A View of Santhigiri Ashram

A View of Santhigiri Ashram
Lotus Parnasala and Sahakarana Mandiram , Santhigiri Ashram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Showing posts with label Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The Spiritual Significance of Kumbha Mela

The Spiritual Significance of Kumbha Mela Being Celebrated tomorrow (20 September, 2018) in Santhigiri Ashram:

The human race is facing a great crisis today. Great preceptors like Sri Krishna, Sri Buddha, Mahavir, Moses, Zarathustra, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad and Guru Nanak appeared for the spiritual renewal of humanity during historic intervals. However, their mission remains incomplete necessitating another epoch of spiritual renewal by a world teacher.
The spiritual vision of the great Indian rishis reveals how a soul can achieve absolute freedom from all imperfections and attain perfect peace.
There is only one Almighty God, Parabrahman. His light pervades in everything and everyone.
From that indescribable light of God emerges Manu, the nucleus of creation. He is the first born of God, the Adam of human race.
A solar system is the creation of Manu in association with saptarshis, the seven planetary spirits.
The Indian rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantaras after the name of Manu.
Through the concept of Manu and Manu cycles India gives the world a perfect idea about creation and evolution of souls through the guidance of great mahatmas.
This is the basic concept of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal spiritual culture. Sanatana dharma is the culture of great mahatmas.
In the present cycle of Vaivaswata Manu an error occurred in the Sanatana Dharma.
A preceptor mistook himself as Brahman at the summit of God realization.
He pronounced ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, i.e. I am God.
A curse fell upon the human race as a result of this utterance against God.
After this curse, four chaturyugas went in darkness.
For a long age, the human race lost track of the true path and fell into degrading practices like sorcery, spirit worship, atheism, and so on.
God sent 2444 mahatmas from the beginning of this kali yuga, to guide the human race towards the path of true dharma.
However, the fallen souls known as Yoga bhrashtas, Satan and Jinnis opposed these mahatmas and persecuted them defeating their mission.
Several mahatmas and sages prayed to God Almighty so that the human race, which has lost track, may be guided to the right path.
Many great souls and prophets like Moses, Sri Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed prophesied that the world will be guided to the true path through a great Soul.
Before the passing away of the Buddha, Ananda the principal disciple of the Buddha, asked the blessed one suppressing his tears,
“Who will teach us when you are gone?”
The blessed one replied,
“I am not the first Buddha who came upon the Earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time, another Buddha will arise in the World, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the Universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals.
“He will reveal to you the same Eternal Truth which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal in the spirit and in the letter.
“He will proclaim a religious life wholly perfect and pure, such as I now proclaim.” Then Ananda said “How shall we know him?” The blessed one said “He will be known as Mettayya (Maitreya), which means, he whose name is Karunakara, i.e. kindness. “
In the Bible’s book of John, Jesus promises to send a Comforter:
‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever; But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’.
That great Soul in these prophecies is Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru.
It has been recorded by Maharshi Aurobindo Ghosh that he saw a Supramental Light, descending to the earth in the year 1926, accompanied by Sri Krishna.
Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru was born in the year 1927, after ten months of this incident.
Guru’s mother saw that several devi-devas, sages and prophets and their followers are offering obeisance to the divine child in her womb.
Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru was born on 1st Sept. 1927 in Chandiroor in Alapuzha district, as the son of Smt. Karthyani and Sri Govindan, who were ordinary peasants.
Guru’s life, full of sacrifices, began at the age of fourteen, from the ashram of Sri Narayana Guru, who fought against social inequalities and superstitions.
There was nobody to guide Guru in His quest for spiritual realization.
Guru felt that His spiritual path was blocked.
Once, Guru was living at the Aruvipuram branch ashram of Sivagiri Mutt as its in-charge.
One day, He decided to observe 41 days’ meditation climbing the top of Koditooki hill, nearby.
The meditation started and on the 40th day, a figure appeared before Him in an aura of light. It was Rishi Sai Baba.
This vision gave hope to Guru.
Within the next few days, Guru found his spiritual guide – a Sufi saint by the name Qureshia Fakir, who was popular as Pattani Swami.
The saint was living at Beema Masjid near the city of Thiruvananthapuram.
After the spiritual wanderings with Qureshia Fakir, Guru came to a deserted place at Pothencode in the year 1964 and set up Santhigiri Ashram.
Intimations from the Light of God began to be received about the great mission of Guru.
A revelation was received from the Divine Light, thus:
‘What I wished for ages has been fulfilled now’.
The Akhanta Na
ma or the Guru Mantra was received from the Supreme Light as the mantra of liberation, for this age.
The great Guru mantra led the devotees to peace and all types of goodness and welfare and a self-reliant community life.
A revelation followed after Guru’s spiritual fulfillment that Kumbhamela should be celebrated every year commemorating this occasion.
On this day, thousands of devotees with 11 days’ vritam (vows) take Kumbham (earthen pot filled with sacred concoctions) and circle the Ashram in a colorful procession with the accompaniment of percussion, panchavadyam, etc. chanting the Akhanta Nama.
It has been revealed that the Kumbha Mela of Santhigiri Guru Parampara will become a great festival in the world.
It has also been revealed that by taking Kumbhams for 12 years successively a devotee will be saved from all types of karma dosha and pitru dosha along with all related ailments both of the mind and body.
After laying down the foundation for a new spiritual order the great Guru left His physical body on 6th May, 1999.
His physical departure is referred as ‘Adi Sankalpam’.
Guru instilled spiritual wisdom and the knowledge of right karma and dharma and unified the people going beyond the barriers of race, religion, caste and class discrimination.
Guru had prophesied that at all times an enlightened spiritual master would lead the Guru Parampara.
This prophecy has been fulfilled through Her Holiness Sishya Poojita Amrita Jnana Tapaswini, the present spiritual Head of Santhigiri Guru Parampara.
Chronic diseases, unexpected calamities, problems of marriage, mental and physical deformities, suicide, drug addiction etc. are some of the problems that haunt man in the present.
Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru initiated two basic rituals for a solution to these problems. They are the Guru Pooja and the system of marriage in Santhigiri.
The families in the Guru Parampara are released from the karmic and ancestral curses through Guru Pooja or Pitru Suddhi.
A new generation of children with good fortune as well as the awareness of dharma is being born, through the marriages between the families that are thus freed from karma dosha and ancestral curses.
By participating in the prayers and rituals in the Ashram like kumbha mela, pournami vritam etc., the individuals and families are able to fulfill their wishes.
The spirituality of Santhigiri focuses on the family. Guru mentioned that a mother is the first teacher. The mother should be a spiritually knowledgeable soul. If a woman is thus spiritually enlightened, a family would become good. Only through such noble family life, the society can be transformed.
For this, the family life should be spiritually aligned with the Guru and the Ashram way of life.
Welcome to Santhigiri Ashram, the Abode of Peace!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru - A World Spiritual Reformer


