AUM - What it represents!

~AUM ~ 


"Om" has evolved to become~ I AM . AUM represents this sound in its fullness from creation to eventual destruction.

~ “A” represents beginning, start and emanation of the universe and life. A is an open sound formed with open lips and it resonates in the front of the mouth. It represents creation.

~“U” is produced from the back of the mouth with closed lips. It represents the sustenance of the universe and it is the middle between creation and destruction.

~ “M” is produced with closed lips and it resonates forward in the mouth and buzzes throughout the head. It represents the ending, destruction, and death of life and the universe.

After "M" is 'silence" which is the transcendental state of mind, where non-duality is experienced as being is no longer disconnected. Super conscious mind predominates in this state and it is similar to what is often called cosmic consciousness.

~ “sound produced without striking.”~

~ It is an unstruck sound, which unlike ordinary audible sounds is not produced by two things striking one another.

The hand strikes the guitar strings to produce sound, the wind brushes against leaves producing a rustling sound, the saxophonist’s lips press against the reed to produce a musical sound, or the most obvious the drum stick strikes the drum. The unstruck sound occurs without a striking force, as vibrational atoms of the universe produce this sound through their pulsating “dance,” which is the sound of the primal energy of the universe.

AUM represents this sound in its fullness from creation to eventual destruction

~ AUM ~ 'OM' symbolically connects the individual to the cosmos through a sound that represents all aspects of the creative energy from its inception to destruction. The hidden sound of silence hints at transcendent awareness hidden from conscious awareness through egoism and illusionary nature of the phenomenal world.

Creation-sustenance-destruction are part of one continuum, not separate processes. Destruction is necessary for creation.

AUM ~ became the sacred word Hum of the Tibetans;
AMIN of the Moslems
AMEN of the , Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Christians

In Egyptian times it was ~ Om Amun Ra . ~ ~"Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha"


God and Types of his Devotees

Satsangs or religious congregations are part of Indian culture. We see it happening in every other city or village of the country. In such a crowd of religious congregation, out of thousands of people you may find very few who are true seekers of God, who has a true knowledge of God and maybe only one who has seen God & is a True Saint. So there is a rare person who has seen God & who live in true bliss of God.

Devotees are of different types. Some remember God when they are in distress & want to get rid of their grief. Some want to know God due to their inquisitiveness about Him. Some pray God to attain wealth in life while some wise men want to have true knowledge of God. As per Bhagwat Gita there are 4 types of devotees of God.

1) First one being those who remember and call God when in distress. Such people devote themselves to God because they wish to be liberated from grief.

2) The second group of people is those who want to know about God. Such people have faith in God and because of their inquisitiveness, debate about the God, read books etc. to know more about God.

3) The third being those who want to gain wealth in life. They would go to temples etc. praying to God to give them wealth, money etc. Such people do their appointed task for money because doing it will bring good fortune to them. So such people are the doers of selfish action in life.

4) Fourth group being one’s seeking the true knowledge. Such people are really the wise men. They have true knowledge to God. They are the realized sages, who have attained to the stage of reaching the supreme goal.

In Bhagwat Gita also the Great Lord, Shree Krishna says the same about this matter. Below are the verses of Bhagawat Gita which explain about the same.

"Manush-yanam sahes-tresu kashchid yatati siddhyaye
yat-taam api siddhanam kashchin mam vetti tatvatah"

“Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Of thousands of men some rare soul strives to realize Me & endeavour for perfection, and of those striving Yogis, again, someone rare one (devoting himself exclusively to Me) knows Me in reality."


"chatur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukritino ’rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi jnani cha bharatarsabha"

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the inquisitive, the desirer of wealth, and the one who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute."


"udarah sarva evaite jnani tv atmaiva me matam
asthitah sa hi yuktatma mam evanuttamam gatim"

"Sri Krishna said: All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me, I consider being just like My own self. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he/she is sure to attain Me, the highest and most perfect goal."


