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THE SUPREME DIVINE MASTER

INITIATES THE WHOLE WORLD




On the delightful, pleasing and charming Mount Kailasa (abode of Lord
Shiva), Goddess Parvati reverentially with devotion, asked, Oh Swami, with
total surrender I bow down to Thy Divine Lotus Feet. Please enlighten me:
What is the path by which the embodied Self can merge into the Supreme
Self?

Hearing this question Lord Shankar said that Parvati is His form only and
only for Herself, he was going to answer it because such a question for the
elevation of mankind was never asked by any one so far. He explained,
Whatever is highly proclaimed as Brahman (Absolute Reality) is nothing
else but Guru. Devoid of Guru, there is no Brahman at all.

Similar references in ancient scriptures clearly point out the significance of
Guru in the merging of Individual Self (Jeevatma) into Supreme Self
(Paramatma or Brahman).

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The Individual Self is encased in a Body (Deha) composed of the five
elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. This body is also equipped with
the other faculties such as Mind (Manas), Intellect (Buddhi), sub-conscious
Mind (Chitta), Ego (Ahankar). This Individual Self experiences the outer
world and derives enjoyment and suffering necessary to the body via these
faculties.

What then is Guru?

Meaning: Gu represents darkness (i.e. ignorance) and Rurepresents Light
(i.e. wisdom). It is only Guru, beyond doubt, who destroys ignorance and
reveals the light of wisdom.

Thus, although Guru is the formless (Nirguna) principle being Brahma (as
propounded by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati) it has to assume a human
form (Saguna) of an individual so as to be accessible to the seeker. At the
same time, it must be remembered that Guru being Brahma itself is God in
the larger sense of the term.

It therefore follows that Guru is Gods grace-bestowing power. In other
words, the Guru is not an individual, but the divine power of grace flowing
through that individual.

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The Qualifications of a Guru

Since the Guru principle works through an individual, it is necessary that
the Guru meets certain qualifications. The ancient scriptures describe the
qualifications of a guru, some of which are mentioned below:

1. A Guru must hail from the lineage of Gurus founded by Parashiva,
the Supreme Guru. In the absence of this lineage, a self-proclaimed
Guru cannot bestow Gods grace to his disciple. It would be a case of
the blind leading the blind. At present, there are several self-styled
Gurus, Sadgurus, and Maharajas wearing ochre robes, rosaries of
Rudraksha, who smear themselves with ashes etc. who collect large
crowds much like dumb animals herded by shepherds.

2. A Guru must be well-versed in scriptures and spiritual philosophies
and must know them perfectly. Ancient scriptures such as the Vedas,
Upanishads, Shastras, Puranas, etc. were written by ancient
scriptural authors who practised their sadhana (spiritual discipline)
completely. They wrote books only after having fully realised the
Truth. A genuine Guru has full knowledge of the Truth embodied in
the ancient scriptures. Todays self-styled Gurus write books
according to their own ideas and logic, using complicated words.
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They expound their own theories that have no philosophical
foundation in truth, and therefore spread their own delusions.

3. A Guru must also be well-versed in every aspect of life. He cannot
be a specialist in a particular aspect of life at the cost of all others.
Todays Gurus are specialists in different fields e.g. Yogasana Guru,
Pranayama Guru, Meditation Guru, Power Guru, Healing Guru,
Management Guru, Money Workshop Guru and so on.

4. A true Guru is disinterested in money. He does not collect money
from his disciples under any pretext. He does not need anything from
anyone as he has everything he wants within himself. It is said,
There are many Gurus who steal their disciples money but very few
who steal their pain and suffering. Today, we see modern Gurus
starting Mandals, Mandirs, Ashrams, centres that create
organisations to take advantage of the Charitable Trust Act, by
collecting huge sums of money from disciples. Some of these self-
styled Gurus also sell products, medicines etc. under their banners
milking the blind faith of their followers for all its worth.

5. A true Guru is dispassionate. He is immune to the pull of the senses
and is fully intoxicated in the bliss of the Inner self. His senses have
turned inward. According to the Guru Gita, Gu represents a state
beyond attributes. Ru represents a state beyond forms. Thus, Guru
is one who makes his disciple realise his attributeless self.

