Sri Guru Gita ETV - Episodes 101 to 150
Translations of Pujya Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji’s daily explanation of Sri Guru Gita on ETV from Datta Jayanthi in Dec 2013 onwards in Telugu
Episodes 101 to 150
Listen to Sri Guru Gita episodes on vimeo:
Observe the parrot from Shuka Vana. Find out of the species it belongs to and make a note.
Visit for photos of parrots and information on the different species.
A parrot first listened to the secret knowledge about Guru while Siva was explaining it to Parvati. Later Sage Suka (Parrot) gave this knowledge to his father Veda Vyasa. It was revealed to humanity through Srimad Bhagavatam and Skanda Purana.
At end of the year 2014 during Datta Jayanthi in December, there will be held a competition.
Episode 101
We were discussing that Siva and Parvati were extremely pleased with Ganapathy’s intellect, reasoning and presence of mind. Secondly, they commended his deep-rooted faith in them as Gurus. Because Ganapathy had strong faith in his Guru, Kumara Swamy encountered Ganapathy returning from every sacred place he was entering. One should have faith in Guru like Ganapathy Swamy did. Ganapathy had complete faith in his parents as Guru. Such complete faith is what leads to fulfillment of wishes. This is what leads to receiving Guru’s grace fully. This is what leads to victory in every task.
Sloka:
Bhavaranya pravistasya dingmoha bhranta cetasah |
Yena sandaristah panthah tasmai sri gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Sadguru who shows the good path in the jungle of samsara, where I have been wandering aimlessly.
Sloka:
Tapatrayagni taptanam srantanam praninamume |
Gurureva paraganga tasmai sri gurave namah ||
Guru is the most sacred water or Ganga for the living beings who are frayed and exhausted in the fire of anxieties. Obeisance to such a Guru.
Sloka:
Hetave sarva jagatam samsararnava setave |
Prabhave sarva vidyanam sambhave gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Sadguru who is the cause of all the worlds, who serves as a bridge to cross the ocean of Samsara, who is the Lord of all branches of knowledge, and who is the source of bliss and happiness.
Here, “Shambhu” refers to the origin of happiness. Happiness here refers to eternal happiness, not material happiness. Let’s recall the sloka again:
Dhyanamulam guror murtih puja mulam guroh padam, mantra mulam gurorvakyam moksham mulam guroh krpa.
Sloka:
Dhyanamulam guror murtih puja mulam guroh padam |
Mantra mulam gurorvakyam moksham mulam guroh krpa ||
One cannot chant this sloka enough number of times. One cannot sing this sloka in enough number of ways. You heard this in two different ways.
The image of Guru is the foundation for meditation. The feet of Guru form the foundation for worship. The word of Guru is the foundation for mantra. The grace of Guru alone is the foundation for redemption.
Sloka:
Haranam bhavararogasya taranam klesa varidheh |
Bharanam sarvalokasya saranam carnam guroh ||
The foot of the Guru which roots out the disease of samsara and rebirths, which helps ferry me across the ocean of sorrow, and that which holds all the worlds, is my refuge.
While concluding this sloka, they are making a special mention of the power of Guru’s curse and Guru’s blessings.
Episode 102
Sloka:
Hetave sarva jagatam samsararnava setave |
Prabhave sarva vidyanam sambhave gurave namah ||
Let’s remember this over and over again. Obeisance to Sadguru who is the cause of all the worlds, who serves as a bridge to cross the ocean of Samsara, who is the Lord of all branches of knowledge, and who is the source of bliss and happiness.
Here, “Shambhu” refers to the place where all happiness is born. Happiness here refers to eternal happiness, not material happiness. Let’s recall the sloka again.
Dhyanamulam guror murtih puja mulam guroh padam, mantra mulam gurorvakyam moksha mulam guroh krpa.
Sloka:
Dhyanamulam guror murtih puja mulam guroh padam |
Mantra mulam gurorvakyam moksham mulam guroh krpa ||
We cannot chant this sloka enough number of times. We cannot sing this sloka in enough number of ways. You just heard this in two different ways.
The image of Guru is the foundation for meditation. The feet of Guru form the foundation for worship. The word of Guru is the foundation for mantra. The grace of Guru alone is the foundation for redemption.
Sloka:
Haranam bhavararogasya taranam klesa varidheh |
Bharanam sarvalokasya saranam carnam guroh ||
The foot of the Guru which roots out the disease of samsara and rebirths, which helps ferry me across the ocean of sorrow, and that which holds all the worlds, is my refuge.
While concluding this sloka, they are making a special mention of the power of Guru’s curse and Guru’s blessings.
Sloka:
Siva ruste gurustrata gurau ruste na kascana |
Tasmat paragurum labdhva tameva saranam vrajet ||
If Siva gets angry, Guru protects. But if Guru himself gets angry, there is no one in the entire creation that can protect. So, one should seek refuge in such a supreme Guru and in his blessings.
The slokas that have the refrain “Tasmai sri gurave namah” have concluded. Here begin the slokas with the refrain, “Sivaya gurave namah”.
In the above phrase, “Siva” refers not just to Siva, but to the trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. To make this clear upfront, they have the following sloka.
Sloka:
Atrinetrassiva saksat dvibhujasca paro harih
Yo caturvadano brahma sri guruh kathitah priye
Siva says to Parvati, that the Shastras proclaim the Guru is Siva without the three eyes, he’s Vishnu without the four hands and he is Brahma without the four faces. Slokas in praise of Guru continue.
Sloka:
Nityaya nirvikaraya niravadyaya yogine |
Niskalaya nirihaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Here Guru is glorified as one who is eternal, unwavering, blameless, a Yogi, untainted, desireless and auspicious and verily Siva himself.
Episode 103
Sloka:
Nityaya nirvikaraya niravadyaya yogine |
Niskalaya nirihaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to the Sadguru who is eternal, unwavering, blame-less, a Yogi, untainted, fully-realized, desireless, auspicious and verily Siva himself. Here, a question arises: Why is the term “Siva” alone being used to refer to Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara? There are many reasons for this. Shiva is the symbol and granter of auspiciousness. What is auspiciousness? All attributes stated in reference to the Guru in the above sloka describe what auspiciousness is. So those who worship Guru become unwavering, blame-less, fully-realized and desire-less. The Guru Himself is like that. How can he bless us with those attributes unless He is Himself full of those attributes. In reality, the Guru is beyond all cause and is hence unwavering and unchanging. The Guru is beyond all cause. So, while referring to Siva as Trinity, they are reminding us of that which is unwavering and beyond the trinity. That supreme concept is explained even more clearly in this Sloka.
Sloka:
Sisya hrtpadma suryaya satyaya jnanarupine |
Vedanta vakya vedyaya sivaya gurave namah ||
He is like the sun to the lotus-like hearts of his disciples. He is the embodiment of truth, and of knowledge. He is revealed through the Upanishads, is a symbol of auspiciousness, and is verily Siva himself. Obeisance to such a Sadguru.
Intellect is like a lotus, heart is like another lotus. Here, there are two kinds of hearts. One is the Guru heart, the other is the human heart. These are also referred to as the spiritual heart and the material heart. The spiritual heart is on the right side of the body, while the material heart is on the left. The heart on the right has no bones or flesh. That is why it is spiritual heart. It is just ether, it has nothing, filled with emptiness. That is where the spiritual heart is.
Episode 104
We discussed so far that there are two kinds of hearts. One is the Guru heart, and the other is the human heart. The elders also refer to them as the spiritual heart and the material heart. The spiritual heart is on the right side of the body, while the material heart is on the left. The heart on the right has no bones or flesh. That is why it is spiritual heart. It is just ether, it has nothing, filled with emptiness. These hearts are in the form of lotuses. The Guru makes these hearts bloom. The Guru is himself the sun and the knowledge that comes from him is his light. However, unlike regular sunlight that diminishes at the end of each day due to which the blossoming lotus fades and closes each day, the light from the Guru is eternal. The lotus that blooms due to this light never fades or shrivels.
The Guru is the sun that makes the hearts of the disciples blossom. He is the embodiment of knowledge and auspiciousness. Obeisance to such a Guru. We should always offer salutations to such a Guru.
Sloka:
Upayopeya rupaya sadupaya pradarsine |
Anirvacyaya vacyaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is the idea and also the desired objective of that idea, who gives good thoughts and ideas to his disciples and who is beyond description, who deserves all praise, and who is Siva himself.
Sloka:
Karya karana rupaya rupa rupaya te sada |
Apramye svarupaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is the cause and the effect, who is of attributes and who has no attributes at all, whose form cannot be imagined and who is Siva himself.
Datta Sadguru is filled with an abundance of these qualities. So, let’s learn of a few miracles that Datta Sadguru showed in this aspect.
Lord Datta’s magnanimity in uplifting disciples is unparalleled. Like sunlight, the Lord’s grace completely submerges the disciple. But, his ways of testing his disciples are very unique. He has a new tests each day. His tests are beyond imagination of people, beyond imagination of even Nature. In some instances, they may be delightful, in others there may be deep spiritual secrets embedded. In some stories, the ones that are visible to us, people wonder why he behaves strangely. Take Swamiji for instance. So many people make fun of him behind his back saying, “He has nothing better to do, he is crazy” . Some others say he’s doing it for humor, to make people laugh. But, a real devotee who can sit steadily and think carefully about the actions of the Guru can understand the great spiritual significance in those actions.
Episode 105
Sloka:
Karya karana rupaya rupa rupaya te sada |
Apramye svarupaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is the cause and the effect, who is of attributes and who has no attributes at all, whose form cannot be imagined and who is Siva himself.
Datta Sadguru is filled with an abundance of these qualities. So, let’s learn of a few miracles that Datta Sadguru showed in this aspect.
Lord Datta’s magnanimity in uplifting disciples is unparalleled. Like sunlight, the Lord’s grace completely submerges the disciple. But, his ways of testing his disciples are very strange. He has a new tests each day. His tests are beyond imagination of people, beyond imagination of even Nature. In some instances, they may be delightful, in others there may be deep spiritual secrets embedded. In some stories, the ones that are visible to us, people wonder why he behaves strangely. Take Swamiji for instance. So many people make fun of him behind his back saying, “He has nothing better to do, he is crazy” . Some others say he’s doing it for humor, to make people laugh. But, real devotees who can sit steadily and think carefully about the actions of the Guru can understand the great spiritual significance in those actions. Superficial devotees will not see this. People who do not contemplate on it will not see it either. Every action of the Guru is unique and interesting - the actions seem easy to find faults with. People may wonder why the Guru is making this mistake or why the Guru is testing only them. Some may pooh pooh a test considering it too small for them.
The tests are very interesting. If the disciple can face them successfully, he will reap benefits beyond his own imagination. Disciples need to face those tests successfully. Second, those who receive these tests should consider themselves fortunate and should strive to win those tests. You should take delight in and shine in those tests, and not be dejected or humiliated. You should not think you are too big for these tests. Nor should you think you are so great that this test is too trivial for you. It may seem too trivial now, but you will find out over time, that it’s not trivial. You think you can win the test without lifting a finger, but you will not be able to win in several births. That is how Lord Datta’s miracles are...they are beyond our imagination, comprehension or beyond our understanding. Read Lord Datta’s life history, you will understand. Read the life history. Did he test himself to see if he would win or did he test himself to show you what the tests would be like? Is he doing this to caution us?
We keep worrying about the tests, but have we considered the outcome of our karma? The tests we receive are in accordance with our karma. You should not think that the tests are beyond your capability or knowledge. When you look at these tests with love, you will understand that it is the Guru’s grace that let’s you complete these tests. That’s how unique they are.
Episode 106
Datta Guru blessed a disciple called Pingala Naga. Let’s learn the story.
Pingala Naga was a great scholar and an ardent devotee of Siva. He heard about the greatness of Lord Datta and wanted to learn more from him about Lord Siva. He wanted to see Lord Datta. When he went to Lord Datta, the situation there was very strange. Of course, the Lord knows ahead of time about the disciples coming to him. The tests for those disciples are automatically set. The tests were very strange, there were things that should not be seen, things that should not be heard and could not be understood.
Lord Datta was performing a yagna (ancient ritual of offering herbal preparations in the fire). He had the appearance of a mendicant. He looked nothing like an officiator of a yagna. He was performing the yagna as he wished. Sometimes, he would put the offerings in the fire pit, sometimes, he would them outside the fire pit. He did as he liked. Sometimes, he would throw the ghee (one of the offerings in a yagna) up in the air, sometimes he would put too much into the fire and sometimes he would dump it into the herbal preparations for the yagna. His behavior was very strange. Sometimes, he would eat up the preparations himself. He was doing the yagna as he liked.
The sages sitting around the fire pit were overjoyed seeing the yagna. Pingala Naga was puzzled, “What is this? These sages are so great. They are very learned in spiritual truths. And they are ripe in age. Such great scholars! Why are they so happy seeing the Lord’s yagna? They have tears of joy. They are saying that the mission of their life is fulfilled seeing this yagna. What is this? Nobody is finding any fault with the yagna. Moreover, everyone is praising him as Yagneshwara (Lord of the Yagna), Yateeshwara! Is he a Yateeshwara? He does not look like one. His long beard is unkempt, his clothes are shabby, he looks like a lunatic. He sometimes glances around like a mad man. Sometimes, he’ll pull his hair, sometimes, he’ll pull his beard. Sometimes, he’ll throw away the clothes on him, and again wear them back on and again go back to doing the yagna. It is hard to keep track of all the things that seem wrong. What kind of illusion is this? Am I dreaming or is this real?”
He pinched himself hard to see if what he was witnessing was a dream. “Am I falling asleep while standing? Such a thing is expected to happen in Kaliyuga, but it already seems to be happening to me now. The sages are continuing to praise him as Yagneshwara, Yateeshvara, as the Knowledgeable One, as the Beautiful One and so on. Is he beautiful? It was weird enough that they called him Yagneshwara and Yateeshwara, but they are calling this old man beautiful? Can they even see him clearly? Or are they dreaming themselves?” Pingala Naga was lost in these thoughts. See how many questions and doubts Pingala Naga had in the one second he witnessed all this in.