So just check, which type of devotee of God are you. Our aim should be to thrive for the fourth group, the person who wants to search for the true knowledge and gain the same. To become the wise one! And to achieve this we need to devote ourself to God, read religious literature, join the company of saintly people, and give charities, alms to the people. Doing all such good works & having a yearning for God, we shall certainly become a wise person, a true devotee of God & shall ultimately attain to Him.



Convert suffering into spiritual strength.

True devotees of God do not pray for wealth or material benefits. They do not even pray for the removal of suffering. What they pray for is the strength to bear their sufferings. 

There is a fine song by Rabindranath Tagore:

Lord give me strength to bear Thy standard to whom Thou hast been pleased to give it. Give me the devotion to bear the greatest pain that is unavoidable in Thy service. Thou mayest fill my heart with great pain.

I do not want even to get rid of this gift of suffering that Thou art giving me with Thine own hands. This misery will be my crest-jewel, if with it Thou givest me also devotion to Thee. Give me work as much as Thou likest, if Thou dost not allow me to forget Thee, nor my heart to get itself lost in the entanglements of the world.

If Thou wishest, do Thou bind me as much as Thou likest but keep my heart open to Thee. Do thou not allow me to forget Thee on any account! 

[The song being Tomar Pataka Jare Dao, by Rabindranath Tagor in Naivedya, 20]

And then there is the beautiful prayer of Kunti to Sri Krishna:

[विपदः सन्तु नः शश्वत्तत्र तत्र जगद्गुरो । भवतो दर्शनं यत्स्यादपुनर्भवदर्शनम्॥ 
Vipada santu nah shashvattatra tatra jagatguroh. Bhavato darshanam yatsyadpunarbhavadarshanam.
Bhagavatam 1.8.25]

O, Teacher of the whole world, let calamities come to us from all directions, for they enable us to have your vision which puts an end to the cycle of rebirths. 






Gyanganj or Siddhasram - The Land of Immortals

Swami Vishuddhananda Paramhansa
Gyaanganj is an invisible ashram hidden from normal human eyes and is known as the land of the immortals. Many believers say that this is the heavenly kingdom that shapes our destiny.

I asked Baba, so is there a secret territory in our center, which in most probability escaped all geographical observations? A place that provides the perfect environment and opportunities for spiritual evolution, a place where thousands of wise beings immortal and perfect plan the evolution of the human race, or rather, of all sentient beings? In the deep earth, is such a place an empirical reality or just bad science fiction?

On my prodding Baba then explained to me about Gyanganj, he first said yes he did visit the place few times and he was taken there by two other siddhas. Gyanganj exists on a different level, a higher dimension. But, yes, on a gross level it has a location parallel in known places on earth. Yes such a place do exist, camouflaged and in seclusion, and is accessible to only siddhas. It is not heaven on earth, but a mystical kingdom that guards the most sacred and ancient teachings of the world, including the Kalachakra (Wheel of Time).

Ordinary human beings with little or no spiritual development cannot enter this realm. Only the highly developed yogis and sadhaks can enter this realm in their causal and physical body. And they are taken there by siddhas who are already dwelling there in Siddhasram (One of many names of Gyanganj). Gyanganj exists on three planes, physical, divine and spiritual. And the enlightened souls too exist on three levels – Causal, Greater Causal and Ultra Spiritual. They possess the ability to easily transcend all the three levels, and those Ultra Spiritual ones living in their causal body, have the power to appear in their physical body too.