6. A Guru must be enlightened, having had the direct experience of
God and having the power to give that experience to others. The
scriptures define a Guru as one who can give a disciple the auspicious
experience of Grace via a look, touch or word. There are as many
Gurus as there are lamps in houses, but rare is the Guru who likes the
sun, gives light to all. Today, it is difficult to trace such a Guru
especially; as such a Guru is averse to publicity. However, the 20
th

century witnessed the blessings of illumined Gurus e.g. Sri Raman
Maharshi, Sri Ramkrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekanand, Sri
Yoganand Paramhans, Bhagavan Nityanand and Swami Muktanand
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Paramhans who have kindled the flame of Self Realisation all over
the world.



Absence of an Individual Guru

Although the scriptures have recorded that God being formless (Nirguna)
bestows his Grace through the individual (Saguna) Guru, the present-day is
devoid of such an individual Guru. On the contrary, the current Gurus take
the support of some verses in praise of a Real Guru and exercise Godhood
on their followers. For example, the popular verse Gurur Brahma
equating the Guru with the Trinity is misused by the modern Market Gurus
to force their followers to treat them as Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and
offer property and wealth to them in one way or another if they want
prosperity, happiness and peace. Modern-day Gurus offer packages on
Stress Management, Mind Relaxation, Unlimited Power Supply, Breathing
Techniques etc. which they claim will grant peace of mind to their followers.
But unfortunately, what we witness is pieces of mind motivated by greed
and selfish desires. This leads to disintegrating of the family institution,
breaking the loving ties between father and son mother and son, husband
and wife, brother and sister etc. leading to enmity between communities
and even nations.


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Why Fear When I Am Here God Himself is the Guru

Today, Guru-the-Saviour, the Liberator ---- is required not on an individual
basis but for the entire World. Human beings all over the world are
drowning in delusion. They do not realise that they are enslaved by their
senses, which make them unhappy and keep them in the grip of the cycle
of birth and death. When entire mankind is immersed in suffering, God has
to assume the role of saviour and liberator as promised in the Bhagavad
Gita.

It is for the fulfillment of this Promise that Parashiva together with
Parashakti decided to appear as SAI TRINITY SRI SHIRDI SAI, SRI SATHYA
SAI and SRI PREM SAI to lead the world from Untruth to Truth, Darkness to
Wisdom and Death to Immortality.

It is for this very reason that Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba made very
meaningful, categorical remarks about what is Guru, who should be Guru,
etc. during the course of His speeches on the occasions of Sri Guru
Poornima. Some of the most prominent examples are quoted below:





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Guru means remover of ignorance

Who is the Guru? How can a person who has not reached the goal guide
you towards it? When he is himself groping in the dark, how can he illumine
your path? Gu means darkness or ignorance; ru its removal. So the Guru
must know the process by which ignorance can be removed in another.
How can he do it when he has not done it for himself? The blind cannot
lead the blind. Guru has a further meaning too. Gu means gunaateeta
(beyond the three strands of energy of which the Cosmos is composed) and
ru means rupa-rahita (devoid of any particular form). Now, no mortal has
transcended the guna (quality) and rupa (form). God alone can be
described as unaffected by these. And, God is the Guru, right in your heart,
ready to lead and enlighten. He is all knowing all-powerful, all-pervading.

The signs and qualities of a true Guru

The true Guru is one, who has no ego or selfishness, and who can raise the
shishya to his own level. Donning the saffron robe, mouthing a few
manthras (sacred formulas) and expounding some texts are the signs of
many Gurus these days. The signs of a true Guru are large-heartedness,
absolute selflessness, purity in living, freedom from acquisitiveness,
absence of envy, and equal mindedness in his conduct towards everyone.
Freedom from envy is an essential quality in a Guru or shishya (disciple),
because envy is the root cause of many evils.

