A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva - 10

Guru-budhyaatmano Naanyat Satyam Satyam Varaanane!

Tallaabhaarttham Prayatnastu Karthavyascha Maneeshibhih

Shiva said to Parvati:

(Nothing exists separate from the Soul. This verily is the truth, O beautiful One! Intelligent men should strive for its attainment as it is their duty. Guru wisdom lies in this).        

The world outside and our soul are not separate from each other. They are one like the two sides of a coin.  Let us see how. Everything is experienced through our subjective consciousness, the soul in us. If there is no soul or consciousness, there would be only a blank; we cannot even know that we exist. Only in the screen of consciousness we can perceive and experience life and the universe around us.

Sri Sankaracharya went a step further in his Vedantic discourse and said: ‘The world exists only within our consciousness just like a city seen reflected in a mirror’.  Spirituality is all about the discovery of this truth experientially.

Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru explained it differently:

‘What is called as God? It is a karma (actualization) that evolves out of the interplay of panchakosas (five sheaths) and panchendriyas (five senses) in synchronization with Jeevatma (individual soul) and Paramatma (Supreme Soul)”.  

So even the concept of God is evolved through our cognitive capacities. The Rishis explain that our body is like a multi-dimensional sphere in the inner cavity of which resides the soul.  Soul is enveloped or conditioned by five sheaths, viz.  Anandamaya Kosa (blissful sheath), vijnanamaya kosa (Intelligence sheath), Manomaya kosa (the mind sheath) pranamaya kosa (energy sheath) and the annamayakosa (physical body or food sheath).   

The soul is constantly struggling to expand by transcending the conditionings of five sheaths to experience the blissful state, the spark of the Divine in us. When the indefinable and unknowable Light of the universe becomes kinetic it becomes Paramatma, the Cosmic Soul, the First Born of the formless Truth.  He is the Aadi Guru – the Primal source of all power, ideation, knowledge, love and bliss.

As He is the embodiment of the Supreme Light, everything is pervaded by Him. We can never define or know the Supreme Light God, but we can definitely know his manifestation, the Adi Guru, the Cosmic Soul in the form of the Primordial Preceptor who designs the universe. For this reason, the Indian Rishis called Him Manu, the primordial human Ancestor.  From the Manu emerged both the blue print and the building blocks of the universe. Many such archetypal Manus and Preceptors in His lineage appear in the endless and timeless episodes of creation repeating the drama of life.

From the ideation (sankalpam) of Manu, the solar system was formed.  He formed Prakriti potentiated by three gunas (satva, rajas and tamas).  The scientists call them by the terms of electron, pluton and neutron.  From these gunas were born the subtle elements of sound, space, air, fire and water and from them the related senses and sense organs of sound, sight, touch, smell and taste. Subsequently, the work of the creation of life in a physical universe began.  

With the intent of creating the human universe, this Cosmic Person split himself into two, in the form of a man and woman - into Purusha and Prakriti.  He created out of himself the sun and the moon, twenty-seven stars, nine planets and the twelve zodiacs.  The sun represents the Purusha, the masculine principle, while the moon is the woman, the feminine principle. So the souls after death depart either by the path of the sun or the moon. Those who go by the path of the sun never returns while those in the path of the moon are reborn for further evolution, so mention the sages.

Life was born first in the waters of the earth from the interplay of cosmic radiances and energies from the sun and the moon. The warmth of the sun and the cool rays of the moon nurtured life. The life of man is thus inseparably related to the sun and the moon, the constellations, stars and planets. The ancient Rishis taught us to respect the universe around us for this reason. Those who pollute God’s creation will suffer.

The soul requires space to breath and to expand, hence the creation of the planetary system, revolving under which it evolves through many births, through many life forms, learning and self-evolving and finally attains beatitude in the Absolute Truth. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru taught us that the guru-disciple bond is the elucidation of this cosmic truth. In his discourse to Parvati, Lord Siva informs that all intelligent people should tune life with this divine truth as it is the very meaning and purpose of life.

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -9

Gurucharanam Saranam

Japastapo Vritam Teertham Yajno Daanam Tathaiva Cha

Guru-tatwam-avijnaaya Sarvam Vyartham Bhavet Priye!

O Dear One! Japa (the recitation of mantra) Tapa (spiritual austerities) Vritam (Vows), Teertham (Visiting of Holy Places) and also the path of Jnaana (Knowledge) and Daana (Charities) come to naught if one does not know the truth of Guru.

Explanation:

Has anyone seen the formless God?  No, it is not possible to comprehend the Incomprehensible.  God can be known only through an image or an idea. Thus all religions have originated inspired by some ideologies, gurus or prophets and all of them have left behind a world of images surrounding God.  Although they provide the followers varying degrees of spiritual experience all of us still feel some emptiness, the feeling that there is yet something beyond to be realized. We have not reached that shore beyond - of light, love, knowledge and bliss. Today the spiritual fraternity is groping in the dark unable to experience that Light and Truth.

Consciousness is a multi-layered multi-dimensional experiential journey towards the Absolute Truth – the Brahman.  The self can evolve to become higher spiritual entities such as devi-devas, angels, rishis and other cosmic entities with varying degrees of expanded consciousness. But that is not the final destination. There is a painful gravitational struggle when the soul tries to traverse these realms of consciousness leading us to subtler and subtler transcendental experience. A struggle of grave nature awaits a truth bearer while passing through the nine realms of spiritual evolution before reaching the tenth stage, the ultimate abode of Truth which we call God.  Such a truth bearer becomes the image of God or God itself. The other day, a good soul sent me a copy of Kabir Vani. 

I realize that Mahatma Kabir is also a great soul like the Sikh Gurus who realized the greatness of Guru and the virtue of following the footsteps of a Guru.  Sant Kabir says in one his Sakhis:

“Guru Govind Dou Ek Hai, Duuja Sab Aakar…” (Guru and God is the same, difference is only in the name).

The seekers of truth get stuck at various borderlines of spirituality unable to raise themselves beyond the gross and subtle spiritual planes belonging to various spiritual entities, gurus and prophets.

The experience of late Swami Jagatpriya Jnana Tapaswi of Santhigiri Ashram is an example (taken from the book ‘The Guru of All’ published by Santhigiri Ashram):

The Swami was a devotee of Sri Krishna and was able to see Krishna in vision through his spiritual austerities. Since he was facing some obstacles he began to search for a Guru and finally reached the Ashram of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. During the audience with the Guru he said that he was able to see Sri Krishna in vision and that Sri Krishna was his Guru. Then the Guru said to him: “Dear Fellow! Sri Krishna will not be Guru to you. It is difficult for ordinary people to get Sri Krishna as Guru. For that, you have to rouse Samadhi.  Therefore, you should find a Guru from somewhere.  If you do not do this, you would face a problem after a year. You should remember me before commencing your meditation and at its conclusion’.

