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The Sadguru is
Brahman
“The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the
aspirant. Grace of God takes the form of the Guru. To see the Guru is to
see God. The Guru is united with God. He inspires devotion in others.
His presence purifies all.
The Guru is verily
a link between the individual and the immortal. He is a being who has
raised himself from this into That, and thus has free and
unhampered access into both the realms. He stands, as it were, upon the
threshold of immortality; and, bending down he raises the struggling
individuals with his one hand, and with the other lifts them up into the
empyrean of everlasting joy and infinite Truth-Consciousness.
THE SADGURU
To be
a Guru, one must have a command from God.
Mere study of
books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas, and who has
direct knowledge of the Atman (Self) through Anubhava (experience), can
alone be enrolled as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or liberated sage is the real
Guru or spiritual preceptor. He is the Sadguru. He is identical with
Brahman or the Supreme Self. He is a Knower of Brahman.
A Sadguru is
endowed with countless Siddhis (psychic powers). He possesses all divine
Aisvarya (powers), all the wealth of the Lord.
Possession of
Siddhis, however, is not the test to declare the greatness of a sage or
to prove that he has attained Self-realisation. Sadgurus generally do
not exhibit any miracle or Siddhi. Sometimes, however, they may do so in
order to convince the aspirants of the existence of superphysical
things, give them encouragement, and instill faith in their hearts.
The Sadguru is
Brahman Himself. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge, and mercy. He is
the captain of your soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all your
troubles, sorrows, and obstacles. He shows you the right divine path.
He tears your veil
of ignorance. He makes you immortal and divine. He transmutes your
lower, diabolical nature. He gives you the rope of knowledge, and takes
you up when you are drowning in this ocean of Samsara (cycle of birth
and death). Do not consider him to be only a man. If you take him as a
man, you are a beast. Worship your Guru and bow to him with reverence.
Guru is God. A
word from him is a word from God. He need not-teach anything. Even his
presence or company is elevating, inspiring, and stirring, His very
company is self-illumination. Living in his company is spiritual
education. Read the Granth-saheb (the holy scripture of the Sikh
religion). You will come to know the greatness of the Guru.
Man can learn only
from man, and hence God teaches through a human body. In your Guru, you
have your human ideal of perfection. He is the pattern into which you
wish to mould yourself. Your mind will readily be convinced that such a
great soul, is fit to be worshipped and revered.
Guru is the
Moksha-dvara (door to liberation). He is the gateway to the
transcendental Truth-Consciousness. But, it is the aspirant who has to
enter through it. The, Guru is a help, but the actual task of practical
Sadhana
(spiritual practice) falls on the aspirant himself.
THE NEED FOR A GURU
For a
beginner in the spiritual path, a Guru is necessary. To light a candle,
you need a burning candle. Even an illumined soul alone can enlighten
another soul.
Some do meditation
for some years independently. Later on, they actually feel the necessity
of a Guru. They come across some obstacles in the way. They are unable
to know how to obviate these impediments or stumbling blocks. Then they
begin to search for a Master.
Only the man who
has already been to Badrinath will be able to tell you the road. In the
case of the spiritual path, it is still more difficult to find your way.
The mind will mislead you very often. The Guru will be able to remove
pitfalls and obstacles, and lead you along the right path. He will tell
you: "This road leads you to Moksha (liberation); this one leads to
bondage". Without this guidance, you might want to go to Badrinath, but
find yourself in Delhi!
The scriptures are
like a forest. There are ambiguous passages. There are passages which
are apparently contradictory. There are passages which have esoteric
meanings, diverse significance, and hidden explanations. There are
cross-references. You are in need of a Guru or Preceptor who will
explain to you the right meaning, who will remove doubts and
ambiguities, who will place before you the essence of the teachings.
A Guru is
absolutely necessary for every aspirant in the spiritual path. It is
only the Guru who will find out your defects. The nature of egoism is
such that you will not be able to find out your own defects. Just as a
man cannot see his back, so also he cannot see his own errors. He must
live under a Guru for the eradication of his evil qualities and defects.
