in the interview, the judgement, and the negotiation is, in fact, Grace that is behind. Grace is God's action on His own without any propitiation or prompting. In all the above cases, the concerned persons were not aware of Grace. Man is usually oblivious of Grace. The mind recognising Grace gives belief. Recognition is not gratitude. Deeper down the vital - the nerves - recognising Grace is joy. At the deepest point lie the body and its sensations. The body recognising the action of Grace by its sensation and offering in turn a sensation of gratitude is thrilling.
If you have ever escaped an accident narrowly, think what was your first response. We exclaim, "It is good luck". There are other times we continue our journey without referring to the accident or escape. Man is not usually aware that gratitude is NOT a ready sensation he ever feels. Even miraculous events receive such responses. Draupadi was in the court, she was humiliated, her husbands were powerless to help, having become slaves. The great souls of the court and the King himself went dumb. She called Krishna who responded to her call. Her honour was saved. She was relieved. She went on her tirade against dharma, court, eminence, traditions etc. That miracle happened in the public court. No one in the story ever mentioned that great MIRACLE after the event or after they left the court. Even Draupadi seemed to be oblivious of it. She met Krishna a long time later. There was no mention of the subject. In this event, we see the normal oblivious, unconscious, human mind that is self-centred.
One experience of the devotees was examined, analysed, rationalised, subjected to close scrutiny and the considered result is: Should a devotee be aware of the overt acts of Grace in his life and take the full inner effort to feel a sensation of Gratitude, prayer will be superfluous to him in future. Spiritually, any spiritual BOON for which he has to undergo austerities for years will come to him unasked, the moment he is ripe enough to receive it and retain it. Anyone faced with a multitude of problems can pray and solve them. There is another method. Let him look at what recently came to him by Grace and offer gratitude to it. All his present problems will disappear. Gratitude is the divine sensation that attracts Grace.