Introduction:
There are two types of power (Shakti) which act in this world: one is the external power which helps in sustaining the creation, engaging the creatures (Jivas) in worldly life, indulging them in the worldly enjoyments (Pravritti Marg). The other Shakti attracts them towards the inner self that is the path of attaining salvation by renouncing earthly pleasures and interests (Nrivritti Marg). The power that helps in achieving the path of renunciation is called Guru-Shakti. According to the scriptures, the scriptures, the sastras, and the discourses of the great sages, at the time of the creation of the Universe, along with the external power which created the Jivas, the power which helps in renouncing the worldly enjoyment for attaining salvation called the Guru Shakti also started to flow. The essential fact is that being a part of paramatman, Jiva is not contented with his existion state, it wishes to rise above the life which it is leading. Perfect happiness and contentment can be attained in the state of Sri Paramatman. With the help of determined efforts, Jivas can rise above their present state and reach the state of Sri Paramatman; this state is reachable only in the human body because Sri Paramatman has given this privilege only to human beings. He has fully equipped us for this task. The Guru-Shakti takes the Jivas to the supreme goal. But the Shakti cannot workin abstraction; it needs a medium to work. So it has to accept a human body to undertake the task of emancipating the afflicted Jivas. The holy body which is adopted by the Guru-Shakti for showing us the right path, I.e. ‘Sri Gurudevaâ€, should be revered. But we should also realize that Gutu is not just the body. Guru is the Shakti that resides in that body. It is Omnipresent, Omniscient:it always remains with us wherever we go. The body of Sri Guru is not eternal; it is not always possible to feel the physical presence of Sri Gurudeva everywhere. But as the Supreme Being He is always with us and observes our each and every action. Sri Gutudeva is the embodiment of the Almighty (Sri Paramatman). One, who can reveal oneself (atman) to the followers, is the Guru. According to Vedas only the paramatman can reveal Himself. So if Sri Guru is not the Paramatman how can he reveal himself to his followers? Guru is the merciful form of the Supreme Being (Sri Bhagaban), Jivas are the part of Sri Bhagaban and Sri Bhagaban has to take all his children to His abode. Without having a human body how can He emancipate His children? For the gracious bestowal of His ceaseless flow of benevolence, the Supreme Being takes up His abode in the humble human body. When a disciple realizes his Guru is not different from the Supreme Being, he becomes capable of attaining salvation. A Guru teaches how to find the way to the home of God. Therefore he himself must have traveled in this path to truly know it before he can teach others how to reach the God. He is actually transferring his enlightenment to his Disciples. The word Guru describes a spiritual teacher or master. He has the power and the wisdom to eliminate spiritual ignorance in a disciple. A true Guru is the one who has attained the extreme degree of spiritual development before acting as a Guru. The Guru gives initiates the disciples onto the way of salvation, he thus only sows the seed. But if the disciple does not sprinkle water on the seed by earnestly devotion himself to sadhana he cannot be expected to reap the rewards soon. At the time of initiation (diksha) the power of the Guru is infused in the disciple. This power at first remains mixed with other things from which it later separates itself. The power of the Guru passes to his disciple. Being a disciple or pupil of somebody implies inculcating the power of that person. Meaning of the Word Guru:
Guru is God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the ‘Guru’ in Vedic tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. ‘Guru’ is an honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained variously in the scriptures and in ancient literary works including epics. The English word ‘Guru’ has its etymological origin from the Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as “Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect; influential teacher; revered mentorâ€. Basically the Guru is a spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of “God-realization’. In essence, the Guru is considered a respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an the initiatory mantra and one who plays the role of the instructor in rituals and religious ceremonies. The original Sanakrit, word Guru is made of two words. Gu means darkness and Ru means tight that is by