Life

 

Two thousand five hundred years after Buddha, Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru was in the tradition of divine incarnations. This benevolent Soul lived for seventy-two years and left the earthly abode on 6th May 1999.  Twentieth-century, the period of His birth is related to the period in the prophecies referred to as ‘The End of Times’ in the Bible or ‘Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dharma’ in the Buddhist tradition, in the cycles of spiritual transition. 

 

The life of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru, as well as the prophecies, is a highly correlated subject, which could be understood only through research into humanity’s spiritual history and Guru’s revelations.  The spiritual path of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru is a corrective process in the Manvantara order.  Guru never preached religion in the traditional sense.   His teachings focus on the science of spiritual evolution as revealed from the Light.  Guru brings to the fore the refined base of human life and the hope of the new world order as envisioned by sages and prophets, pulling down the dividing walls of creed, color, and caste promising the age of harmony, love, and peace.

 

The prophecy regarding Mahdi Imam in the Islamic tradition is apt for Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru:

 

‘He (Hazrat Mahdi) will walk among them, move through their markets and walk where they walk, but they will not recognize Hazrat Mahdi until Allah gives them leave to recognize him, just as He did with the Prophet Yusuf…’

 

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru was born on 1 September 1927 at Chandiroor near Cherthala town in Kerala in an ordinary peasant family.  Guru’s father died when He was one and a half years.  Guru became aware of spiritual experiences in his childhood.  He discovered that there was always a form within Him filling Him.  Words came from this form. His body was like a mike, a mere instrument through which that form spoke.  It continued till He was nine. Only after that, He began to play and talk, like a normal child.  At the age of nine, He went to a traditional village school (kutipallikoodam) where children learned to read and write by practicing on the sand.  He studied there for three years.

