What makes
Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru and Santhigiri Ashram different from other gurus
and ashrams is a question often asked. While talking about the tenets of
Gurumargam, Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru once mentioned that His path is the
Vimochana Matam, i.e. the Liberating Dharma. Gurumargam is the way of devotion
to the Guru who has been commissioned by God for the spiritual transformation
and deliverance of humanity independent of all religious dogma. Guru is God’s
medium to actualize the Will of God. As one scholar put it, at one level, God
is the Guru; at another, Guru is the divinely commissioned Guru. The human Guru
is equal to God but has in him an element of divinity due to his commission.
This office is passed on to his successors who remain one with him. Guruship
does not end with the physical departure of the founder Guru. The office is one
and continuous. What the successors say and do is legitimized by virtue of
their office.
A few aspects that make Santhigiri Guruparampara different from
other sage traditions may be surmised thus:
For the Guru, God is
Parabrahman, the Supreme Truthful 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 words of Guru or Guruvani are sacred. It serves as the sole 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, visit
to temples and other holy places does not elevate the soul spiritually if one
is without Guru. Guru, however, accepted the existence of all spiritual
entities including ghosts, goblins, evil spirits, ancestral spirits,
devi-devas, angels etc. which inhabit the subtle universe. However, they are
not to be worshipped as they themselves seek birth and liberation in Kaliyuga
through the medium of Guru. Only through a human embodiment and karma dharma,
the souls can evolve to higher spiritual realms. Therefore, Guru rejects the
worship of traditional deities and religious lore promoting such sectarian
concepts of God. Neither did Guru favor the concept of maya or illusion and
rejected the equation of individual soul with Brahman, the main feature of
Vedanta.
Guru shed light on the
secret of Creation by reiterating that the solar system including the human
world was created by the sankalpam of Manu, who is the Primordial Purusha or
the First Born of God. (This Manu,
however, is different from the author of Manusmriti with the same name).
Guru, therefore, rejected the puranic myth that Brahma is the Creator. For
Guru, the trimurti gods were gurus of bygone cosmic ages who came for the
spiritual correction of humanity. However, their spiritual incumbency in this
age is disowned. Today the world is a theatre of pathetic religious discord.
Every sect claims that theirs is the only way to God or the true path, which
produces discord and violent conflicts among the religious followers. Guru says
that behind these apparent contradictions, there is a thread of spiritual
unity.
Numerous gurus, seers
and prophets of different caliber come for different duration such as 500,
1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 or 5000 years according to the spiritual condition of
the age. Great souls like Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavir, Moses, Zarathustra,
Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad, Guru Nanak and others were preceptors who
appeared for the spiritual renewal of humanity during historical intervals.
This process of spiritual renovation goes on until the end of a cosmic age. In
the light of this, 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
Sanatana dharma which makes it eternally relevant, vibrant and tolerant to
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
necessitating another epoch of spiritual renewal by a world teacher.
Guru disapproved the
hierarchical caste system and opened the path of spiritual redemption for all
people, especially the downtrodden and women. The followers of Guru belonged to
all castes and occupations. The majority came from the backward castes,
scheduled castes along with Brahmin, Nair, Christian and even Muslim
communities. While repudiating caste system, Guru, however, said that varna
concept is the classification of human instincts based on the quality of
thoughts and actions. Varna of a person cannot be determined based on birth in
a particular family or community. Sometime, 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 name of the Guru revealed and potentiated by God. Verses and
mantras from texts like Guru Gita extolling the glory of Guru is also recited
for the purpose of worship. All Vedic rituals superintend by Brahmins and
tantra and mantra and worship of devi-devas are rejected in favour of direct
guidance from Guru or through the anointed preceptors in the Guru parampara
after the founder Guru’s physical departure.
Remembrance of God
through the guidance of embodied Guru, chanting His name 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 and tensions 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
the community life. 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 sacrifice for the protection and perpetuation of Guru
paramapara is an essential ingredient of the faith.
Guru wanted that the
society, the politics and government of the country be guided through the
wisdom of an all-knowing Sage who functions by the sole of Will of God. Guru
was concerned about the wrong direction of the society, of the painful conflicts,
social disintegration and deprivation. Guru believed that only through the
spiritual upliftment of householders, especially women, the desired spiritual
renaissance can take place in the world. Guru gave much importance to bhakti
and self-surrender 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
all householders in every area of life including marriage, education,
occupation, birth and death.
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. Although
there is a group of sanyasis and brahmacharis belonging to both genders in the
Ashram, He did not want that sanyasis wander aimlessly as mendicants. He was
opposed to such meaningless renunciation. His ideal is self-reliance through
community life. The sanyasis of Guru supervise the community life. The members
of the commune engage in self-sustaining enterprises with a vision to help the
community and the society with exemplary products and services.
Guru initiated a unique
spiritual performance known as Gurupooja or Pitrupooja by which the devotee is
freed from all inauspicious karma, i.e. deeds and debts of past and present
lives and also from the consequences of erroneous ways of God worship handed
down by the ancestors. After a few generations, several mahatmas and other high
souls waiting for rebirth in the kaliyuga shall be born in the families thus
spiritually purified. With that, the spiritual renovation of humanity would be
complete. These noble souls are unable to take birth now because of the
spiritual decadence and unqualified parentage.
The organizational
basis of the Guru Parampara has been provided by Guru Himself in the form of
Annadanam, Aturasevanam and Atmabodhanam, i.e. providing food to the needy,
caring for people’s health and their spiritual uplift.
Mukundan P.R.
Mukundan P.R.