Swami Jagat Priya thought when Sri Krishna himself is with him, what was the need for following the Guru.  Nevertheless, he gave special attention to the Guru’s word that he should remember the Guru prior to and after the prayers. From then, he began to see the appearance of several deities and understood their limited spiritual status.  Sri Krishna was seen as the highest. One day he woke up at 3 AM and began to meditate on the Guru of Santhigiri.  He saw that the self-effulgent light of Guru was an ocean of light filling the whole creation.  He felt that even Sri Krishna had not got this much radiance. He was unable to withstand the impact of this vision; such was the brilliance of that Radiance. The Swami was unable to quieten his mind after this vision. Soon he developed chest pain too. He remembered the words of Sri Karunakara Guru about the need for a Guru. So he prayed to Sri Krishna that he should have a Guru. After praying continuously for a few days, Sri Krishna revealed in vision; ‘What was going on there is what I desired’.  The Swami understood that it was about Santhigiri Ashram and Sri Karunakara Guru.

Thus with Sri Krishna’s full consent he came to see the Guru again. By this time, he was suffering from unbearable chest pain and extreme mental torment. He was in the verge of lunacy.  On seeing him in this condition, the Guru said, ‘It is alright that Sri Krishna came and told you. Let it be. However, now I will tell you what you need’.  Guru touched his chest gently and said, ‘Don’t take the pain seriously’.  With that, the pain which he was unable to bear until then, disappeared completely. From then he came under the protection and guidance of the Guru.

Blind attachment to one’s religious rituals will not help. We need the supreme grace of Guru to overcome such spiritual hurdles. The supreme Guru is one who has transcended all spiritual stages and realized God reaching the tenth stage.  Only such a Guru can lift us up from our spiritual crisis and conditionings. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru adds another dimension to the definition of a Guru when He said:

‘It is true that what really exists is the formless Truth, beyond all conceptions, like the limitless sky… If there is a formless nature to Truth, in what all states they exist? This should be shown by guru. There are many who have experienced the Truth. But Guru is not who has experienced it but who imparts it to others.’

So the experiential part is important. Many are the ideologies and practices which we blindly follow while disputing and disliking the others. Then surely we are in a domain of ignorance, that is the meaning of Lord Siva’s words. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru repeats what Lord Siva said above.

There is some truth in every path, but that is not enough for this new age – the Kali Yuga. We should evolve spiritually which is possible only by getting rid of soul’s karmic and spiritual impurities through the grace of Guru. The Guru meant here is not a Guru in the nursery of spirituality, but a Guru who takes us across the borderless spiritual experience.

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -8

Veda-saastra-puraanaani Itihaasaadikaani Cha
Mantra-yantraadi-vidyaascha Mohanocchaatanaadikam
Saiva-saakta-agamaadiini Hyanye Cha Bahavo Mataah
Apabhramshaah Samastaanaam Jeevanaam Bhraanta-chetasaam

Siva said to Parvati:

"Vedas, Sastras (sciences), Puranas (ancient narratives), Itihasas (the epics), Mantra (magical chants) Yantras(amulets), Spells, Exorcism, cults like Saiva, Sakteya, etc. and many other paths together are all digressions of deluded souls".

Explanation:
In the beginning we were with God alone. We lived bathing in his love and bliss. He gifted us with everything beautiful. Then one day our mind began to wander. We went very far from God to forbidden lands and were caught by cruel spirits lurking in the darkness. We live in fear without freedom unable to escape from the trap. Remembering God, His love and care, now let us begin our struggle for freedom with all our might.

Today there are more than 4000 religions and thousands of other spiritual practices that are not exactly under the nomenclature of religion. All of them assert that their chosen path is the best one. Even God is likely to get stunned over the cleverness of human beings!

The Truth resides in the eternal silence of the soul that is in constant communion with God. However, the prattles of our intellect, the frenzy of our mind and the clamor of our actions unseat this inner calm. From a mind of disquiet arises the demons of delusion. And from delusion, blind faith and bigotry devoid of dharma or the tenderness of love manifest in myriad forms leading to hatred and violence. Religious terrorism we witness today is only one extreme form of this inner digression and bigotry.

Today every sect and creed competes with each other to hoist the god or prophet of their conception as the last word in spirituality. In this frenzy of faiths, it is easy for a true seeker to get deluded and miss the right direction. Thus, instead of worshipping the true God of this universe we land up propitiating the wrong ones. Here, Lord Siva is pointing out this situation to Parvati.

This unholy situation arose consequent to an error in Sanatana Dharma, the Eternal Spiritual Order, according to Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. The Guru describes this error as follows, which is a very important revelation:

“What we are going through is the time-order of Manvantaras. That is our perspective or cognition of the world. In the Manu-tradition a great spiritual evolute fell from grace (in the third chaturyuga of the present seventh Manvantara). As a result, the Brahman initiated a corrective in the seventh chaturyuga (by evolving the Trimurty system) which was brought to a completion in the eleventh chaturyuga. Thereafter astral matters related to mukti were revealed which got codified as Vedas, Sastras and the Upanishads, without changing the old Manvantara order (to reaffirm that order). Since the sages could not transcend those who received these astral matters did not enquire into the reason why they had received such knowledge they used their intellect in understanding the path shown by the Almighty and charted their version of the Manvantara time-order - chaturyugas, manvantaras and kalpas as subservient to Brahma. Thus they could not invoke Manu, the First Guru and grasp the Error and correct it. This is a peril that has befallen us. The Error was repeated again and again as the evolutes who were the spiritual authorities of revealed knowledge could not discover the mystery and unravel it in full before us.

“The feeling of ‘I’ (Aham Brahmasmi) developed in the lineage of Manus. In the higher planes of knowing it was seen that all the wisdom and knowledge attained so far have come through it (the Manu tradition). This ‘I-ness’ can be seen in any of the books of Vedanta. You talk to any common person - this bloated notion of a free ‘I’ (ego) can be seen. When this comes up in the circle of ascetics (brahmacharis), then such notions come forth through the master-disciple lineage. In the tradition of deity-worship (deva parampara), the ‘deva’ (god) I am devoted to or the ‘devi’ (goddess) I am devoted to is the greatest and most glorious (is observed). Because of such possessiveness in individuals, all kinds of deities, chamundi, yakshi, pey, maruta, matan, mantramurthi (dark, evil spirits such as succubi, ghosts, ghouls etc.) became the ‘Lords’. This has happened because of people’s selfishness and egoism.