The aspirant who
is under the guidance of a Master or Guru is safe from being led astray.
Satsanga or association with the Guru is an armour and fortress to guard
you against all temptations and unfavourable forces of the material
world.
Cases of those who
had attained perfection without study under any Guru should not be cited
as authority against the necessity of a Guru; for, such great men are
the anomalies of spiritual life, and not the common normality. They come
into existence as spiritual masters as a result of the intense service,
study, and meditation practised in previous births. They had already
studied under the Guru. The present birth is only its continuative
spiritual effect. Hence, the importance of the Guru is not lessened
thereby.
Some teachers
mislead their aspirants. They say unto all: "Think for yourself. Do not
surrender yourself to any Guru". When one says, "Do not follow any
Guru!", he intends to be the listeners' Guru himself. Do not approach
such pseudo-Gurus. Do not hear their lectures.
All great
ones had their teachers. All the sages, saints, prophets, world-
teachers, incarnations, great men, have had their own Gurus, however
great they might have been. Svetaketu learnt the nature of Truth from
Uddalaka, Maitreyi from Yajnavalkya, Bhrigu from Varuna, Narada from
Sanatkumara, Nachiketas from Yama, Indra from Prajapati; and several
others humbly went to wise ones, observed strict
Brahmacharya,
practised rigorous discipline, and learnt Brahma-vidya (the science of
God) from them.
Lord Krishna sat
at the feet of His Guru Sandeepani. Lord Rama had Guru Vasishtha who
gave Him Upadesha (spiritual advice). Lord Jesus sought John to be
baptised by him on the banks of the river Jordan. Even Devas (celestial
beings) have Brihaspati as their Guru. Even the greatest among the
divine beings sat at the feet of Guru Dakshinamurti.
A neophyte must
have a personal Guru first. He cannot have God as Guru to begin with. He
must have a pure mind. He must have ethical perfection. He, must be
intensely virtuous. He must be above body-consciousness. Then alone can
he have God as Guru.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR GURU
If
you find peace in the presence of a Mahatma (great soul), if you are
inspired by his speeches, if he is able to clear your doubts, if he is
free, from greed, anger, and lust, if he is selfless, loving, and
I-less, you can take him as your Guru. He who is able to clear your
doubts, he who is sympathetic in your Sadhana, he who does not disturb
your beliefs but helps you on from where you are, he in whose very
presence you feel spiritually elevated-he is your Guru. Once you choose
Your Guru, implicitly follow him. God will guide you through the Guru.
Do not use your
reason too much in the selection of your Guru. You will fail if you do
so. If you fail to get a first-class Guru, try to follow the
instructions of the Sadhu (a spiritual person) who is treading the path
for some years, who has purity and other virtuous qualities, and who has
some knowledge of the scriptures. Just as a student of the Intermediate
class will be able to teach a student of Third Form when a professor
with M.A. qualification is not available, just as a sub-assistant
surgeon will be able to attend on a patient when the civil surgeon is
not available, this second- class type of Guru will be able to help you.
If you are
not able to find out even this second-class type of Guru, you can follow
the teachings contained in the books written by realised saints like
Sri Sankara,
Dattatreya, and others. You can keep a photo of such a realised Guru, if
available, and worship the same with faith and devotion. Gradually you
will get inspiration, and the Guru may appear in dream and initiate and
inspire you at the proper time. For a sincere Sadhak (aspirant), help
comes in a mysterious manner. When the time is ripe, the Guru and the
disciple are brought together by the Lord in a mysterious way.
MYSTERIOUS HELP FROM THE LORD
Just
see how the Lord has helped the devotees in the following instances.
Eknath heard an Akasavani (a voice from the sky). It said, "See Janardan
Pant at Deva Giri. He will put you in the proper path and guide you."