“But, he does not have the qualities of Yateeshwara. Yateeshwaras are supposed to have a few distinct qualities. One can instantly identify a Yateeshwara. But, he did not have a staff or kamandalam (water *** with a handle and spout) like Yateeshwaras do. He was not chanting the Omkara. And even before the yagna was complete, the Lord was getting up, petting a few dogs, milking the dogs and drinking up the milk. He kept doing this intermittently - get up from the yagna, pet the dogs, drink their milk and come back and chant the mantras for the yagna. The mantras could not be heard clearly. It seemed like was pronouncing them incorrectly. It was as if he was murmuring to himself. The Lord kept doing this. Occasionally, someone else would bring him something in a *** and he would immediately gulp it down”.
Now Pingala Naga wondered if going there was a mistake. Let’s see what happens next.
Episode 107
Pingala Naga was very surprised seeing Lord Datta’s actions. In the meanwhile, all the elderly saints were shouting slogans of victory to Lord Datta. All the elderly saints were present. They were very happy, shouting slogans of victory to the Lord and prostrating to him. It was then that Pingala Naga had an eye-opener - when elderly saints and Yateeshwaras came in large crowds and prostrated to him while chanting mantras, performed Abhishekam, worshiped and praised him. That’s when he woke up. It was as if he was asleep while standing, like some people sleep with their eyes open during Shivaratri. Some people can sleep while standing, some sleep while sitting. Some people are actually able to sleep while standing, they lean against the wall and doze off. Some people fall asleep while driving their motorbike and kill themselves. Some doze off while driving their car. Some people doze off while cooking, burning their hands in the process. There doesn’t seem to be a regimen to sleeping. That’s how it is. The problem is with the food you eat. Leave that aside, why come to this world, let’s go back to that world.
Pingala Naga had an eye-opening revelation. He thought straight. He felt the Lord was laughing at him and laughing at the saints too. Pingala Naga felt that there were a lot of hidden meanings in that laughter. “True, he is laughing at me. I am foolish, arrogant and lazy. I came here with devotion, but I had lot of doubts. That is why he is laughing at me. He’s laughing looking at the saints. He is probably smiling at them because they are chanting mantras and are helping with the yagna. Wow, there are a lot of meanings and signals in his laughter. I feel like there are a lot of secrets in this laughter. I cannot understand those secrets. But, I can understand one thing. I understand one secret hidden in this laughter. It is because the Lord is so great that all the saints are following him wherever he goes, they are listening to his discourses. I will also ask Swamy (Lord) and understand the principle of Siva”.
All those present were asking the Lord spiritual questions and learning, just like how people these days ask Swamiji about the ups and downs in their lives. Of course, no one ever asks Swamiji a spiritual question. Here, Pingala Naga wanted to ask the Lord about the principle of Siva. “That is the reason I came here”, he thought. At that time, Datta Swamy was seated under Amalaka tree (Indian gooseberry or Phyllantus Emblica). Pingala Naga approached the Lord and prostrated to him. He felt the time was right for him place his doubts in front of the Lord. Prostrating, he proceeded to ask the Lord. “Swamy, the Vedas and other scriptures have established 4 varnas (classes) and 4 stages in a man’s life. All these saints are following the Dharmic order established by the Vedas. But, your actions are defying that Dharma”, he asked bravely. “Still, the saints are holding you in the highest regard, they are worshiping you. Swamy, I can’t understand the subtle Dharmic principles here”.
Episode 108
Pingala Naga approached Datta Swamy and prostrated to him. He placed his doubts in front of the Lord thus: “Swamy, the Vedas have established four varnas (classes) and 4 ashramas (stages) in man’s life. All the saints here are following that Dharmic order. But, you are defying that Dharma”. There were many saints there and they were all listening to this conversation.
He continued to pray to the Lord, “Yet, the saints here are praising your greatly and worshiping you. I am unable to grasp the subtle aspects of Dharma in this. I came here to learn about Lord Siva. But, the situation here created more doubts in my head. Kindly clear my doubts”.
Strangely, Lord Datta did not put Pingala Naga to any tests. Pingalga Naga suspected he would be subject to tests, because the Lord always puts people to tests before he answers their questions. But Lord Datta did not put him to any tests. Lovingly, he addressed him as “Pingala” and continued to explain his own quality. Really, who else can explain the principle of Datta? Just as Lord Rama proudly introduced himself as the loving son of the great King Dasaratha and narrated his life story to Hanuman, Lord Datta himself explained the principle of Dharma. He was adhering to Dharma so strictly. He revealed his quality thus: “Whatever you said is true, whatever you felt, whatever you said and whatever you asked, is true. Vedas are the means of knowledge for everything. That is certain. Mine is the fifth ashrama (stage of life). To be in this fifth ashrama, once has to gain victory over the six vices, go beyond dualities and should see himself in all living beings. Those who do not understand this, and criticise with their half baked knowledge, will be subject to ***. They will be subject to *** even if they criticize without realizing what they are doing, so you can imagine the outcome if they criticize knowing fully well what they are doing. If those in this ashram act out of line, they will be subject to ***. I stand in the fire pit and at the same time, touch the core of the sun with my hand. All these saints know this very well. Pingala Naga, I act like this for the sake of devotees. You should follow Dharma. You will understand this fifth ashrama well. Dharma is the foundation and is beyond all the ashramas. You should adhere to Dharma”.
The Lord’s grace flowed generously to Pingala Naga. Pingala Naga understood the principle of Lord Datta. He said, ”Lord, you are Siva, you are my only refuge. Please keep me in your belly and protect me”. Immediately, Datta Swamy turned into Lord Siva.
Episode 109
Pingala Naga asked Lord Datta for the boon. The Lord’s grace flowed generously to Pingala Naga. Pingala Naga understood the principle of Lord Datta. He said, ”Lord, you are Siva, you are my only refuge. Please keep me in your belly and protect me”. Immediately, Datta Swamy turned into Lord Siva. He opened his mouth wide and asked Pingala Naga to enter it. Pingala Naga entered the Lord’s mouth. Wow, what a fortune. Lord Datta turned into a Siva Linga right there where there was a holy pond and an Amalaka (Indian gooseberry) tree. He blessed that those who worship this Siva Linga that has Pingala Naga in its belly will not have another birth.
Datta Guru blesses his disciples with supernatural powers. As the source of the Vedas himself, he generously blesses his disciples. The Lord’s invisible hand always protects his devotees. Hence, disciples should always have steadfast devotion and faith in the Guru. The disciple should behave in a way that endears him to the Guru. Only then will the Guru take on the disciple’s troubles and bless him generously.
Sloka:
Drgdrsya drstr rupaya nispanna nijarupine |
Aparayadvitiyaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Sadguru who sees, who is the object seen and who is also the sight itself, who always remains in his true state, who is boundless, matchless and none other than Siva himself.
Sloka:
Gunadharaya gunine gunavarjita rupine |
Janmine janma hinaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is Siva himself, who is the root of all attributes, who has attributes and yet is free from all of them, who takes birth yet remains free in the form of Atman (soul) i.e. free from cycle of births. The Guru is beyond birth and the cessation of the cycle of births. He is free from attributes and the termination of attributes. Births and deaths take place at his will.
Sloka:
Anadyayakhiladyaya mayine gata mayine |
Arupaya svarupaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is Siva, who has no beginning and who is the beginning of all, who is illusion himself and who has conquered illusion, who is formless but remains in the form of his true self.
Episode 110
Sloka:
Anadyayakhiladyaya mayine gata mayine |
Arupaya svarupaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is Siva, who has no beginning and who is the beginning of all, who has conquered illusion, who has no illusion, who is formless but remains in the form of his true self.
In this verse is the phrase, “mayine gata mayine”. We took refuge at the Guru to overcome maya (illusion). The Guru is referred to as mayavi (illusionist). Mayi means mayavi. We might wonder what use it is to us if he is an illusionist. Here, they also said “gata mayi”. That means he is an illusionist that gained victory over illusion. He is not an ordinary illusionist. He not only gained victory over illusion, but purposefully kept illusion under his control. He does this to uplift us. How does this work?
Say, there is a smouldering piece of coal. To remove it from fire, you need an even hotter pair of tongs, otherwise, the tongs will get overheated. Similarly, to extract a piece of iron that’s melting in fire, you will need an even hotter pair of tongs, otherwise, the tongs will themselves melt in the fire. In the same manner, to remove maya from his disciples, the Guru takes on various forms of maya. He does maya and appears in the form of maya. He appears as maya even where it may seem unnecessary. He wears maya, plays, cries, laughs, makes you cry, makes you laugh, his illusions are countless. He’ll become a bird keeper, animal keeper or anything else, he’s taken on so much maya. He puts the disciples in turmoil. Those are the Guru’s tests. You should be careful. You should win those tests. You may wonder if it’s possible to withstand those tests. But, you don’t have to worry about withstanding the tests. He will do whatever is necessary and like a pair of tongs, extract you from the fire. That is why, he is called an illusionist.
Now, they conclude the praise of Guru as Siva with the following mantra:
Sloka:
Sarva mantra swarupaya sarva tantra swarupine |
Sarvagaya samastaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Episode 111
Sloka:
Sarva mantra swarupaya sarva tantra swarupine |
Sarvagaya samastaya sivaya gurave namah ||
Obeisance to Guru who is Siva, and the personification of all spells and religious rites, who is in everything and who is the embodiment of everything.
Next, they are describing the reason why Guru has been praised as Siva in the previous verses.
Sloka:
Manusya carmana baddhah saksat parasivasswayam |
Gururityabhidham grhnan gudhah paryatati ksitau ||
The Parameshwara (God) Himself enters a human body, takes on the name of Guru and wanders secretly on earth.
To help us understand for ourselves if our worship and understanding of the Guru has been successful, a test is being described here.
Sloka:
Sivavad drsyate saksat sri guruh punya karmanam |
Naravaddrsyate saiva sri guruh papa karmanam ||
Guru appears as Lord Siva to the righteous. The same Guru appears to the sinful as just a human.
So far, Lord Siva blessed Mother Parvati - in other words, he blessed us - with the slokas that praise the Guru using the refrain “Sivaya Gurave Namah” and “Tasmai Sri Gurave Namah”. Here, we are being told that when we offer salutations to the Guru, we should primarily offer salutations to the Guru’s feet. The upcoming sloka says that the direction which contains the Guru’s feet is very powerful. Whether we are sleeping or sitting or whatever state we are in, we should think about which direction the Guru’s feet are in, “Now, my Guru is traveling west, so his feet are in the western direction” or “My guru is in the east” or “My guru is in the north”. Based on which direction he is in, we should offer obeisances in that direction.
Episode 112
Sloka:
Srinatha caranadwandwam yasyam disi virajate |
Tasyai dise namaskuryat bhaktya prati dinam priye ||
Siva says to Parvati that she should offer obeisance everyday to the direction in which her Lord Guru’s pair of feet rests. Here Lord Guru is referred to as Srinatha, i.e., Lord Vishnu, giver of wealth, granter of auspiciousness, giver of wealth and the form or pure consciousness.
The word “Sri” has all these meanings. You should offer obeisance to the direction in which such a pair of feet rests. Needless to say, since he is pure consciousness, his feet are, in reality, present in all directions. Next, they are talking about how we should be during worship of the Guru.
Sloka
Tasyai dise satatimanjali resa nityam praksipyate mukharitali yuta prasunaih |
Jagarti yatra bhagavan guru cakravarti viswasthiti pralaya nataka nitya saksi ||
I offer the garland daily which attracts bees to the direction in which my God, my emperor Guru who is eternal witness to the play of creation, destruction and preservation of the worlds, is.
In this sloka they say, “mukharatali yut”. There is a secret message here. Here, in the lotus like heart, the bee is the thought that is drinking the nectar of bliss. That means, we should keep the mind pleasant while praying. Only if the mind is sweet will the bees be attracted. Only such fragrant flowers are worthy of being used in worship. Now, prostrations to the Guru.
Sloka:
Urasa sirasa caiva manasa vacasa drsa |
Padbhyam karabhyam karnabhyam pranamostanga ucyate ||
When prostration is done with these eight parts - chest, head, mind, word, sight, legs, hands and ears, it is called Saashtanga namaskara (ashta=eight, anga=parts). When some people do prostrations or bhajans or puja, their mind engages in endless other distractions.
Episode 113
Sloka:
Urasa sirasa caiva manasa vacasa drsa |
Padbhyam karabhyam karnabhyam pranamostanga ucyate ||
What is Sashtanga Namaskara? Many people don’t know what it means, they mistake it for incense and keep searching around. When prostration is done with full concentration and offered with these eight parts - chest, head, mind, word, sight, legs, hands and ears, it is called Ashtanga Namaskara (ashta=eight, anga=parts; Sashtanga = with eight parts). When some people do prostrations or bhajans or puja, their mind engages in endless other distractions.
They recite mantras with their lips, but they continue to observe everything around them with their eyes. Their thoughts have no end. That is not the right procedure. Whether or not you have devotion, when you close your eyes and engage in bhajan or chanting, the divine waves from those sounds will enter your nervous system through your ears. Here, the eyes don’t just refer to the external eyes, you should close all Jnanendriyas (5 cognitive senses of smelling, tasting, seeing, touching and hearing) while you pray. Some people think it’s enough to close your external eyes while praying, “Yes, I close my eyes when I mediate”. But, what they see inside, with their eyes closed, is different. They have a whole different world inside. Those Jnanendriyas, the inner eyes, should be closed. That means, all Jnanendriyas have eyes. There’s sense of touch for example. All those should be closed. Mind should be made still. That is the right way to do it. That is why here, they ask us practice Sashtanga vandanam (salutations with the 8 parts).
Here on, the slokas tell us that worshiping the Guru is of utmost importance not only in the human world, but also in Gods’ world.
Sloka:
Guroh krpa prasadena brahma visnu maheswarah |
Samarthastat prasado hi kevalam guru sevaya ||
It is with the grace of Guru, the trinity of Godhead became capable of creation, preservation and dissolution. Those who serve the Guru alone with get the grace of the trinity.
Indra has all the wealth and luxuries. Those pleasures are never constant. They even make Indra unsteady. They cause the mind to vacillate. The reason why Indra is sometimes seen as arrogant is due to these pleasures and wealth.