In that land, words and voice are not needed for communication. In Madhyama, Pashyanti and Para levels only intent is enough to communicate. In Gyanganj, if a great man looks at you, you can feel his intent and the message that he wants to convey. Using the computer jargon his intents are instantly decoded and you get to know what he is trying to say. Actually if the developments in present day science are to be compared with the level of developments in Gyanganj, they stand nowhere. Most of the science is involved in three dimensional worlds but in Gyanganj the yogis are working on the fourth dimension as well. Today’s science has learnt the art of creating energy from an atom but they don’t know how to create atom from that energy. In Gynaganj there are
technologies that are referred to as Surya Vigyan and Chandra Vigyan. According to the basic principle of Surya Vigyan, the core of every material is composed of Sun rays, and by changing the ratio of sun rays you can change the property of that material. Rose can be converted into Marigold. By concentrating sun rays, matter can be created in vacuum. It is from Gyanganj that Vishudhanandji learned Surya Vigyan. Vishudhananda have stayed many times in Gyanganj where he learned Surya Vigyan or solar science. The Surya Vigyan gave him the power to manifest objects or transform one object into another by manipulating the sun's rays. You have read Autobiography of Yogananda, there he describes his meeting with Vishudhananda in Calcutta and witnessing his feature to create any kind of scent in the air on request. This he used to do with the use of his Surya Vidya.

All the great souls of our time and the times gone by who left their physical bodies are living in Gyanganj in their causal body. Great saints like Shirdi’s Sai Baba, Nanga Baba, Sant Gyaneshwar, Mahavatar Babaji Maharaj, and many others are living in Gyanganj. They keep appearing in the subconscious of Sadhakas and other blessed souls and telepathically direct them to perform deeds that are helpful to the humanity. Every other great sadhakas in this world do visit Gyanganj once or many times to gain more knowledge. Why did Jesus Christ need to visit Tibet and Himalayas? Was it just to meet the sadhus of Himalayas as mentioned or was there more to it?

So where exactly is this Gyanganj? They allocate the region in the north of Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet. It covers an area of several square kilometers and is full of lakes of clear water. In Tibet, this legendary land of spiritual enlightenment is known as Shambala, a Sanskrit term for the Tibetan means "the source of happiness." There is a drawbridge that connects Gyanganj to our world. At the end of this drawbridge there is a device that allows lifting when required. This device is used by means of Surya Vigyan, only those who are adept in this knowledge can use it. There are many other places, scattered in India on gross level, the land of Gyanganj. The area of the River Alaknanda is one such place. The riverbed of Mandakini is also very mysterious: spiritual giants through the ages have lived here and is considered at gross level of Gyanganj. The entire region from Rishikesh to Kailash and Yamunotri to Nandadevi is the land of the siddha. In Bihar, many siddhas attend the mountain of Giridhkoot. The Nilgiris and Srisailam in south India are also known as a haven of secrets and considered to be part of Gyanganj. The hills of Arunachala in Tamil Nadu, where Ramana Maharishi created his ashram, that’s another land of siddha and at gross level of Gyanganj. In the west, Girnaur saw the activity of siddha. The Indians, of course, does not have a monopoly on Gyanganj. People from other parts of the world live there, including many Tibetan lamas and many even from Greece.

Proof by other saints and books about Gyanganj:

In India, this secret, sacred land is known as Gyanganj or Siddashram. References to Gyanganj or
ashram secrets can be found in Hindu scriptures such as the Ramayana of Valmiki and the Mahabharat. Guru Nanak called it Sach Khand. Even our Upanishad has mention of Gyanganj. Closer to our time, Paramahansa Yogananda, in his celebrated "Autobiography of a Yogi" writes of the encounter with the guru of gurus, Mahavatar Babaji, an immortal of long age who appears increasingly young and still living in the Himalayas. Babaji has also appeared in some other advanced research and is said to be connected with Gyanganj.

To understand the story of Gyanganj, best is to read the writings of Gopinath Kaviraj, a former dean of the State University of Sanskrit in Benares. Kaviraj wrote a book called Siddahbhoomi Gyanganj, which was translated from Bengali into Hindi and published by Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan. The main source of information Kaviraj was his guru, Swami Vishudhananda, a Bengali who moved to Benares. It is believed that Vishudhanandaji had stayed for a long period in Gyanganj where he learned Surya Vigyan or solar science. Different books about Yogirajadhiraj Swami Vishuddhananda Paramhansadeva, tells in details about his talks on Gyanganj and all the visits he made there besides the knowledge he gained.