 

After mother’s remarriage, He began to live with His mother and stepfather.  After two years, He decided to join an Ashram.  He was just 14 years old then.   His teacher helped Him to reach Agamananda Ashram in Kalady.  The person who took Him dropped Him at the gate of Agamananda Ashram and left.  However, the Ashram refused admission to him as He was only a child.  Left alone, He walked towards Aluva and providentially reached Advaita Ashram, founded by Sri Narayana Guru.  He was there for two years before being transferred to Sivagiri Mutt at Varkala.  He spent seventeen years in Sivagiri Mutt and its branches at various places during which time He underwent a great deal of agony.

 

The desire to find a spiritual guide grew strong in Him, and finally, he found a Guru.  His name was Khureshia Fakir, a Sufi saint, who lived near Beema Masjid in Thiruvananthapuram.  He was popularly known as Pattani Swami, as his ancestors were Pathans from Afghanistan.  Guru started getting certain experiences. He continued in Sivagiri Mutt and its branches for a few years.  During this period, He faced lots of hardships and hostility from the associates, who made false allegations against him.

 

As He grew tired of certain tendencies in His associates, He wanted to leave Sivagiri.  He returned the keys to those in authority and went to Pattani Swami with the intention of staying with him.  However, Pattani Swami sent him back to Sivagiri.  Guru returned reluctantly. But after a few months, Pattani Swami came near Sivagiri Mutt and sent for Guru. Pattani Swami informed Him that there would be a change soon from Sivagiri Mutt, which turned out to be true. Guru left Sivagiri Mutt and settled down at a hill nearby Sivagiri Mutt. People used to call Guru as Santhi because He conducted rituals in Sivagiri Mutt. The hill where Santhi lived came to be known as Santhigiri.

 

After about six months, Guru decided to meet His spiritual mentor, Pattani Swami. Pattani Swami asked Him to stay and go only after getting further spiritual experiences. Guru wandered along with Pattani Swami and His disciples in the forests and hills near Thakkala. In between Pattani Swami praised Guru lavishly in front of other disciples saying that He was a great soul! In those days, Guru got a unique spiritual experience. It was His fourth day at Thakkala. Nine of them were lying on the floor in a row along with Pattani Swami. It was around three o’clock in the morning. Suddenly Guru felt that the whole world was in a whirl and that he was tiny like a mustard seed, which was being torn apart at that time. Pattani Swami gave Him a slap and asked, “Hey, did you get scared?” “No, not in my heart of hearts!” Guru replied. “Ah! There is hope, then,” Pattani Swami said.

 

Even so, it was as if He had lost His senses. When He walked on the road, He would see approaching vehicles but would not realize that He had to move aside. His Guru sent for Parameswaran Pillai, another disciple of his, and instructed, “You must take leave from your office for a few days and take care of him”. So Parameswaran Pillai took leave from his job and took care of Guru. During the day he would take Guru to all the holy places in that region. Guru was able to see the deities and other subtle beings abiding at such spots, but the dark powers never came in front of Him.

 

Pattani Swami and the disciples returned to Thakkala.  On the way, Pattani Swami pulled away Guru’s clothes and gave a tattered rag to wear.  He gave Him a slap and ordered Him to run away. This led to lonely wandering and Guru gained tremendous spiritual experiences.  Pattani Swami, who listened to his experiences hugged Guru and said, ‘Now you go wherever you like, you will get everything’. They parted and Guru returned to Varkala Santhigiri.  He went through several mystical experiences for the next six and a half years. At the end of the first five and a half years itself, people who were closely associated with Him also started getting spiritual experiences.

 

After seven years and three months, three persons came to the Ashram after the morning bath as if to offer worship.  In the same month, there was a sudden increase in popularity and visitors started pouring in hundreds daily.  People started informing Guru that it was enough to tell Him about their diseases. They would be rid of the diseases almost immediately. After seven months, men and women alike, many who were visiting the Ashram started developing the faculty of darshanam (visions). Those who got this perception were around fifty. This happened inspite of their lack of understanding of this experience and lack of knowledge as to how to develop it.  Still, it happened. Unusual as it was, this became a subject for discussion among people. What is more, all these people found all their prayers being granted. Guru was not doing anything special that could be responsible for all this.

