Good evening to all the spiritual lovers gathered here.
May all beings live happily! Tiruchitrampalam !!
Today, let us enjoy the next lines of the Vinayagar Akaval.
The next line is that the Guru-form is taken by the Guru and the Lord takes possession of him.
The first word of the Goddess is that she prays that the Lord Vinayaga should take the form of a Guru and possess her. So, who is a Guru? Who can be called a Guru? What are his qualifications? Let us think a little about this, wise souls.
The Role of the Guru
The Guru Gita (verse 17) aptly describes the Guru as “the one who drives away darkness” (from Ku – “darkness” and Ru – “to drive it away”). A true, divinely-enlightened Guru is one who, when he has attained self-realization, has realized his identity with the omnipresent Supreme Being. Such a person is uniquely qualified to guide the aspirant on his inner journey towards perfection.
“The blind cannot guide the blind,” said Paramahamsa. “Only a Guru who knows God can teach others about Him properly. To recover one’s divinity one must have such an Aasan or Guru. One who faithfully follows a true Guru becomes like Him, because the Guru helps the disciple to rise to his own plane of realization.”
The Guru-disciple relationship is the highest expression of friendship because it is based on unconditional divine love and wisdom. It is the most sublime and sacred of all relationships. Christ and his disciples were one in essence, and so my Guru [Swami Sri Yukteswar] and I and those who are in union with me are, because of the common bond of divine love of God….One who participates in this relationship is on the path to wisdom and freedom.
Success in the quest for the divine, as in every other aspect of life, requires following the rules of God. To understand the knowledge of the Dharma in a school, you need to learn from a teacher who knows it. Similarly, to understand spiritual truths, you need a spiritual master, or a guru, or someone who knows God.
When you are stumbling in the valley of life, unable to see, in the darkness, you need the help of someone who has eyes. You need a guru. Following someone who has the light of wisdom is the only way out of the great confusion created in the world. I did not find true happiness and freedom until I met my Guru, who was interested in me spiritually and had the wisdom to guide me.
Cry out for God in your heart constantly. When you convince God of your desire for Him, He will send someone—your guru—to teach you how to know Him. Only he who knows God can show others how to know Him. When I met such a person, my Gurudev Swami Sri Yukteswar, I realized that God teaches not through the medium of mysticism but through the medium of enlightened souls. God is invisible, but He is revealed through the intellect and spiritual consciousness of one who is in constant contact with Him. There may be many teachers in one’s life, but there is only one Guru. As was demonstrated in Jesus’ life when he accepted John the Baptist as his guru, a divine need is fulfilled in the Guru-disciple relationship. A Guru is one who is God-realized and commissioned by God to save souls. One cannot be a Guru simply by thinking. Jesus showed that a true Guru acts only by the will of God when he said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” He gave all the glory to the power of God. If a teacher is without pride, only God dwells in his body-temple; and when you are in harmony with him, you can know that you are in harmony with God. Jesus reminded his disciples: “He who receives me receives not me but him who sent me.”
A teacher who personally accepts the praise of others is simply a worshipper of his own ego. To find out if a path is true, distinguish what kind of teacher is behind it, and whether his actions show whether he is guided by God or by his own ego. An unfulfilled teacher, no matter how large the crowd of followers, cannot show you the kingdom of God. All churches have done good, but blind faith in rigid religious doctrines has kept people spiritually ignorant and stagnant. Many times I have seen huge congregations chanting the name of God, but God was as far away from their consciousness as the stars in the distance. No one can be saved by simply going to church. The true path to freedom lies in yoga, in scientific self-study, and in following one who has crossed the jungle of theology and can lead you safely to God.
A Living Form of Truth
A Guru, ordained by God to help individuals in answering their deepest prayers, is not an ordinary teacher; but a human vehicle; his body, speech, mind, and spirituality are used by God as a means by which God draws lost souls back to His immortal home. We initially encounter various teachers through our vague desire to know the truth. But a Guru is a living form of scriptural truth and an agent of salvation appointed by God to answer the incessant prayers of a seeker for liberation from the bondage of materialism.
Illusion is destroyed by good association, by the association of saints, and by devotion to the divine messengers. Even the thought of saints will help you to remove illusion. It is the harmony of thought with the divine messenger that destroys illusion, rather than personal association with him. A true Guru has no desire to place himself in the hearts of others, but rather to awaken the consciousness of God in their consciousness. Gurudev [Swami Sri Yukteswar] was like that: he never showed off his greatness and was one of us. If anyone in the ashram wanted recognition or a high position of power, Gurudev would give him that position. But I wanted Gurudev’s heart, the divine consciousness that he had; and as a result, he is here in my heart forever. What you want is that harmony with the greats.