The Gurus role is to lead the Shishya (disciple) on the Godward path. He
must teach the Shishya (disciple) the true purpose for which each of his
sense organs is to be used his eyes, his tongue, and his limbs. All the
senses are to be used for discovering and experiencing the Divine.

Your true Guru is God alone

Today is Sri Guru Poornima. Poornima refers to the full moon with all his 16
aspects being illumined by the sun. In man there are sixteen black spots:
the six enemies (lust, anger, greed, infatuation, pride and envy), the two
Gunas, Rajas and Tamas, and the eight types of mada (conceit) based on
lineage and scholarship, wealth, youth, beauty, position and penance. It is
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only when man gets rid of these sixteen evil traits that he will be able to
realise his oneness with his Poornatva (Divine). Who is the one who enables
man to achieve this state of Poornatva (fullness)? It is the Guru. Guru refers
to one who has transcended the gunas and has no form. The Gurus of
today are filled with qualities of all kinds. The disciples seem to be better
than the preceptors. The disciples are making sacrifices. The preceptors are
acquiring possessions. In this situation it is difficult to say who gurus are
and who disciples are.

The Sanskrit Stanza

The Sanskrit stanza which hails the Guru as Brahma, Vishnu and
Maheshvara and as Parabrahman is misinterpreted. The right approach is
to consider Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara as the Guru. These three are
symbolised by the three gunas (qualities): Brahma is Rajas, Vishnu is Satva
and Shiva is Tamas. The whole cosmos is constituted by the three gunas.
The three gunas are present in man. The Trinity is present in the form of
the three gunas in every human heart. Hence, you are your own Guru. You
need not seek him elsewhere.

Recognise that God is your preceptor. He is the preceptor of preceptors.
When you have such an all-pervading Guru, why should you hanker after
Gurus of a lesser breed?

God is the only Guru

There is only one Guru, that is God and there is no other Guru.
Contemplate on that Guru. God alone can be the guide, the path and the
goal.

SWAMIS INITIATION - GOD IS - THE POWERFUL FIVE-LETTER MANTRA

On this Guru Poornima day I do not intend to give you any Ashtaakshari
(eight letters) or Panchakshari (five letters) mantra based on any particular
deitys name. Nor am I enjoining you to study any Upanishad, or the Gita or
the Brahma Sutras. There is a simple five-letter pronouncement. GOD IS
(Devudunnaadu, in Telugu). Make this your sheet-anchor. If you go on
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reciting it, thinking over it, acting up to it and conveying it to others,
immersing yourself in the bliss of this experience, you will be making the
greatest contribution to the welfare of the world.

Consider this mantra as the message for this Guru Poornima and proclaim it
in all circumstances and at all places with all the conviction and strength
you can command. THE WORLD CAN BE TURNED INTO AN EARTHLY
PARADISE IF YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH IN GOD AND DEMONSTRATE
IT IN YOUR ACTIONS. You must have the courage and determination to
face any kind of problems and difficulties. By propagating this mantra you
can promote the love of God and the fear of sin among the people. The
mantra GOD IS can be more powerful than a mantra based on any
particular deitys name. Moreover, mere repetition of any mantra is of little
use. Greater than the power of mantra or yantra is the power of a pure
heart (chittashuddhi). Your faith must stem from the heart which is the seat
of the Divine.

Have this five-letter mantra as your constant companion and strengthen
your faith in God. This will lead in due course to God-realisation.
Unwavering faith in God will promote Atma-Shakti (spiritual power) and
confer indescribable bliss. Doubts should not be allowed to sprout. Faith is
essential for accomplishing anything in life, without faith, even ordinary
things in life is not possible.


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I do not claim that I am a guru; or consider you as disciples or pupils.
When I am all that is, who can be separately specified as guru and who as
disciple or pupil? Ignorance of the one leads to this dichotomy.
Realisation of the truth will end this distinction. None need teach, none
need learn. All are fundamentally Chit (awareness). This is the reality.




II SAMASTA LOKAH SUKHINO BHAVANTU II

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(This article has been authored by Principal Dr. Shripad R Zarapkar,
Former Principal, Siddharth College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai.)