Sant Kabir says:
Guru Bin Gyaan Na Upaje, Guru Bin Mile Na Moksha,
Guru Bin Lakhe Na Satya Ko, Guru Bin Mite Na Dosh.
Enlightment can’t come without Guru; Salvation can’t be
attained without Guru,
Truth can’t be seen without Guru and vices can’t be
removed without Guru.
This is the absolute truth; it’s a guru who can help you
get the salvation. God is always there, and will be too in future. A Sadguru is
the medium of God. We need a medium, because we need someone who has travelled
within himself, only such a person can guide us to reach us within ourselves.
Sadguru helps in removing the defects present within ourselves. He guides us in
keeping our chitta (attention) to the subtle consciousness. The word GuRu
itself is self-explanatory. Gu = Darkness, Ru = Light, Guru is one who leads us
from darkness to light. Meaning, he is one who leads us from Ignorance to
Knowledge! Sadguru purifies us from within. And he does it out of love for his
disciple. Duty of a disciple in turn is to surrender himself to the Guru. Faith
is an essential part of spiritual journey.
How can you identify a true Sadguru? If you think you can
identify the Sadguru through his behavior, you are wrong. Sadguru is “Shakti” and
can only be experienced. The Sadguru is not who will be known by his demeanour.
You don’t get to see the fragrance; it makes its presence felt on its own. You
just experience it. Same, a Sadguru is someone to be experienced. Make a Sadguru
after knowing him/her, and this knowing has to take place through experience or
“Anubhooti”. And the moment you take him/her as Guru, make sure to surrender yourself to the Guru with absolute faith.
Guru Gita, a part of Skandha Purana tells in details
about Guru and his importance in our life. This scripture is a conversation
between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. One day Parvati finds him bowing to
someone so asked, “Lord you are lord of lords, who do you then bow?” Lord Shiva
replies, “To the Guru”. Lord then explains Goddess Parvati about Guru and that
formed Guru Gita.
There is a beautiful Mantra given in the concluding
verse of Guru Gita that explains in details about Sadguru.
Brahma nandam parama sukhadam,
Kevalam jnayana murthim,
Dvandvateetham gagana sadrisham,
Tatvamasyadi lakshyam,
Ekam nityam vimalamachalam,
Sarvadhee sakshi bhutam,
Bhava-teetam triguna-rahitam,
Sadgurum tam namami.
Brahma nandam : Brahama nandam means one that is true and
is source of eternal bliss. Brahma is derived from the root word brihat,
meaning vastness. Brahama nandam is that which is immutable. It can also be
termed as Advaitananda, meaning the bliss that result from the experience of
oneness. It can also be described as Nirgunaananda and Niraakaarananda, bliss
that transcends form and attributes.
Parama sukhadam : Paramasukhadam means the source of
supreme happiness. The happiness that is not related to worldly pleasures, it
is related to the experience of the eternal bliss.
Kevalam : Meaning that, which transcends the limitations
of time, space, and circumstances.
Jnana murthim : Jnana murthim means, one of wisdom, the
true wisdom. Here, jnana refers to experience of oneness. It refers to “Advaita
darshanam jnanam”, experience of non-duality which is the true wisdom.
Dvandvaateetham : Dvandvaatheetham
refers to that which transcends all dualities in this universe such as
happiness and sorrow, good and bad, merit and sin, etc.
Gagana sadrisham : Refers to one who is as infinite as
sky, one who is formless.
Tatvamasyadi lakshyam : Whose attention is always on the
divine.
Ekam nityam : Guru is one, unique and eternal. Ekam
nithyam refers to that which is eternal and one only. The Vedas proclaim Ekam
eva adviteeyam Brah. Meaning, divinity is one and only one. Om ithyekaaksharam
Brahma, the single syllable Om is Brahman.
Vimalamachalam : Refers to one who is pure and steady. In
this universe, the celestial bodies such as the sun, the moon, and the planets
are constantly on the move. Divinity is steady, changeless, and attributeless
and is the embodiment of supreme bliss and happiness. If the mind is wavering,
it won’t be able to comprehend Divinity. That is the reason the ancient sages
and seers used to pray, “Salutations to the One who is the embodiment of
supreme happiness.” The happiness related to the body and mind is no happiness
at all. Inward (nivritti) happiness is true happiness.
Sarvadhee saakshi bhutam : One who is the eternal witness
in consciousness in all beings.
Bhava-teetam : One who is beyond emotions and thoughts.
Triguna-rahitham : This refers to that which transcends
the three attributes: satwa (serenity, purity), rajas (passion), and tamas
(dullness, lethargy). Attributes are associated with form. So, the formless “One”
has no attributes.
Sadgurum tam namaami : My salutations to that Sadguru.
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