The Sadguru
(from the book Bliss Divine)
The Guru is God Himself
manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant. Grace of God takes the
form of the Guru. To see the Guru is to see God. The Guru is united with God.
He inspires devotion in others. His presence purifies all.
The Guru is verily a link
between the individual and the immortal. He is a being who has raised himself
from this into That, and thus has free and unhampered access into
both the realms. He stands, as it were, upon the threshold of immortality; and,
bending down he raises the struggling individuals with his one hand, and with
the other lifts them up into the empyrean of everlasting joy and
infinite Truth-Consciousness.
To be a Guru, one must have a
command from God.
Mere study of books cannot
make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas, and who has direct knowledge of
the Atman (Self) through Anubhava (experience), can alone be enrolled as a
Guru. A Jivanmukta or liberated sage is the real Guru or spiritual preceptor.
He is the Sadguru. He is identical with Brahman or the Supreme Self. He is a
Knower of Brahman.
A Sadguru is endowed with
countless Siddhis (psychic powers). He possesses all divine Aisvarya (powers),
all the wealth of the Lord.
Possession of Siddhis,
however, is not the test to declare the greatness of a sage or to prove that he
has attained Self-realisation. Sadgurus generally do not exhibit any miracle or
Siddhi. Sometimes, however, they may do so in order to convince the aspirants
of the existence of superphysical things, give them encouragement, and instill
faith in their hearts.
The Sadguru is Brahman
Himself. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge, and mercy. He is the captain of
your soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all your troubles, sorrows,
and obstacles. He shows you the right divine path.
He removes your veil of
ignorance. He makes you immortal and divine. He transmutes your lower,
diabolical nature. He gives you the rope of knowledge, and takes you up when
you are drowning in this ocean of Samsara (cycle of birth and death). Do not
consider him to be only a man. If you take him as a man, you are a beast.
Worship your Guru and bow to him with reverence.
Guru is God. A word from him
is a word from God. He need not-teach anything. Even his presence or company is
elevating, inspiring, and stirring, His very company is self-illumination.
Living in his company is spiritual education. Read the Granth-saheb (the holy
scripture of the Sikh religion). You will come to know the greatness of the
Guru.
Man can learn only from man,
and hence God teaches through a human body. In your Guru, you have your human
ideal of perfection. He is the pattern into which you wish to mould yourself.
Your mind will readily be convinced that such a great soul, is fit to be
worshipped and revered.
Guru is the Moksha-dvara (door
to liberation). He is the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness.
But, it is the aspirant who has to enter through it. The, Guru is a help, but
the actual task of practical Sadhana (spiritual
practice) falls on the aspirant himself.
Realisation cannot come to you
as a miracle done by your Guru. Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all
done Sadhana. Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to develop Vairagya (dispassion) and
Abhyasa (practice). He did not say to him, "I will give you
Mukti(liberation) now". Therefore, abandon the wrong notion that your Guru
will give you Samadhi and Mukti. Strive, purify, meditate, and realise.
Guru-kripa-grace of a Guru-is
very necessary. That does not mean that the disciple should sit idle. He must
do rigid Purushartha, spiritual practices. The whole work must be done by the
student. Nowadays, people want a drop of water from the Kamandalu (water-pot)
of a Sannyasin and desire to enter into Samadhi immediately. They are not
prepared to undergo any Sadhana for purification and Self-realisation. They
want a magic pill to push them into Samadhi. If you have got such delusion, give
it up immediately.
The Guru and the Shastras can
show you the path and remove your doubts. Anubhava (direct experience) of the
Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive knowledge is left for your own experience. A
hungry man will have to eat for himself. He who has a severe itching will have
to scratch for himself.
No doubt, the Guru's blessing
can do everything. But how can one have his blessings? By pleasing the Guru. A
Guru can be pleased with his disciple only if the latter carries out his
spiritual instructions implicitly. Carefully follow, therefore the instructions
of the Guru. Act up to his instructions. Then only will you deserve his
blessings, and then alone his blessings can do everything.
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