Episode 114
Indra’s Guru Brihaspati put him out of dangerous situations several times. We’ve discussed this in many stories. Once, Indra was so immersed in material pleasures that he did not even notice the arrival of his Guru. As a result, he lost his position as the king of heaven. Subsequently, he prayed to Guru Brihaspati and was reinstated to his position. Another time, there was a battle between the gods and the demons in which the gods were victorious. It was only due to the protection provided by Guru Brihaspati that Indra won the battle. Otherwise, victory would not have been possible. It’s only because the Guru was always with him that he won the battle. It is due to the Guru’s grace that Indra understood the concept of Parabrahman. That is why, Indra became the leader of the gods, he was the first one to understand the supreme truth by the grace of the Guru.
Indra has the grace and protection of Brihaspati every step of the way. Once, Indra was saved from Siva’s wrath by the grace of Brihaspati. Let’s delve into the story.
Once, the Guru and the disciple wished to see Lord Siva. Dressed as a hermit, Indra went to Kailas (abode of Siva) with his Guru. Siva also wished to see them. Guised as an Avadhoota, he waited for them on the path to Kailas. Indra and Brihaspati saw the Avadhoota enroute to Kailas and inquired about Lord Siva. The Avadhoota didn’t say anything. Even as Brihaspati was wondering who the Avadhoota might be, great danger befell. Indra got impatient and in a haste, raised his weapon to attack the Avadhuta. That’s it. The Avadhuta turned into Siva and pointed his trident at Indra. Immediately, Brihaspati fell on the Lord’s feet and prayed to him in several different ways and pacified him. He requested Siva to let Indra go saying, “Let him go. He did not know what he was doing”. Siva took pity, forgave and released Indira at the behest of Brihaspati. Otherwise, who knows what would happen to Indra. This story shows how the Guru protects in even the most dangerous situations.
Like this, in several instances, Guru Brihaspati saved the gods from various obstacles and dangers. The Guru stood by them as a shield of protection. The Guru thus protects those who place their faith in him. Just as the Guru protected Indra from all kinds of dangers, he protects anyone that places faith in him. He even protects the disciples from the curse of Gods. That’s the nature of the Guru and that’s how he protects.
Now, the sloka describes how difficult and how great the meditation on the Guru is.
Sloka:
Deva kinnara gandharvah pitaro yaksa caranah |
Munayo naiva jananti guru susrusane vidhim ||
Episode 115
Sloka:
Deva kinnara gandharvah pitaro yaksa caranah |
Munayo naiva jananti guru susrusane vidhim ||
The method of filial service to Guru is a big secret. The Gods, and other heavenly spirits (Kinnaras, Yakshas, Gandharvas and Charanas), Pitris (spirits of ancestors) and the great saints don’t know the method. None of them knows the method of service to the Guru or the Guru principle. Next, they are stating the reason why so many beings fail to understand the principle of Guru.
Sloka:
Madahankara garvena tapo vidya balanvitah |
Samsara kuharavarte patita ghanta yantravat ||
On account of penance, education and muscular power, people become egoistic and fall into the whirlpool of samsara. This is likened to a *** tied to the device for drawing water from a well. The *** may appear to float momentarily, but it quickly sinks into the water. Some people say “I have only a daughter. Once she’s married, I’ll have no other worry. The rest of my life will be spent in chanting the divine names of the Lord. All I need is for daughter to get married, I need nothing else”. The daughter gets married. The father is enjoying seeing his daughter and son-law in marital bliss, but before long, there are grandsons and granddaughters. The *** sinks again. Before it could rise, it sank again. New responsibilities are added. People think, “I can avoid these responsibilities, these don’t affect me”. And even while they are saying this, they are taking on these new responsibilities. People that say that they will avoid these responsibilities can definitely not escape them. Those who avoid them will do so silently.
Next, they are talking about the greatness of meditation upon Guru in very clear terms.
Sloka:
Dhyanam srnu mahadevi sri guroh kathayami te |
Sarva saukhyakaram tadvat bhukti mukti pradayakam ||
Siva says to Parvati to listen to him talk about the meditation upon Guru which is the all comforting, the source of satisfying the worldly needs as well as of granting redemption.
Meditation as we discussed yesterday should be done with purity in thought, word and deed (trikarana shuddhi)
Sloka:
Srimatparabrahma gurum smarami srimatparabrahma gurum bhajami |
Srimatparabrahma gurum vadami srimatparabrahma gurum namami ||
Obeisance to Guru, the embodiment of the Absolute, whose name I chant, whose praises I sing, who I offer salutations to. Guru Datta.
Episode 116
Sloka:
Srimatparabrahma gurum smarami, srimatparabrahma gurum bhajami |
Srimatparabrahma gurum vadami srimatparabrahma gurum namami ||
Srimatparabrahma gurum namami.
Obeisance to Guru, the embodiment of the Absolute, whose name I cherish in my memory, whose name I utter, whose praises I sing, who I offer salutations to. Every pore of King Dileepa’s body was filled with this feeling. That is why he attained what he desired by following the orders of the great saint Vasishtha. Shall we learn that story?
The kings in the Sun dynasty achieved lasting fame by the grace of Guru Vasishtha. King Harishchandra and other great kings like him became worthy of always being remembered only by the grace and protection of the Guru. Everyone in the sun dynasty followed a dharmic way of life. Dileepa belonged to this dynasty. King Dileepa was very great. He was as great as he was loved by his people. He, in turn, also loved his people very dearly. He even conducted several rituals and ceremonies for his people’s benefit. He even undertook religious vows for their welfare. He conducted dharmic activities only for the welfare of others. Even after doing so much, this great king didn’t have any progeny.
One day, Dileepa’s wife got sad wondering why they could not have children. Dileepa was also sad and proposed to his wife that they pray to sage Vasishtha and do as the sage commands. Dileepa and his wife were in full agreement. They went to the sage’s ashrama and decided to do as he ordered. They prayed to the sage. The sage sent them to stay in the Ashrama for a few days. As soon as they left to settle in the Ashrama, the sage sat down to meditate. With his divine vision, he looked in to why king Dileepa had no children. He saw that a curse was preventing Dileepa from having children. What curse was it? It was the curse of Kamadhenu (the divine cow that grants all wishes). But Kamadhenu was in Patala Loka (nether world) and it was usually difficult to get hold of. In place of Kamadhenu, it’s child Nandinidhenu was in the ashrama. Sage Vasishtha decided to get Nandini to bless king Dileepa.
Immediately, he called for the couple and asked them to worship Nandinidhenu saying, “From today, Nandinidhenu is completely your responsibility. Do as Nandini says. Place all your burden on Nandini. How you protect her is not my concern. Nandinidhenu must be as happy with you as she is with me. Protect her and look after her carefully. I don’t care how you do it.”
Dileepa and his wife obeyed the sage’s orders. From then on, they cared for Nandinidhenu like she was their own child. They looked after her with a lot of care and respect.
Episode 117
One day, sage Vaishtha addressed king Dileepa thus, “Dileepa, you take my daughter out for walks only in the vicinity of your house, will you not take her to the forests and show her the beauty of the forests? You are the king, what are you afraid of? Take her out for walks farther away. You are only showing her the vicinities around the house. That is not enough. Show her the forests.” Dileepa obeyed his Guru’s command. He took Nandini (the divine cow) to the forests. Nandinidhenu roamed around freely in the forests, walking happily with Dileepa. A few days passed like this. There was no need to shepherd Nandini like other animals, she would follow the king exactly as asked. Sage Vasishtha’s ashram is in the Himalayas. The forests were in the Himalayas too. So, Nandini was very familiar with that area.
One day, she set out with Dileepa and was roaming freely as usual when she suddenly disappeared. She was walking with Dileepa and following him closely, but disappeared all of a sudden. A worried Dileepa began anxiously searching for Nandini. As he was wondering how he would face sage Vasishtha, he heard the roar of a lion and the cry of a cow in a cave. Immediately, without a second’s delay, he darted into the cave. His sped like an arrow into the cave. There, a lion had Nandinidhenu in its clutches. As Dileepa was about to shoot his arrow to kill the lion, his hand involuntarily got stuck mid-air. At that time, the lion spoke in human language thus, “King, this is my territory. This cow is my food. So, let me eat my food. Don’t be unjust. I need to eat my food, so please restrain yourself. Don’t attack me”. Dileepa realized that this lion had great powers. He knew it was not an ordinary lion because it could speak human language. He was surprised to hear it speak.
The king replied humbly, “Lion king, it is true that this is your territory. It is also true that this divine cow is your prey. But, this divine cow is under my protection. So, please let go of the cow and eat me instead. That will be just”. Saying so, he lowered his head to the lion. The cave glowed with divine light. Nandinidhenu looked very pleased . She said, “King, this is all my creation. I am happy with your devotion and dedication. Ask me for whatever you want”. Dileepa prostrated to Nandinidhenu and asked to be blessed with children . That is what he wanted. The Guru had instructed him to worship Nandini and be blessed by her.
Episode 118
Dileepa realized that the lion had great powers. He knew it was not an ordinary lion because it could speak human language. He was surprised to hear it speak.
We discussed that the king replied humbly, “Lion king, it is true that this is your territory. It is also true that this divine cow is your prey. But, this divine cow is under my protection. So, please let go of the cow and eat me instead. That will be just”. Saying so, he lowered his head to the lion. The cave glowed with divine light. Nandinidhenu looked very pleased . She said, “King, this is all my creation. I am happy with your devotion and dedication. Ask me for whatever you want”. All that transpired was an illusion. That was the Guru principle at play. Dileepa prostrated to Nandinidhenu and asked to be blessed with children. Those who place their faith in Guru and walk in the path shown by the Guru will never face difficulties in life. They will always be happy. Dileepa obediently followed every word uttered by the Guru. He obtained what he desired.
Next, they are initiating us into the mantra for meditating on the Guru.
Sloka:
Brahmanandam param sukhadam kevalam jnana murtim
dwandwatitam gagana sadrsam tatvamasyadi laksyam |
Ekam nityam vimalamacalam sarvadhi sakshi bhutam
bhavatitam triguna rahitam sadgurum tam namami ||
Obeisance to Sadguru who is the source of bliss, giver of great comfort, form of pure knowledge, beyond all dualities, sky-like, the essence of Mahavakyas like Tatvamasi, the only one, unique, eternal, pure, steady, witness to all intellect, incomprehensible to intellect and who is beyond the three qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
Here, we come across “dwandwatitam” and “bhavatitam”. That means, he is beyond the dualities and the activities of the intellect and hence cannot be comprehended by them. This can only be realized through experience. That experience is gained through service to the Guru. Next, they are initiating us into another mantra for meditating on the Guru.
Sloka:
Anandamanandakaram prasannam jnana swarupam nija bodha yuktam |
Yogindra midhyam bhavaroga vaidyam srimadgurum nityamaham namami ||
Eternal obeisance to Sadguru who is the embodiment of bliss, the source of bliss who is ever gracious, embodiment of knowledge, self-realized, the best among yogis, praise-worthy and doctor of all diseases of samsara.
Episode 119
Sloka:
Anandamanandakaram prasannam jnana swarupam nija bodha yuktam |
Yogindra midhyam bhavaroga vaidyam srimadgurum nityamaham namami ||
I always offer obeisance to Sadguru who is the embodiment of bliss, the source of bliss who is ever gracious, embodiment of knowledge, self-realized, the best among yogis, praise-worthy and doctor of all diseases of samsara.
In this sloka, the crux is in the word “prasannam”. This word contains the essence. That bliss is the natural quality of the Guru. That is his eternal state. It never changes. Some people say, “My Guru’s mood is down. What is this, he spoke like this? He was so angry. Because he was not in a good mood, he scolded all of us. He humiliated us. We were hurt”. Some others say, “It’s okay if we are hurt, but our Guru seemed hurt and that is why we feel hurt”. It simply means that they were hurt, but because they can’t say it directly, they say, “When he was seemingly upset while talking to us, we were not hurt, he was hurt”. This is an indirect way of saying the same thing. It’s like referring to your son-in-law as your daughter’s husband, why not just say he is your son-in-law? Some people say, “He was upset this time, but if you talk to him when he’s in a good mood, it’s amazing. He’ll give you everything you ask for. He will even give away the clothes he’s wearing.” Is this how much you’ve understood the Guru? How foolish is this! Sadguru never gets angry. But, if he gets angry, the anger will not go away until the devotee is benefited. Every thing he does is for the devotee. The anger is also to benefit the devotee. It’s to remove the ignorance in the devotee.
“My doctor had no compassion, he cut me open to extract from inside my stomach”. If he had compassion, the problem in your stomach would not go away. If the doctor said, “O stomach, my patient’s stomach, you have this problem inside, it’ll be nice it that problem goes away”, will the problem go away? If the ailment in the patient’s stomach needs to be removed, surgery needs to be performed. If your Guru also thought like that, “My beloved disciple, you’ve come after a long time, I am so happy to see you”, if the Guru always praises him and showered him with affection saying “Bravo!”, when will the disciple learn to get better? When will he learn spiritual truths? When will the vices in him be removed? If the mother scolds the child, is it because she’s jealous of the child? It’s only because she wants the best for her child. It’s the same reason the father scolds the child. If the Guru scolds the devotee, it’s even better, the Guru is greater than God. The Guru wants you to benefit not just in this lifetime, but in every lifetime. That is why, he’s humiliating you. You should consider yourself lucky. If he’s scolding you in front of others, you should consider it your spiritual accomplishment. You should realize that you’ve learned your lesson. You won’t repeat the mistake ever again. You won’t commit that sin in any other lifetime.
Episode 120
We discussed that the Sadguru never gets angry, but if he does get angry, the anger will not go away until the devotee is benefited. It’s not enough for the devotee to apologize. Until the devotee is truly transformed, he will show his anger. The Guru will reprimand the disciple in many ways. He will scold him all the time, he will scold him using different words. He will recollect over and over and scold the disciple. If you think the Guru’s scolding was over that afternoon, he will continue to scold till the evening. He will scold in new ways. Sometimes, he’ll even attribute a new wrong-doing to you. What do we think then? We may occasionally lose faith in the Guru. “I did not commit that mistake that he’s scolding me for, why is he scolding me for this?”. But, until he uproots the poison in you from the root, he will not stop. He will keep scolding . Sometimes, he may scold you every time he sees you. Sometimes, he may chase you down and scold you. Sometimes, he may call for you and scold you. He will sit you down and scold you. It’s so hard when he sits us down and scolds us. He will seem to set up this session, where he sits you in front of him, settles into a comfortable position after his meal, makes sure you’ve been well fed too and scolds you for hours on end.