My Guru told me: “Whether you are in the lower realms of mind or in the higher realms of wisdom, I will be your friend from now on and forever. Even if you make mistakes, I will be your friend, because then you will need my friendship more than at any other time.”
When I accepted my Guru’s unconditional friendship, he said: “Will you give me the same unconditional love?” He looked at me with childlike trust.
“Guru, I will love you eternally!”
“Ordinary love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and gratifications. Divine love is unconditional, boundless, unchanging. The dross of the human heart is gone forever in the penetrating touch of pure love.” He humbly added, “If you ever see me fall from the state of God-realization, I ask you to promise me that you will place my head on your lap and help me return to the great universal love that we both worship.”
It was only after making this spiritual pact that I began to fully understand the importance of a Guru for a disciple. I never found complete contentment, comfort, and communion with God until I aligned myself with unconditional faith and devotion to the divine consciousness of my Guru.
The Best of Donors
God speaks to the world only through His enlightened devotees. Therefore, it is the wisest of all actions to align yourself with the will of the Guru sent by God in response to the desire of your soul. One cannot become a Guru by self-declaration; a Guru is one who is asked by God to bring others back to Him. When there is a little spiritual desire, God sends you books and teachers to inspire you further; and when your desire grows stronger, He sends you a true Guru.
There are teachers who expect their followers to be ready to obey immediately, to come at his call; and if they do not, the teacher becomes angry. But a spiritual teacher who knows God and is a Guru never thinks of himself as a teacher. He sees the presence of God in everyone, and does not get angry if some students ignore his wishes. The Hindu scriptures say that those who are attuned to the wisdom of a true Guru make it possible for the Guru to help them. “By receiving that wisdom (from a Guru) you will never again fall into illusion.”
The friendship between Guru and disciple is permanent. When a disciple accepts the Guru’s training, there is complete refuge, no compulsion.
I cannot think of anything greater in this world than the relationship I had with my Guru. The Guru-disciple relationship is the highest form of love.
I once left his ashram, thinking that I could seek God more successfully in the Himalayas. I was wrong; and I soon found out that I had made a mistake. However, when I returned, he treated me as if I had never left. His welcome was equally natural; instead of rebuking me, he quietly remarked, “Let us see what we have for breakfast this morning.”
“But Guru,” I said, “are you not angry with me for leaving?”
“Why should I be angry?” he replied. “I do not expect anything from others, and therefore their actions cannot be against my wishes. I will not use you for my own benefit; I rejoice in your own true happiness.”
When he said that, I fell at his feet and cried, “For the first time, there is someone who truly loves me!”
Even though I ran away from the ashram in search of God, his love for me remained unchanged. He did not even rebuke me. I never imagined that there could be someone who cared so much for me. He loved me for myself. He wanted my fulfillment. He wanted me to be supremely happy. That was his happiness. He wanted me to know God; to be with the Divine Mother for whom my heart yearned.
Wasn’t that divine love that he expressed? Did he want to guide me unceasingly on the path of goodness and love? When that love develops between the Guru and the disciple, the disciple has no desire to manipulate the Guru, nor does the Guru seek to control the disciple. The highest sense of reason and reason govern their relationship; there is no love like this. And I have tasted that love from my Guru. The Guru is the awakened Lord who awakens the sleeping God in the disciple. Through compassion and foresight, a true Guru sees the suffering of the Lord in the poor, physically, mentally and spiritually, and therefore feels it his blissful duty to help them. He tries to feed the hungry Lord in the abandoned, to stir the sleeping Lord in the ignorant, to love the unconscious Lord in the enemy, and to awaken the half-asleep Lord in the yearning devotee. And, with a gentle touch of love, he instantly awakens the almost fully awakened God in the advanced aspirant. The Guru is the greatest of all human benefactors. Like God, his generosity knows no bounds.
Gurudev’s Promise
Those who have come to Yogata Satsanga Society in genuine spiritual quest will reap from God what they sow. Whether they come while I am in the body or after, the divine energy will flow to the devotees in the same way through the connection of the YSS Gurus and will be the seed for their salvation….
The ascetics who are regular and faithful in the practice of Brahmanical penance will find their lives purified and transformed. By their perseverance and unwavering determination, the true ascetics of this path will find salvation. The YSS techniques and teachings contain the help and grace of the YSS Guru lineage. Those who lead their lives according to the principles of the YSS Guru lineage will be blessed by the hidden and visible movement of the YSS Guru lineage. The ever-living Babaji has promised to protect and guide the progress of all sincere seekers. Lahiri Mahasaya and Sri Yukteswar, who have left their physical bodies, and I, even after leaving the body—will protect and guide all sincere YSS seekers forever.