 

Three years passed like this. People started showing increased love and respect. Among those who had the faculty of darsanam, three persons—a female and two males—began to excel.  They started getting visions concerning matters useful to others.  The female was an adult and so was one of the males. The other male was just a boy. For almost a year this situation continued. Then some of what they perceived went wrong. When they erred frequently for a period of time Guru felt that they themselves were responsible for these faults. In fact, Guru chastised them severely. That did not improve them. Their readings became more and more erroneous, and conse­quently hardships increased. A variety of difficulties arose in numerous ways.

 

Earlier, if a cure for a certain illness was predicted to take place by a certain date through a certain prescription, it would have happened ten days before time. Now an illness could not be fully cured even after the foreseen time. This erroneous trend became worse, and soon three-fourths of what was being seen was of no use. Guru kept scolding the three persons with darshanam for all this. Around this time the visitors also started turning slightly hostile.  Guru began to search for the cause of this hostility, but there was no chance of tracing it.

 

Basic to the Hindu worship is the worship of the Trimurti.  In spite of doing all that is prescribed in this system, there was neither relief nor release from the crisis. This struggle lasted for nearly one year. Even the persons endowed with darshanam were going through dif­ficulties without any relief. Eventually an asariri (clairaudience or word from the Divine) was received which directed Guru to stay away. Guru should not be seen by even two persons at a time, so He stayed quietly without making a move for two months. The directive was repeated forbidding further stay at the Varkala Ashram.

 

Guru had built a small shelter near Pothencode, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram for an Ashram, which is now known as Santhigiri. Someone had been engaged to light a lamp there daily. When the second warning came Guru realized He should not continue at Varkala.  He left immediately for Santhigiri.  As its neighborhood was practically unpopulated in those days, one could live in peace. During this period two lines of mantra had been revealed to two persons, each receiving one line. They were told to chant these lines and make it potent.  However, Guru did not allow this chant as it happened to include His name. Those who were hostile spread a rumor that Guru was driven out from Varkala. Everyone believed it since He was not seen around the place.  They had no way of getting to know the truth. 

 

After nine months at Santhigiri, Guru received another directive from the Light forbidding Him to do anything for a period of two and a half years.  But nine months after this directive the Trimurti and the rishis under them asked Guru to start treating the sick who came for help. Thus work began again. Almost immediately the number of daily visitors went up to nearly three hundred.  Within a period of three weeks, sixty ailing persons were healed in the Ashram premises itself. At that time there was no shelter to lodge people. There were no other facilities either. People who came to stay rested and slept on the grass. They were exposed to both the heat of the sun and the cold of the night. They chose to ignore these hardships in their own interest.

 

Within three months, however, an impasse developed suddenly like the previous one at Varkala. The sick could not be cured fully. In the meanwhile, there was an annunciation that two lines gave earlier as mantra (they were received from the Light to two disciples- a man and a woman) should be chanted:  


'Aum Sree Karunakara Guru Parabrahmane Namah, Aum Sree Karunakara Guru Satyapradaya Namah. Thus this chant came to be used for prayer and sankalpam and people with severe diseases began to be healed. Again there was a directive. Guru was to withdraw from such work for three and a half years. Work was stopped accordingly. Then He was asked to go on a journey.

 

Guru set out as a group of four, including a child of ten years old. This child had had an experience of darshanam already. She had also lived in the Ashram for some days. None of those who had darshanam regularly was asked to join this trip. There was a reason for not taking them. Guru had begun to suspect something. Certain powers at the level of the devas—those we understand as gods— were misleading Guru and the disciples. This was what happened even in the earlier impasse. In fact, it grew clear that the signals received from these powers now were false. Therefore, it was decided to refuse the guidance of these powers.

 

Guru thought it was due to the mistake of the disciples through whom intimations were received. Guru scolded and thrashed them. But it was all futile. The deadlock became severe. Finally, it became clear that the mistake was in the intimation itself. When Guru was thus in turmoil, unable to realize the reason behind the impasse, he became angry and said to the disciples who had the visions: “Throw away this junk.” Saying thus he locked himself in the ‘Parnasala’.