Dr. Narayan Dutt Shrimali, an astrologer-tantric- guru based in Jodhpur who published Mantra- Tantra Yantra Vigyan, a monthly Hindi, says he did his sadhana in Siddhashram, where his name was Nikhileshwarananda. That's where he acquired his occult powers. Later his guru in Siddhashram told him they wanted him to return to his family life and help in spreading the wisdom of Siddhashram. 

Sanatan Dharma follows Monotheism, even Lord says so in Gita

While acknowledging many ‘Gods’ or celestial beings, Sanatan Dharma actually believes in one supreme God who creates and sustains the universe. The word God in itself suggests that He is unique and is Supreme, supreme as in the greatest and no one greater. Logically there cannot be more than one Supreme Being. If ones greatness was equal to another’s greatness then neither would be supreme. Therefore the word ‘Gods’ is grammatically incorrect. According to the Vedic scriptures, there are numerous Hindu deities that serve as “Manifestations” of this “One Supreme God”.

In Bhagavat Gita Lord Talks about himself but what he is referring to throughout is that One Supreme God. And he tells us in details about this Supreme Being. This part has been dealt with in details by the Lord in Chapter 10. From Verse 21 to Verse 40 he tells in details all where He is present making it clear God is omnipresent. Here are few shlokas where he makes it clear that God is none but that One Supreme Being!

yo mam ajam anadim ca vetti loka-mahesvaram,
asammudhah sa martyesu sarva-papaih pramucyate.

He who knows Me as the Unborn One without a beginning and also knows Me as the great Lord of the world, is not deluded among mortals and is delivered from all reactions to sin.


aham atma gudakesa sarva-bhutasaya-sthitah,
aham adis ca madhyam ca bhutanam anta eva ca.

I am, O Arjuna, the soul in the heart of all living beings; I am the origin, also the middle and as well indeed the end of all existing.


sarganam adir antas ca madhyam caivaham arjuna,
adhyatma-vidya vidyanam vadah pravadatam aham.

Of all creations I am the beginning and the end and also the middle, O Arjuna. Of all sciences I am the spiritual science of the Self, and among logicians I am the conclusive truth.


yac capi sarva-bhutanam bijam tad aham arjuna,
na tad asti vina yat syan maya bhutam caracaram.

O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. Of whatever that of all the beings may exist I am the source; nothing of the moving and unmoving exists without Me.


nanto 'sti mama divyanam vibhutinam parantapa,
esa tuddesatah prokto vibhuter vistaro maya.

O mighty conqueror of enemies, there is no end to My divine manifestations. What I have spoken to you is but a mere indication of My infinite opulence’s.


yad yad vibhutimat sattvam srimad urjitam eva va,
tat tad evavagaccha tvam mama tejo-'msa-sambhavam,

Whatever of power that has existence and is of beauty and glory indeed, all those you must certainly know as being born as a part of My splendor.




Bhakti Yoga as said by Lord Krishna.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita is a book that has lessons how to lead our lives, be it for anyone. It teaches us about Karma Yoga, Dharma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga etc.

As far as Bhakti is concerned, as per Srimad Bhagwat Gita, there are two types of Bhakti. First is Para Bhakti and other is Apara Bhakti & each one is directed towards a different aspect of God. Apara-Bhakti is for beginners in Yoga. The beginner decorates an image with flowers and garlands, rings the bell, offers Naivedya (food-offerings), wave lights; he observes rituals and ceremonies. The Bhakta here regards the Lord as a Supreme Person, who is immanent in that image and who can be propitiated through that form only. Gradually, from Apara-Bhakti, the devotee goes to Para-Bhakti, the highest form of Bhakti. He sees the Lord and Lord alone everywhere and feels His Power manifest as the entire universe. "Thou art all-pervading; on what Simhasana shall I seat Thee? Thou art the Supreme Light, in your borrowed light the sun, the moon, the stars and the fire shine; shall I wave this little Deepa or light before You?" - Thus the devotee recognizes the transcendental nature of God. Para-Bhakti and Gyana are one. Before you take your food, offer it to God mentally; and the food will be purified. When you pass through a garden of flowers, mentally offer all the flowers to the Lord in Archana (offering flowers in worship). When you pass through the bazaar and see a sweetmeat shop, offer all the sweetmeats as Naivedya to the Lord. Such practices will lead to Para-Bhakti. . While most of people follow the, Apara Bhakti which is the easier path to salvation. It is in fact the starting point of Bhakti & on that account it is also called the premature stage of Bhakti.