The Lord has sent you to me, and I will never abandon you. Even after I am gone, my help will be given to the seekers all over the world, if they consent. Never think for a moment that when I am not with you in physical form, I am not with you in any other way. I will be as deeply concerned for your spiritual welfare even when I am no longer in this body as I am now. I will always be watching over each one of you, and whenever a true seeker thinks of me in the silent depths of his soul, he knows that I am near.
Who is the Aastha Satguru?
‘Knowing to know’ is a concept in the Saiva tradition. Its basis is that if an ignorant person wants to know a subject clearly, he needs someone who knows it. The premise that education is impossible without a teacher, and knowledge is impossible without a Guru, is found in the Saiva scripture Thirumantira; it gives priority to the role of the Guru in the process of knowledge. It praises the Guru as equal to God.
However, a general text like the Thirukkural only talks about education and knowledge, but does not specifically talk about the teacher who teaches or the Guru who imparts knowledge. The Thirukkural speaks on the basis that education is achieved through one’s own efforts, not through the efforts of others.
Valluvam says that even if one listens, it is the one who The first step is to try and learn on your own; if you can’t learn that way, then at least ask those who have learned.
Why is there no guru worship in the Thirukkural? The Thirukkural does not deny the teacher; it cannot do so. But the Thirukkural does not talk about a single teacher as the guru. It does not talk about the guru tradition that says that the guru is the guru of the guru. It does not do the work of defining the guru by saying that this is the grammar for the guru. It only speaks generally that whoever is knowledgeable should obtain knowledge from them.
The Thirukkural is a general book that is not religious. Therefore, it does not do the work of decorating the guru with flowers, but rather conveys the primacy of knowledge and points out that it is your duty to obtain it and passes by quietly.
But the Thirumanthiram cannot do so. Because the Thirumanthiram is a religious book called Saivism. It does not intend to provide general knowledge; it considers the special knowledge that the Saivism tradition considers! Anyone who claims to be a guru cannot provide the special knowledge of the Saivism tradition. Only those who know, understand and realize the Saiva tradition can provide it.
There is a Guru’s path laid down by the great hero of Saiva religion, Nandi;
The path of divine Shiva is the path of true salvation, which he has laid down for all people in the world to attain salvation. That path is the path of Shiva. The path of true salvation is the path of Saiva knowledge.
If we generalize that a person who wants knowledge can go to a person who has knowledge and obtain it, there is no problem. A government school is sufficient. But if one wants special knowledge, one has to join a special training institute and get special training, right?
The one who is not humble will blaspheme.
Thirumoolar’s opinion is that no one should feel embarrassed in the matter of choosing a Guru. Because, a mistake in choosing a Guru is a mistake that wastes a birth. Therefore, Thirumoolar clearly explains who is a true Guru and who is an untrue Guru.
He who is ignorant of one’s feelings, one is not truthful,
He who does not see the path of the Vedas without an eye,
He who does not have a single samadhi, he who does not have a single samadhi,
He who is devoid of the qualities of an atom is an untrue Guru. (Thrimand.2044)
Even if one has knowledge, one who is devoid of feeling and involvement, one who does not know the truth in its breadth and depth, one who knows the original texts by heart by reciting them repeatedly, but does not know how to penetrate into what they say and what their central meaning is, one who is not humble, one who speaks of his own greatness and exalts other religions, one who is characterized by arrogance, such a person is identified as a false teacher, a false teacher.
Okay, then who is the true teacher, the true teacher?
He who removes attachment and seeks love for himself along with the Supreme,
is a true teacher without desire; he who is devoid of knowledge and is willing to be praised, is a teaching teacher (Thirumantram-2052)
He who removes the great attachment of the poor who come to him with the desire to gain knowledge; The one who not only studies God but also studies himself; the one who teaches that method of study with great love to those who seek him; the one who completely removes their impurities so that they never re-occur; the one who is free from desire, that is, one who has no desire for anything, is the true Guru. Thirumoolar identifies the true Guru and the false pseudo-guru by saying that anyone who pretends to be able to establish his side through verbal speech, strong voice, and argument and counter-argument is not a knowledgeable Guru. Let it be. There is a clause in the old contract law called Caveat emptor. The seller does not provide a warranty for the quality of the goods sold; its meaning is that the buyer should beware. Realizing the fraudulent trade that is going on here, governments have made regulations through consumer protection laws that require sellers to guarantee the quality of the goods being sold.
Even after making such regulations, this deception continues to happen. This is the basis on which sellers sell various goods without any quality assurance and we buy them blindly.