destroying the darkness of illusion the Guru gives the Jivas the light of wisdom thus helping them in their way to attain the Supreme being. Jivas are attached to the material things and in their ignorance they consider those illusions to be the only truth. Only Guru can give the taste of the heavenly ambrosia which is eternal; Guru shows the way to overcome the attractions of illusory world (triguna Maya). Whenever Jiva crosses the ocean of the world (sansar samudra) he will realize the theology of self realization (sri bhagabat tattwarasamrita), and will become enlightened. Thus the Guru sends his disciple to the abode of God. Only Sri Guru alone can remove the darkness of ignorance from human beings and thereby turn them sway slowly from all the paths leading to temporal pleasures having the characteristics of Sattva, Raja, and Tama. He thus helps men to be able to feel transcendental happiness which is perpetual. Ultimately, the Guru sends such men to God in the abode of the immortals; this is the first and last word about Guru-Tattva (teachings of spiritualism). Sri Bhagabana (God), therefore as the Supreme being, advised Arjuna to rise above the three primal qualities I.e., Sattva, Raja, and Tama (Nistraigunya Bhabarjuna). “Sri Gurudeva is the only friend of mine in the present as well as the after life†– keeping this maxim always in mind, obey the instructions of the Guru with a calm state of mind. Very soon you’ll realize the real welfare behind his advice. It is only through the mercy of the Sri Guru that one can get devotion. If absolute trust and faith are placed with the Guru, reverence and devotion will automatically follow. Without Guru one can also proceed in the royal path of self-realization. But then the Journey would be full of obstacles and pitfalls. It would take long time to reach the destination. This sadhana would be similar to trying to cross the ocean in a small boat. Guru is like a huge steamer to which one tie one’s boat and relaxes. That huge steamer is sure to take the disciple to other shore. The dangers are minimized and the delay cut down. If we are fortunate enough to find such a Teacher, then a lofty kind of love can begin to blossom in our heart. Everything that happens between the Guru and the4disciple happens through love and compassion. The path to God is long and arduous. Jivas must dissolve their entire ego in their new role as spiritual disciples. It usually is much easier to gain a victory over another country than over one’s own ego. Guru knows all our problems and helps us to overcome them with utmost love and care. Why do We Need A Guru?
This is the most fundamental and common question. We need him to worship God and to attain salvation. It’s often said that if you worship God. He will help you in your sadhana. So why do we need to follow a Guru? A spiritual aspirant must understand the need of a qualified Guru to halp him or her proceed in the royal path of realizing the God. It is not possible for ordinary men to comprehend and grasp the essence of scriptures or religious philosophy (e.g. Vedanta, Yoga, and The Gita) by merely reading the books or listening to religious to religious talks. For any kind of education, the role of the teacher is most important because it is the teacher who shows us the right way to master the subject. Brahma vidya is the most difficult of all learning because it deals with the ultimate knowledge of the supreme reality. It is extremely difficult to gain this knowledge. It is impossible to grasp this knowledge by simply reading books, listening to speeches or giving lectures on them. According to the Vedas, Brahma vidya can only be made attained by the special grace of the Supreme Being Himself. The only way to attain this supreme knowledge is by taking shelter under the tutelage of a Sad Guru. Serve him earnestly, and if you can please him with your service, he will give you his blessings and lead you towards that knowledge. With the help of reading, meditation or rituals a person can earn some special powers but without the benevolence of a Sad Guru he can never attain the salvation. Sruti says a person can realize God if and only if the God reveals Himself to him. Guru is the embodiment of that God. God adopts the body of the Guru to emancipate the distressed people. If we think God as fire, jivas as ghee, then Guru is like the spoon; that is ghee like disciple is offered to fire like God by the spoon like Sad Guru. Sad Guru plays the role of a medium which communicates between paramatman and jivas. Guru is not confineed to a particular body. The Guru-shakti scatters itself in all living beings. Now the question arises how can we find a Sad Guru? How Do You Recognize Your Guru?
