Guru Gita is lesser known among the ancient sacred texts of India. It is an
intriguing fact that an important scripture like Guru Gita had for a long time
remained eclipsed. But the past decade has seen the growing popularity of Guru
Gita. Most of our spiritual texts reflect a pantheistic view of religion. They
have given rise to multifarious traditions of worship and led to the
fragmentation of Indian society. Against these popular traditions, we can
identify another stream of spiritual pursuit in India for the realization of
transcendent truth. This is reflected in texts like the Upanishads, the
Bhagavat Gita and Guru Gita. They show the path to god realization through Guru,
the bearer of Truth and who connect the consciousness of man to a higher realm
of spiritual experience. Their contents are eternally universal, i.e. Sanatana.
The seekers of truth the world over from time immemorial have turned to these
sources of wisdom for guidance.
Sanatana Dharma is the backbone of Indian culture evolved from the vigilant
knowing of the Guru and disciple through their sacrifices for realizing the
truth. Guru Gita, which reveals the secrets of this vital Guru Principle, is
the quintessence of Sanatana Dharma, the Veda of the Age. Guru Gita is a text
that should adorn every home like a shining priceless gem. Navajyoti Sri
Karunakara Guru has opened up an astounding vista of spiritual freedom through
a newly found, vibrant Guru-Disciple mutuality. May the glory of Guru be
celebrated again in this land of Rishis.
The grand narrations of ancient India are mostly found in Sanskrit verse,
have a meandering form and are made up of numerous interconnected stories and
advices. They often enshrine laws of life, great mystical truths and cosmic
visions. Skanda Purana is one such grand narration depicting the ancient saga
of Skanda, the mighty warrior who fought with skill to overcome the dark powers
that troubled the world. Skanda, whose many other names include Kumara,
Shanmukha, Subramanya, Karthikeya and Muruga is fabled in Indian mythology to
be the son of a greater father, none other than the Siva, lord of dance, the
conqueror of death and the powerful deity of dissolution and destruction.
Guru Gita occurs as part of the Uttarakanda of Skandapuranam.
In spite of being only a part of a larger text, it is complete in itself.
Further, it is an Arcanum containing the most vital law of life – the cosmic
law of GURU – and is therefore perennially relevant to the world. It would not
be wrong if we conclude that such visionary literature was made possible by a
great tradition of spirituality that thrived in those times in the distant past
as a result of austerities of a long line of rishis, who were seekers of Truth.
Such is the uniqueness and grace of this treasure trove in world literature.
It is not the
literary quality alone that makes this text outstanding, nor its sacredness.
Guru Gita contains that sense of direction which is crucial to save planet
earth itself from the man-made disasters it is riddled with. The human race has
to return to the righteous path by restoring its connection with the Light of
the one Universal God and through this finding, its proper relationship with
Nature. Needless to say that this
involves the purification or cleansing of the human content.
Only when the human factor is correct can life be renewed with the infusion
of compassion at all levels, ending violations of all kinds. All human affairs
including politics, government and international relations need to be
re-oriented on this basis. According to Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru, the
powerful in the world is ‘conforming to the Vaisya’s way, a life-view
clouded by ignorance and apathy’. The Vysya being the trader, who has
created the market economy, considers only what is expedient. Expediency is the
key word in today’s market culture. This can change only through individuals
who change subject to spiritual intercession at the subtle planes and get
oriented to basic values.
There is an interesting point to be noted here. Siva and Parvati are bonded
in an ideal relationship. In sharing the secretes of god head Siva, the husband
becomes Parvati’s guru. Parvathi, the wife is such an evolved disciple as to
elicit those spiritual secrets from him. Conventionally Indians fancy that a
wife should treat the husband as a deity. That the husband has to earn such a
position is never highlighted. Guru Gita by the very form it is conceived
implicitly conveys this idealistic message to householders.
Guru Gita is in the form of a dialogue between Siva and his consort Parvati
– the parents of Skanda. Again, the dialogue is conceived as a retrieval from
the past (possibly from what might be termed as ‘aakashic records’) by
sage Suuta who is endowed with the faculty of transcendental vision of a higher
order. Sage Suuta was a disciple of Vyasa and the son of sage Loma. He was
approached by a group of rishis who were eager to go into the depths of the law
of Guru. Suuta, then contacts through his visionary wisdom the knowledge that
was given by Siva to Parvati on the mystery of GURU. And Suuta relates it to
the eager rishis. This exchange between Suuta and the rishis, it is said, took
place in Naimishaaranyam, a forest endowed with great natural beauty
where a number of spiritually evolved sages lived and strived for perfection.
(This area is supposed to be the present Nimasar in Sitapur district in
Uttarpradesh).