“Due to the emergence of Varnasrama, castes and castes upon castes, those who worshiped according to the Trimurti tradition could not function in accordance with the goodness of the Age. Earlier to this tales were created using the medium of Srutis and Smritis and they were presented as authentic. Before that, as there appeared the creed of ‘materializations’ some sanyasis themselves handled the traditions of siddhi. As it all came up to this, the tradition of Manu faded away even from memory. This degradation of the times is due to the refusal to modify the customs that required a change according to the age and the falsification of the ideology that the abode of Brahman should all the time be with the celestials (devas) and Brahmins. (Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru, A Dialogue on Human Prospects, Santhigiri Publications).

This is the greatest revelation of God in the annals of human history. Let those who have ears hear it. Let those who are seekers hasten to this truth and the spring of God’s grace. Glory to the Guru, the most benevolent ever.

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -7

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -7

Durlabham Trishu-lokeshu Tacchrunushwa Vadaamyaham
Gurum Brahma Vinaa Naanyat Satyam Satyam Varaanane

‘O beautiful one! I will tell you that which is very rare in the three worlds. Please listen. Guru is none other than the Absolute Brahman – God Himself. This verily is the truth’.

Explanation: The human guru, whatever is his exalted position, is not given a status above the gods by Vedic tradition. It placed great spiritual masters like Sri Krishna or Sri Buddha subordinate to the gods through fabricated mythology. Thus Sri Krishna and Sri Buddha became avatars of Vishnu contrary to the truth. The pundits as well as the ignorant have not been exposed well enough to the knowledge of lokas or spiritual planes through which a soul evolves in its path of final merger with the Supreme Light.

After taking thousands of embodiment in water and soil a soul evolves to become a plant, an animal and then a man. A man in his brutish state becomes an evil spirit in the bhuta loka after death. If he becomes refined enough to be a just man, then he becomes a denizen of pitru loka and is reborn to earn more meritorious karma. After becoming meritorious enough by observing right karma and dharma and sacrifices he becomes qualified to evolve as a deva or an angel, an embodiment with increased potency for enjoyment in the sixth spiritual sky known as Swarga or Deva loka (heaven). It is also known that there are certain categories of Swarga such as Siva loka, Vishnu Loka, Brahma Loka, Indra Loka etc. in which the respective deities wield power over the souls. Similarly, for the followers of Christianity, Islam etc. there are corresponding heavens under those prophets.

The souls in those heavens are not liberated since they have not transcended name, form and qualities and hence the subjective awareness that cause dual experiences of happiness and sorrow. The real spiritual experience commences from the seventh spiritual plane known as Rishi loka which is said to be a world of pure light and spiritual bliss. The Rishis are liberated souls from the chain of births and deaths. They manifest themselves as light, having lost name, form and qualities as well as the subjective ego consciousness. The devi-devas and angels in the Swarga are subordinates to such great rishis. We can read in the puranas how great rishis humbled the gods on many occasions. We know how Brahmarishi Vishwamitra created another Swarga itself when Indra, the king of gods refused King Trishanku entry into heaven.

Navajyaoti Sri Karunakara Guru once mentioned about the story of Atri Maharshi. Indra, the king of gods was cursed by Rishi Gautama because Indra had violated the chastity of Gautama’s wife. (Just think how ‘noble’ indeed are the deeds of gods!) Due to this curse Indra’s body became deformed. Out of shame, he abandoned the heaven and approached trinity gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara for help. But the gods said they were unable to save him from the curse of a Rishi. At this juncture, Narada advised Indra to approach Atri Maharshi whose ashram was situated near Kanyakumari in the vicinity of mount Mainakam, now submerged under the ocean.

As directed, Indra came down to the ashram of Atri Maharshi and begged the Rishi to rescue him from the curse. The kind-hearted Atri directed his wife Anasuya to help Indra. She brought the ‘paada teertham’ (water made holy by washing the feet of sage Atri) and sprinkled on Indra. Thus Indra was redeemed from the curse and was cleansed of his sins. Even today, this place is known as ‘Sucheendram’ which means the place where Indra got purified of his sin. So who is great in this story? The gods or Atri Maharshi? You may decide yourself. But the priest-class had decided that they would not grant a sage a status above the gods and suitably, myths were fabricated. Today not Atri Maharshi but Brahma and Indra are worshipped in Sucheendram temple, which is the final resting place (Samadhi) of Atri Maharshi.

Majority of people are caught in a vicious circle by becoming subservient to celestial powers. The Upanishads mention that those who worship celestials end up in slavery. One has to note that there are two categories of Rishis. One is Devarshis, i.e. those who are dedicated to the devi-devas and the other is Brahmarshis, those dedicated only to Brahman, the Supreme Light. Since Devarshis have not transcended the devi-deva plane they do not belong to the Rishi-loka mentioned above.

There are greater lokas above Rishi loka too. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru referred these lokas as Ishwara Sannidhanam, Brahma Sannidhanam and Para Brahma Sannidhanam counting up to ten lokas in total. Sri Krishna is the only soul who has transcended the eighth spiritual plane equivalent to Ishwara Sannidhanam. At the time of spiritual fulfilment of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru, Sri Krishna helped the Guru to transcend the eighth spiritual plane and complete the stages up to ten. The Guru who merges with Parabrahma Loka (the Source of all creation) becomes That itself. The Guru Lord Siva speaks about is such a Mahatma who has transcended the celestial plane of angels and gods and whatever other spiritual entities and gurus under them. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru said that in front of such a sage the gods are insignificant and of no consequence.

Now what happens to the souls in Swarga loka? Once the merit of their karma is exhausted, they are expelled from the heavenly orb like a penniless man from a five-star hotel. That soul is again born as a plant, animal or man and the vicious circle continues. Sankaracharya described this in his famous verse: ‘punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam, punarapi Janani jatare shayanam, iha samsara bahu dustare pahi murare kripaya pare’ (Man takes birth again and again and dies again and again; he is fated to sleep in the mother’s womb again and again. Indeed, this world is very difficult to transcend. O God, kindly take me across to the other shore!’).

The Vedantis have only helped the ignorance to grow. In their delusion they equate everything from a grass to god Brahma (Brahma and Brahman are different) equal to Brahman keeping the people in darkness forever. Even evil spirits are worshipped as God by some people because of this, apart from their mischief of considering themselves as God.

The second culprit is the Puranas. Puranas contain the imprints of valuable history from an ancient and mysterious past. It contains a good dose of interpolations and fabricated myths too. Through the Puranas the Vedic scribes have wrongly equated celestial gods with Brahman in order to promote or bring under control opposing sects. It’s time we remove the chaff from the grain. One should be conscious of what one's object of worship is, otherwise spiritual evolution gets stunted. Man gets devolved to the state of a brute.