How do we feel then? Should we think that our Guru has gone crazy? Should we think we’ve gone crazy? Or, are we going insane listening to the Guru’s words? But, there’s one thing in the Guru’s heart that’s constant throughout all of this: Until you turn a new leaf - until the Guru’s resolve to benefit you is complete, the anger will not subside.
The Guru’s compassion is boundless. It goes on for generations and lifetimes. It forgives the wrong-doers and gives them a better state. To understand this better, we should look at the story of Nemi from Bhagavatam as an example.
Nemi Tata was a king. He did not have children for a very long time. He meditated on Brahma and received a boon that he would have a good son. But, when he still didn’t have a son, Nemi conducted a big Yajna. Once, during the days the yajna was in progress, he got very thirsty. Unable to bear the thirst, he drank the water that was kept in a *** right there. The next morning, the priests saw the empty ***. When they realized that the king drank all the water, the priests lamented. The priests had saved that water that was being sanctified by the mantras for the queen the next day so she could have a good son. But, the king already drank the water.
Episode 121
We discussed that once, during the days the yajna was in progress, the king got very thirsty. Unable to bear the thirst, he drank the water that was kept in a *** right there. The next morning, the priests saw the empty ***. When they realized that the king drank all the water, there was an uproar among the priests. The king was working so hard so he could have a son, but look what he did now. The priests had saved that water because the process of sanctifying the water with the mantras was not yet complete; the priests wanted to complete the process and offer the water to the queen the next day. The king had committed great sins in the past. The priests were putting in all efforts into the Yajna because it is only after the sins are removed that he could have a good son. But, in the meanwhile, before the water could be completely sanctified, the king drank the water. As a result, the king assumed pregnancy. Because the king drank the water that was meant for the queen, the king assumed pregnancy, what to do?
After 9 months, a little boy came into the world tearing open the king’s stomach. Tearing open the stomach was the only way he could come into the world. That son was Nemi. The priests, with the power of the mantras, revived the king who died when his stomach was tore open. Nemi grew up into a young man. But, because the process of sanctification hadn’t completed, Nemi grew up into an extremely wicked man. A lot of experts on Upanishads and story tellers use this story as a great example.
In due course, Nemi became king. His wicked acts had no limits. He was already wicked, and after he became king, he felt he was god. All demons are like that. As soon as they get absolute power, they believe they are god . If they see Brahma in front of them, they ask for immortality. Those with these two qualities - desire for immortality and belief they are God - are demons. Nemi announced he was God. He ordered everyone to stop doing Yajnas and rituals and serve and worship him instead. But, he had the complete grace of his mother. She had done great penance. Due to her protection, he was saved from all dangers.
Gradually, people in the kingdom reached the point where they could not take his atrocities anymore. All the sages came together and decided to sever both his legs. But, due to his mother’s grace, not only did he escape death, a lot of demons were born out of his legs. The sages were surprised that there was so much evil coming out of his legs. The sages killed all the demons. They thought about what happened and decided this time to sever Nemi’s arms. When they severed his legs, several demons were born out of them. Let’s see what kinds of things are born when the arms are severed.
Episode 122
We discussed that the sages, unable to tolerate Nemi’s heinous acts, came together and decided to sever both his legs. But, not only did he escape death, a lot of demons were born out of his severed legs. This created more work for the sages. The sages had to kill all the demons. They thought about what happened and decided this time to sever Nemi’s arms. From the arms were born divine beings. The sages handed over the kingdom to these beings who took good care of the kingdom.
But Nemi would neither live nor die. The sages thought some more. They gave him poison and cut him into pieces. But, he still wouldn’t die. Each piece of this severed body would eventually join together. Due to his mother’s grace, he continued to live. Even after being given poison and being cut into pieces, he lived. Each severed piece was a living being. Each piece seemed to have life. Nemi experienced *** on earth. We think he survived, he lived, but every piece was experiencing ***. Eventually, one day, Lord Datta came to him, initiated him into worship of Guru and uplifted him. All the divine beings shouted slogans, “Datta! Jaya Guru Datta! Datta!”. Although Nemi was a great sinner, he achieved higher worlds by the grace of Guru.
You should not construe whatever happened in the meanwhile as the outcome of Guru’s anger. It was the compassion of the Guru. That is what is called Kshalana (cleansing). The Guru is always in bliss. That is why the previous sloka said “Prasannam” (bliss). The Guru is the epitome of bliss, the source of bliss, embodiment of knowledge. To such a Sadguru, you should always offer obeisance. Next is another mantra to meditate on the Guru.
Sloka:
Nityam suddham nirabhasam nirakaram niranjanam |
Nityabodha cidanandam gurum brahma namamyaham ||
Obeisance to Guru who is eternal, pure, formless, tranquil, embodiment of truth and knowledge, who is always teaching, who is embodiment of universal consciousness and bliss and an embodiment of the Absolute.
Here, “Nityabodha” shows that he is always teaching. That means, if you meditate on him in silence when you face difficulties, you will hear his voice. There is no doubt whatsoever.
Episode 123
Now, they are talking about where we should visualize the Guru as residing while meditating upon him.
Sloka:
Hrdambuje karnika madhya samsthe simhasane samsthita divyamurtim |
Dhyayedgurum candrakala prakasam saccit sukhabhista varam dadanam ||
We should meditate upon the Sadguru visualizing him as one in a divine form, who is seated on the throne situated on the elevated part of our lotus like heart, shining with the splendor of the moon and granting us the boon of eternal bliss.
Next, they describing with what colors and decorations one should visualize the form of the Guru, who is the source of self-realization.
Sloka:
Svetambaram sveta vilepa puspam mukta vibhusam muditam trinetram |
Vamanka pitha sthita divyasaktim mandasmitam sandra krpa nidhanam ||
One should meditate on the Guru who is the image of Siva, who has donned white clothes, applied white sandalwood paste, is decked in a garland of white flowers and in ornaments made of pearls, is happy, has the divine power seated on his left thigh, is ever-smiling and is an ocean of compassion.
It doesn’t mean the Guru should always appear as described in the Sloka. Since our Guru described in the Guru Gita, we should not ask the Guru to come dressed in white clothes and white pearls, or that he erase the dark decoration on his forehead and apply white sandal paste instead. If you say that, you’ll receive a good smacking.
It means that he is not bound by any rules. However, there are hidden meanings behind whatever he is wearing. He may wear different footwear, wear different colored robes, or adorn himself with different kinds of sandalwood paste. All these have a hidden meaning. We should observe carefully. For instance, ochre robes indicate sacrifice and righteousness. The white flowers symbolize the fragrance and beauty of dharma combined with truth. The white sandalwood paste shows the state that’s beyond the dualities of passion and hatred. Did you see how much meaning there is in what he’s wearing?
Episode 124
The Guru is not bound by any rules. However, there are hidden meanings behind the footwear and robes he adorns. We should observe carefully. For instance, ochre robes indicate sacrifice and righteousness. The white flowers symbolize the fragrance and beauty of dharma combined with truth. The white sandalwood paste shows the state that’s beyond the dualities of passion and hatred. The necklace of pearls indicates that he is beyond all planetary effects. If he is completely adorned in white, it means he is imparting knowledge. The greatness of the Guru is clearly described again in the next two slokas.
Sloka:
Yasmin srsti sthiti dhwamsa nigrahanugrahatmakam |
Krtyam pancavidham sasvat bhasate tam gurum bhajet ||
The Guru who shines with the power of creation, preservation and destruction restraint and grace should be served.
Sloka:
Na guroradhikam na guroradhikam na guroradhikam na guroradhikam |
Siva sasanatah siva sasanatah siva sasanatah siva sasanatah ||
There is no one superior to a Guru. This is the ruling of Lord Siva himself.
Until now, we’ve been initiated into the path of meditating on the Guru. Now, we will be initiated into the path of worshiping the Guru through Jnana (knowledge) Yoga.
Sloka:
Jneyam sarvam vilapyeta visuddha jnana yogatah |
Jnatrtva mapi cinmatre nanyah pantha dvitiyakah ||
All that reveals itself (Jneyam) should be burnt with the purified Jnana Yoga. Finally, the “Jnatrtvam” also should be burnt. There is no way other than this. “Jnatrtvam” is the ego that leads one to believe “I am the one gaining knowledge”. The paths of worship also vary depending on the differences between the practicants and their eligibility.
Episode 125
The paths of worship vary depending on the differences between the practicants and their eligibility. That is why, here, they are initiating us into this special path of knowledge.
The sloka says, “visuddha jnana yogatah”. A question arises here. Among all knowledge, are there things like impure knowledge and pure knowledge? We may wonder if it is it not enough to just refer to it as “knowledge”. True. There is only pure knowledge. But, first, the bad thoughts piling up in you in so many different ways, in so many different aspects and in various different corners need to be eliminated. Until then, you will not realize that knowledge.
To drive away each aspect of your ignorance, each aspect of knowledge needs to be given to you. None of these directly confer you with self-realization. That is why these do not comprise pure (visuddha) knowledge . But, since these rid you of a certain kind of ignorance, these comprise knowledge. That is why, this is referred to as impure (asuddha) knowledge.
For example, take the sciences or the scriptures. If we use them properly, the impure knowledge will be the steps that lead us to pure knowledge. Those that attain that path will attain the path of Jnana Yoga in their spiritual practice. Beginners often ask a stupid question, “How long do we have to do this worship?” The following answer is being given
Sloka:
Yavattisthati dehosau tavaddevi gurum smaret |
Gurulopo na kartavyo nishtitopyadvaye pare ||
Siva says to Parvati that as long as the body exists, Guru has be meditated upon. Even if one is following the all-important non-dual discipline, one should not ignore the worship of Guru.
We are given this body so we can worship God. That is why, as long as the body is there, even if there is just one second left for the body, one must worship God. When they say “as long as the body exists”, it means, as long as the feeling that the body is mine, exists. First, this feeling should be destroyed and burnt away. For this to happen, it may take several eons. In the meanwhile, you may receive different kinds of knowledge, some of it may be knowledge of non-duality to rid you of your ignorance. That is why they are talking about what happens in the meanwhile.
Regardless, as long as the feeling that this body is yours exists, the worship of the Guru must continue. This is a must. A question may arise here. Once we receive knowledge of non-duality (that the Guru and I are not separate), why should one continue to meditate? Because, at that point, it means that the Guru is meditating upon himself.
Next, they are going back and teaching us about our prescribed behaviour in the presence of the Guru.
Episode 126
Sloka:
Hunkarena na vaktavyam prajnaissisyaih kadacana |
Guroragre na vaktavyam asatyam ca kadacana ||
Wise disciples should never frown upon their Guru and never should they utter falsehood.
Sloka:
Gurum tvam krtya hunkrtya gurum nirjitya vadatah |
Aranye nirjale ghore sambhavet brahma raksasah ||
If the Guru is addressed in the singular number or frowned upon, or argued with the intent to proving oneself better, one will take the birth of a Brahmarakshasa (fierce demon spirit) in a terrible jungle without water.
This is not an ordinary curse. Lot of people these days wish to be disciples that prove better than the Guru. One may have more knowledge than the Guru, but one must never argue with the Guru. One must not reproach the Guru. If this holds true even for the Guru that gave you education, you can imagine how important this is for the Guru that blesses one with knowledge.
A lot of people want to show off their closeness with the Guru. Saying, “I am very close to the Guru, I grew up here since I was a child. See how I address him”, they address him in the singular. Saying something like, “Yes, I’ve taken care of it, how many times should I tell you?” may seem okay to us since we’ve always been so close to the Guru, especially when we are considering him a son, or a brother, but one should address the Guru very carefully. Thinking, “I grew up near him, he brought me up, I am like a son to him”, you can’t talk as you please. Sometimes, we address the parents in the singular, “Sleep mother! How many times should tell you?” It’s still okay if we address the parents in the singular, because they are our parents. But, you should not talk to the Guru in that manner.
A lot of people frown on the Guru, “HMMM...I know! You told me once, it’s okay! I understand if you tell me once!” You should not talk to him like you talk to other people. If he asks you to do something, “HMM...I’ll do it. Do I have a choice? I don’t!” One should never talk like this. When we consider Guru as a father, or a brother or God or a parent or a husband, when we feel that way, we should be very careful how we talk to the Guru. When caught talking like that, you should not deny that feeling. You have to pay for it, just as one that eats salt has to drink water or one that eats grass has to cough.
That is why they are saying that if the Guru is frowned upon, or argued with the intent to proving oneself better, one will take the birth of a Brahmarakshasa (fierce demon spirit) in a terrible jungle without water. What a curse!
Episode 127
Sloka:
Upabhunjita no vastu guroh kincidapi swayam |
Dattam grahyam prasadeti prayohyetanna labhyate ||
One should not take even a very small quantity of anything belonging to Guru without asking, even if it is rotting or going bad or whether the Guru choses to just cast it aside or throw it away. Without his permission, one should not even take the leftover Prasadam (food offered to God which is then consumed by devotees) just because there’s no one else to eat it. You should first get permission, “Can I have the small amount of the Prasadam leftover?”. It means that without getting permission, you cannot take the Prasadam.
Say, someone cut a fruit for Swamiji. If there is a little bit of the fruit’s skin left on the fruit, you cannot even take the skin without letting the Guru know first because that fruit belongs to him. Someone offered the fruit to the Guru. You cannot even take the seed from the fruit. If you are having to take it you cannot take it yourself. Only once the Guru grants permission and gives it you as Prasadam can you take it, because such Prasadam is not something you always get. If he gives it you himself, there’s no greater nectar than that Prasadam.
Sloka:
Padukasana sayyadi guruna yadadhisthitam |
Namaskurvita tatsarvam padabhyam na sprset kvacit ||
You cannot lie down on the Guru’s bed without his permission. That will lead to terrible ***. You should first tell the Guru. Lot of people sometimes use the Guru’s footwear considering them as ordinary footwear. That should not be done. You should not use the Guru’s seat for your own meditation assuming you’ll be able to meditate better, that the power of Guru’s meditation on that seat will benefit you and that the spiritual energy will quickly rise in you, just like a scorpion would climb over you. If you do this, the scorpion will climb over you, but the spiritual energy will not. We should not use the Guru’s seat. These are supremely sacred items, worthy of worship. Seats and cots should not be touched without permission. In fact, you should offer obeisances to all these items. You should never touch them with your feet. A lot of sin will accrue to someone that does that. Even touching these items with your knees would be wrong. That is why they are asking us to be very careful.