Good. What is the connection between selling goods without quality assurance and gurus? Fake gurus sell knowledge without any quality assurance. Perhaps only the buyers should be sure? Thirumoolar says:
Gnanaam Ilaadaar Saadaisikai Noolnanni
Those who pretend to be wise men test themselves
By wise men, man tests them
It is good for the country to create wisdom (Thirumand.242)
Those who have no real knowledge, pretend to be wise men by wearing braids and beards and wearing clothes. The government should test whether they are truly wise men or not. By testing them, either those false wise men should be given true wisdom; or those who believe in those false wise men should be given knowledge about the false guise of a fake guru. If this is done, says Thirumoolar, it will be good for the country.
If knowledge is made a consumer good, then situations will arise where consumer protection systems will be created for it. This is not good for the world.
That is why, if someone wants to know the complete knowledge of Brahman, God will send a special birth to this earth for such high souls, and his name is Guru – the true Satguru. This is what Auvaitai calls Lord Vinayaka, “Guruvadivagik Kuvalayam Thannil (21)”.
In the next line, the Guru who comes like that keeps the secret of knowledge hidden in the secret cave of the feet of the Lord, who has opened the door of knowledge above his head for him. The Lord says, “Tell me this secret; hide it from others.” Since only a true Guru can show us the secret of the eyes of the feet, which are like lotus flowers, which truly support such a Lord, and show us that only with this secret can we all reach the Lord, Auvaitai sings and rejoices that Lord Vinayaka should arise as a Guru and give us the supreme knowledge, “The secret of the feet is the essence (22)”.
Let’s move on to the next lines.
“May the Vada variety be pleased and grant me grace (23)”
We should never offer a withering flower to God. We should offer only Vada flowers. What is a withering flower? What is a Vada flower? Even if we pluck them from the flower plants with our hands and garland them and offer them to God, those flowers will start withering within 5 hours. The flowers plucked from the flower plants are not alive and vital, so the flowers plucked in this way wither. But, we have five Vada flowers that never wither and remain in bloom. The right Thiruvadi flower, the left Thiruvadi flower, the Mahara Thiruvadi flower, the life flower, and the divine flower are the five Panchaveerya flowers. These five flowers will never wither. The reason is that these flowers are the ones that remain alive forever. All these flowers will wither and disappear after we die. Even if we tie flowers like garlands and wear them on our bodies, those flowers should not wither. As long as our bodies are warm and hot, all kinds of flowers will wither. But, if we keep our bodies in a cool and humid environment, the flowers worn will remain as fragrant flowers, rich and cool. This is an experienced truth. If you have read the history of Nala-Damayanti, you will realize the miracle of attending their swayamvara wedding. Therefore, Lord Vinayaka, you should teach me with joy and happiness the supreme austerities that can keep one’s body cool at all times, “I will be happy with the fragrant flowers (23),” he said.
The next line is the words “I will destroy the evil with the sword (24).”
Sword, evil, destruction. Do you know what the answer is to the mother of the gods? If you want to burn and destroy all your karmas, then you need a weapon for that. The name of that weapon is the sword, says the goddess.
The meaning can be found by dividing it into two: sword = line + weapon.
A weapon that looks like a line. It is nothing but the eyelashes. When we apply ink to our eyes, we apply ink like a line, right? The gaze that we see with those inked eyes attacks the people in front of us like a weapon. Ink has a name called Anjanam. All the poets and Siddhas have said that eyes that have been applied with Anjanam have the power to bewitch others.
Only through the penance of the Supreme Wisdom performed with the eyes that are thus inked can we completely get rid of all the karmic effects that are giving us karmic effects, he said, “Get rid of the karmic effects with the sword.”
The next line is “Show me the unfading clarity of wisdom by teaching me the teachings of Uvatta (26).”
As a guru, you must come to me as a guru so that I can burn and destroy all the three impurities of arrogance, delusion, and materialism that have been causing me suffering in every birth and have become a habit and a mantra, and you must create me by teaching me the teachings, wisdom, and elixirs that will make my life flourish. The wisdom you give me is the wisdom of the Brahman, which is both incomprehensible and bewildering, he said, “Show me the wisdom of the teachings and the clarity of wisdom that will not fade in my ears.”
Good. Tiruchirambalam. We are giving many such wisdom talks and written forms on the website
@DrRudrashivadha & Vidhaikkul_Vidhai and the website www.bramagnanaporsabai.com. We conclude this lecture by saying that you can go there and fully understand and enjoy all the activities of our Brahman Golden Assembly Gurukul.
From the Brahman Golden Assembly Gurukul
Your Rudra Shivatha, Salem.
May all beings live happily!
Tiruchirambalam !!