As per the Bhagwat Gita, devotion is the easiest method to develop "Bhaav" and get close to the God. God himself declares about the glory of devotion in Bhagwat Gita:

Ye tu dharmamritam idam yathoktam paryupasate,
Sraddadhana mat-parama bhaktas te ’tiva me priyah.

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: O Arjuna, Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mayy eva mana adhatsva mayi buddhim nivesaya,
Nivasisyasi mayy eva ata urdhvam na samsayah.

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Just fix your mind upon Me and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru,
Mam evaishyasi satyam te pratijane priyo ’si me.

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja,
Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayisyami ma suchah.

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


So let's have devotion in God. Let's remember God for some time in our daily life so that we too can generate some "Bhaav" or "Spiritual Emotion" towards the God. Once that is developed, we shall always find God near us & our life shall be filled with joy, love & ecstasy.




Importance of the number 108 from Vedic Era.

The importance of the number 108 in Sanatan Dharma from Vedic era is remarkable. The Indian scholars in vedic time were excellent mathematics scholars. This number is sacred since the vedic time and mentioned from the oldest texts we have. 

1 stands for God or the higher truth, 0 stands for emptiness and completeness in spiritual practice and the 8 for the infinity and eternity.

The Sanskrit alphabet called Devanagari has 54 letters and each of them has feminine and masculine form. Hence that makes: 54 x 2 = 108

The rosary of the vedic time has 108 beads, Lord Krishna has 108 gopis or maid servant, we have 108 Upanishades. In the heart chakra (Anahata) we have intersections of energy lines, which are 108 to form the heart chakra. The important of the number 108 is also seen in the 108 names for Gods like Lord Shiva and many others.

There are 108 forms of dance in Indian tradition. In the Sree Yantra central point (Bindu), there are 3 lines intersecting and we have 54 intersections, each masculine and feminine. These 108 points defines the Sri Yantra and the human body.

The Vedic system says the universe is created by 5 elements; Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth and they are the reason for 3 attributes; Birth, Protection and Destruction, They are called Guna in Sanskrit and known as Raja, Sata and Tama guna. This cycle has, according to mathematical and geographical evidence 360 degrees. This teaching is very much symbolic. If we take the space as the cycle and divide it by the 4 other elements and multiply them with the 3 attributes we get the idea of time. 3 x 4 = 12 and we have the number of months in a year and the half of a day by 12 hours. We have 27 Naksatra or fixed stars and added them to the 3 gunas, it forms our months of 30 days. The ancient sages counted only the day time and for the night they multiplied by 2. If we multiply our 360 degree by 30 we get 10800. The 0 was taken as complete, we need only take the first 3 numbers 108. The ancient Sages took the "108" as the representation of the complete universe. 

By the offer and singing any mantra 108 times the respect towards the supreme is considered complete.






Reason why Many Gods in Hinduism.

Why does Sanatam Dharma or as it is represented today as Hinduism, have many Gods? The worship of many Gods in Sanatan Dharma has its root in Realisation of Ultimate Truth, the source of all creations. And it is based on our Vedas, the roots of this Realisation lies in Vedanta. Vedas are the sacred books upon which whole Sanatan Dharma rests. Besides details of ceremonies and worships, Vedas also have detailed records of truths concerning nature of our Universe as witnessed by our Rishis (Sages) in their super-conscious states of meditations. Apart from facts like evolution, theory of space, atomic structure of matter, Vedas have chronicled details of the presence of an Ultimate Reality which is the source of all creations.