The number of verses in Guru Gita appears to vary from version to
version. To wield a metallic stylus on
palm leaves treated for the purpose of inscribing in order to make a copy of
any book must have been a time consuming task before printing was invented.
Patient and expert scholars only could have undertaken such a task. In the
process of making such copies, omissions and additions could have naturally
taken place. Among the disciples of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru there are
many with awakened faculty of inner vision. The most evolved of them, Sishya
Poojita Amrita Jnana Tapaswini is the present spiritual head of the parampara.
A mantra was revealed to her from the Supreme Light:
‘ AUM Sri Karunakara Guru Ateeva
Satyaprakashaya Namah’
This is being
chanted by the Santhigiri parampara along with two earlier lines revealed around
1968-69.
‘ AUM Sree Karunakara Guru Parabrahmane Namah
AUM Sree Karunakara Guru Sathyapradaya Namah’
These three lines show GURU as: 1)
the ocean of mercy, 2) the Absolute Brahman, 3) the giver of Truth (Jnana) and
4) the Light Supreme. Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru represents the Light of
God.
Guru
Guru – the two Sanskrit syllables ‘Gu’ and ‘Ru’ means the dispeller of
darkness. That is a fully realized Guru is the Light of God. Navajyoti Sri
Karunakara Guru is such a fully realized Guru who brings the Light of God to
our world. An experienced disciple Carloz Guzman who came to Guru, like the
three Maji of the East went to infant Christ, without address or information,
was led by this Light. Gifted by strong extra sensory vision Carloz vouches for
the greatness of Guru’s Light. He speaks of the process of transformation
individuals undergo in Guru’s presence thus:
‘By simply being near Guru his immense
Prakasham – Light will immediately start purifying your soul in a very powerful
way’. This experience of Carloz can be
related to following verse from Guru Gita:
Abhyastai Kimu
Deergha-kaala-vimalair-vyaadhi-pradair-dushkaraih
Praanaayaama-satair-aneka-karanaih
Dukhaatmakai Durjayaih
Yasminnabhyudite Vinasyati Balii
Vaayuh Swayam Tatkshanaat
Praaptam Tat Sahaja-swabhaavam-anisam
Seve Tamekam Gurum
(What is the use with practices like Pranayama and several hundreds of
other means that cleanse the soul prolonged, that produces affliction, that are
strenuous, miserable and unattainable? On whose appearance (or presence), the
uncontrollable life force (the Prana) becomes immediately subdued on its own,
only that Guru, who has attained the ever abiding form, should be served
always).
Guru is the Master of not only our soul but all the influences that affect
it. He is the Master of our destiny, our ancestors and successors. Hear what
Herman Nenning, another disciple of Guru has to say about it.
‘The complexities of the spirit world have direct influence on this life on
the earth plane. Spirits of our ancestors (pitrus) and the deities they
worshipped while they lived have astral links with us. From their various
spheres, these entities could be good or evil. Guru severs their links with us,
and they are helped at the astral level by Guru. According to what they deserve, some of them
are even liberated by Guru, some others are guided to be reborn. Those who are
irretrievably evil could be even destroyed’.
Mr. Nenning had an issue to tackle:
‘My younger brother had taken to heavy
drinking. He had closed up and after repeated efforts and much coaxing, he let
his secret out. He was being haunted by evil apparitions. These entities even
entered his body and tried to push him out of his body. No matter where he
slept, these forces followed him. Every night he had these terrifying experiences. His way out was alcohol, even as a
temporary solution, from this astral tyranny…’
Nenning had approached several adepts before for a solution to this
problem. All of them had prescribed elaborate rituals in temples… Guru when
informed of this responded differently. Your brother is attacked by spirits’,
He said, ‘there is a solution here – Guru Pooja. But it is not easy. Means a
lot of responsibility for you, you have to understand many things as well’. In the Guru Pooja, there was no pooja, rites
or ritual involved. The disciple ordained by Guru to do the ‘sankalpam’ to
effect this spiritual intercession, did it at Guru’s behest. All Nenning did
was to attend all the prayers in the Ashram prayer hall on the day this was
done.Here is what Nenning had to say about the result.
‘After two weeks I reached Germany.
My brother came to receive me. I asked him: ‘How are you?’ He answered, ‘I
don’t know how, since two weeks I could sleep well and am completely free of
the fear which troubled me’.
On hearing this Nenning introduced Guru to his brother for the first time.
He was naturally astonished. Herman says that ‘Guru could, from such a distance
and, without ever seeing effect a remedy to his problem was unbelievable!’
Later when Herman got closer to Guru he mustered the courage to ask Guru
how many souls were freed from their stagnation through Guru Pooja. ‘Between five to ten thousand’ was the
answer. The Ashram does not have an exact account of families Guru has accorded
this rarest of the rare act of grace. The number runs to several thousands.
