Sri Guru Gita – A Conversation between Siva and Parvati on Guru Tatva - 11

 Gurucharanam Saranam

Yadamghri-kamala-dwandwam Dwandwa-taapa-nivaarakam

Taarakam Bhava-sindhoscha Tam Gurum Pranamaamyaham

Siva said:

(I salute that Guru, the pair of whose lotus feet remove the suffering owing to the consciousness of opposites and take us across the ocean of worldly life.)

Suffering is the mental agony and agitation arising out of dualities in life such as pleasure and pain, success and failure, opulence and poverty or other experiences contrary to our expectations. Just like night follows the day, pleasure too ends in sorrow. All religions in general and Indian spirituality in particular sought to address the question of human suffering. Lord Buddha specifically identified suffering, its cause and its removal, as the basis of his teaching.  Unless we are able to transcend the domain of pleasure and pain we will not be able to experience peace of mind. And the way of peace is to fix our mind on that imperishable eternal truth called God and His glory.

The other day a retired person from Kolkata came to the Ashram. He said he wanted to have peace of mind now since he has fulfilled all his duties as a householder. How can a person hope for peace after retirement if has not thought about it and striven for it until this moment?  Just like we spend our energies for fulfilling other responsibilities in life, one should start the enquiry to find peace early in life. Otherwise it will be difficult because our body and mind get conditioned by the retirement age and you may not have the necessary energy also for such a mission.   

Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru reminds us that every soul is born subject to the universal rules of karma and spiritual evolution. Guru, who knows the disciple’s soul, cuts the karma with the sword of his grace and lifts the disciple to transcendental bliss. Through the service at the feet of the Guru, the soul gets gradually purified of all sins and bad karma. Only then the disciple can hope to reach the realm of God realisation.  So it is important that we connect our children with a realised Guru early in life. The Ashram is a place where an Atma Jnani Guru, a soul knowing Guru lives. Family life is supposed to be linked to the Ashram of such a Guru. In ancient India, children were educated in an Ashram under the guidance of a realised Guru.  This was known as Gurukula system of education. The children were taught not only spiritual science but all other material sciences such as astronomy, architecture, archery, medicine, metallurgy and so on. The Gurukula system was wiped out by the British during the colonial rule.

Worldly life is compared to an ocean because of the hidden dangers in its unfathomable belly and endless expanse.  Our little boat of life may get overturned by the hissing waves and swirling currents.  It is difficult for a truth seeker to swim over to the other end of this perilous ocean all alone. But with the help of Guru, one can cross over this ocean easily and find peace and tranquillity.   

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

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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.