Eknath acted accordingly and found his Guru. Tukaram received his
Mantra, Rama Krishna Hari, in his dream. He repeated this Mantra
and had Darshan (vision) of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna directed Namdev
to get his higher initiation from a Sannyasin (renunciate) at
Mallikarjuna. Queen Chudalai assumed the form, of Kumbha Muni, appeared
before her husband Sikhidhwaja in the forest, and initiated him in the
mysteries of Kaivalya (state of absolute independence). Madhura Kavi saw
a light in the firmament for three days consecutively. It guided him and
took him to his Guru Nammalvar who was sitting in Samadhi underneath a
tamarind tree near Tinnevelly. Vilvamangal was very much attracted to
Chintamani, the dancing woman. The latter became his Guru. Tulasidas
received instructions from an invisible being to see Hanuman and,
through Hanuman, to get Darshan of Sri Rama.
Competent
disciples are never in want of a competent Guru. Realised souls are not
rare. Ordinary ignorant-minded persons cannot easily recognise them.
Only a few persons, who are pure and embodiments of all virtuous
qualities, can understand realised souls, and they only will be
benefited in their company.
So long as there
is a world, there are Gurus and Vedas to guide the struggling souls in
the path of Self-realisation. The number of realised souls may be less
in the Iron Age when compared with the Satya Yuga (age of Truth), but
they are always present to help the aspirants. Let each man take the
path according to his capacity, temperament, and understanding. His
Sadguru will meet him along that path.
SIKSHA GURUS AND DIKSHA GURU
Man
has a twofold duty here on earth-to preserve his life, and to realise
his Self. To preserve his life, he has to learn to work for his daily
bread. To realise his Self, he has to serve, love, and meditate. The
Guru who teaches him the knowledge of worldly arts is the Siksha Guru.
The Guru who shows him the path of Realisation is the Diksha Guru.
Siksha Gurus can be many-as many as the things he wishes to learn. The
Diksha Guru can be only one-the one who leads him to Moksha.
STICK TO ONE GURU
Do
not dig here and there shallow pits for getting water. The pits will dry
up soon. Dig a very deep pit in one place. Centralise all your efforts
here. You will get good water that can supply you throughout the year.
Even so, try to imbibe thoroughly the spiritual teachings from one
preceptor alone. Drink deep from one man. Sit at his feet for some
years. There is no use of wandering from one man to another man, out of
curiosity, losing faith in a short time. Do not have the ever-changing
mind of a prostitute. Follow the spiritual instructions of one man only.
If you go to several people and follow the instructions of many persons,
you will be bewildered. You will be in a dilemma.
From a doctor, you
get a prescription. From two doctors, you get consultation. From three
doctors, you get your own cremation. Even so, if you have many Gurus,
you will be bewildered. You will be at a loss to know what to do. One
Guru will tell you: "Do Soham Japa". Another will tell you: "Do Japa of
Sri Ram”. A third Guru will tell you: "Hear Anahat (mystic)
sounds". You will be puzzled. Stick to one Guru and follow his
instructions.
Listen to all, but
follow one. Respect all, but adore one. Gather knowledge from all, but
adopt the teachings of one Master. Then you will have rapid spiritual
progress.
GURU-PARAMPARA
Spiritual knowledge is a matter of Guru-parampara. It is handed down
from Guru to disciple. Gaudapadacharya imparted Self-knowledge to his
disciple Govindacharya; Govindacharya to his disciple Sankaracharya;
Sankaracharya to his disciple Suresvaracharya. Matsyendranath imparted
knowledge to his disciple Gorakhnath; Gorakhnath to Nivrittinath;
Nivrittinath to Jnanadeva. Totapuri imparted knowledge to Sri
Ramakrishna, and Ramakrishna to Swami Vivekananda. It was Ashtavakra who
moulded the life of Raja Janaka. It was Gorakhnath who shaped the
spiritual destiny of Raja Bhartrihari. It was Lord Krishna who made
Arjuna and Uddhava get themselves established in the spiritual path when
their minds were in an unsettled state.
