Adhyatmik Diwali at Vraj, Pennsylvania
On the 5th of July holy and auspicious day of Guru Purnima, the day’s festivities began with the daily prayers outside Srinathji’s ‘haveli’ in Vraj with Pujya Bhaishri leading the morning prayers standing outside the temple. All the devotees who had gathered for the early morning walk were gathered around Pujya Bhaishri and Pujya Muniji and they led the way singing divine bhajans and dhuns. After we walked around the mandir, the organizers had arranged for some fireworks, and as Pujya Muniji later said- it was as if all our negative thoughts and feelings were shooting out like the sparks from the fireworks and on this all-auspicious day, our hearts were cleansed and purified in the presence of Pujya Bhaishri and Pujya Muniji.
Later in the morning, Hershaben and Hasubhai Shah represented the many devotees- those present both physically and mentally, by lovingly worshipping Pujya Bhaishri and Pujya Muniji’s lotus feet. After this brief, yet beautiful Guru Pujan at Guru Kutir, Pujya Bhaishri and Pujya Muniji both gave very divine messages for this glorious day of Guru Purnima in the Shivir itself. Pujya Bhaishri started his pravachan with a soul-touching bhajan singing the Glory of one’s Sadguru. The bhajan compared a Guru to both a lamp and the moon, because a Guru has the knowledge and ‘tej’ or greatness of millions of suns, yet he is so gracious that he makes his brilliance bearable and has the coolness of the moon. Indeed, one’s very praan (or life) exist on the support or ‘adhaar’ of one’s Guru.
Bhaishri then described the incident between Kakbhshundi and Garuda in the Ram Charitra Manas, where Bhushundiji is recalling his past life and the limitless births and forms he had taken. Whilst he agreed that the form of a human is said to be the highest and best to attain God, he did not want to leave his current body of a crow even though he is the master of his own life and death because it is through the grace of his Guru that he had divine darshan of Lord Ram in that form. He remembers his shameful behavior with his Guru who was always loving and patient in the face of his argumentative and contrary behavior. Even when his Guru cursed him, his curse to become a crow was the greatest blessing in Bhushundiji’s life.
A Sadguru by his very nature is ever loving and always wishes well for his disciple. Even when Guru Sandipani was strict with Lord Krishna and demanded discipline, at heart he was always concerned about his well-being. Just as a shilpi or sculptor is a perfectionist when it comes to sculpting his statue, a Sadguru is very exact in what he demands from his disciple. Yet, with every crevice that the sculptor makes he is very wary, as one wrong chip could ruin the priceless stone. So too, a Guru is always watchful to see how his disciple’s life is shaping into the form of Krishna. A shilpi has the ability to transform a slab of marble or stone into a form of the Lord but a Sadguru can transform our rock-like lives and hearts into the Lord himself. The stone statues that we see in temples have ‘praan prathistha’ ceremonies where the lifeform is said to enter the deities but a Guru installs himself in his shishya’s life (swaprathishta).
As a matter of fact, no Guru is interested in making a ‘shishya’ or disciple. It is we who go with the intention and desire to become a disciple. A Sadguru’s energies are actually all focused on making you a Guru yourself! Our culture is truly amazing where a Guru doesn’t just talk to his disciple; he is actually sowing himself deep in his shishya’s heart. In reality, a Guru never leaves his shishya, because when the seed that the Guru has sown in his disciple’s heart blossoms in his life, the disciple becomes a Guru. Nor is a Guru a giver who leaves you a beggar or wanting more, he is so gracious that when he gives, he gives so much that you too become a giver.
Just as a son is said to be the soul of his father, a Guru appears himself in his shishya. He is such a father, that he makes the most important ‘introduction’ of your life to your ‘parampita’- your Ultimate Father. He gives your life direction and true meaning and frees you from the cycle of birth and death. A Guru’s blessings are countless and priceless. We owe him a debt so great, that we will never be able to absolve ourselves of it!
Pujya Bhaishri then described Guru Purnima to actually being an ‘Adhyathmik Diwali’- a Spiritual Diwali. A lamp can be lit by another burning lamp, and a Sadguru is willing and waiting to light the lamp of knowledge in all his devotees’ lives but only if you come to him as a prepared lamp. Come as a Deepak, with a wick, oil, the readiness to burn and the strength to completely surrender yourself. His one lamp lights not one but innumerable lamps and all these lit deepaks surround a Sadguru to form a divine garland of lamps (deepmalika). These blessed souls then have the divine darshan or Srinathji himself dancing in their midst, and as they burn they are also performing his aarti with their lives.
Guru Purnima is a day when we should truly think, ‘Where would I be without my Guruji?’. His love, affection, divine wisdom and well-wishing reprimands have all made me what I am today- without his utter grace and presence in my life I would be nothing! On this divine day, we should pause and remember our Great teachers and the innumerable Divine Saints that we have been blessed by.
Krishna is dear to all of us. We should make our lives such that we are dear to him too! As we grow and bloom, we should make our lives like Vraj, for Shri Krishna never leaves Vraj and so will always be in our lives! Param Pujya Bhaishri ended by giving his love and blessings to all those present both physically and mentally.