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.