Sloka:
Gacchatah prsthato gacchet gurupadau na langhayet |
Nolbanam dharayedvesam nalankaram statholbanam ||
When Guru walks, the disciples should walk behind him. You should not step ahead of him. You can walk in step with him, but you should not step ahead of him.
Episode 128
Sloka:
Gacchatah prsthato gacchet gurupadau na langhayet |
Nolbanam dharayedvesam nalankaram statholbanam
While guru is walking, you must only follow him. You must never overtake him or walk ahead of him.
You must never be dressed ostentatiously, wear showy jewelry or use elaborate cosmetics and ornamentation in the presence of guru. Devotees who do it out of ignorance are forgiven, but not disciples. Who are devotees? Who are disciples? What is the difference?
Those who merely come for darshan and leave are devotees. Those who come frequently to see guru, listen to his words of wisdom, offer him gifts and services off and on, and lead their family lives as per the advice given by guru are disciples.
Once the relationship is established as that of guru and disciple, certain rules must be followed.
Sloka:
Guru ninda param drsthva dhavaye datha varayet
sthanam va tatparityajyam jihvacchedo ksama yadi
If anyone is blaming guru, such persons must be chased out, or else prevented from speaking ill of guru. You must contradict them, argue with them and must convince them that they are completely wrong. If none of these are possible, leave the spot at once and go far away, saying, “You do not leave. You do not stop talking. I cannot argue with you and convince you. Hence, I leave your presence”. But to listen to verbal abuse of guru and to tolerate it, thinking that whatever the other person says is his own business, is a terrible sin.
The only atonement for it is to cut out the tongue.
What is the harm in tolerating such speech?
One word or argument amongst those ten arguments he gives may cause the disciple to begin entertaining doubts about his guru. Suspicion may arise that may be there is some truth in his words.
Cut out your own tongue or cut out his tongue.
It does not mean taking a knife and actually cutting off the tongue and going to the hospital. You would have to then get stitches or you would have to get a replacement tongue from some animal, like a dog, or get a wooden replacement tongue.
What it means that you should endlessly speak until the opponent is either convinced that you are right, or runs away, unable to take the force of your arguments. He should simply run away and leave your friendship. That is the meaning of cutting their tongue. Shut them up completely.
It is not as easy as taking a pair of scissors and chopping off your tongue and getting stitches.
Episode 129
Sloka:
apriyasya ca hasyasya navakaso guroh purah
na niyogaparam bruyat guro rajnam vibhavayet
One should not make fun or be frivolous in the presence of Sadguru without his permission, especially if it is distasteful to him. First explain that you are going to make a joke about a certain subject and obtain his consent before being funny. If he disapproves of the subject of your humor, then you have to change the topic. If he nods approval, you may proceed. You must observe his facial expression and notice whether he is pleased or displeased before proceeding with your humor.
Many people are overly talkative in the presence of Guru. One must not be too free and excessive in speech giving more information than what has been asked for. Bragging about one’s accomplishments should be avoided. Never say, “I have done this even before being requested by you. Even before you mentioned it, I have already solved this problem.”
One must wait eagerly for Guru’s command and follow it scrupulously with reverence.
It is now being explained.
In the previous 7 verses, Lord Siva has explained in detail how one should conduct oneself in the presence of Guru. That should give us an understanding as to how important these rules are, and how careful one must be in behaving in the presence of Guru. Based on these rules, other restrictions should be imagined and anticipated.
Sometimes, deliberately Guru makes mistakes just to lead you astray. He tries to cause suspicion in your mind and see if you will distance yourself from him. Then you wonder why your Guru is making such errors and you will go away. Much later, you will realize your mistake and will bite your tongue. But you are then too ashamed to go back to him. On purpose Guru does these mistakes, or pretends to do it the wrong way. At such times you should not try to correct him. There are many who tell Guru that he is doing things the wrong way. That is very wrong to do so.
Sometimes Guru forces or encourages you to break your rules of behavior or daily disciplines such as doing Sandhya Vandana or offering daily worship. But because he made you break the rules one day, you must not become lenient with yourself and continue to break the discipline.
The situation when he made you transgress the rules, he did with a certain purpose. He knows the reason. At least in your mind you did what you were supposed to do. But because he allowed you to become lapse in your discipline for one day, the following day you should not relax your rules. When you break a rule as per his command, the merit or sin goes to him. But you must not do it out of your own free will.
Similarly, one should never try to teach Guru a lesson when he makes a mistake, or try to correct his thinking or behavior. Whatever Guru is saying, must be understood in the right spirit. The intent, with which he is saying something, should be understood by listening to him attentively. Each word may have a hundred different meanings. His pronunciation and grammar may sometimes be imperfect. You must not find fault and question how he can speak erroneously like that. You must never point out his mistakes or try to correct them.
Episode 130
Excessive speech with Guru must be avoided. You should not praise other gurus in His presence. Unless Guru himself brings up the topic, do not speak about other gurus in His presence.
Do not show your back to Guru. Many people walk in front of Guru showing him their backs. It should be avoided. One should walk to a side or at a little distance away from Guru, behind the Guru.
Those who follow the above rules will earn the grace of Guru. Guru’s compassion effortlessly showers upon them. Here are benefits that are received from Guru.
Sloka:
munibhyah pannagebhya sca surebhya sapato piva
kalamrtyu bhaya dvapi guru raksati parvati
Parvati, all the way from the poison of venomous snakes, to the curses of sages and gods, Guru protects his disciples. He even protects them from the sting of death.
Sloka:
nityam brahma nirakram yena praptam sa vai guruh
Sa sisyam prapaye tprapyam dipo dipantaram yatha
Only he, who identifies with Brahman who is eternal, and formless, is Sadguru. As one lamp lights another, Guru passes on to the disciple whatever the disciple deserves. When a lamp lights another lamp, it gives all the light that it has, to the new lamp. It does not withhold any light back for itself. The new lamp that is lit gets endowed with as much light as the lamp that has lit it. It is Guru’s wish that the disciple should have the same level of experience and enlightenment as He. He does not keep any secrets. He discloses to the disciple everything that He knows.
Many spiritual powers are there. The details are explained here as to what should be prayed for, and what will be granted. Too much thinking about what should be asked for, is useless. We must learn about what we should ask for. We do not know what we require, but He knows what is required for us, and also when it should be given. Therefore, we should think before asking for boons or favors. Only the strength to endure difficulties may be prayed for. Beyond that, there is nothing else to pray for. Never pray for anything in excess. Guru passes on all his powers to a deserving disciple. Hence, you should become a worthy disciple. You have a wick. You should soak it in the oil called spiritual practice and keep it ready. Do not distress yourself with regret that you have not accomplished anything as yet.
Episode 131
We discussed that a Guru always passes on all his powers to the deserving disciples. You should strive to make yourself a deserving disciple. Let’s look at an example.
You have a wick. You should soak it in the oil called spiritual practice and keep it ready. Do not distress yourself with regret that you have not accomplished anything as yet. Start now. Soak the wick in the oil of spiritual practice. When you are ready, the Guru will one day, light up the lamp. The Guru is the eternal light. The Guru’s light drives away darkness. The Guru’s light gives knowledge. When this lamp is lit, it drives away ignorance. We heard the bhajan, “Jyoti veligindi, jeevudi cheekati tolagindi”. This light is the light of Guru’s compassion that’s glowing.
In the path of meditating on the Guru, we are being taught the method of researching into and understanding the Atman. This is the ultimate goal in worshipping the Guru.
Sloka:
Guroh krpa prasadena brahmahamiti bhavayet |
Anena mukti margena hyatmajnanam prakasayet ||
With the initiation attained through Guru’s grace, one should feel that he is the Brahman (Absolute). This is the path of salvation. With this gradually shines the light of self realization.
The Guru initiates us into the truth of “tat tvam asi”. That means you are the Parabrahman. But, we don’t feel like believing it right away, “How is it possible? Tat Tvam Asi. I can’t believe it. I don’t feel like believing it. I am not the Absolute. I have this big human body. “ A lot of questions crop up. ”I am Venkayya...why does it say that I am not Venkayya? How can I be Brahma?“ Because you’ve come from Brahma, you are Brahma. There’s another question that crops up. “How do I know if I’ve come from Brahma?”. This can be proved in multiple different ways.
We all have our ancestral lineages. If you trace back the lineage, you will see that the starting point of that lineage was a maharishi (great saint). Keep tracing back where we’ve come from...we’ve come from somewhere. Our ancestral lineage can be traced back to great saints. You will also realize that the saint was the son of Brahma.
“What is your name?”
“Venkayya”
“What is your father’s name?”
“Mallayya”
Trace back to his father and the father’s father and so on. As you keep going back, it will end up at a rishi (saint). Who is the father of the rishi? Brahma. Brahma is the creator. Since the rishi came from the the Brahma, the Absolute, it is evident that your lineage has come from Brahma. That is why, you are Brahma. What’s wrong with that? We are suffering because we don’t understand this.
Episode 132
We discussed that we all have ancestral lineage. If we traced back our lineage, the root of our lineage is a Maharishi (great saint). We also discussed that, that saint is the son of the creator, Brahma. Since that creator came from the Parabrahman, it is evident that the real root of your lineage is Parabrahman. That is very clear here.
It means that because you’ve come from the Parabrahman, you are Parabrahman yourself. Another question crops up here. Who, then, is doing these good deeds and bad deeds? It is your desire that’s doing these. You will not feel like believing this. The one who does bad deeds says, “How can this be possible? I don’t know what is right and what is wrong. God is the source of all my thoughts”. How fascinating! “He is making me do all these things. Is it fair for him to punish me after making me do all these things? It is He who made me do this things. It is his fault”. About 99% of the people talk like this.
Observe one thing carefully here: Did you commit the deed deliberately because it felt good and tasted sweet or did you commit the deed with the intent to obey the command of God who is seated in your heart? Remember this well. If you committed the act deliberately, you cannot escape the punishment or the reward for it.
You did commit the act deliberately, “It’s my wish, I want to hurt them” . That means you did it deliberately. Will God sit in your heart and ask you to hurt them? No. You are creating these thoughts. If you did these acts on your own accord thinking “I wanted to do this”, you cannot escape the consequences - good or bad. You have to experience them. It is your desire playing out. Why would God desire to hurt someone? Why would he use you to hurt them? He would do it himself if he had to. Instead of asking you to hurt him, God would deal with them directly. So, since you are saying that you are bound by God’s command, continue to be bound by it experience the punishment for that deed. But, then you say, “Why are you punishing me? You made me commit these deeds. God made me commit these deeds.” If you feel this way, that God made you do these deeds, then experience the punishment too that God is giving you. Don’t question when god is punishing. That means, continue to bound to God’s command and experience the punishment. You kept saying that God was giving you commands from within to commit those deeds, “It is not mine, I don’t to this, God is making me do this”. Okay, God is the one who is also punishing you.
If you say, “No, God came to me in my dream, God is making me do this, he asked me to borrow money from you and not repay”, what if the lender says, “Yes, God is prompting me from within to beat you up. Why, if God could come and tell you to not repay the debt, why won’t he come and tell me to beat you up? He asked me to flog you with a whip. I am taking mercy and using a small stick”? So, experience punishment as well.
Episode 133
We discussed so far that people put forth the excuse that their actions were prompted by God. If the bad deeds were prompted by God, then the punishment is also given by God, so you should experience it. Both are given by God. If you don’t want the punishment given by God, why do you say that your action was prompted by God? You don’t like being punished. You say that God’s first command to you was enjoyable, that’s why you committed the act. You say that you dislike the second command (of punishment). That makes it clear that you committed the act because you enjoyed it, not because it was God’s command. God would not give you the command to make it enjoyable for you, if you don’t like the punishment. So, since you committed the act out of your own desire, you cannot escape the consequences. Therefore, the punishment needs to be given to you.
Further, when a thought to undertake a certain action enters your mind, you know whether or not the act is enjoyable. At that time, your mind gives you the option to do or not to do the act. That means, you’ve received two commands from God (to do or not to do). Of the two, you picked the one you liked. Therefore, you have to experience the outcome. Any which way you look at it, there is no escape from the fruit of one’s actions. If you think your initial act was a command from God, then experience the outcome too as the command of God. If you feel the initial act was not his command, he won’t give you the second command either. Therefore, no one can escape the fruit of one’s actions using arguments and wit. That is why, they advise us to not pray about this.
Furthermore, when you receive the two commands from God (on which course of action to pursue), if you undertake the act that’s in accordance with Dharma, God’s burden of punishing you will lessen. On the other hand, if you give in to *** and pick the sinful act, God will push you further into the whirlpool of illusion. Why he does that is a different question. But, your duty is to realize that such danger exists and be careful. That is why, according to the teaching of the Guru, you must feel that you are Brahma. You should entertain no other thought. If you do this constantly, self-realization will shine forth from within you.
Next, we are being initiated into realizing the all-pervasive God.
Sloka:
Sampasyecchri gurum santam paramatma swarupinam |
Sthavare jangame caiva sarvatra jagatitale ||
Among all the animate and inanimate things on earth, one should see only Guru who is tranquil and God incarnate.
One should see the Guru in all animate and inanimate things, in all beings. You should not discriminate saying this is a donkey, this a bird, this is an animal, this is a dog, this is a mosquito and so on. God pervades the spirit of all beings. He’s peaceful and emanates tranquility. How should one see the all pervasive God? Only as Guru.
Episode 134
Sloka:
Sampasyecchri gurum santam paramatma swarupinam |
Sthavare jangame caiva sarvatra jagatitale ||
Among all the animate and inanimate things on earth, one should see only Guru who is tranquil and God incarnate.
There are many ways to meditate. The next sloka initiates us into the path for meditation that we should follow.
Sloka:
Sri gurum sachchidanandam bhavatitam vibhavya ca |
Tannidarsita margena dhyana magno bhavet sudhih ||
A wise man should first of all chant the name of the blissful Sadguru who is beyond the intellect and then should immerse in meditation as taught by him.