In Vedas, the guiding book for us all, this Ultimate Reality is called as Brahman and is considered to be subtle, all pervading and infinite. It is an ocean of consciousness and according to Vedanta, from this Ocean of Consciousness originates both Matter and Living Beings. Vedanta tells us how like waves in the ocean rises, so do the entire phenomenal Universe comprising living beings (Chetan) and Matter (Jad) emanates from this Ocean of Consciousness. Like Oceans pervading the waves, the Divinity of God pervades all things; living and non-living. This is why plants, animals, rivers and mountains are all ascribed a divinity in the Hindu religion.

It is this truth that finds the expression of many deities in Sanatan Dharma. Ancient Rishis found beauty and God in everything. In air, water, fire, even in dead woods or rocks, they found the presence of the Infinite Being. They realised this God is everywhere and in everything, including you and me. 

As Swami Abhedananda, one of the direct disciples of Swami Vivekananda said: “There is no such thing as dead matter. You may call this table dead matter but there is life in it. Everything is alive and the prana or life-force is all pervading. It is the cause of molecular activity; it is the cause of the movements of the electrons. When the latent life force leaves the table it will disintegrate into electrons and vanish into the ocean of eternal energy.”

Vedanta is a rational philosophy and hence never demands blind following of any particular path or given God. Anyone can seek and find the truth and God by following any path they wish to follow for themselves. And of the many paths, one is through prayers and meditations. We focus our mind to a specific aspect of the Supreme Being, and try to manifest that into our own nature. This way the spirit is freed to unite with that Consciousness or God. For the Rishis it was possible to meditate upon the formless, the “Nirakar” but what about the common man! Inexperienced mind would find it impossible to concentrate upon the Qualitative Attributes of a Formless. Try doing so; meditate on purity of the Supreme Being, imagining a blank space or vacuum. This is because our mind best focuses through the five senses and among them Sight being the best. Keeping this aspect in mind, Adi Rishis contemplated images for various attributes of God.


Thus the Rishis, took the countless attributes of the Universal Lord, and creatively depicted each of them in the forms of the various Gods and Goddesses. For example, the three types of power of one God are known as Brahma, the creator who represents the creative, motherly power of God; Vishnu, who represents the sustaining or nurturing power of God; and Shiva, who represents the devouring power of God. Similarly, that aspect of the Supreme which guides our intellect on the path of righteousness is called Mother Gayatri, the power which enhances our creativity is Goddess Saraswati and the courage that helps us leap across oceans, is Lord Hanuman. In this way arise the multitudinous deities in Hinduism. And the purpose of these idols is to help the devotee to concentrate during prayer and meditation.

The various Hindu Gods all exist, but not independently. Just as the seven colours exist within one ray of light, so too these various Hindu Gods exist within the Supreme, as names of his different qualities. It is for this reason that the Vedas declare, “Ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti” – God is One, whom we call by various names. Thus in truth, Sanatan Dharma or as it’s called now a day’s Hinduism, is a monotheistic religion. The many Gods of the Hindus are simply a creative acknowledgement of the numerous powers and manifestations of the One Supreme Lord. His manifestations are worshipped as the various Elements of Nature (Jad), while His Conscious Powers (Chetan) are worshipped in the form of different Gods and Goddesses.





Who is a Sadguru and his role in our life!

"Many cannot even hear about the soul, and even after hearing about the soul, many cannot understand it; this is because it is hard to find the Guru who is a genuine seer of the truth. Such a qualified Guru is a great soul and is very rare. At the same time, realization of the truth can be had only by those disciples who carefully follow the qualified Guru’s teachings and become expert in the science of God. Such disciples are also very rare. Thus it is that only a few ever come to know the soul in truth."- (Katha Upanisad, 1.2.7.)