There is also a false notion that one should worship devi-devas as they are the different aspects of Brahman. One can have respect and regard for all divinities, but worship should be directed always towards Brahman, who is the support of the universe. There is no second God other than Brahman. He only is the true benefactor. Since God is formless, He appears in the form of a realised Guru, a Guru who has completed all spiritual stages and attained union with Brahman. Therefore, God is to be worshipped through the medium of the Guru. This is the advice of Lord Siva. Glory to the all-knowing Guru!d through the medium of the Guru. This is the advice of Lord Siva. Glory to the all-knowing Guru!

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -6

.
Mama Ruupaasi Devi Twam Twad-bhaktyartham Vadaamyaham
Lokopakaarakah Prasno Na Kenaapi Kritah Puraa

(O' Divine One! You are my own Being. Owing to your devotion, I am revealing it to you. This question, which is beneficial to the world, has not been asked by anyone before).

Lord Siva is pleased with the unblemished devotion of Parvati. There is a revelation in the Upanishads that in the beginning of creation God divided Himself into a pair, a man and woman. The name of male is Manu and female Satarupa from whom the human race originated. When God thus paired himself in the beginning, everything in nature got paired as male and female. Those who say God has no form are forgetting this creative aspect of God. (Those Hindus who criticise Semitic religions are also forgetting the very Semitic nature of Indian spirituality which extols the One God and His messengers, the Guru medium).

Reminding this truth of creation, Siva equals Parvati to his own Self. Kalidasa mentions in Raghuvamsham that Siva and Parvati are inseparable like ‘word’ and its’ ‘meaning’. The life of Siva and Parvati is also a saga of guru and disciple! The grace of Guru flows down like a downpour that drenches the dry parched earth. Guru with endless patience waits for the arrival of such a disciple and the disciple for such a Guru. There are many a people who go to a Guru, but more often than not, they do it for problem solving or for fulfilment of some wishes. And there is nothing wrong with it because Guru is verily Kamadhenu, the heavenly cow that fulfils wishes!

People talk endlessly about God, about the soul and the universe, all big questions well beyond the grasp of ordinary human intelligence. However, the Guru concept is rarely discussed. There are reasons. First of all, a Guru, when embodied, is seen with the frailties of human nature. Therefore, both the pundit and the ignoramus take the human guru as any other human who cannot be equalled to God. (It is another fact that these people have never seen the God of their imagination and it is impossible also to see any such God).

These people are unable to perceive either the role or transcendent nature of Guru, the Divine in human form as Sri Krishna said in Bhagavat Gita:

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.11).

They cannot be blamed because the Guru concept is a riddle and a true Guru or Poorna Guru, a rare occurrence. From a school master to those who perform mantra, tantra, sacrifices etc. are also called gurus. There are deva rishis and brahma rishis, there are also Vedantins, Yogis, Philosophers and miracle workers under the category of gurus. So there is scope for thorough confusion with regard to gurus. Guru Gita discusses these categories of gurus as well.

There should be adequate punya (soul-virtue) to find a true Guru in life. A person can earn such punya even by offering a glass of water to a mahatma in this birth or previous ones, Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru said. That small gesture of love itself makes him qualified to get a true guru. The rich have become rich through their spiritual merit which includes service to a Guru. Bhagavat Gita affirms this fact. Sri Krishna assures that those devotees of God who had fallen from the path will be reborn in rich families or as famous men.

It is not dry intellectual discussions or blind faith that leads us to spiritual realisation but the grace of God flowing through the medium of Guru. Well, from perennial time humanity has not well pondered over this question as affirmed by Lord Siva here that this question goddess Parvati asked about Guru had not been asked by anyone before.

(Her Holiness Sishya Poojitha - One more jewel of India after the era of goddess Parvati, Gargi, Maitreyi and Meera)

After the era of Siva and Parvati, Gargi, Maitreyi and Meera, there is another example in our times, of Her Holiness Sishya Poojita Janani Amrita Jnana Tapaswini, the disciple of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru and the present spiritual head of Santhigiri Ashram whose devotion to Guru is matchless. Born as Radha to (late) Sri Chellappan Pillai and Smt. Ratnamma in Idukki Kallar in Kerala she as a child gets the vision of the Guru even before she met Him in person, runs to prostrate at His feet when the Guru once happened to visit Kallar when she was nine years old surprising everyone, goes with Him compelling the parents, ignoring even the warning of the Guru that ashram-life is too harsh for a child of her age, the parents come back to take her home, she refuses saying ‘I have no life without Guru’, the parents go to Court accusing that their daughter is illegally detained by the Ashram, the male ascetics in the Ashram get angered by the accusations and wanted to throw her out along with all other female disciples, then the Guru said to them, ‘you are all free to leave the Ashram if you so wish, but I cannot forsake women, they are to be given spiritual light if the home as well as the society is to be improved’, Radha stands firm like a mountain in her resolve, wins the battle, her devotion to the Guru deepens, receives transcendental visions and revelations through Guru’s grace, her blameless life and self-sacrifice make her eligible to be Sishya Poojitha, the most venerable among the disciples and finally occupies the chair of Guru Apparent after Guru’s physical departure. Thus the mission of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru to liberate women and the downtrodden spiritually and socially breaking the barriers of religion, caste, class and gender remains fructified.

Sri Guru Gita - A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva - 5

Aum Namo Devadevesa Paraatpara Jagat Guro
Sadaasiva Mahaadeva Gurudeekshaam Prayaccha Me
Bhagavan Sarva Dharmajna! Vrataanaam Vratanaayakam
Bruuhi me Kripayaa Sambho, Guru-maahaatmya-muthamam
Kena Maargena Bho Swaamin! Dehii Brahma Mayo Bhavet
Tat Kripaam Kuru Me Swaamin! Namaami Charanau Tava||

(O Lord of all celestial beings! O Transcendental One! O World Teacher, the ever blissful one, Mahadeva! May it please you to clear my doubt as a Guru would attend to his disciple! O Lord! Knower of all Dharma! O Sambho! Kindly disclose to me the greatness of Guru, which is supreme and (the devotion to which) is the foremost vrata (vows) of all vratas. ¡O Lord! Kindly tell me about that path by which soul attains union with God. O Lord! I bow at your feet).

Here we find Parvati surrendering at the feet of Siva, her Guru in all earnestness beseeching him to guide her in the science of the soul. How to merge oneself with Brahman, the Supreme Light of God and find eternal peace? Parvati, who is ripe with penance and purity is the symbol of a truth seeker who has reached the summit of self-realization. Even such noble souls need guidance while ascending higher and higher. One does not know how many births, how many lives of internal transformation the soul might have undergone before reaching this threshold of enlightenment and to ask, ‘How do I merge with the Lord and find eternal peace?’