“Tannidarsia margena” - one should follow the path of meditation shown by the Guru. Guru is beyond the intellect, so we should strive to achieve the state beyond the intellect. While we are on this path, a few thoughts initially come to mind. Upon completion of one task, we should look for the next command from the Guru. You should not think that because you completed the task given by Sadguru, you can now rest. Even the rest should be an intermittent command in between before you move on to the next task, but you should never think you are done. This body is not ours. We surrendered everything to him. We are in the Sadguru. After one command, we should look for the next. We should not think that we are done with the tasks. You should look for the next command. As you keep carrying out these commands, the state beyond the intellect will strengthen. As you constantly carry out the commands, your devotion will become firm. You will realize that, that is the path of knowledge ordained by the Guru.
In the past slokas, we were initiated into the path of meditating on the Guru. In that sloka, they praised the Guru as the form of the Absolute, “Brahmananda parama sukhadam”. In subsequent slokas, “Hrdambuje karnika madhya samsthe, simhasane samsthita divyamurtim, simhasane samsthita divyamurtim, svetambaram sveta vilepa puspam” they taught us to meditate on the Guru who has form and attributes.
Now, in the path of pure knowledge or Jnana Yoga, we are being taught to logically deduce and understand the way to meditate on the Guru.
Episode 135
After one command, we should look for the next. We should not think that we are done with the tasks. You should look for the next command. As you keep carryingout these commands, the state beyond the intellect will strengthen. As you constantly carry out the commands, your devotion will become firm. You will realize that, that is the path of knowledge ordained by the Guru.
In the past slokas, we were initiated into the path of meditating on the Guru. In that sloka, they praised the Guru as the form of the Absolute, “Brahmanandam parama sukhadam”. In subsequent slokas, “Hrdambuje karnika madhya samsthe, simhasane samsthita divyamurtim, simhasane samsthita divyamurtim, svetambaram sveta vilepa puspam” they taught us to meditate on the Guru who has form and attributes.
Now, in the path of pure knowledge or Jnana Yoga, we are being taught to logically deduce and understand the way to meditate on the Guru.
Sloka:
Paratparataram dhyayet suddha sphatika sannibham |
Hrdayakasa madhyastham swangustha parimanakam ||
Guru who is incarnation of God and pure as a crystal should be visualized in the size of a thumb, dwelling in the middle of sky of heart and meditated upon.
In the middle of the sky of heart means where there is nothing else. Close your eyes and see the nothingness in the middle of which, of the size of a small thumb - about an inch or so, is the image of the Guru in the form of a light. As you keep meditating on this form, you will gradually merge into the universe. In the middle of this sky like heart, you must visualize the thumb-size image of the Guru. You must be able to visualize in that small size. As you keep meditating, that space fills up with consciousness.
“Brahmahamiti bhavayet” - You must feel “I am Brahma”. We discussed earlier that you must see only the Guru in the animate and the inanimate. We might wonder why we are again being told about meditating on the Guru. They are describing the reason for this.
In the previous sloka, we were instructed to meditate in the path shown by the Guru. If we meditate on the Guru, that path shown by the Guru will become clear to us. That is why, they are giving us this divine initiation.
So, why should we meditate only on the Guru? Because the Guru is very quick to bless us. Because the Guru always wants to give, he is variously called “Bhola Shankar” (bhola = innocent; Bhola Shankar is the ever-giving Lord Shiva who gives boons to devotees at any cost, even if it poses a risk to him), “Kshipra Prasada” (the form of Lord Ganapathy who quickly grants wishes) or Siva. They are describing what we obtain if we meditate on the Guru as prescribed.
Sloka:
Angustha matram purusham dhyayatascinmayam hrdi |
Tatra sphurati yo bhavah srnu tatkathayami te ||
Siva asks us to listen to the experience one gets while meditating on the blissful Purush (the primordial male) who dwells in the heart, in the size of one’s thumb
Sloka:
Virajam paramakasam dhruvamanandamavyayam |
Agocharam tatha gamyam nama rupa vivarjitam |
Tadaham brahma kaivalyam iti bodhah prajayate ||
Episode 136
Sloka:
Virajam paramakasam dhruvamanandamavyayam |
Agocharam tatha gamyam nama rupa vivarjitam |
Tadaham brahma kaivalyam iti bodhah prajayate ||
Meditating on the Guru gives you the knowledge that you are the non-dual Absolute which is pure, eternal, blissful, indestructible, invisible, of the form of higher sky (Paramakasam), inscrutable and beyond name and form”.
“Paramakasam” indicates one who pervades Anda, Pinda and Brahamanda. (In other words, pervades everything from the smallest unit of matter to the infinite cosmos). By describing the benefits, Siva is encouraging us to meditate. That is Siva’s nature. That is why, Guru is worshiped as Siva. On the other hand, Brahma would analyze how many lives we’ve been mediating from, how much meditation we’ve done so far etc. Vishnu will ask us to keep meditating. Neither Brahma nor Vishnu will deviate from what they usually say.
Next, they are describing how we go from meditating on the Guru principle to the state of self-realization.
Sloka:
Yatha nija svabhavena keyura katakadayah |
Suvarnatvena tishthanti tathaham brahma sasvatam ||
I am the eternal Absolute though appearing to be confined to be a limited form, just as the different ornaments like ankles, bracelets, etc., are of different shapes, though all of them are made of the same gold.
Siva is telling us what the result of such mediation is.
Sloka:
Evam dhyayan param brahma sthatavyam yatra kutracit |
Kito bhrnga iva dhyanat brahmaiva bhavati swayam ||
One must meditate on the Absolute wherever he is. As he goes on doing that, the practicant himself becomes Brahman just as the insect turns into the carpenter bee.
The carpenter bee picks up a worm and places it in a small pit made of mud. Every day, the bee goes to the pit and stings the worm. The worm is immersed in thinking about the bee, worried that it would get stung again. As it continues to think about the bee, it gets transformed slowly into a carpenter bee. That is how we should be. Only when we meditate on the Guru will we realize the form of the Guru, the Guru principle and the power of the Guru.
Episode 137
Sloka:
Evam dhyayan param brahma sthatavyam yatra kutracit |
Kito bhrnga iva dhyanat brahmaiva bhavati swayam ||
One must meditate on the Absolute wherever he is. A wise spiritual seeker will sit still in one place just like a python does. In Datta Darsanam, there is a description of the python as one of the Gurus to Lord Datta. But, you cannot stay put in one place. You are in this samsara. Unless you achieve stability in meditation, the waves in the ocean of samsara will not recede. Unless the waves recede, you cannot bathe in the ocean. So, how do you get out of this tricky situation?
A Guru once took his disciple to the ocean and asked him to dip in the ocean along with him. The disciple said he wanted to wait for the waves to recede. The Guru went ahead and bathed in the ocean. The disciple was still standing by the ocean. When the Guru enquired, the disciple said he was still waiting for the waves to recede. The Guru went away saying that neither will the waves recede nor will the disciple bathe.
That is why, to encourage us, they are telling us that we can meditate wherever we are. In Datta Darsanam, Lord Datta is said to have 24 Gurus. Lord Datta, in fact, has 64 Gurus. In reality, everything that’s part of Nature is a Guru to Lord Datta. Wherever he is, whatever he is looking at, it’s drawing him towards the supreme truth. Hence, wherever you are, if you always contemplate on the supreme truth, you will become Parabrahman just as the fearful insect turns into a carpenter bee.
Let’s talk about Lord Datta’s 24 Gurus. We are being initiated into another secret of spiritual practice. This is very important. Listen carefully.
Sloka:
Yadrcchaya copapannam hyalpam bahula meva va |
Niragenaiva bhunjita abhyasa samaye muda ||
During the course of spiritual practice, one should not seek food, but eat whatever he receives cheerfully, without any particular interest in it.
We have a small bird that just sits (it doesn’t have support in its body to move about). It was one of the injured birds that we treated in the hospital. It just sits in its place. If someone goes and feeds it food, it’ll eat, but otherwise, it doesn’t ask or scream or flutter its wings to get attention. If someone forgets to feed it, it’ll just stay put. I sometimes call it “Ajagaram” (python). I say, “This is a python, give it some food, give it some water”. That is how one should be, like a python. Saints and hermits can do this. If you just stay put in one place at home, you will be smacked. Thinking, “Swamiji has said so, I will just stay put in a corner in the house like a python, the food will come to me. I will not enter the kitchen, bring the food to me here”, if you stay put in one place, you will be smacked by the rest of household.
Sitting still in one place is possible for Yogis. They don’t seek anything. They leave everything to God. If God sends them food, they’ll receive, if not they just sit still, meditating in the forests. The python Anaconda only eats the animals that come by, it doesn’t go out and hunt. Animals seeking shelter from rain think they are entering a cave when they fall into the Anaconda’s mouth. That is how one should be.
Episode 138
Sloka:
Yadrcchaya copapannam hyalpam bahula meva va |
Niragenaiva bhunjita abhyasa samaye muda ||
In spiritual practice, the body, the clothes and food aid in development. These also act as distractions. Not only do they aid in development, they also distract. A real aspirant will not worry about food, sleep or shame during his spiritual practice. An aspirant should let go of shame, should not yearn for food or for sleep. Nor should he yearn for a small shelter or for good clothes to cover him. He should also cast aside shame. Without worrying about any of these things, the aspirant must only focus on God.
Some people gather all paraphernalia like fans, pillows and air conditioning to set up for their spiritual practice. If the fan goes out of order, they’ll have hand-fans. They’ll set up a supply of beverages and juices for themselves. What kind of meditation is that? They’ll attend to phone calls in between and take a quick break by sleeping a little. This is what they do because they claim they are on a fast during their spiritual practice. What spiritual practice is this? If they are unable to concentrate, they will continue this vow for a few more days. What kind of vow is this? What spiritual practice is this? I don’t understand.
One should not care for fans, pillows and air conditioning during spiritual practice. Some others undertake rituals after eating sumptuous meals. They will eat on time, undertake rituals, penance, yoga and vows in between and eat again at the right time. They will then resume their rituals and vows. They will have done some yoga, and on the pretext of meditating while relaxing, they would have gotten some sleep.
Again in the afternoon, because they claim they don’t eat during spiritual practice, they drink 4 cups of coffee, 5 cups of tea and 3 glasses of juice. They come back and resume meditating and praying. In the night, they will eat 4 platefuls. Again, in the bed, they think they are going into “samadhi” while falling asleep. They think they are seeing God in their sleep and are visiting Vaikuntha (the abode of Lord Vishnu) in their dreams. Of course he’ll go to Vaikuntha, if he eats so much food. He thinks, “I went to Vaikuntha and sat there. There were a lot of people there. I got Indra’s position because I meditated so much and worked so hard”. What work did he do? Eating and drinking is hard work ? “...because I worked so hard and punished my body physically”. How did he punish his body with all those comfortable pillows around him? This is not the right way to meditate at all.
In spiritual practice, one must punish the body appropriately. One must eat just enough food to survive. One must neither eat (too much) to dullness nor starve to death. One must not sacrifice the body by not eating. A lot of people become anorexic from starving. That brings more trouble. The person will need to be put in the hospital. The person’s friends and relatives will need to pray for him. He will need medicines, special injections, saline etc. They will need to burn through more money for him. His spiritual practice is costing the others dearly.
Episode 139
We discussed that the body should be punished appropriately, that we should only eat enough to survive. That is why a lot of people only drink juice. They live like that for many years. There is a great yogi I know who’s been living on just juice for 40 years. I call her a Yogi. She has a family, she got her children and her grandchildren married too. She won’t have anything but juice. She’s been doing that for 40 years and she’s still alive. She’s a devotee very close to my heart. Father (the Yogi’s husband) passed away recently. Her children and grandchildren live here and in the US. She does tremendous spiritual practice. Her friend, Bhayee, also used to live on juice for about 40-45 years. She was very devoted to Swamiji. This yogi is also very devoted.
Without regard to her body, she’s always meditating on Swamiji. She’s constantly enquiring about Swamiji’s welfare. All she wants is for Swamiji to be healthy so that other people can benefit from Swamiji. That is all she prays to God for. It is perhaps due to the love of such devotees that your Swamiji continues to travel and bless people around the world. That is why, the physical body should be punished, little by little, during spiritual practice. This is a must.
The seeker must also punish his mind a little. He must keep the mind from wandering. He should move away from where he’s being praised. If he’s negligent, he will fall from the path of Yoga. If a seeker accepts honors, felicitations, garlands and obeisances, his energy will diminish. Often, a seeker takes on sanyasa (renounces the world), gains some knowledge of Upanishads, dons the appropriate robes and accepts honors, garlands, obeisances, Guru-dakshina (usually a material offering of gratitude), opens a bank account and it starts from there. If you accept these things, how can you be a seeker? That is why, you should be careful. Your energy will diminish. You’ll fall down lower than an ordinary man.
A seeker’s practice usually takes 6 births for completion. In the meanwhile, he should not make public his accomplishments or spiritual practices. “I have done these kind of practices, I’ve climbed to these heights, I’ve crossed these many chakras (energy centers), I crossed some chakras without a ladder, for some I needed a stool, then for some chakras I needed a ladder. For some, I needed wings. A few others I’m unable to cross. That is why, if someone can push me from below and set up a crane, I can cross the third chakra too”. There are many who talk like this. What is this? Are these even things to talk? But, there are many who talk like this. They may not use these exact words, but they carry the same sentiment. A seeker should never make his spiritual practice public. Your method of practice or your accomplishments should never be announced.
Let’s summarize the important points described in the previous slokas. We’ve sung the verses where Siva decreed that there is no one greater than the Guru.
Episode 140
Let’s summarize some of the most important points described in the previous slokas. We sang the verses where Siva decreed that there is no one greater than the Guru. We sang “Siva sasanatah, siva sasanatah”. (Siva decreed, Siva decreed).
• To understand the Guru Principle and the Principle of the Self, there is no other way than to go beyond the trio of Jnatru, Jneya, Jnana (all that reveals itself, the remainder of one’s knowledge and knowledge itself).
• Even though one attains the non-dual state, one should not ignore the worship of Guru.
• One should never second-guess or argue with the Guru.
• You should not show off your half-baked knowledge in front of the Guru.
• You should not take anything belonging to the Guru without his consent. If he gives it to you, you should accept it as Prasadam (sacred items offered to God and then offered to devotees)
• You should never kick or touch with your feet any item belonging to the Guru.