It becomes imperative on our part to understand and consider the basic qalifications of a spiritual teacher. Mundaka and brihadaranyaka Upanishads have eulogized the following four qualifications of a true Guru; The Guru should be shrotriya, l,e, well versed in scriptures. If he is to teach religion he must have a proper grasp of the subject as expounded in the genuine ancient texts and scriptures. This does not mean mere knowledge of the books, but the Guru must have imbibed the truths of the scriptures in his daily life. His actions, speech and thoughts must express these truths in his day-to day behavior. Not only his words but even his actions should convince the people of the spirituality manifested through him. The Guru must be able to handle all types of people who may come to him for salvation. For this he must continue his study and sadhana through out his life. The second important qualification of the Guru is that he must be Brahma-Jnani. He must be an enlightened soul himself, is ignorant then how can he guide his disciples towards knowledge! A blind man cannot lead another blind one to his goal; chances are that both will end up in a ditch. This separates the spiritual Guru from the teachers of secular subjects where the instructor does not need particularly good character or virtue. Brahma vidya is itself a very pure knowledge and hence the Guru must pure in his soul and completely devoted to God. Anyone and everyone can’t be a Guru. A huge load of solid timber floating on water can carry men and animals across the bank, even through rough waters; but a piece of worthless ordinary wood sinks as soon as one steps on it, drowning both itself and the person. Therefore in every age the God incarnates Himself as the Guru, to teach to the humanity the secrets of God and the self. The third qualification of the Guru is that he should not be smitten by desires or selfishness. His character must be spotlessly clean. He should have such virtues as compassion, love, generosity and altruism. He should be able to see the divinity all around and also be capable of understanding its manifestations in his various disciples. Therefore he should not hate or look down upon any sadhaka, for he knows that in many aspirants divinity might be hidden under the dirt of ignorance. In every case he guides the disciples to the same goal of Self realization. A Guru looks into the nature of the people before making them his disciple. All men look alike. But have different natures. Some have an excess of sattva, others excess of rajas and still others an excess of tamas. Accordingly the Guru gives different instructions to the different spiritual aspirants. Therefore faith in Guru’s words and instructions is most important for one’s spiritual progress; howsoever odd or contradictory his instructions may appear! The fourth qualification is linked to the third. The Guru should be stainless and pure. He should simple and guileless. He should have conquered greed and lust totally. Before resorting to a Guru the first thing that you must ensure that be belongs to a continuous and unbroken line of Gurus. In that case even if the Guru is not sufficiently powerful, the Guru-shakti passes into the disciple. In (Biological) Science, it is sometimes seen that a disease or a special faculty is transmitted directly to the grandson instead of being transmitted to the son. We regard one as a great soul (spiritually) if he belongs to distinguished tradition; otherwise he will lack the power to deliver others from this sansar. We must have our links established with the ‘Guru-Parampara’. Even if a Guru belonging to a Parampara is not powerful enough, the disciple may still imbibe the power as a result of the Parampara. Everybody does not have the capacity to initiate others. Simply belonging to the Guru-parampara doesn’t give one that power. The guru should be truthful and under no condition should he deviate from the righteous path. Therefore the Guru must renounce all worldly pleasures and cravings of the senses. Privilege, name and fame should not affect the character of the Guru in the least. He should be easily accessible and approachable to all his minor and major disciples.
The Qualities of a Disciple:
A good disciple should be respectful towards his Guru. The person should subdue all his passions. He or she should be of a gentle disposition and be interested in the sacred task of serving others. A person who can serve his Guru with complete devotion, be subservient to all the wishes of his Guru and does not think of his personal comfort can be a good disciples. A disciple should give up egotism because egotism is the most powerful hindrance in the way to total surrender of the self. A seeker of Good must be willing to fully trust and follow the advice of his Guru. He must learn to follow his Guru’s advice while learning at the same time to become free of any kind of attachments and make wise use of his mind and intuition. However, it is possible for an advanced Disciple to realize the spiritual guidance of his beloved Guru. Hence the physical presence becomes unimportant. A true Guru can guide all of his disciples without being physically present. A Guru never dies, as he becomes one with the God, all the Divine Bliss he receives from God is forwarded to his serious disciples until their souls merge in God himself.