The Role of the Guru

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah


"Just try to learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the Truth." (Bhagavad Gita, 4:34)

The concept of practising spiritual life under the guidance of an authentic and qualified guru, or spiritual teacher, has always been the central point of spiritual path. So important has the role of the guru always been in Vedic culture, that there is no Hindu tradition or sampradaya (school of thought) in all of Sanatana Dharma that does not offer the greatest of respect to the importance of the guru. The great Vedantic text known as the Vedanta-sara paints the following dramatic picture in order to convey the importance of having a guru in one's spiritual pursuit:

janana-maranadi-samsaranala-santapto dipta-sira jala-rasim iva
upahara-panbm sotriyam brahma-nistham gurum upasrtya tam anusarati


"Just as a person whose head is on fire runs to water, one who burns from the flames of birth, death, old age, and disease in the holocaust of material existence must run to a genuine guru for relief. Such a guru must be fixed in the Absolute Truth and well-versed in the scriptures. One should approach him with all that is needed for sacrifice and submit to him as a disciple, ready to carry out his every instruction." (Vedanta-Sara, 11)

Ajnana-Timirandhasya Jnananjana-Salakaya;
Chakshurunmilitam Yena Tasmai Sri Gurave Namah.

Salutations to that guru who opened the eye of one blind due to the darkness of ignorance with a needle coated with the ointment of knowledge. (Guru Gita).

The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant. Grace of God takes the form of 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 a free and unhampered access to 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.

Interestingly, the very word "guru" itself is actually a somewhat generalized term that simply means a competent teacher of any kind. Any skilled expert who is authorized to teach a specific subject can be considered a guru in the most general of senses. When the word is used in the overtly spiritual sense, however, then we are talking about a guru of a categorically different nature. The spiritual guru is specifically designated as a "Sadguru" or a teacher of Truth. It is the sadguru, the conveyor of Truth, who serves as the underlying model of any and all other types of gurus.

The Sadguru

Mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas and who has direct knowledge of Atman through Anubhava can only be enrolled as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or a liberated sage is the real Guru or spiritual preceptor. He is the Satguru. He is identical with Brahman or the Supreme Self. He is a Knower of Brahman.

Possession of Siddhis is not the test to declare the greatness of a sage or to prove he has attained Self-realisation. Sadgurus do not exhibit any miracles or Siddhis. Sometimes they may exhibit them in order to convince the aspirants of the existence of super physical things, give them encouragement, and instill faith in their hearts. A Sadguru is endowed with countless Siddhis. He possesses all divine Aishvarya, all the wealth of the Lord.
The Sadguru is Brahman Himself. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge and mercy. He is the captain of our soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all our troubles, sorrows and obstacles. He shows us the right divine path. He tears our veil of ignorance. He makes us immortal and divine. He transmutes our lower, diabolical nature. He gives us the rope of knowledge and save us when we are drowning in this ocean of Samsara. Worshiping Guru and bowing to him with reverence, surrendering ourselves completely can help us gaining maximum in the spiritual path.

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. The very company itself is self-illumination. Living in his company is spiritual education. Reading “Sri Granth Sahib”, we get to know the greatness of Guru.

Man can learn only from a man, and hence God teaches through a human body. In our Guru, we have our human ideal of perfection. He is the pattern from which we wish to mould ourselves. Our mind will readily be convinced that such a great soul is fit to be worshipped and revered.

Guru is the Moksha-Dvara. He is the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness. But, it is the aspirant that has to enter through it. The Guru is a help, but the actual task of practical Sadhana falls on the aspirant himself.

