Guru God

Guru Purnima is sacred for many reasons: this day, the seeker who suffers from identification with the false objective world is initiated into the reality of the 'unseen motivator' within him; this day, those who have no urge to tread the spiritual path are inspired to seek the bliss which that path will confer; this day, aspirants are helped to achieve the consciousness of the One, which is known by many Names and through many Forms, in various languages and lands. With the rise of the Sun, the world is bathed in light and heat. So too, with the oncoming of Guru Purnima the human heart is bathed in peace and security. Guru Purnima is not just one day in the year; marked out in the calendar. It is all days when the mind of man (whose presiding deity is the Moon) becomes full of pleasant coolness, fully illumined with the light from the Sun, (intelligence, discrimination).

The contemplation of death is the very foundation of spiritual discipline. Without it, man is certain to fall into falsehood, pursuing the objects of sense-pleasure, and trying to accumulate material, worldly riches. Death is no ominous calamity; it is a step into the auspicious brightness beyond. It is inescapable; it cannot be bribed away, adjourned by certificates of good conduct, or testimonials from the great. Once born, death is the inevitable end. But it is possible to escape birth and thereby, escape death. For, birth is the consequence of karma. Do karma which breeds no consequence, no aftereffects which have to be lived through—and you need not be born again. Engage in activity, as duty; or engage in activity, as ‘offering of worship to God’—then, such activity will breed no after-effects. This problem of escaping death, achieving immortality, Amritatwam, is the very core of inquiry.

When Yajnavalkya proposed to go into the forest for asceticism and divide his riches between his two wives, Maitreyi wanted to know from him before accepting her share whether riches will help her to realise the truth and get release from death. Nachiketa asked the same boon from the God of death. Prahlada taught the same point of view to his playmates. Buddha was prompted by the sight of a corpse to solve the mystery of death. The true Guru is the one who makes one aware of this seriousness and urgency of this problem.

Guru Scatters Darkness Through Light

When acts are done as offering to God, one will not be elated at success or disheartened by failure, for, He prompts, He helps, He grants joy or grief as He wills, as He cares. The doer will have no attachment to the fruit of the deed; so, he will not be bound to its consequence; it will leave no trace on his personality which will shape him beyond death.

But, there are people who assert that there is no God at all. Now, the word God gained currency, because of the existence of God. A word emerges from the tongues of people in order to indicate an object or an idea, which they have cognised. A non-existent entity will not have a label to identify it! Words indicating non-existing things like ‘skyflower,’ ‘barren mother,’ ‘harehorn,’ are only compound words. The words sky and flower make sense as we have the sky and the flower; the absurdity arises only when they are compounded together; so too, are the words, barren and mother, and the words, hare and horn.

A Gem Of Wisdom

A word expresses an experience. An experience is the result of craving. Craving comes out of desire. A desire arises as a result of the impact of Nature on the senses. Nature is the illusion that covers the One and displays it as many. Illusion (maya) is the leela of God which He says as “Mama Maya” in Bhagavad Gita.

This truth is expounded by the true Guru to the disciple who is earnest and efficient. This is a gem of wisdom that has to be treasured in the heart and carefully guarded against the vile acts of the six inner thieves, namely, lust, anger, greed, passion, pride and hate.

There are two types of jungles where the beast, man, can roam. He has to make the choice. There is the vedic jungle, where calm and quiet prevail, where the leonine majesty in the form of realised souls resides, wherein the silence that filters into the heart, the mysteries of birth, death and liberation become clarified. There is the other non-vedic jungle, where wildness is rampant and each lives on the other. There you have teachers who are even more engrossed in worldly tangles and whose eye is more on your purse than your mind or heart, on your fortune more than your fate.

Gu means darkness and ru means light. Guru scatters darkness through light; he imparts wisdom which roots out ignorance. Render unto him as much homage as he deserves, but not more. You repeat the sloka

Gurur Brahma gurur Vishnuh
Gurur dhevo Maheswarah
Gurussakshat Parabrahma
Tasmai Sri Gurave namah

which is usually interpreted as ‘Guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara and he is the visible Parabrahma’. But, it is capable of a nobler interpretation: “Brahma is the Guru, Vishnu is the Guru, Maheshwara is the Guru; really Parabrahma is the Guru.”

Do not seek human Gurus, however great their reputation. They are not gu_—guna ateeta (beyond the Gunas); they are bound by the qualities they have developed. They are not ru (beyond Form); they are still in need of Form, so that they may conceive of Reality. Themselves being limited, how can they communicate to you the Unlimited? Pray to the God within you, Maheshwara, Vishnu, Brahma, or the Parabrahma Principle to reveal Itself. Accept that as the Guru and you will be illumined.

It is sheer waste of money to burden the pictures and idols in the shrines and altars of your homes with a weight of garlands, and to parade costly utensils and vessels and offerings, to show off your devotion. This is deception; it demeans Divinity, imputing to it the desire for pomp and publicity. I ask only for purity of heart, to shower Grace. Do not posit distance between you and Me; do not interpose the formalities of the Guru-sishya (Preceptor-disciple) relationship, or even the altitudinal distinctions of the God-Devotee relationship, between you and Me. I am neither Guru nor God; I am you; You are I; that is the Truth. There is no distinction. That which appears so is the delusion. You are waves; I am the Ocean. The Name and the Form are separate, but, the taste is the same; the jivatma sans the upadi is Paramatma Itself. If you achieve the inner content, I am content, for, I am you.

Subordinate The Mind To The Pure Intelligence

When the Guru is himself struggling in the dark, how can he lead others on? When he is himself a beggar, in search of moneyed men, how can he be free and strict as a teacher? When moha (infatuation) predominates, moksha is a will-o’-the-wisp. You may eat a tiny grain of sugar like an ant and be contented with the gain; but you must grow into an elephant that will eat with relish a whole bundle of sugarcane! The Gayatri mantra is a prayer for the progressive upsurge of intelligence so that Truth may be grasped by the seeker. Subordinate the mind to the pure intelligence which is but a reflection of the God within. Then, you have the Guru of Gurus, as Guide.

Prasanthi Nilayam, 18-7-1970