• You should refrain from wearing ostentatious clothing and ornaments in the presence of the Guru.
• You should never criticize Guru, not should you listen to criticism about him. You should stay away from any criticism of Guru.
• You should not speak whatever comes to your mind in front of the Guru. You should think through it and offer it as a humble prayer.
• Guru is the only one who can protect everyone from any kind of danger.
• Just as a lamp lights another lamp, the Guru pours all his knowledge into the disciple.
• It is due to the Guru’s grace that one realizes he’s one with the Absolute. That realization is liberation.
• You should see the Guru everywhere, in the animate and the inanimate.
• You should first chant the name of the Guru and then immerse yourself in meditation as taught by him.
• As declared in the Vedas, by meditating on Guru in the size of the thumb, dwelling in the sky of heart, one attains the knowledge that he is none other than Brahman himself.
• Just as the insect surrounded by the carpenter bee turns into the carpenter bee, the disciple who surrenders to Guru realizes that he is Brahman.
• Renunciation is very important for any kind of spiritual practice. Consistent practice is very important to attain renunciation.
We’ve learned so much...this is great knowledge we obtained from Guru Gita. Just listening to episode after episode, the seekers have gained all the knowledge contained in all the Upanishads and all the Bhagavatas. We have learned so far that Guru alone is capable of imparting the essence of the Vedas in their different facets, and all other scriptures through Guru Gita, using subtle little commentaries and easy examples, making you laugh, cajoling you, making you cry, giving you teachings, imparting wisdom to you, and spreading knowledge, removing the ignorance in you, considering you as children, as relatives, as family members, becoming one with you, becoming a part of your household, entering your minds, becoming a participant in every act of yours, pointing out the mistakes in the things you do, giving you the required punishment, imparting spiritual wisdom to you, and uplifting you.
Let’s look at the next slokas.
Sloka:
Ekamevadvitiyoham guruvakyat suniscitam |
Evamabhyasato nityam na sevyam vai vanantaram ||
As a seeker who practices regularly and constantly thinking that he himself is the non-dual Absolute, as per the Guru’s instructions, need not go to the forest.
A lot of people think, “I have to do penance, I need to go to the forest, I have purchased a farm house there, I got a house built that’s going to keep me warm. I’ll go there and meditate.” There is no need to do that, why do you need a house there to keep you warm? No need to do that. You can do it in the city itself. You don’t need to leave everybody behind to do your spiritual practice. No need to leave the samsara, family life or worldly life. You can do it right here, wherever you are located.
Episode 141
Sloka:
Ekamevadvitiyoham guruvakyat suniscitam |
Evamabhyasato nityam na sevyam vai vanantaram ||
A seeker who practices regularly and constantly thinking that he himself is the non-dual Absolute, as per the Guru’s instructions, need not go to the forest.
A lot of people think, “I have to do penance, I need to go to the forest, I have purchased a farm house there, I got a house built that’s going to keep me warm. I’ll go there and meditate.” There is no need to do that, why do you need a house there to keep you warm? No need to do that. You can do it in your house in the city itself. You don’t need to leave everybody behind to do your spiritual practice. No need to leave the samsara, family life or worldly life. You can do it right here, wherever you are located.
Sloka:
Abhyasannimisenaiva samadhimadhi gacchati |
Janmakoti krtam papam tatksanadeva nasyati ||
As the practicant goes on practicing this way, he can attain the state of Samadhi (meditative or Yogic trance) within a minute. The sins he perpetrated over crores of births will be destroyed that very moment.
The difficulty is in attaining that one moment. You have to take several births to realize that moment. That one second, that one moment of merging with the Absolute will not keep occurring at will. There is no guarantee that just because you’ve meditated a lot today, you will realize that moment. It is not possible to put timelines or deadlines. You can’t draw a “crossing line” when you will realize that moment. You can do whatever you want...it doesn’t matter, it will take its own course.
That is why, to realize that moment, you need to take several births. It is not easy to attain that bliss. Can any mantras guarantee that moment? Can any penance guarantee it? Can any recommendations guarantee it? No. No knowledge can guarantee it. No beauty can guarantee it. No amount of confidence or ego can guarantee it. Can you imagine how many births we need to take to realize that moment?
We’ve discussed several times that other living beings also have spiritual knowledge. That means, there are plenty of beings that continue their spiritual practice even when they are born as animals. I don’t know whether you’ve witnessed or not, or whether you’ve heard about them or not: a snake brought a flower to place on a Siva Lingam; another snake coiled itself around Lord Shiva like an ornament; an elephant offered fruits and flowers to worship the Lord and brought water in its trunk to perform Abhishekam (pouring libations on the image of the deity being worshiped ); the eagle fanned the Lord to provide cool breeze, the birds all came and offered fruits to the Lord. We’ve heard of all these incidents. We’ve heard of many suchincidents even in the recent past. The pig circumambulates the temple, the dog circumambulates the temple; a cat, dog and a little bird are sleeping in the same place, the birds are chanting “Rama, Rama”; the birds are chanting “Datta Datta”; the birds are chanting “Appaji”, “Swamiji”. These are not ordinary words they are chanting. Even humans endowed with all the senses cannot utter these words.
Despite Aksharaabhyasam (ceremony where children are introduced to writing skills; akshar = letter; abhyas = learning) and practicing writing alphabets and letters, despite practicing a million times or paying millions to get children better education, they can’t chant these divine names. It’s their fate. That is why, to attain self-realization, we need to take several births.
Episode 142
We have learned that we have to take numerous births to qualify to attain that one moment of Supreme Bliss. We have understood that Supreme Bliss, that one moment of Realization during Samadhi, is very difficult to obtain. We have to take births over and over again. That state can be achieved only by the grace of Guru when we follow the path shown by Him. One should patiently continue the spiritual practice while eagerly looking forward to that moment of bliss. That profound state of ultimate bliss is described in the next 3 slokas.
Sloka:
Na tat sukham surendrasya na sukham cakravartinam |
Yat sukham vitaragasya sada santushta cetasah ||
One who is dispassionate and ever contented, enjoys far greater happiness than even Devendra (Indra, the king of Gods), and far greater bliss than any emperor ever. That level of bliss experienced in that state, even Devendra may never experience. Even emperors may never experience it.
A lot of people engaged in family life think that meditating on the Absolute is not for them. They think that such discipline is impossible for them to practice. “Why should we bother? We cannot do all that”, they simply dismiss.
Instead, the person who asserts, “O Lord, it is by your command that I am living this worldly life, and experiencing this illusion,” who leads his life focused on liberation, who is constantly contemplating on the Absolute, who is fully detached while living in this samsara (worldly life/family life), will certainly experience that bliss that even Devendra is denied. You all must experience that bliss for yourselves.
You are all thinking that you are pining for God. But there is not much truth in it. In reality, it is God, who is pining for you much more intensely. You mistakenly imagine that you are working very hard in seeking God. But, God is yearning for you as intensely or even more passionately. Can you even express in words the happiness you would feel when your little son who was lost for 20 years, finally returns to you? When something that you either gave up as spoilt, or thought had fallen off, or you had forgotten about it, having kept it in a faraway inaccessible place where no one can reach it, is suddenly found intact, how thrilled you would feel?
Similarly, when children born of Him, who had forgotten Him and became distanced from Him, come back to unite with Him, can you even imagine the joy that God feels? That His children are coming back to join Him, through performing spiritual practices, through doing penance, through practicing Yoga, through devotional worship, through attaining spiritual knowledge, or through engaging selfless service, how immensely happy the Almighty feels! Can you even imagine?
Do we not experience inexpressible happiness during meditation, when we experience merging back with our real Father, the Parabrahman; when we go back to our source! When such total absorption occurs during meditation, we feel absolutely elated. We feel like meditating more and more every day, because we have now tasted the sweetness of it; we have found out the right way; we have recognized the means of achieving that bliss.
When you have experienced such untold joy, then, you can easily imagine the intensity of joy that God feels when He exclaims, “Finally, you have come back to me! When did you come? “ His thrill is indescribable.
Just to remove your ignorance, to have you merge back in Him, the Almighty comes down in various incarnations. He Himself has created this illusory world. But He never thought that you would get drowned in this ignorance. You’ve been languishing in this delusion for so many years, so many lifetimes. God feels very sorry. “I had created all this for you so that you can come back to me. I have shown different paths for you to get rid of your ignorance. But you have forgotten me. You have ignored the existence of true knowledge. You have forgotten your true nature, and have begun to revel in ignorance, believing that these enjoyments are far more attractive. I myself come for you personally. I send many great souls to help you. I put in such great effort for your sake,” declares the Almighty.
Episode 143
We discussed that God feels great joy when children born of Him, who had forgotten Him and had become distanced from Him, come back to unite with Him. We also discussed that to have us merge back in Him, God personally comes for us, sends many great souls for us and puts in many great efforts for us.
Sloka:
Rasam brahma pibedyasca trpto yah paramatmani |
Indram ca manuterankam nrpanam tatra ka katha ||
One who tastes the nectar of Brahman and dwells in contentment of the Absolute, does not even care for Indra, let alone for ordinary kings.
Sloka:
Desah *** janah putastadrso yatra tisthati |
Tatkataksotha samsargah parasmai sreyasepyalam ||
The country in which such a practicant lives becomes sacred. The people in that country become purified. The grace and association of such great souls bestows the choicest and ultimate salvation.
Places where great souls meet, where great souls meditate, where great souls attain vision of the Absolute, where great souls joyfully merge with God attain salvation. In fact, divine incarnations bestow salvation on that very place, that town, that country, that world.
Some people attain that state quickly, some take longer. Why? You should be careful. Penance and spiritual practice feel good on the first day, “Aah, feels so good, it’ll be nice if I could also become a hermit”. We feel good seeing those that attained salvation or those that have done spiritual practice or those that have gained a few powers. We want to emulate them. Is it enough to dress and look like them? If you assume you’ve accomplished some powers, will they actually work? They don’t. That is why, some people attain spiritual realization quickly, some others take longer. Why is this so? They are describing the reason in the next sloka:
Sloka:
Dehi brahma bhavedevam prasadat dhyanato guroh |
Naranam ca phala praptau bhaktireva hi karanam ||
As a result of meditating this way, man obtains the Guru’s grace and becomes the Absolute. The result will be proportionate to devotion. The speed of such attainment is also proportional to devotion. Next, they are taking this scripture towards its conclusion.
Episode 144
Sloka:
Muktasya laksanam devi tavagre kathitam maya |
Gurubhaktisthata dhyanam sakalam tava kirtitam ||
Siva says to Parvati that he has described to her everything about the quality of the liberated, about devotion towards the Guru, about meditation upon the Guru and such allied topics.
Siva says to his consort, “Devi, I described to you in detail how one should meditate on the Guru and how one should be devoted to the Guru. I described in such great detail that there is perhaps nothing else left to say about devotion towards the Guru, about meditation on the Guru and about worship of the Guru. But, there is always more to say and there are many more topics to talk about. It is not really possible to say that there is nothing else left. But, in the meanwhile, the initiation into the quality of the Guru I’ve given you is the most wonderful”. When an initiation is given, the greatness and benefits of such initiation should be explained clearly. That is when the recipient will remember well, the initiation received. That is why, they are singing the greatness of Guru Gita in the upcoming slokas.
Sloka:
Guru gitatiguhyeyam mayasti kathita subha |
Srigurum cinmayam dhyayan yamaham kalaye sada ||
Siva says to Parvati that he has told her the most secret Guru Gita, which he himself recites meditating upon the blissful Guru.
The Supreme Guru, Lord Shiva is always meditating. Siva says to Parvati, “I’ve now given you that most secret Guru Gita that I always meditate on.”
A Guru’s age doesn’t determine his stature. One who is a realized soul, who understands the longings of the disciple and lovingly fulfills them, is a Guru even if he is young in age. The divine mutual love that binds such Gurus and disciples is extremely sacred. A scripture that extolls the greatness of such a Guru is truly venerated. Only a scripture that sings the praises of the Sadguru is venerated. A scripture that doesn’t contain praises of the Sadguru or worship of the Sadugur is not worthy of being called a scripture.
Sloka:
Guru gitamimam devi suddhatattvam mayoditam |
Gurum mam dhyayati premna hrdi nityam vibhavaya ||
Siva says to Parvati that she should meditate upon him with devotion, treating him as Guru and constantly visualizing the Guru Gita and the Principle of Truth he revealed. One should think only of that Principle of Truth and nothing else.
This Supreme Truth is explained in this Guru Gita. Siva gave this initiation of the Guru Gita, which contains the Principle of Truth, to Parvati Devi. Further, this scripture is called Guru Gita giving it the sound of a feminine name. That tells us that this scripture is a manifestation of the Divine Mother. The word Guru Gita immediately implies the form of Mother Goddess. There is also a tradition of studying in-depth, the Guru Gita during Navaratri. During Navaratri, some people undertake deep study of Sundarakanda on the concluding day, some study Ramayana, some people study the even more secret Bhagavata which contains the same supreme truth that is in the Divine Mother’s Guru Gita.
Episode 145
Since the name “Guru Gita” denotes a feminine sound, since it denotes the sound of Mother Goddess, it tells us that this scripture is verily the form of the Divine Mother. What is presented in this scripture is the Principle of Siva, i.e., the Supreme Truth. This scripture that presented this highest truth is the form of Divine Mother, or in other words, the form of Nature. That is the uniqueness of this scripture. There’s another unique feature in this scripture. Even though Siva addressed this initiation to Parvati, it is in reality meant for all the sages and saints around them. In other words, it is the initiation meant for all beings like us that are tied down (in illusion). That means, Siva alone is the Guru to all of us.
When it comes to the Principle of Truth, the relationship between the Guru and the disciple is very unique. A teacher of a certain science or a certain skill will teach lessons gradually and progressively. The disciple will slowly understand what’s being taught. When the teaching is complete, the disciple will present everything he knows to his teacher. But, since everything the disciple knows has come from the teacher, the teacher’s knowledge and greatness remain in tact. That means, even though education is complete, the Guru continues to be the Guru and the disciple continues to be the disciple. It is wrong to think, “What is left after I learned everything from the Guru? My Guru has nothing else left, he poured all his powers in to me. He has no strength left to talk or to walk. He sits in a corner, because he has given away all his energy”. The sound of the Guru, the Principle of the Guru, the power of the Guru are limitless.