 

He did not allow anyone to see him. He entered into deep meditation. It was time for food, but Guru did not get up. He did not accept even water. Completely detached, he remained in meditation. Others in the ashram also did not eat food. The congregation of people now began to pray in unison. It was past noon. The prayers continued. Through intimation, it was informed to Guru that he should get up and take food. But, Guru refused. He vowed that he should know the truth for certain. Otherwise, he would not even touch drinking water. The spiritual powers from whom the intimations were being received now became alarmed and afraid.

 

In the afternoon, at 4 p.m., a bright Radiance appeared. It was a pure white radiance never seen before. Word was received from that Light. “Suffered a lot, isn’t it?  Never mind, everything will be alright. Now Guru and all others should take food. Wait for Me again at 5 p.m.” Accordingly, all people, including Guru, took food. When it was five minutes to five, instructions were received from the Light about the things to be done. It was the opening of a new chapter and actions were initiated as per the words from that Light. With this, almost all the powers in the spiritual planes started to resist Guru. These included countless evil spirits, rishis, sanyasis, gurus, and even the Trimurti (trinity gods). The resistance and misguidance of these divinities were now clearly perceived.  All this was known through visions. Word came on how to safeguard from this spiritual crisis. During this time, the problems of sick persons became acute. Those who were possessed screamed and jumped in trance. Lunatics shouted and ran in all directions. The atmosphere in the ashram became chaotic with the terrible actions and screaming of the afflicted people.

 

The only way to overcome the spiritual resistance from the subtle cosmic beings was prayer.  It took many days of fasting and prayers, which were repeated many times, to subdue the belligerent spiritual and depraved forces wielding enormous siddhi – miraculous power.  It was indeed a fierce spiritual war as it entailed a seminal and epochal spiritual change in the world. All devotees obeyed the instructions of Guru based on the intimations from the Light. People prayed sitting on the uneven ground full of gravel. They prayed incessantly, foregoing sleep and food, disregarding the harsh sun, rain or mist. Several people fainted. It was an epochal spiritual war in which the weapons of the victorious were their innocent and heartfelt prayers. The merciless spiritual powers, however, persisted.

 

Eventually, it was the divine intervention from Sri Krishna that ended the crisis.  Sri Krishna came and revealed to the disciples that it would be enough to pray to Guru and all the hindrances would be removed. Thus, the disciples got the conviction that the intimations from the deities were incorrect. Guru advised them not to depend on the intimations from the deities and to take instructions from the White Transcendental Light alone. The revelation was received to the effect that the devotees should chant only the ‘Akhanda Naamam’ (the mantra received from the Light with Guru’s name) and act in accordance with the intimations from the Transcendental Radiance.

 

The countless souls and demonic powers in the spiritual sky were consigned to the fire of the radiance of Brahman. Thus the meaning of Guru’s life and the intent of Godly Will were clarified. It marked the completion of Guru’s spiritual stature. Lord Sri Krishna stood guard to this spiritual transition and helped Guru with an utmost vigil and a divine mission. After Guru’s spiritual completion, Sri Krishna went back with an instruction to the disciples of Guru: “From now on, do everything in Guru’s name and you shall overcome all problems.”

 

Guru filled the universe as the Totality of Dharma. The Will of Brahman was fulfilled.  The followers of Guru adopted a worship system based on faith in One Universal God, the Brahman. As per  the divine intimation, they accepted the path of Guru - ‘Guru Margam’ - and began worshipping Him as the medium to the Transcendental Light. The work of spiritually deviated souls against the will of God has been always evident in the world and it worked in the case of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru also. On completion of the spiritual mission in the mortal world, Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru left His physical body on 6th May 1999.  Presently Her Holiness Sishyapoojita Amrita Jnana Tapaswini leads the spiritual mission of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru.