According to the Bhagavat Purana:

tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasum sreyam uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam


"One who is searching for the Ultimate Truth must surrender unto a spiritual master, a guru. A guru knows the inner meaning of the Vedas, is fixed in the Absolute Truth and is expert in the shastra, the revealed scriptures." (Bhagavat Purana, 11.3.21)

More than merely being a teacher in the formal academic sense, the Sadguru is recognized as also being someone who possesses divine qualities due to his own years of practice and inner realization, and who thus perfectly personifies the fruit of spiritual teachings in his own life.

acinoti yam sastrartham
acare sthapayaty api
svayam acarate yasma
acharyas tena kirtitam 


"An Acharya is one who fully understands the conclusions of the revealed scriptures. His own behavior reflects his deep realization, and thus he is a living example of divine precept. He is therefore known as an Acharya, or one who teaches the meaning of the scriptures both by word and deed." Hence a Sadguru! (Vayu Purana)

The qualified and authentic guru is not merely someone who teaches the Truth verbally, but who also lives that Truth perfectly, and who then reflects that Truth to his students in a living and dynamic way.

In the present Age of Conflict (Kali Yuga), unfortunately, we often encounter unqualified and self-anointed individuals who claim to be gurus while often falling very far short of the true meaning of this term. Often such unqualified persons do not possess the prerequisite qualities, training, and characteristics necessary to call themselves a guru in the authentic and scripturally-based sense of this term. Some of these guidelines are outlined in the Bhagavad Gita:

duhkhesv anudvigna-manah
sukhesu vigata-sprhah
vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah
sthita-dhir munir ucyate


"One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated when experiencing pleasantness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind. (Bhagavad Gita, 2:56)

Thus, the sadguru (true guru) is inwardly detached and transcends the sufferings of this world, accepting material pleasure and pain, suffering and pleasantness with equal demeanor. It is as a result of the true guru's transcendent status - and the consequent calm, peace, and gravitas that the guru exudes at all times - that the true guru has the ability to help his student to similarly transcend the darkness of ignorance.

When a sincere student and a qualified sadguru finally do find each other, and unite in the eternal process of spiritual exchange — the guru sharing his insight, instruction, and empowering presence with the student; and the student learning and growing spiritually with humility, sincerity, openness and eagerness — we then witness the perfect conditions necessary for the celebration and living of Truth. If you are seeking Truth, then seek the guidance of one who has seen the Truth. Seek the sadguru.


Distractions and Japa.

Distraction is referential. It is like weeds. What are weeds? They are what you do not want to grow. In the plant kingdom, there are no weeds. There are only different plants. You grow grass, and therefore anything other than that grass, even any other kind of grass is a weed. Suppose you care for your lawn and find a herb growing in it, what would you do? You would weed it out. Suppose you are growing the herb and you see grass around it obstructing its growth, then what would you do? You would weed grass out. Now tell me, which is the true weed? Anything you do not want is a weed, and you weed it out.

In chanting a mantra, you are giving yourself an occasion to check how your mind works. You are giving yourself an occupation which repeats itself. It becomes predictable. Any other thing becomes an unwanted distraction. When your mind moves away, pull yourself up. Bring it back from its wanderings to its assigned occupation of japa. This makes you learn the ways of your mind.

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चलमस्थिरम्।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत्।।६.२६।। भगवद्गीता

For whatever reason the unsteady mind, always in a state of flux, goes away, bringing it back from that, with reference to the self alone, may one bring (the mind) into one's own hands.

The mind moves away, thinking of something else. This is expected. It is the nature of the mind to move away. Then bring it back from wherever it has gone and keep it on your chosen pursuit.

Sadhak's Conflicts, Confusions & Pains

All souls do not experience the same degrees of blind involvement with Primordial nature and the physical realm. Many souls remain partially awake and retain memories of their prior, more conscious states.

They may experience confusion and frustration when they are unable to assume and maintain a state of clarified awareness because of a cloud like veil that blurs their awareness. And this may make them highly motivated to awaken to super-conscious states that will enable them to rapidly awaken to Self-Realization, cosmic consciousness, and God-realization.

Don't assume that because you are unhappy in this world that you have bad karma, or that you are not spiritually worthy, it could be that you are simply and naturally seeking higher states of awareness that you have formally known. The pain you experience is not due to your bad karma but a gentle nudge by your good karmas and mother nature to guide you to a higher understanding.