INITIATION-ITS MEANING
A
Bhakta will be initiated by a Bhakta saint in the path of devotion. A
Jnani will initiate a student of Vedanta in the Mahavakyas. A Hatha Yogi
or a Raja Yogi can initiate another in his particular path. But, a sage
of perfect realisation, a Purna-jnani (full-blown sage) or Purna-yogi,
can give initiation in any particular path. A sage or saint like Sri
Sankara or Madhusudana Sarasvati can initiate a Sadhak in any particular
path for which the aspirant is fit. The Guru will find out by close
study of the aspirant his tastes, temperaments, and capacity, and decide
for him the most suitable path. If his heart is impure, the teacher will
prescribe selfless service for a number of years. Then the Guru will
find out for what particular path the student is fit and initiate him in
that.
Initiation does
not mean reciting a Mantra into another's ears. If Rama is influenced by
the thoughts of Krishna, the former has got initiation already from the
latter. If an aspirant treads the path of truth after studying the books
written by a saint, and imbibes his teachings, that saint has already
become his Guru.
SAKTI-SANCHAR
Just
as you can give an orange to a man, so also, spiritual power can be
transmitted by one to another. This method of transmitting spiritual
powers is termed Sakti-sanchar. In Sakti-sanchar, a certain spiritual
vibration of the Sadguru is actually transferred to the mind of the
disciple.
Spiritual power is
transmitted by the Guru to the proper disciple whom he considers fit for
Sakti-sanchar. The Guru can transform the disciple by a look, a touch, a
thought or a word, or mere willing.
Sakti-sanchar
comes through Parampara. It is a hidden mystic science. It is handed
down from Guru to disciple.
Lord Jesus,
through touch, transmitted his spiritual power to some of his disciples.
A disciple of Samartha Ramdas transmitted his power to that dancing
girl's daughter who was very passionate towards him. The disciple gazed
at her and gave her Samadhi. Her passion vanished. She became very
religious and spiritual. Lord Krishna touched the blind eyes of Surdas.
The inner eye of Surdas was opened. He had Bhava Samadhi. Lord Gouranga,
through his touch, produced divine intoxication in many people and
converted them to his side. Atheists even danced in ecstasy in the
streets by his touch and sang songs of Hari.
The disciple
should not rest satisfied with the transmission of power from the Guru.
He will have to struggle hard in Sadhana for further perfection and
attainments. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa touched Swami Vivekananda.
Swami Vivekananda had superconscious experience. He struggled hard for
seven years more, even after the touch, for attaining perfection.
GRACE AND SELF-EFFORT
Realisation cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru. Lord
Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done Sadhana. Lord Krishna asks
Arjuna to develop Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (practice). He did
not say to him, "I will give you Mukti(liberation) now". Therefore,
abandon the wrong notion that your Guru will give you Samadhi and Mukti.
Strive, purify, meditate, and realise.
Guru-kripa-grace
of a Guru-is very necessary. That does not mean that the disciple should
sit idle. He must do rigid Purushartha, spiritual practices. The whole
work must be done by the student. Nowadays, people want a drop of water
from the Kamandalu (water-pot) of a Sannyasin and desire to enter into
Samadhi immediately. They are not prepared to undergo any Sadhana for
purification and Self-realisation. They want a magic pill to push them
into Samadhi. If you have got such delusion, give it up immediately.
The Guru and the
Shastras can show you the path and remove your doubts. Anubhava (direct
experience) of the Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive knowledge is left
for your own experience. A hungry man will have to eat for himself. He
who has a severe itching will have to scratch for himself.
No doubt, the
Guru's blessing can do everything. But how can one have his blessings?
By pleasing the Guru. A Guru can be pleased with his disciple only if
the latter carries out his spiritual instructions implicitly. Carefully
follow, therefore the instructions of the Guru. Act up to his
instructions. Then only will you deserve his blessings, and then alone
his blessings can do everything.”
Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society
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