 

 

Teachings

 

Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru once mentioned that His path is Vimochana Matam, i.e. the Liberating Dharma. A few aspects that make this Guru Parampara different from other guru traditions may be surmised thus:

 

For the Guru, God is Parabrahman, the Supreme Light. There is no second God. His light pervades in everything and everyone. God is known only through his Creation. One should live in accordance with the divine order accepting the Will of God. Guidance comes from God through the medium of Guru, and liberation comes through Guru’s grace. For the Guru Parampara the Word of Guru or Guruvani is Veda. It serves as the Holy Scripture for the followers. The Word of Guru is equated with Truth, Truth with Guru, and Guru with God.

 

A seeker cannot evolve spiritually without a Guru. Self-effort in the form of yoga, meditation, visiting temples and other religious places does not elevate the soul spiritually if one is without a realized Guru. Guru, however, accepted the existence of various spiritual entities that inhabit the cosmos. However, they are not to be worshipped in this age as these divinities seek rebirth in Kaliyuga to work out their own liberation through the divinely commissioned Guru in order to be guided to Satya Yuga, the age of spiritual perfection. Therefore, Guru rejected the worship of such spiritual entities and religious lore that promotes sectarian concepts of God. According to the teachings of the Guru, the Trimurti gods including Brahma were gurus of bygone cosmic ages who came for the spiritual guidance of humanity. However, their spiritual incumbency in this age is disowned.


Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru did not favor the concept of Maya which postulates that the world is an illusion and rejected the equation of individual soul with Brahman as exemplified in the Vedantic aphorisms such as ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am Brahman) and ‘Tat Twam Asi’(You are That). He said that Jeev Atma is only a reflection or the ray of the Supreme Light, not the Supreme itself.


The Guru’s idea of creation differs from the puranic myths, which mention that god Brahma is the Creator. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru reveals that every solar system(s) in which all living beings have their abode is created through the medium of Archetypal Manus, who is said to be the first self-projection of God and through whose ideation or Sankalpa manifests the visible universe consisting of planetary units and stellar systems. Because of this, the Indian rishis calculated the age of the cosmos in terms of Manvantara after the name of Manus. A Manu is God manifest, the primordial Purusha mentioned in the Vedas and Upanishads, the divine entity who creates our local universe consisting of twelve zodiacs, twenty-seven stars, and nine planets. This Manu, therefore, is not to be related to the author of Manusmriti, one of the dharmic treatises in Hinduism.


The great rishis have said that God is pure Consciousness and Light indefinable. However, God transforms Himself into a Cosmic Person (i.e. Manu) wishing to create our universe. Various divinities, humans and other sentient and insentient beings in the solar system get evolved through a long process of cyclical evolution by the limitless potential of knowledge and action potential (jnanashakti and kriyashakti) and ideation (sankalpam) of this Cosmic Person. 
The pathetic religious discords today arise owing to the ignorance about this natural spiritual order. Every sect claims that theirs is the only way to God or the true path, which produces discord and conflicts in society.

 

Numerous gurus, seers and prophets of different calibers come for a different duration such as 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 or 5000 years according to the socio-spiritual condition of society. Sri Ram, Sri Krishna, Sri Buddha, Mahavir, Zarathustra, Moses, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad, Guru Nanak, and others were great preceptors who appeared for such spiritual renovation during historical intervals. This process of spiritual renovation goes on until the end of a cosmic age that has a length of billions of years. The spiritual evolution of humanity is not limited to 2000 or 5000 years. Therefore, no prophet or guru can claim to be the final messenger of God or the only way to God. It is this spiritual culture or character of Indian spirituality known as Sanatana Dharma (the eternal spiritual order) that makes it eternally relevant, vibrant, and tolerant of other religions.


Although not subscribing to the tenets of established religions, Guru’s Liberating Dharma teaches a follower to respect all world teachers and their sacrifices in a deserving manner since they belong to the brotherhood of mahatmas who came for the spiritual reformation of humanity at various historical intervals. However, their mission remains incomplete, which is evident from the present conflicts and civilizational crisis, which necessitated a spiritual renewal by another World Teacher. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru is the World Teacher presiding over this spiritual renewal.


Guru disapproved of the hierarchical caste system and opened the path of spiritual redemption for all irrespective of their caste or religious identities. The followers of Guru belonged to all castes and occupations especially the marginalized communities. While repudiating the caste system, Guru, however, said that Varna concept, wrongly misinterpreted as a jati (caste) is the classification of human temperaments (vasana) based on the quality of one’s thoughts and actions. Varna of a person cannot be determined based on birth in a particular family or community. Sometimes, in the same family itself, one can find all Varna types.