What helps here is not tradition or culture, religiosity or philosophies, rituals or riches, name or fame but only the Guru. Therefore, one should set out in search of a Guru to find peace neutralizing the bubbling desires within and deluding attachments arising from dual consciousness, which is the cause for all sorrows.

‘Arise! Awake! Approach the feet of the Master and know That’, says Katha Upanishad (1.ii.8). ‘The Guru disciple bond is the most sublime subject’, Navajyoti Sri Karuakara Guru said. ‘It is said that Guru is Sakala Dharmatma, (the embodiment of all dharma). We realize ourselves the vice and virtue (paapa and punya) in the soul accrued through many births and deaths and submit everything at the feet of Guru. Guru by imparting spiritual experience breaks the karmic entanglements…’, mentions Guru.

Here, the Guru becomes the liberator. Bhakta (devotee) is given the opportunity to unburden and sublimate all karmas, good and bad, at the feet of the Guru. And Guru assures him liberation, the bliss of enlightenment through spiritual experiences in order to dispel all doubts and purify the person of all bad karma. The Guru-Sishya concept goes beyond the popular one about Guru. Chindu Ratna, a Research Associate in Santhigiri Social Research Institute defined the role of Guru in a sociological perspective. Guru has the role of the Originator, Sustainer and Annihilator (Srishti, Stiti and Samhara), he explains.

In Santhigiri the Guru plays the role of shaping a healthy and virtuous human race. Today, one of the major challenges in front of man is a society free from diseases, disabilities and moral downfall. There should be spiritual guidance with regard to marriage and married life in order to prevent the birth of a meritless generation. Therefore, Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru gave utmost importance to the generative aspect, which is Srishti or creation. The system of marriage and childbirth the great Guru initiated will ensure the birth of supramental souls and a supramental age, which Aravind Ghosh had envisioned.

Today, life poses a major challenge before man. He has to be productive to sustain himself and others around him. Consumerism has unsettled the holistic perspective of life. Entrepreneurs vie with each other to offer more and more products and services that change the way man wants to live. Profit motive makes entrepreneurs less responsible to man’s concerns about health and environment as well as exploitation of natural resources. The Guru showed an alternative way of self-reliant commune life. Only the products that are essentially required by the community is produced without harming Nature. There are educational institutions, hospitals, manufacture of Ayurveda and Siddha medicines and other small-scale enterprises in Santhigiri that meet the demands of the community. Here, life becomes a collective effort which eases the burden of a life individually lived. This is Sthiti or sustenance.

Another area of worry in man’s life is the thought about his karma and its consequences here and hereafter. He is worried about diseases and death. Man is in need of a sound doctrine that can alleviate the worry about death and suffering. Here, Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru presents a concept that is founded on Sanatana Dharma. The soul is caught in an evolutionary journey wherein life does not end with the present. Each birth is an opportunity to evolve higher and higher until it merges with Brahman, the Supreme Truth. Our actions and our view of life determine the sorrow as well as happiness in life. When a person blindly follows ritualistic tradition, soul’s progressive evolution gets arrested. Thus, the Guru’s ideology helps the followers transcend the fear of death. This is Samhara, the annihilation of the fear of death.

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva -4

Suuta Said:
Kailaasa-shikhare Ramye Bhakti-saadhana Hetave
Pranamya Paarvatii Bhaktyaa Sankaram Paripruchhati

(At the beautiful mount of Kailas, Paarvati, bowing in devotion submits a question to Sankara (Siva), for the sake of nurturing devotion).

Now a misguided campaign is going on in Kerala against the entry of women in Sabarimala temple. It is a rare occasion in history when both men and women join a self-defeating campaign blinded by superstitions and the crafty policies of a priest-class, which had for long denied women the rights for spiritual performances including the right to cover their nakedness. One gets both pained and surprised by seeing this foolery. Sri Guru Gita shows how the gods and sages of India helped women in their spiritual growth and gave them freedom to ask questions. In fact, no spiritual performance is complete without the participation of women because man and woman are the inseparable creation of God.

For a woman, the husband is her guide, her Guru and therefore a divine being. The husband is even equated to God in Sanatana Dharma. This is the ideal situation according to the wise rishis, but we know it is quite difficult if not impossible to find such a noble soul as husband in this age. A husband should be a spiritually elevated soul with the knowledge of dharma, karma and transcendental knowledge.
In the ancient Rishi tradition, a child is sent to an ashram to get trained and educated in dharma (spiritual knowledge), artha (wealth), kama (desire fulfillment) and moksha (liberation) under an enlightened guru.

The ashram education package includes practical knowledge related to God realization as well as exposure to the riddles of Creation, Life and Death. Only the right spiritual knowledge leads the soul to lasting freedom and joy. It is an exercise to find the meaning of life itself. Dharma-Artha-Kama-Moksha scheme works out our cravings in life while fulfilling the duties as householders towards the family, society and the world at large. In this process, one is supposed to develop the soul with virtues like truthfulness, purity, compassion, love, self-sacrifice, etc. which leads to personal fulfillment and moksha. But sadly, the western education has wiped out this Indian system of gurukul education, which has made Indians (Hindus) spiritual illiterates and a culturally devastated lot.

The Ashram-centric life or Guru-Sishya relationship is to learn about life. Only in the presence of the sun, darkness gets dispelled. Similarly, the divine presence of Guru in life illumines our minds and cleanses the impurities or karmic entanglements. After the education in dharma and other worldly subjects living in the Ashram of Guru, the student is directed to lead the life of a householder. Only such a man becomes qualified to become a successful householder, an ideal husband, who can help his wife grow spiritually as equal partners in the path of the Divine.

The conjugal bliss and prosperity fundamentally rest on this spiritual harmony between a husband and wife. When there is no such spiritual harmony, very unpleasant experiences await such couples. A girl or boy, therefore, should marry only under the spiritual guidance of an all-knowing Guru. There is a lot to be said about marriage and how to beget a fortunate child without any type of physical and mental debilities. This subject also comes under the spiritual guidance of a realized Guru. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru has given utmost importance to the institution of marriage and family by bringing to fore this long lost Rishi tradition in the Ashram. The help and guidance mothers get from the Ashram prior to and during pregnancy and after childbirth is beyond words.

