Answer
(Five Stages of Divine Realization)
A seeker walking the path of spiritual practice experiences many kinds of spiritual realizations. Among them, one exceedingly rare and sacred realization is Ishvar-Darshan — the vision of God. The vision of the Lord is not of a single type; it manifests in five forms according to the seeker's spiritual state and inner purity.
1. Svapna-Darshan — The Touch of Divinity in Sleep
Sometimes the Lord appears and grants His vision in a dream. This may sound simple, but it is among the rarest of experiences. Many seekers, even after a lifetime of practice, have found that they did not receive even a dream-vision of the Lord.
This type of darshan is the first glimpse of the subtle realm, where the dialogue between the Atman and God begins.
2. Avritta-Darshan — The Descent of Grace in Disguise
Sometimes God comes to the aid of His devotee in some other form, keeping His true identity concealed — that is, veiled. At that moment the devotee is unaware, but soon it becomes clear that it was none other than the Lord Himself.
God can manifest in any form for the protection of His devotee.
One of my Gurujis, who was an exponent of the Ramcharitmanas, was once invited to a village to deliver a discourse. He had to cross the Ganga on the way, but due to torrential rain and a storm, he had to turn back. Two days later the villagers came and said, 'Your discourse was marvelous; everyone experienced deep bliss.' Guruji remained silent, but later told me, 'There is no doubt that Shri Rama Himself went in my place and delivered the discourse.' The circumstances were such that no other conclusion was possible.
This was that very Avritta-Darshan — when the Lord conceals His own form and fulfills the work of His devotee.
3. Dhyana-Darshan — Direct Realization Within the Inner Mind
The third type of darshan occurs through meditation. When a devotee contemplates his Ishta-Devata (chosen deity) in deep meditation, that form comes alive, manifests, and even engages in conversation.
My other Guru, Brahmachariji, used to receive such Dhyana-Darshan daily. He would petition Lord Shri Krishna regarding the suffering of devotees. If the Lord granted permission, Brahmachariji would give a Tulsi leaf to that devotee — and the devotee would be freed from disease. If permission was not granted, no medicine would prove effective.
This demonstrates that Dhyana-Darshan is not mere imagination but a living dialogue between the Atman and God.
4. Pratyaksha or Chakshusha-Darshan — When the Lord Appears Before You
When God grants His devotee a direct, face-to-face vision in the very form in which the devotee worships Him, it is called Chakshusha-Darshan. This vision occurs with open eyes, and the flood of emotion that arises with it is beyond description.
Brahmachariji had also received this Pratyaksha-Darshan — he could see the Lord alive before him.
5. Divya-Drishti-Darshan — The Experience of the Cosmic Form
This vision does not occur through the physical eyes but through divine sight.
Just as in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Shri Krishna showed Arjuna His Vishvarupa (cosmic form), but first bestowed upon him divine sight, because ordinary eyes were incapable of beholding that form. Some devotees also receive this same divine sight — they continuously experience the lilas of Vrindavan as it was in the time of Shri Krishna, or of Ayodhya as it was in the time of Shri Rama.
This vision transcends the limits of space and time; it carries the Atman to those divine realms where God Himself abides.
For Both Saguna and Nirguna Worshipers
All these experiences generally occur to saguna (personal-form) worshipers, but sometimes even nirakara (formless) practitioners become overwhelmed by such visions.
Shri Shyamacharan Lahiri (Lahiri Mahasaya) is an example of this — though he was a Dhyana Yogi, he beheld the saguna forms of God.
Paramahansa Yoganandaji wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi that once, while staying at a hotel in America, he looked out the window toward the sky and received a direct, living vision of Lord Shri Krishna.
Conclusion — The Essence of Darshan
Every form of Ishvar-Darshan has its own sanctity. Some see Him in dreams, some hear Him in meditation, some behold Him with open eyes, and some with divine sight. But the fundamental truth is one — wherever there is true faith, there God is manifest.