There are no formal rituals for initiation into the faith of Guru. Anyone with faith in Guru, irrespective of religious and caste status, can join the faith. The only ritual formula for all spiritual performances and lifecycle ceremonies is the chanting of the divine Guru mantra that was revealed from the Light. Verses from texts like Guru Gita and mantras from Upanishads extolling the glory of Guru and Almighty God is also recited for the purpose of worship.


The Ashram of Guru is regarded as the sacred place of pilgrimage. To live in accordance with the guidance of Guru is more important. To make willing sacrifices for the protection and perpetuation of guru paramapara is an essential ingredient of the faith. All Vedic rituals superintended by brahmins through tantra and mantra and worship of Devi-devas are rejected in favor of direct guidance from the Guru. After the physical departure of founder Guru, guidance comes through the anointed preceptors with the power of visionary faculties or ‘seeing’.

 

Remembrance of God by chanting the sacred Guru mantra and leading ethical life as householders helping each other is the path of karma and dharma suggested for the householders. Guru established a self-reliant model of commune life, where all believers lived under one roof engaged in different occupations so that it reduced the burden of life by way of cooperative living. The sanyasis are required to live in accordance with God’s will as socially responsible persons, not as recluses who live detached from community life. Although there is a group of sanyasis and brahmacharis belonging to both genders in the Ashram, Guru did not want sanyasis to wander aimlessly as mendicants. He was opposed to such meaningless renunciation. The sanyasis of Guru supervise community life. The members of the commune engage in self-sustaining enterprises with a vision to help society with exemplary products and services.

 

According to the Guru, the society and government should be guided by the wisdom of an all-knowing sage who functions by the Will of God. Guru was concerned about the wrong direction of society, of the painful conflicts and social disunity. Guru believed that only through the spiritual upliftment of householders, especially women, the desired spiritual renaissance can take place in the world. Guru gave importance to bhakti (devotion) and self-sacrifice for the divine cause in order to change both the quality and structure of social life. The basis for social regeneration advocated by Guru is essentially spiritual, ethical, and family-oriented. Guru personally guided householders in every aspect of life and life-cycle ceremonies. A new guru parampara is born with a divinely commissioned Guru to guide its social and religious life. Guru’s message is not merely of liberation but also of social action.


Guru initiated a unique spiritual performance known as Gurupooja or Pitrusudhi by which the devotee is freed from inauspicious karma of ancestors, the bad and good deeds of one’s past and present lives and also from the consequences of erroneous religious practices handed down by ancestors. This is a purely contemplative spiritual intercession performed by the incumbent spiritual head for releasing the devotees from negative karmic and spiritual influences. After a few generations, several mahatmas and other high souls waiting for rebirth in this age will be born in the families thus purified. With that, the spiritual renovation of humanity would be complete.


Guru founded a universal spiritual path based on the faith in the Oneness of God and Humanity in fulfillment of the wishes of great rishis, sages, and prophets who came in the past. The teachings of Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru deal with the questions of spiritual evolution, spiritual hierarchies, cosmic time order, astral pollution, soul transmigration, purification of karmic, ancestral and spiritual errors, and the possibility of spiritual intervention from time to time in the spiritual evolution of humanity. The path of Guru can be referred to as Jnana Margam – founded on the monotheistic principles of Sanatana Dharma.


Mukundan P.R.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Fragrance of a Great Spiritual Renaissance



Gurucharanam Saranam


Why there is so much anarchy and moral degradation today?  Why does man forsake moral uprightness, qualities of love, truth, compassion and self sacrifice? He is only worried about the society, which values material possessions above everything else, even above God.  So he has become part of the demonic system with its absolute dependence on worldly challenges and a false sense of success in life. Indeed he has selected a path that drills holes into the soul.  He has selected a path that demonizes his soul and drains off all punya or virtuousness of the soul. 