A husband has the sacred responsibility of elevating his wife too to the pedestal of his attainments- both spiritual and temporal. How glad we would be to come across such blessed couples in our times! Here we find the epitome of that principle in Siva and Parvati. The example of Siva and Parvati has always been extolled in the sacred literature. Kalidasa described the union of Siva and Parvati as inseparable as the 'word' is with its 'meaning'. Parvati herself is well known for her practices of spiritual austerities. She worships Siva as the greatest ascetic and the knower of dharma. In her devotion to Siva, she finds latent in him the sacred Guru-hood, which inspired her to ask questions about the mystery behind the Guru-Sishya relationship.

Sri Guru Gita- A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva - 3

Rishaya Uvacha:
Guhyaat Guhyatamam Saaram Gurugiita Visheshatah
Twat Prasaadaaccha Shrotavyaa Tat Sarvam Bhruuhi Suuta Naha

(The Rishis said: O Suuta! Guru Gita is very unique, and its contents holding greatest hidden meaning. Therefore, may it please you to render all of that, which would be suitable for our ears).

Here, Guru Gita has been described as a text that contains the greatest spiritual secrets to be known by seekers since it dwells upon Guru Tatva in depth. Maharshi Suuta was a disciple of Vyasa and the son of sage Loma. He was approached by a group of rishis who were eager to know about the mystery of Guru. Suuta, then, through his visionary faculty narrates to the eager rishis the conversation that took place between Siva and Parvati on the mystery of GURU.

One of the qualities of a seeker is the eagerness for spiritual knowledge. Where there is no desire for knowledge, it would be futile to discourse on spiritual knowledge. There was a time (in 1970s) when thousands of young people especially from the West along with some Indians crowded the ghats and gallies of Varanasi, Rishikesh and other holy places seeking transcendental wisdom. I don’t know where all they have disappeared. It was not an unrelated occurrence without any sufficient cause. That was the time when God’s Light descended on India. Then, in the far south, a unique spiritual event was taking place - revelations from the Light of God through a less known Soul who lived secluded in a thatched hut away from all publicity - Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru. First of all, it is difficult to have ‘mumukshutvam’ the desire for salvation. Even if one has ‘mumukshutvam’, only through the virtues of many lives it is possible to reach at the feet of the appointed One. So the spiritual wave of 1970s dissipated.

Presently, we are concentrated only on the fulfilment of desires. So, there is the increase of rituals. ‘Pongala Hinduism’ is more popular than salvation. Once the disciples of Buddha asked the Noble One that why he was not able to give salvation to the people who are suffering from worldly sorrows through his Noble Dharma! Upon this Buddha asked his disciples to go and bring any person desiring enlightenment. The disciples went down to the village. Door to door they went. Some were suffering from poverty and they wanted money, some others wanted a progeny or a bridegroom for their daughters or the healing of a disease, and so on. The disciples returned to Buddha unable to find a single soul desiring salvation.

Most of us are unable to look beyond and search for durable peace. We are enslaved by our physical wants, mental desires and intellectual thirsts. We are trapped in our vicious karma and vasanas, so unable to step into that world of tranquility, purity and eternal bliss for which the soul thirsts. But the rishis are noble souls who ever want to dwell in the world of transcendental wisdom. Their minds constantly debate on the question of life here and hereafter, on the question of God and Self or how to wriggle out of this horrible karmic pool. The Guru concept is an inseparable part of this enquiry, hence their eagerness to hear about it from a great soul - Maharshi Suuta.

Sri Guru Gita - A Discourse between Siva and Parvati- 2

Achintyaavyakta Ruupaaya, Nirgunaaya Gunaatmane
Samasta-Jagadaadhaara, Muurthaye Brahmane Namah

(Salutations to Brahman, the Supreme Being, who is incomprehensible and of indefinite form, who is with and without attributes and the support of the whole universe!)

Sant Kabir once said that if God and Guru were to appear before him, he would first bow at the feet of the Guru for it was Guru who made him experience God! Although Nirguna Brahman (God without attributes) is the changeless Reality, it can be experienced only through the binary of Jeevatma and Paramatma. Paramatma here is Saguna Brahman, God with attributes. Jeevatma or individual soul comes into existence from the projection or sankalpa of Paramatma. Jeevatma has no independent or permanent existence of its own as it is bound to Paramatma like the wave is to the ocean, like the smell is to a flower or like the child is to its father. In short the universe comprising of all animate and inanimate beings is the projection of Paramatma, the Comic Soul.

Paramatama or Saguna Brahman is with attributes, i.e. with name, a definite form along with qualities and the power to imagine and act (Sankalpa Shakti and Kriya Shakti). Different sects in Hinduism address him Siva, Vishnu, Goddess, Surya, Ganapati, Krishna and so on according to their vision and experience, although they too accept Nirguna Brahman as the ultimate truth. Buddhists and Jains advise the followers to concentrate only on deeds or karma, rather than debating about a God that is beyond human intelligence. However, they believe in the concept of Mahatmas or Arahats whom mankind has to follow for attaining Nirvana or enlightenment.

In Christianity, Paramatma is called the Father in Heaven. In Islam, they say Allah, which is supposed to be Nirguna Brahman, God without attributes. Islam does not accept the concept of Saguna Brahman. They suppose that Nirguna Brahman has all the power to create, judge and punish. However, this idea is not acceptable because the God which creates, judges and punishes, that God requires a mind to imagine and intelligence to order the universal function. He should also have a physical form. In the scriptures it is said that God, desiring to create the world, first projected himself in the form of a man (Purusha). This Purusha was split into two, a man and woman by his own will for the purpose of procreation. We can assume that Purusha, the first projection of formless God (Nirguna Brahman) is Manu, the Adi Guru or the primordial ancestor of human universe. It is said that the solar system was born out of the sankalpam of Manu. That is why the age of our solar system is calculated in terms of the time cycle of Manu or Manvantara.

God without form, name and qualities is an unknowable abstract concept. God is said to be pure light, consciousness and bliss. (Sat Chit Ananda). In that state of God, there is no mind, no intelligence, no imagination or karma of any type including creation. It is said to be a state of pure bliss untouched by gunas or qualities. That is why the rishis called this state of God as Nirguna Brahman, which can think and act only when it transforms itself into an embodiment with Jnana Shakti, Kriya Shakti and Sankalpa Shakti (the power of knowledge, volition and action).

Realized Gurus are the mind-born embodiments of the Purusha in human form. A few great souls crossing many spiritual skies or lokas attain the abode of Paramatma through tapasya or austerities spanning many births. Such souls are sent by God for man’s spiritual guidance. That is the reason, Guru is realized and worshipped as Paramatma or Brahman itself. Guru Gita tries to project this truth throughout its discourse. This mantra is both the invocation and definition of God. It tries to define God in beautiful terms as the Unknowable and Indefinable Support of the Universe, the Eternal Truth, with and without Attributes.