There are two types of power (Shakti) which act in this world: one is the external power which helps in sustaining the creation, engaging the creatures (Jivas) in worldly life, indulging them in the worldly enjoyments (Pravritti Marg). The other Shakti attracts them towards the inner self that is the path of attaining salvation by renouncing earthly pleasures and interests (Nrivritti Marg). The power that helps in achieving the path of renunciation is called Guru-Shakti. According to the scriptures, the scriptures, the sastras, and the discourses of the great sages, at the time of the creation of the Universe, along with the external power which created the Jivas, the power which helps in renouncing the worldly enjoyment for attaining salvation called the Guru Shakti also started to flow. The essential fact is that being a part of paramatman, Jiva is not contented with his existion state, it wishes to rise above the life which it is leading. Perfect happiness and contentment can be attained in the state of Sri Paramatman. With the help of determined efforts, Jivas can rise above their present state and reach the state of Sri Paramatman; this state is reachable only in the human body because Sri Paramatman has given this privilege only to human beings. He has fully equipped us for this task. The Guru-Shakti takes the Jivas to the supreme goal. But the Shakti cannot workin abstraction; it needs a medium to work. So it has to accept a human body to undertake the task of emancipating the afflicted Jivas. The holy body which is adopted by the Guru-Shakti for showing us the right path, I.e. ‘Sri Gurudevaâ€, should be revered. But we should also realize that Gutu is not just the body. Guru is the Shakti that resides in that body. It is Omnipresent, Omniscient:it always remains with us wherever we go. The body of Sri Guru is not eternal; it is not always possible to feel the physical presence of Sri Gurudeva everywhere. But as the Supreme Being He is always with us and observes our each and every action. Sri Gutudeva is the embodiment of the Almighty (Sri Paramatman). One, who can reveal oneself (atman) to the followers, is the Guru. According to Vedas only the paramatman can reveal Himself. So if Sri Guru is not the Paramatman how can he reveal himself to his followers? Guru is the merciful form of the Supreme Being (Sri Bhagaban), Jivas are the part of Sri Bhagaban and Sri Bhagaban has to take all his children to His abode. Without having a human body how can He emancipate His children? For the gracious bestowal of His ceaseless flow of benevolence, the Supreme Being takes up His abode in the humble human body. When a disciple realizes his Guru is not different from the Supreme Being, he becomes capable of attaining salvation. A Guru teaches how to find the way to the home of God. Therefore he himself must have traveled in this path to truly know it before he can teach others how to reach the God. He is actually transferring his enlightenment to his Disciples. The word Guru describes a spiritual teacher or master. He has the power and the wisdom to eliminate spiritual ignorance in a disciple. A true Guru is the one who has attained the extreme degree of spiritual development before acting as a Guru. The Guru gives initiates the disciples onto the way of salvation, he thus only sows the seed. But if the disciple does not sprinkle water on the seed by earnestly devotion himself to sadhana he cannot be expected to reap the rewards soon. At the time of initiation (diksha) the power of the Guru is infused in the disciple. This power at first remains mixed with other things from which it later separates itself. The power of the Guru passes to his disciple. Being a disciple or pupil of somebody implies inculcating the power of that person. Meaning of the Word Guru:
Guru is God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the ‘Guru’ in Vedic tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. ‘Guru’ is an honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained variously in the scriptures and in ancient literary works including epics. The English word ‘Guru’ has its etymological origin from the Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as “Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect; influential teacher; revered mentorâ€. Basically the Guru is a spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of “God-realization’. In essence, the Guru is considered a respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an the initiatory mantra and one who plays the role of the instructor in rituals and religious ceremonies. The original Sanakrit, word Guru is made of two words. Gu means darkness and Ru means tight that is by destroying