Taken from the book ‘Guru Vaani’
Salutations to that Guru, who showed me (by teaching) the abode (not a physical place), the one who is to be known, who manifests as the entire universe, and whose essence pervades all living and non-moving entities.
The Essence of the Sadguru
akhaṇḍa-maṇḍalākāram vyāptaṃ yena carācaram |
tat padam darśitaṃ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ||
The Guru should not be perceived as a person. He is an embodiment of the divine energy that manifests through His form. The word ‘Guru’ represents absolute perfection. Another interpretation of the word ‘Guru’ would mean, weight or a sense of heaviness. The identity of the Guru is not trivial or light-weight. It is not meager or unsubstantial. It is an energy that can hold its own and is not shaken or deterred by the blows of the material world. The Guru grants divine vision to his disciple. ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means the entity that can eliminate darkness. Thus, Guru means the one who can destroy the darkness of ignorance through the light of knowledge. The holy festival of Guru Poornima is the special day on which we offer obeisance to our Sadguru.
‘The body is an earthen lamp— A Love-filled heart is the oil, and the intellect its cotton wick. Firm discrimination is wick’s steady base, and a sharp intellect its tip. May we then approach our Sadguruwho is bright with the Light of Realization. He alone will enlighten us out of His Grace.’@PPBhaishri
The Maternal Love of Our Sadguru
When the Guru accepts a disciple, he is reborn. From this perspective the Guru is the creator, the mother of the disciple. A mother rocks her child to sleep because that rest is necessary for his growth. As a mother, the Guru awakens us because at this stage, consciousness is the prerequisite that will deliver us on the spiritual path. The mother hummed lullabies as she settled us to sleep and the Guru recites the sacred literature of the vedas, (Shruttis) and enlightens us by illumining the knowledge contained in the scriptures. The mother rocks us in the cradle that has four legs and the Guru also uses the cradle of religion that has the four fundamentals on which it stands upright – truth, purity, penance and charity. The four tenets can also be the four vedas, the Rigveda, Samveda, Artharvaveda and Yajurveda. The depth of the cradle is symbolic of the profundity of the Guru’s love. He rocks his disciple in the cradle of religion, singing to him the words of the Shruttis. the Sadguru is like the mother since he recreates the whole entity of his disciple. The old is discarded and a new identity is awarded, the disciple in this sense is reborn.
‘We do not approach a spiritual Master to be filled with information but rather, to be emptied of our ego. Abiding in the grace and presence of one’s Sadguru, once we are empty, we are then able to experience that ‘One’- after attaining whom, nothing else remains to be attained.’ @PPBhaishri
The Perfection of the Sadguru
The glory of the Sadguru can be compared to the radiance of the sun and the soft nurturing of the moon. The light and energy of the sun helps us progress while the gentle moonlight nourishes us and helps us grow. The grace of the Guru is like the combined force of these two energies that aid our progress on the path of life. Even though the sun provides us with illuminating energy, it is impossible to tolerate its heat at noon. Its radiance is almost blinding at midday and therefore, even though the Guru is like the sun that spreads his radiance of knowledge, he is also gentle like the moon that gives its light without the glare that blinds. The full moon stands for completeness and perfection and the Guru is also an entity that is absolute. Therefore, we worship the Guru on the full moon day of Guru Poornima.
‘The intellect is bright with light as in the flame of a lamp. The subtle blackness above the flame is akin to ego. If one does not have the presence of a Sadguru—whose brightness is akin to millions of Suns—one runs the risk of developing ego from virtues such as simplicity, etc.’ @PPBhaishri
Sadguru—The Embodiment of Knowledge
The Sadguru is like a lamp that burns brightly, holding within its fore the very radiance of enlightenment. Therefore the entity of the Sadguru personifies transcendent knowledge. We are all like earthen lamps bearing wicks that wait to be lit by the spark that is provided by the Sadguru. In this sense, we all have the potential of divinity in us. However, it lies dormant. When we prostrate humbly at the lotus feet of the Sadguru, the light of his grace acts as a flame that kindles the fire of knowledge within us.
‘The scriptures are considered a jungle. An aspirant may be misled in grasping their meanings and essence without a Sadguru as a guide. ‘Kim śrutairbahubhih śāstraih purānaiścha bhramāvahaih.’ However, these diverse forest-like scriptures provide vital oxygen for the spiritual world.’ @PPBhaishri