Sri Guru Gita - A Discourse between Siva and Parvati

Gurucharanam Saranam

Today is an auspicious day to listen to Sri Guru Gita, the discourse between Siva and Parvati that is said to have taken place on the beautiful mountain of Kailas probably on a moonlit night of Pournami, the full moon day. Among others who listened attentively to this sacred discourse were great sages and rishis. Surely, Sri Guru Gita contains the secret of all secrets for spiritual enlightenment leading to God realisation.

First let us begin with a prayer to the Guru:

Paramaachaarya Padapraaptam, Paramaatma Swaruupakam
Karunaakara Gurum Vande, Bhavaroga Bhishagwaram

(My obeisance to Sri Karunakara Guru, who has attained the seat of Supreme Guru-hood and who is the embodiment of the Absolute Truth and is the healer of the affliction that is life on the earth plane!)

This mantra is an invocation to the Guru seeking his blessings. It is an ancient practice that when we commence a work, first we pray to Guru. All our actions and thoughts, both good and bad, are to be submitted at the divine feet of the Guru. Guru, while talking about daily routine of a devotee advised that we should try to recollect all our thoughts and actions of the day before going to bed so that we can analyse them in our mental screen and make subjective amendments. It is a subjective process that will help internal harmony or the mind-soul integration. The residues of conflicts in life work subjectively and create ripples of disharmony in the mind and body leading to ailments in the form of worry, tension and so on.

We must understand that GURU is a spiritual phenomenon that is one with the Universal Consciousness. Such a Guru will be a Trikala Jnani, i.e. the one who knows the past, present and future. Guru is the projection of the unknowable, immeasurable, nameless ocean of Light, i.e. God. Every phenomenon in the universe is nourished, harmonised and ultimately evolved in this universal consciousness called Guru. The afflictions arising out of the binaries of existence can be harmonised only on this plane of Absolute Truth.

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!

Why Hindu Unity is a Difficult Task?

A World Hindu Congress was concluded just now in USA. Obviously the main agenda was to unite Hindus. Can Hindus be really united? Hindu unity seems to be a difficult one. The reason is that some deviations have occurred in Sanatana Dharma after the time of Sri Krishna. What we call Hinduism today, it consists of many sects, important among them being Saiva, Vaishnava and Sakteya. These sects cannot be united because they have come up differently. No people can be united without spiritual unity. And spiritual unity can be achieved only through a unifying concept of God under a strong spiritual leadership. Only Sanatana Dharma can unite not only Hindus but the whole of humanity. There are some basic tenets that make Sanatana Dharma distinct from the present form of Hinduism or any other religion.. I present that basic view of Sanatana Dharma in the light of the teachings of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru, whose 92nd birth anniversary is being celebrated on 13 Thursday, Sept. 2018.

We have only one religion – the Religion of Liberation’, said Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru (1927-1999), the founder of Santhigiri Guru Parampara about the path of Dharma he founded. Guru Dharma deals with principles related to the spiritual scheme of time cycles (Yuga Dharma), wisdom transmission (Guru Dharma) and the laws concerning soul’s transmigratory journey for the fulfilling experience of non-dual consciousness. Guru revealed the way for experiencing the pure vision of non-dual Truth living in the duality of phenomenal existence.

We might take time cycles i.e. Yugas, Manvantaras, and Kalpa as some obscure concepts from an unknown past. Just like time in the form of day and night as well as year and season is bound to human destiny, Yugas and Manvantaras are the measurements of infinite time, related to the origin and evolution of life and consciousness in the solar system. The solar system has come into being with such matchless perfection by the Will of Brahman, the Transcendental Light (Brahma Prakasham).

How can the Absolute Nondual Truth create a world of plurality is a question that continues to perplex man. Existence cannot come into being from non-existence, declare the Upanishads (Chandogya Upanishad, VI.II.1). Although the Divine Light is non-dual primordial consciousness and also the basis for phenomenal existence, it creates the world of plurality with names, forms, qualities and different potencies by launching itself through a primordial kinetic urge (Adi Sankalpam).

Adi Sankalpam means the first thought or the Word of God as reflected in the Upanishads as ‘May I Be Many’, ‘May I Create the World’. (Chandogya Upanishad, VI.II.3, Aitareya Upanishad, I, Taitiriya Upanishad, II.vi.i). This primordial urge, the spontaneous self-expression of the nondual Truth creates the boundaries of time and space as well as the whole phenomena of existence, the cosmic plan.

Some religions are against anthropomorphizing God, as they argue that the Absolute Truth is arupi, i.e. formless. Advaita Vedanta even deny that the creation is only a mirage, an illusion. However, the argument is only partially true.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said:

‘Although God is arupi (formless), there is swarupam (form). When we say the love of God, we should imagine a ‘swarupam’ (an embodiment) for God in mind, because God indeed is a ‘swarupam’. Saying that God is omnipresent and interpret in some other way, we would never be able to understand God’.

The pure absolute consciousness has to first transform itself into an entity for the purpose of creation, the scriptures reveal. The Brihadaranya Upanishad mentions: ‘In the beginning, this was but the Self in a form similar to that of a Man’. (Rig Veda, 10.90.2, Yajurveda 31:18, Aiteraya Upanishad, 1:1:3).

This progenitor is known as Manu in Indian cosmology. He is the first born of God, the Purusha or the Hiranyagarbha of the Vedas and Upanishads and the Logos in western theology. The Indian rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantara after the name of Manu, the archetypal Guru, the primordial Purusha, through whose volition (sankalpa) every solar system comes into existence. Man has lost the awareness about this archetypal heavenly father. Therefore, Indian rishis calculated the age of the universe in terms of Manvantara, the age of a Manu.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said:

‘Manu Parampara (lineage) is to provide God’s dharma to the world. It is a long time now since we have reached to this helpless state of not knowing about Manvantara, Chaturyuga, how many chaturyugas constitute a Manvantara…’

Nine heavenly bodies revolve around the sun creating the conditions for the origin, sustenance, and evolution of human life. The Rishis revealed that a Manvantara has seventy-one age-quartets or Chaturyugas (306,720,000 human years) consisting of Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali, which cyclically evolve to a pre-determined goal of perfection. Then another solar system begins with the next Manu. Fourteen such archetypal Manus appear in an episode of creation called Kalpa.

‘When we talk about the origin of the universe, the yuga-cycles and dissolutions happen with such a long age. Manvantara comes at the transition to another yuga-cycle after dissolution’ (Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru).

This process of creation goes on infinitely, without a beginning and end, which explains the theory of an expanding universe with its billions of galaxies and the possible existence of countless solar systems. Therefore, the Indian name for God is Brahman, which means that which expands.