the darkness of illusion the Guru gives the Jivas the light of wisdom thus helping them in their way to attain the Supreme being. Jivas are attached to the material things and in their ignorance they consider those illusions to be the only truth. Only Guru can give the taste of the heavenly ambrosia which is eternal; Guru shows the way to overcome the attractions of illusory world (triguna Maya). Whenever Jiva crosses the ocean of the world (sansar samudra) he will realize the theology of self realization (sri bhagabat tattwarasamrita), and will become enlightened. Thus the Guru sends his disciple to the abode of God. Only Sri Guru alone can remove the darkness of ignorance from human beings and thereby turn them sway slowly from all the paths leading to temporal pleasures having the characteristics of Sattva, Raja, and Tama. He thus helps men to be able to feel transcendental happiness which is perpetual. Ultimately, the Guru sends such men to God in the abode of the immortals; this is the first and last word about Guru-Tattva (teachings of spiritualism). Sri Bhagabana (God), therefore as the Supreme being, advised Arjuna to rise above the three primal qualities I.e., Sattva, Raja, and Tama (Nistraigunya Bhabarjuna). “Sri Gurudeva is the only friend of mine in the present as well as the after life†– keeping this maxim always in mind, obey the instructions of the Guru with a calm state of mind. Very soon you’ll realize the real welfare behind his advice. It is only through the mercy of the Sri Guru that one can get devotion. If absolute trust and faith are placed with the Guru, reverence and devotion will automatically follow. Without Guru one can also proceed in the royal path of self-realization. But then the Journey would be full of obstacles and pitfalls. It would take long time to reach the destination. This sadhana would be similar to trying to cross the ocean in a small boat. Guru is like a huge steamer to which one tie one’s boat and relaxes. That huge steamer is sure to take the disciple to other shore. The dangers are minimized and the delay cut down. If we are fortunate enough to find such a Teacher, then a lofty kind of love can begin to blossom in our heart. Everything that happens between the Guru and the4disciple happens through love and compassion. The path to God is long and arduous. Jivas must dissolve their entire ego in their new role as spiritual disciples. It usually is much easier to gain a victory over another country than over one’s own ego. Guru knows all our problems and helps us to overcome them with utmost love and care. Why do We Need A Guru?
This is the most fundamental and common question. We need him to worship God and to attain salvation. It’s often said that if you worship God. He will help you in your sadhana. So why do we need to follow a Guru? A spiritual aspirant must understand the need of a qualified Guru to halp him or her proceed in the royal path of realizing the God. It is not possible for ordinary men to comprehend and grasp the essence of scriptures or religious philosophy (e.g. Vedanta, Yoga, and The Gita) by merely reading the books or listening to religious to religious talks. For any kind of education, the role of the teacher is most important because it is the teacher who shows us the right way to master the subject. Brahma vidya is the most difficult of all learning because it deals with the ultimate knowledge of the supreme reality. It is extremely difficult to gain this knowledge. It is impossible to grasp this knowledge by simply reading books, listening to speeches or giving lectures on them. According to the Vedas, Brahma vidya can only be made attained by the special grace of the Supreme Being Himself. The only way to attain this supreme knowledge is by taking shelter under the tutelage of a Sad Guru. Serve him earnestly, and if you can please him with your service, he will give you his blessings and lead you towards that knowledge. With the help of reading, meditation or rituals a person can earn some special powers but without the benevolence of a Sad Guru he can never attain the salvation. Sruti says a person can realize God if and only if the God reveals Himself to him. Guru is the embodiment of that God. God adopts the body of the Guru to emancipate the distressed people. If we think God as fire, jivas as ghee, then Guru is like the spoon; that is ghee like disciple is offered to fire like God by the spoon like Sad Guru. Sad Guru plays the role of a medium which communicates between paramatman and jivas. Guru is not confineed to a particular body. The Guru-shakti scatters itself in all living beings. Now the question arises how can we find a Sad Guru? How Do You Recognize Your Guru?