This act of grace had started in 1972.
This aspect of Guru can be related to:
Kulaanaam Kula-kotiinaam Taarakah
Tatra Tatkshanaat
Atastam Sadgurum Jnaatwaa
Trikaalam-abhivandayet
(It takes mere seconds for the Guru to save clans of men, millions of them.
Therefore, knowing that perfect Guru, worship him during the three turns
(sunrise, noon and sunset) of the day).
This work of unparalleled grace is going on ever after Guru left his
physical form and merged in the Supreme Radiance of the Almighty. His Will
works through Sishyapoojita Amrita Jnana Tapaswini, his closest disciple who is
the present spiritual head of the parampara. Guru’s picture comes to our mind
in the lines:
Hridambuje Karnika-madhya-samsthe Simhaasane
Samsthita- divya-moortim
Dhyaayet Gurum Chandra-kalaa-prakaasam
Sachit-sukhaabheeshta-varam Dadhaanam
Swetaambaram Sweta-vilepa-pushpam
Muktaa-vibhuusham Muditam Dwinetram
Vaamaanga-peetta-sthita-divya-saktim
Mandasmitam Poorna-
kripaa-nidhaanam
(That divine form of Guru is to be meditated upon, who is in the throne,
situated in the middle of the petals of the lotus-shaped heart, radiating like
the luminous moon, and giving the coveted boon of transcendental joy. I ever
salute that Guru robed in white, wearing white flowers and pearls, who is the
basis of absolute compassion, who is with jubilant eyes, and ever abiding
‘divine power’ and pleasant smile).
He did not customarily wear white flowers and pearls but was always dressed
in immaculate white. We get a clear picture of our Guru in:
Mohaadi-rahitah Saanto Nitya-tripto
Niraasrayah
Trineekrita-Brahma-Vishnu-vaibhavah Paramo
Guruh
(Free from all
delusions and sorrows, calm and eternally satisfied, needing no support, and
wielding incomparable power that makes naught the power of Brahma, Vishnu and
Maheswara, is the Supreme Guru)
We have realized:
Na Guroradhikam Tatwam Na Guroradhikam
Tapah
Na Guroradhikam Jnaanam Tasmai Sree
Gurave Namah
(My salutations to that auspicious Guru, other than whom there is no
greater truth, no greater penance and no greater knowledge).
As far as we,
Guru’s disciples, are concerned there is no philosophy, no law that is above
our Guru. Guru’s words are the mantras that rescue from life’s crises. Guru’s
form is a reason for us to meditate. We spontaneously keep on remembering Him.
His sacred lotus feet inspires all our worship.
Dhyaana-moolam Guror-muurthih
Poojaa-moolam Guroh Padam
Mantra-moolam Guror-vaakyam Mukthi-moolam
Guroh Kripaa
(The basis of meditation is the form of Guru. The basis of worship is the
feet of Guru. Mantra results from the words of Guru. The basis of liberation is
the compassion of Guru).
In short we are convinced that our Guru Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru is
none other than God – the Absolute Brahman:
Durlabham Trishu Lokeshu Tacchrunushwa
Vadaamyaham
Gurum BrahmaVinaa Naanyat Satyam. Satyam
Varaanane.
(Oh 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).
Our Guru is God, though he himself said: “I am only a means......”
How else can we experience God except through the perfect, fully realized,
true GURU. And a number of persons who came in contact with our Guru have
realized that He is a perfect, fully realized Guru.
The spiritual head affirms this through her exalted vision. Other visionary
renunciants affirm this. Several householder disciples affirm this. All have
seen Guru being worshipped by countless devis, devas, angels, prophets – souls
of great evolution. Rishi Ratna Jnana Tapaswini gives an account of her
experiences thus:
‘Once during our school excursion it was planned that we would be visiting
Dharmasthalam, which is famous for its ancient temples and other holy places.
Along with my friends when I came in front of the sanctum where the idols were
placed, I saw the deities in reality and they were standing with folded hands
in the prostrating manner. A question
crept up in my confused mind why should these powerful deities offer namaskaram
to me, when lacks of people all over the world came here to offer salutations
to them. The teacher from back started to call us to come fast. When I turned
back, it was then that the doubts in my small mind were cleared. Guru with his
gentle and consoling smile was standing in a bright radiance greater than that
of these deities just back of me. Then only I realized that these deities were
actually prostrating to Guru. In a similar manner, I started to receive visions
where I saw crores of Devi-Devas, rishis, sanyasins, and prophets of all
religions with their entire parampara surrendering to my Guru. It was from then
on I started to realize and recognize the greatness and the mission of my Guru”
By Smt. O.V. Usha (The author is a well known Poet, Writer and
Social Activist)