‘There is a measure of Brahma Prakasham (Divine Light) for the movement of the solar system’ said Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru. The universe moves on the wheel of time, therefore, the human race cannot move forward without the proper awareness of time. Time is the synonym for change. Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said about it as avastha bhedam (change of nature or stage).

‘Evolving through each age, developing through centuries, we are crossing stages. When we say ‘avastha bhedam’, the stage from a base entity to a Deva is a unique stage (avastha) of ours’ (Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru).

When Darvin’s theory of evolution is taken further to ethereal planes (mandalas), the soul of man further evolves into the status of greater luminous bodies of a deva, Rishi, sanyasi and other higher levels of manifestation. The soul goes through ten spiritual stages of transformation, according to the Guru. The worlds mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and other texts relate to these stages of soul evolution.

After the age of Kali, the Chaturyuga cycle again begins with Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali. Satya Yuga is the age of perfection, when God realization is direct, according to the Rishis. While the perfected souls in Satya Yuga adorn the heavens as radiant entities and merge with Brahman (the absolute nondual state) at the end of a Kalpa, souls in the various states of evolution such as an animal, human, deva or a rishi also have to go through the long process of evolution through the cycle of ages. The soul might go down in the process of evolution when righteous dharma and karma are violated.

The present age is the Kali Yuga of 28th Chaturyuga, with 43 Chaturyugas to go, to complete this Manu cycle. Kali Yuga is a period of spiritual perfection. The spiritual order of Kali yuga requires that man attains necessary soul luminance to qualify for the all perfect Satya Yuga, rectifying the mistakes that might have happened in the karma and dharma of previous yuga cycles dwapara and treta. Sanatana Dharma is related to this eternal spiritual order.

However, the mediums of revelation, as well as the modes of application, change from time to time because of socio-environmental changes and human errors that trigger periodical civilizational changes. This change is continuous. Spiritual guides appear for various durations such as 1000, 2000, 3500 or 5000 in a yuga cycle.

‘When the Treta Yuga is completely traversed in the order of Yuga Dharma, an ideology cannot remain more than 5000 or 10000 years. With the passage of time, many failings come in those ideologies’ (Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru).

In view of the above, Yuga Dharma embodies the concept of age-specific renewal of the Dharmic order.

Karunakara Guru said: ‘Yuga Dharma is not only for any particular caste, religion or person. Yuga Dharma is for the whole world… we should know what is Yuga Dharma. There is no use taking up all the four without following what is to be followed in each Yuga. But, we have a tradition that has taken up all the four’.

The ways of worship and social laws of bygone ages (Treta and Dwapara) are practiced in Kali Yuga against the age-specific spiritual order of Sanatana Dharma. The regime of Mahatmas and their spiritual guidance pertaining to Kali Yuga according to the concept of yuga dharma are ignored. Sri Ram, the guru of Treta and Sri Krishna, the guru of Dwapara, whose spiritual incumbency belonged to their respective ages, as well as the rituals and the sacred chants of those yugas are followed in the Kali Yuga. The rights and wrongs of the past yugas are repeated arresting the age-related spiritual evolvement.

While the Vedic tradition portrayed Kali Yuga as an age of ruin, Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said that Kali is the best age after Satya Yuga since it is an age of spiritual evolvement. The revelations of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru regarding the Dharmic order of Kali Yuga deserve serious attention:

*. We should make changes according to the time. Time will not step aside for us. Since this is the age of Kali, what is required is the propagation of Dharma suitable to Kali Yuga.

*. If the time of Deva in the Treta and Dwapara had been fulfilled through mantra and tantra, it has to be fulfilled through austerities and knowledge (tapas and jnana) in the age of Kali.

* Most jnanis have not been able to understand what the Dharmic order of Kali Yuga is.

* In order to implement Kali Yuga Dharma, a correction and a new path is required. The new path is to develop a good character among the people.

The effort for the transition to Kali Yuga Dharma had begun from Sri Krishna. After Sri Krishna, the Upanishad Rishis, Sri Buddha, Mahavir and other Mahatmas tried to rejuvenate the jnana tradition of India. However, their efforts remain unfulfilled because of spiritual distortions.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru referred to it as ‘the error that denied Guru Dharma in the name of Vedic dharma’. Guru said that there would be a change only when we accept the path opened by the Mahatmas:

‘What is required first is the removal of ignorance. That only will lead to victory. What is required for that? We should understand the vision of Mahatmas; should think about it and then try to actualize it. Thus, if we strive step by step, we can reach the desired shore…. Our destined karma is to knock at the door and find out the self-sacrifice of every great soul, that they did for our sake…Mahatmas are the means to love truth and to know the karma with discrimination.’

But the Mahatmas did not get the desired status in India. The Rishi tradition gave way to the Vedic tradition which tried to cement the Trimurti tradition, the worship of trinity gods (Siva, Vishnu and Goddess) and their large family of gods, divinities and gurus under it. The Hindus of India are thus divided into many sects and caste groups leading to their spiritual disunity. Therefore, the efforts to unite Hindus have always failed.

Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said:

‘An effort has taken place to unite us through Vaishnava, Shaiva and Sakteya traditions. But people would not be united in that way because these three had come in three different ways. What is required for unifying is some awareness.’

The mistake prevailing in the world now is that the dharma of the fourth epoch (Kali Yuga) has not been implemented here. Navajyotisri Karunakara Guru said that the worship of One Almighty God has to be perfected in Kali Yuga. The doctrine of One Absolute God was put forward by India first. However, for the last few millenniums, Vedic tradition functioned without giving respect to the jnana tradition; therefore, Yuga dharma could not be established here.

The idea of One God worship was propagated by prophets such as Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad in West Asia, which has spread throughout the world. But in the prophetic religions, there is no clear concept about cosmic time order – about the Yugas and Manvantaras. They also do not accept the theory of spiritual evolution, reincarnation, etc.

Nature has an inherent character to evolve the soul to its Absolute status through a series of evolutionary incarnations. There exists, also a divine intervention that creates or directs this rhythmic evolution. The uniqueness of Indian spirituality is this idea of a divine intervention, in the form of a spiritual embodiment that exists as the ‘witnessing authority of all actions and knowledge (Karma-Dharma-Saakshi, i.e. Guru Incarnation). Indian spirituality considers the relationship between an enlightened Guru - who is the embodiment of absolute realization- and the souls who are struggling to attain freedom from the chains of imperfection as the fundamental dharma for the evolvement and fulfilment of all living beings.

The path of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru is the hope for the whole human race to unite spiritually. It is an opportunity for Hinduism and India to evolve with universal acceptance.

Mukundan P.R.