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.