Punya is the hard earned result of the sacred deeds performed by an individual and his ancestors through many lives.  Punya is the measure of divine aura or virtue in the soul, from which springs up every success and every ray of happiness. A person can be guided to the path of earning punya only through a trikala jnani Guru, i.e. an all knowing Guru who has attained certain spiritual stage. What happens to a person who has no punya in him? A man without punya sinks like a leaky boat and loses his battle in life.  Satan grinds his soul like wheat grains between his teeth. Most of us do not have the vigilance and masculinity to uphold right values and truth. The ugly result is in front of everyone. We live like the tiny creatures of a fearful world without any glow of Godly love, human warmth and compassion.

What should we do to liberate ourselves from this disturbing situation? We need few material comforts indeed, but that should not be at the cost of our soul, the very essence of life. We should think about the harmful consequences that would ultimately wound and desecrate our soul because of our misdeeds and ignorance. Although we all know what is right and wrong, we throw to winds all precautions at the suggestions of a little worldly gain and the tickling of sense buds. We are unable to withstand the temptations or we are drawn back by the desire for self-protection. But we cannot protect ourselves when our world is perishing - when our culture, the nation and the future of our children are in peril. We should think deeply. Nothing happens without a proper cause, which most of the time is hidden in the selfsame seed of the problem. However human tendency is to find extraneous reasons. Blaming others is one such thing.   

The sages of our land taught us about life and its intricacies. We have abandoned their teachings and most of the time talk rubbish, observe obsolete rituals and watch cricket and the glamour of the rich and the shamelessly clad models and actresses. People are stupefied by the gloss of these celebrities, who are the demigods of a sensuous world. Instead of becoming nation builders, our girls and youth are getting misled by this glamorous world, which ultimately drains their virtue. 

The destiny of a nation depends upon the collective punya or the sacred deeds of its people. When you as a nation are not virtuous, the base culture that develops as a result will ruin everything. This great country of sages and rishis, of great kings and social reformers has come to be ruled by all types of filthy people and corrupt politicians who loot and cheat the people. This can happen only when there is a serious spiritual degradation. 

Talking about Veda, Vedanta, Maya and Karma would not solve this civilizational crisis. Hindus should forsake all suicidal regional, caste and sectarian pride. There should be One Mantra, One God and One Caste for Hindus. They should open their prayer halls to all people, irrespective of their religious identity. What happened the other day in the Jagannath Temple at Puri to a foreign celebrity, who is a worshipper of Krishna? She was manhandled by the temple attendants over the bribe money for seeing the deity little closer. People enter a prayer hall not for desecration but for prayer. Those who are holy need not go into a temple. People go to a temple for getting purified. Sri L.K. Advani said once when he visited Santhigiri Ashram, the abode of Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru: 

‘We politicians live in a polluted world. When we visit Ashrams like this, we are trying to de-pollute ourselves’. 

If the entry of devotees is viewed as polluting, what divine help would be available from such places? This priestly ignorance, arrogance, superstition and exclusivist agenda should end. These are some of the ills of Hinduism which are tearing away the Hindu civilization, bit by bit. When would the Hindu leadership awaken to these truths? Perhaps never! Even if they do, it would not be possible for them to bring about this spiritual renaissance and unity. So many great souls of our motherland sacrificed their life for this. However, they could not have success, because there is spiritual disunity behind our spirituality. One should not think that only the Hindu religion is affected with this perversion. All other religions have come to the
brink of a spiritual stagnation and it is time for a world spiritual regeneration.

Our thoughts and actions have a subtle connection with dharma. If the source of a person’s faith is contaminated, his thoughts and actions would also be so. The horrible incidents of rape and murders and the problem of corruption, murders and bombings that take place in the name of jihad and all such violent ideologies are influenced by evil spirits. Evil spirits take control when weak humans succumb to greed, ignorance and superstition. The source of jihadist terror is Satan, a powerful super evil spirit, which will wipe out Islam from the face of the earth because God does not want to reform the world the Jihadist way. 

Only a Seer who has surpassed all sectarian ideologies can unite not only the Hindus, but the entire humanity under one spiritual roof. God has already blessed India with such a spiritual leadership. God’s Own Country, the land of Adi Sankaracharya has given birth to another great Mahatma, a great Manvantara Avatar to reestablish the true essence of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma). He came and went unknown to the world, but the sacred fire He lit is radiating the hope and fragrance of a great spiritual renaissance. O’ Nation, hither turn to for guidance!

Mukundan P.R.