Remember that regardless of how much knowledge he passed on to you, regardless of how much education we’ve received from him as disciples, the Guru always shines with that same power. You should not assume, “SadaSiva described everything to Mother Goddess, now SadaSiva has no power left, instead, the Divine Mother is filled with all that power”. The power fills the Divine Mother, i.e., it fills the disciples. That energy comes from the infinite source in Lord Shiva, who is the Guru. It never changes, it never gets diminished. You should remember that nothing can change that energy.
Even though education is complete, the Guru continues to be the Guru and the disciple continues to be the disciple. Lord Siva is the eternal Guru and the Divine Mother is the eternal disciple.
Let’s look at this from the perspective of the Principle of Truth. A person sought refuge at a Guru for self-realization. The Guru still did not give him initiation. So, the Guru was still not a Guru and the disciple was still not a disciple. Self-realization is not the kind of knowledge that you can give by teaching small individual lessons. Finally, one day, the Guru gave initiation to the disciple. What did he say? He said “Tat Tvam Asi” (You are that). He said that both have become one. Tat Tvam Asi. When both become one, where is the Guru and where is the disciple? They have become one. That was the reason why, in the first place, the Guru did not become the Guru and the disciple did not become a disciple.
As long as the initiation was not given, the two remained separate. Therefore, the Guru-disciple relationship between the two was not established. After the initiation, because the two became one, there is no possibility of a Guru-disciple relationship. In that case, we may wonder what the point of Guru Gita is. Still, there is a Guru-disciple relationship. Let’s see how.
Episode 146
You may wonder, “Why do we need Guru Gita if there is no possibility of establishing a Guru-disciple relationship until I’ve received initiation from the Guru?” There is still, however, a Guru-disciple relationship here. That is because, that disciple is eagerly awaiting initiation from the Guru while thinking of him as his Guru. The Guru too is eagerly looking forward to initiating the disciple hoping that the disciple soon gains eligibility for initiation. That means the Guru is thinking of him as his disciple. Because of the intensity of this mutual feeling, a Guru-disciple relationship is established. That is why Siva is the Guru for us all.
It is clear from this that the Principle of Guru so far is an experience, a feeling, not a formal relationship. We understand therefore, that the Principle of Guru is an experience and not yet a practical, real relationship. So, when will the Guru actually became our Guru? The Guru will initiate you when we have intense longing. What is this intensity? It is not enough to intensely wish to get initiated, but whatever needs to be done to gain eligibility should be done with intense longing. That is what this intensity implies. That means, there should be intense spiritual practice. Until then, the Guru cannot give you initiation and even if he does, you cannot receive it. That means, you should do intense and steady spiritual practice based on the Guru-disciple relationship you established in your mind. As you continue to consistently do this, you gain the non-dual state of oneness with the Guru. Both become one. That is when you have been initiated. Non-duality has been attained. At that point, the one giving the initiation, the one receiving it and the initiation itself cease to exist. Such interesting concepts have been described in the Guru Gita.
The Guru Gita has a wonderful description of the Principle of Guru. Even though it’s small scripture, it contains all the great Upanishads. It contains the essence of all the Vedas. We should also try to understand the means to liberation described in this scripture. That is why, it is said that the Guru Gita should be chanted in the morning, afternoon and evening. One should clearly understand these great instructions and get absorbed in each verse in the Guru Gita, in each description in the Guru Gita. It is not enough to just recite it or learn by rote. It is not enough to say, “I recited the Guru Gita 5 times today”. You may say, “I have recited the Guru Gita about 1000 times. I know all the slokas really well. I am teaching all my children the Guru Gita”. Good. Everything you said sounds very wonderful. But, whether you are teaching your children, or whether you are learning it yourself or whether you are studying it, you should always, in every instance, understand and recollect the meaning and visualize it over and over again.
Episode 147
The fascinating Guru Principle has been described in the Guru Gita. We are being instructed to think about and visualize every sentence, every description in the Guru Gita. How long should one go on thinking about it? Until one reaches the stage where he has no thoughts. This stage is the highest level for thoughts. In that state, there is nothing to think about, because both have become one. The process is nothing something that can be described, nor is the state something that can be described.
Everyone says, “I have nothing in my mind. My mind is very calm”. When you say that, it means that your mind has not become calm . People keep saying all the time, “I am living for Swamiji”, “I am living for Swamiji”, “I am living for Swamiji”. When they say that is when you know that they are not living for Swamiji, but for themselves. Then, they keep reminding others, “I have nothing in my mind, I have no thoughts”. Such people have thoughts running like bullet trains. It’s a clear sign that your mind hasn’t become still. When one says, “I have nothing in my mind”, it means there is something in their mind. If you actually reach the state where your mind is calm, you will not say that your mind is calm. One who has actually attained this state, will look like an ordinary worldly man to the outside world, but will have a completely still mind inside. Such a person would have attained the state that either one of the 64 Gurus of Lord Dattatreya did. It means that he cannot announce his state to the world. He won’t talk about whether he’s achieved that state or whether he is already in that state or whether he is going to achieve that state. He won’t talk about any of these.
Some practicants say, “Oh what a bliss! I attained that state of bliss”. True. He did achieve a great state, but the Sadguru always knows what state the disciple is in. If the disciple is talking about his bliss, it is obvious that he is still a practicant, that he has not climbed the final step and that he still needs to continue his spiritual practice. But, ordinary beings who are not aware of this are in awe of this seeker and fall at his feet to offer salutations. That makes the seeker fal from his Yogic state. A lot of people may praise this seeker, “You are so devoted, you are such a senior devotee, you have been following Guru for so many years, you’ve dedicated all your wealth and belongings to Guru, your service is exemplary”. Such praise marks the beginning of the downfall of that seeker. The seeker feels proud and falls from his Yogic state. A true disciple should disregard such praise and stay away from such people. He should not engage in discussion with such people. But, the disciple wants this discussion, because he wants to know about these unnecessary things, he wants to know of things that don’t even concern him, he has to make up things and talk about them, he gains a sense of security in engaging in these discussion with these people and eventually falls from his Yogic state. Ego takes over. Let’s find out about the state of such a person.
To avoid that state, you should all study Guru Gita and reach that state of no thoughts and ultimately climb the final step. That is why, let’s see what Lord Siva is teaching us here.
Episode 148
Sloka:
Guru gitamimam devi suddhatattvam mayoditam |
Gurum mam dhyayati premna hrdi nityam vibhavaya |
Siva says to Parvati that she should meditate upon him with devotion, treating him as Guru and constantly visualizing the Guru Gita and the Principle of Truth he revealed.
Sloka:
Iyam cedbhakti bhavena pathyate sruyatethava |
Likhyate dhiyate pumbih bhavedbhava vinasini ||
When one reads the Guru Gita with devotion, listens to it, writes it or gives it to others, ignorance is dispelled.
There is so much power in the Guru Gita. Merely donating the book to another is enough. Giving someone the book saying, “I am giving you this book” is enough. Telling another person, “Study the Guru Gita, your difficulties will be removed” is enough. “I am going to study the Guru Gita, please sit with me and listen” is also enough. Reading, listening to or writing the Guru Gita is enough. Lot of people write the slokas in the Guru Gita. Anything you do along these lines will dispel your ignorance.
“Bhava vinasini” means that it dispels ignorance and grants knowledge. That is the specialty of Guru Gita. Normally, other sacred texts will say that your sins will be removed and that you will attain the position of Indra (the king of Gods). But, they will not say that the ignorance will be dispelled. All sacred texts say that if you read or listen to the text, to the great stories and instances in those sacred texts, you will get a lot of punya (merit) and will attain the position of Indra, but they will never say that you ignorance will be dispelled. Guru Gita is the only text that says that your ignorance will be dispelled. If you read the Guru Gita or listen to it, your sins and ignorance will be wiped away. The Guru Gita also says that your ignorance will be removed and that you will gain knowledge. No other sacred text says this.
Think about it a little bit. It says that your sins will be removed. How will your sins be removed? It is possible to get rid of sins without experiencing the outcome? Some people undertake Yajnas and vows and rituals to get rid of sins. They spend a little money to undertake this. How does that money come to them? Where does it come from? It only comes at the expense of someone. Some people may get angry when they hear this. “I did not torment anyone, you are saying that I tormented someone, but I did not. I worked very hard to earn this money” Yes, true, you worked hard to earn the money. That means, you tormented yourself to earn this money. You tormented yourself, depriving yourself of food and sleep, walking long distances, facing many obstacles, tolerating insults, tolerating hunger, thirst etc. It means that you tormented yourself, not others. You think your hard work is all yours, it’s up to you. But it’s true that you tormented yourself. You cannot deny that. Who gave you the right to torment your good and healthy body? Whose loss is it if you torment that body and prematurely lose your life? Hence, always remember that money is obtained only through torment. That’s why it’s called “sinful money” or “torment money”. Someone got tormented, someone is tormenting, and that is why there is money. That is why money is sinful. Great souls don’t even touch the money with their hands.
So, one may wonder if the sins get wiped away when one does Yajna with such sinful money. They do. But, only the sins from this birth get wiped away, not the sins you’ve been carrying on from previous births. Let’s see what happens next.
Episode 149
We discussed that money is sinful because it is earned only when someone is tormented. Great souls don’t even touch the money with their hands. So, one may wonder if the sins get wiped away when one does Yajna with such sinful money. They do. But, only the sins from this birth get wiped away, not the sins you’ve been carrying on from previous births. This is stipulated in the scriptures. Therefore, because the sins will not be completely removed, it does not say here that all sins get wiped away. It says that ignorance is dispelled. That is the specialty of Guru Gita. It’s an unparalleled feature of the Guru Gita.
This unparalleled Principle in the Guru Gita is pure and unknown to most. That is why, it brings merit when one reads, listens to, writes or gives the Guru Gita to others. What does giving mean? It does not mean giving the book to someone. Teaching the Guru Gita to others, enjoying the bliss oneself and enabling others to feel the bliss is what giving the Guru Gita means.
Sloka:
Anantaphalamapnoti guru gita japena tu |
Anyasca vividha mantrah kalam narhanti sodasim ||
Chanting of this Guru Gita gives endless benefits. No other mantra or spell bestows even a sixteenth of the benefits.
Sloka:
Sarva papa prasamani sarva sankata nasini |
Sarvasiddhikari ceyam sarvaloka vasankari ||
The Guru Gita wipes out all sins, destroys all hurdles and difficulties and bestows all supernatural powers. All worlds will be brought under his control.
There’s such great power in the Guru Gita. Here, “Sarva papa parasamani” indicates that it wipes out all sins. For some people, there’s no satisfaction unless they hear this. But, you should always pray to the Guru for knowledge of the self, not for wiping away sins. To get rid of sins, you should work hard and undertake noble deeds.
But, in the beginning of spiritual practice, the seeker is focused is on wiping away sins, on gaining the eight supernatural powers and on bringing the world under one’s control. As the seeker graduates to higher levels, the focus changes. For one seeking complete self-realization, the focus is never on these. If it is, the seeker will fall from his yogic state. In that case, why does they talk about the attainment of these benefits? We should pay close attention to the inner meaning here.
When they say, “loka vasankari” you should understand that it reveals to you that you are in the form of all the worlds. Similarly “sarvasiddhikari” means, it gives you the feeling that you are all the supernatural powers yourself. in the same vein, “Papa prasamini” and “sankata nasini” indicate that it dispels ignorance and sorrow.
Episode 150
Sloka:
Dussvapna nasini ceyam susvapna phaladayini |
Ripunam stambhini gita vacaspatya pradayini ||
This Guru Gita dispels the effect of bad dreams and bestows the results of good dreams (bring them to reality). Guru Gita destroys enemies and the practicant will be made as great as Brhaspati (the celestial Guru)
Here, “svapna” or dream indicates the ignorance that causes the cycle of birth and death. Ignorance is the real sleep. Because it increases bondage, it is a bad dream. If the birth brings us the grace of the Sadguru, it is a good dream. Enemies here are the 6 vices, i.e., kama (***), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada (pride), matsaryam (jealousy).
“Vacaspatya pradiyini” indicates one that bestows the state of Brahma.
Sloka:
Kaminam kamadhenusca sarvamangala karini |
Cintamaniscintitasya sloke sloke ca siddhida ||
The Guru Gita is the wish-granting cow (Kamadhenu) for those who desire. It is Chintamani (the gem that dispels all sorrows and afflictions) and it bestows all auspicious things. Each verse provides a fulfillment.
It even gives you worldly fulfillments. Due to this, seekers will attract the people around them. Seekers with devotion will experience positive results. In any case, the Guru Gita confers more spiritual benefits than anything else. Liberation is the primary benefit. Here, there is another meaning too in referring to Kamadhenu and Chintamani. If a practicant suddenly starts hankering after supernatural powers (siddhis) due to which he falls from his yogic state, studying the Guru Gita will give him the Guru’s guidance for upliftment. The Guru will not let go of such a disciple, he will not let him fall from yogic state. His initial desire for self-realization will eventually come to fruition.
Sloka:
Moksakamo japennityam moksa sriya mavampnuyat |
Putrakamo labhet putran sri kamascamitam sriyam ||
If one desires redemption and chants this daily, he will attain Moksha Lakshmi (the wealth of redemption). If the chanting is for male progeny, one will beget several sons, and similarly, if it is for riches, he will gain abundant riches.
Sloka:
Trivara pathanatsadyah karagaradvimucyate |
Nitya pathat bhavecca stri putrini subhaga ciram ||
If chanted thrice, one who is in jail will be released at once. If a woman chants it daily, she would beget children and lead an auspicious, long life along with her husband and children.
There is an instance of evidence for this sloka in Swamiji’s life history. It is unforgettable. An innocent man was once given life sentence in Delhi. His relatives came to Swamiji and prayed for help. Swamiji picked 5 verses from Guru Gita with instructions that the person should chant them daily. The prisoner chanted these verses for one month. The case unexpectedly was reopened. The prisoner continued chanting. The court proceedings went on for 6 months. Eventually the court dismissed the case. The man who was sentenced to life in prison was released from jail within one year. This is live evidence. What’s described in this verse is absolutely the truth.