It becomes imperative on our part to understand and consider the basic qalifications of a spiritual teacher. Mundaka and brihadaranyaka Upanishads have eulogized the following four qualifications of a true Guru; The Guru should be shrotriya, l,e, well versed in scriptures. If he is to teach religion he must have a proper grasp of the subject as expounded in the genuine ancient texts and scriptures. This does not mean mere knowledge of the books, but the Guru must have imbibed the truths of the scriptures in his daily life. His actions, speech and thoughts must express these truths in his day-to day behavior. Not only his words but even his actions should convince the people of the spirituality manifested through him. The Guru must be able to handle all types of people who may come to him for salvation. For this he must continue his study and sadhana through out his life. The second important qualification of the Guru is that he must be Brahma-Jnani. He must be an enlightened soul himself, is ignorant then how can he guide his disciples towards knowledge! A blind man cannot lead another blind one to his goal; chances are that both will end up in a ditch. This separates the spiritual Guru from the teachers of secular subjects where the instructor does not need particularly good character or virtue. Brahma vidya is itself a very pure knowledge and hence the Guru must pure in his soul and completely devoted to God. Anyone and everyone can’t be a Guru. A huge load of solid timber floating on water can carry men and animals across the bank, even through rough waters; but a piece of worthless ordinary wood sinks as soon as one steps on it, drowning both itself and the person. Therefore in every age the God incarnates Himself as the Guru, to teach to the humanity the secrets of God and the self. The third qualification of the Guru is that he should not be smitten by desires or selfishness. His character must be spotlessly clean. He should have such virtues as compassion, love, generosity and altruism. He should be able to see the divinity all around and also be capable of understanding its manifestations in his various disciples. Therefore he should not hate or look down upon any sadhaka, for he knows that in many aspirants divinity might be hidden under the dirt of ignorance. In every case he guides the disciples to the same goal of Self realization. A Guru looks into the nature of the people before making them his disciple. All men look alike. But have different natures. Some have an excess of sattva, others excess of rajas and still others an excess of tamas. Accordingly the Guru gives different instructions to the different spiritual aspirants. Therefore faith in Guru’s words and instructions is most important for one’s spiritual progress; howsoever odd or contradictory his instructions may appear! The fourth qualification is linked to the third. The Guru should be stainless and pure. He should simple and guileless. He should have conquered greed and lust totally. Before resorting to a Guru the first thing that you must ensure that be belongs to a continuous and unbroken line of Gurus. In that case even if the Guru is not sufficiently powerful, the Guru-shakti passes into the disciple. In (Biological) Science, it is sometimes seen that a disease or a special faculty is transmitted directly to the grandson instead of being transmitted to the son. We regard one as a great soul (spiritually) if he belongs to distinguished tradition; otherwise he will lack the power to deliver others from this sansar. We must have our links established with the ‘Guru-Parampara’. Even if a Guru belonging to a Parampara is not powerful enough, the disciple may still imbibe the power as a result of the Parampara. Everybody does not have the capacity to initiate others. Simply belonging to the Guru-parampara doesn’t give one that power. The guru should be truthful and under no condition should he deviate from the righteous path. Therefore the Guru must renounce all worldly pleasures and cravings of the senses. Privilege, name and fame should not affect the character of the Guru in the least. He should be easily accessible and approachable to all his minor and major disciples.
The Qualities of a Disciple:
A good disciple should be respectful towards his Guru. The person should subdue all his passions. He or she should be of a gentle disposition and be interested in the sacred task of serving others. A person who can serve his Guru with complete devotion, be subservient to all the wishes of his Guru and does not think of his personal comfort can be a good disciples. A disciple should give up egotism because egotism is the most powerful hindrance in the way to total surrender of the self. A seeker of Good must be willing to fully trust and follow the advice of his Guru. He must learn to follow his Guru’s advice while learning at the same time to become free of any kind of attachments and make wise use of his mind and intuition. However, it is possible for an advanced Disciple to realize the spiritual guidance of his beloved Guru. Hence the physical presence becomes unimportant. A true Guru can guide all of his disciples without being physically present. A Guru never dies, as he becomes one with the God, all the Divine Bliss he receives from God is forwarded to his serious disciples until their souls merge in God himself.
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