FW: Why a Guru ?

[Guest guest]

Nice article...sent to me by one of Sai Baba disciples...explains the

significance of Guru!

 

 

Hindu scriptures have extensively extolled the virtues and role of the

Sadgurus and Gurus. In Buddism, Jainism and Sikhism also, the role of

the Gurus in evolving the devotees, in ushering in a better social order

and their spiritual and miraculous powers has been accepted. In

Christianity and many other religions in the world the divine role of

these magnificent personalities, variedly known as Apostles, Perfect

Masters, Masters, Qutubs, etc. has been accepted. Ever since the human

civilization developed its consciousness, there always have been some

who opened the treasures of knowledge in different fields of knowledge

including the spiritual field. The methods of imparting such knowledge

have not always been in a formalized manner. That is why the parents,

who teach the infant to grow are held as the first Gurus of the child

and are held in the highest esteem in Hinduism. The parents have been

eulogized in the Hindu literature and scriptures.

 

Thus, in the formal systems of education starting from the stage of Baby

sitting in a nursery to the stage of super-specialization in any field,

imparting knowledge has been made the responsibility of the teachers,

Professors, etc. The Hindu society, in earlier times also had a

formalized educational system under the Gurus. We had Gurukula Ashramas.

However, the modern education system does not prescribe for such Gurus.

The difference is that whereas in the earlier Hindus system of education

a lot of religious sanctity was attached to these Gurus, in today's

society, the religious sanctity is not there. The Gurus of the past have

been depicted as highly honorable personalities of a lofty nature.

Besides opening the different vistas of knowledge, the teacher or the

Guru is supposed to be a role model for the pupils. Even today, good

teachers are highly appreciated by the students and the society.

 

Thus the "Guru" has been a universally accepted and respected concept of

the society from whom the society drew wisdom. In a way one can say that

a society will be what its teachers are. History lends evidence that the

best societies of the world had the best teachers and the worst

societies had the worst teachers or Gurus.

 

However, except the spiritual Guru, the job of the other Gurus ends with

the imparting of knowledge in certain fields. The role of the spiritual

Gurus or Sadgurus is much more expansive and is much above the ordinary

Gurus. A Sadguru or Guru is a unique phenomenon of nature. The Kulgurus,

Siksha Gurus, the Mantragurus, etc. impart knowledge within their

limits. The Sadguru, on the other hand using his spiritual powers can

evolve the human souls by leading them through a path of piety,

discipline and conduct. Not only this but by awakening the inner

spiritual potentialities of the pupils or devotees through a method

called 'Shaktipaat' they prepare the devotees to become the instruments

of God to serve others. Whereas in the formal system of education, the

teachers are paid for the duties they perform, in the spiritual field

these highly evolved beings do not want any material returns. The only

thing they seek is evolution of the souls of the devotees so that they

became the agents to carry out Gods will. Wh en they take care of any

devotee, they give them training through a series of direct experiences.

Therefore, formal education when compared with the knowledge imparted by

the Gurus is very limited. It is basically meant for giving knowledge,

skill and an attitude (an exercise in the personality building of the

students). Such teachings are basically meant to carry-out a liveli-hood

or to enhance their intellectual creativity in a certain field. The

Sadgurus however, give direct knowledge through a chain of experiences

leading to the purification of the souls.

 

These Masters are themselves evolved souls having gone through a process

of evolution through a series of births and deaths and therefore, are

competent enough to lead the devotees in the path of God realisation.

 

Some people have a wrong concept that these Gurus, who sometimes do not

adorn the garb of a modern man, are unintelligent and emotional

propagators of an imaginary concept of God. What they fail to understand

is that an evolved species of the human race will not be governed by the

rules of a society which they had left far behind in time. Further,

their consciousness is highly evolved to comprehend any issue on which

their consciousness is focused. Their powers of concentration and

performance are the highest and their brain capacity is immense.

 

Every human being not only wants to learn the biggest things of life but

also the smallest ones. To get the best results from such teaching some

factors are essentially required. They are; the time spent both by the

teacher and the pupil together, the eagerness of both the student and

the teacher to learn and teach respectively, the emotional relationship

between the teacher and the pupil and most important of all, the

capacity of the pupil to receive the teachings. When one wants to

specialize in only one out of the thousands streams of knowledge, one

spends a considerable number of years in different academic

institutions. From this one can imagine how much of time it would take

to learn and practice spiritualism and what quality of relationship is

required between the Guru and the disciple.

 

It is because of this reason that, in the early Hindu society, the pupil

(Sishya) and the Gurus used to live together for a number of years tied

in an emotional bond.

 

The outer forms of societies may go on changing but the inner spiritual

essence of the human beings always remain the same. The real Spiritual

Masters of today are playing the same role but in different forms,

adapting to the existing societal ethos. All the creations of God are

changeable but the essence of divinity never changes. Therefore, the

vital and divine role of these Sadgurus, the agents of knowledge and

compassion will never change. Human society will always need them.

 

---------------

 

Q. How does a Sai devotee define "Perfection" ?

 

A. by A Sai devotee

 

For every Sai devotee, Baba's life is the true definition for

"Perfection". In Sai Sacharitra, Sri Hemadpant wrote Baba's teachings to

his devotees how to lead a perfect life. Baba's discourses clearly

indicate to shun all the differences of caste, creed and religion

amongst us and treat everyone equally. Throughout His life, Baba lived a

perfect and simple life without any attachments or desires. He always

sought alms from the people of Shirdi, when His devotees were ready to

give anything and everything. All He had was His clothes, a Satka and an

empty tin. His showed us how to lead a life with complete Vairagya,

which in turn will lead to Moksha. In all His preaching, Baba encouraged

righteousness and compassion towards the needy people. Baba taught us

how to achieve the level of perfection in every walk of life. Thus,

Baba's avatar is a perfect definition of "PERFECTION" for every devotee

to lead a perfect life.

 

Q. How does a Sai devotee define "Ignorance"?

 

A. by Syamala Hari

 

Not being able to see what is real and what is unreal is ignorance. Once

I went to a Magic House which was full of delusions, one room was pitch

dark, another had all walls covered with mirrors and so on. In any room,

the real exit does not appear like an exit but everything else appears

like an exit. So, although a voice from above (like a Guru) guides you

how to get out of the room, you cannot follow it at once because what

you heard does not sound like truth and you think that the voice could

be part of the magic too. After trying every unreal exit and failing,

finally you follow the direction from the voice and get out of that

room. Where did the ignorance come from? Indian Philosophy says Maya

brings it. To emphasize the power of Maya, Baba said " Though I have

become a Fakir, have no house or wife, and though leaving off all cares,

I have stayed at one place, the inevitable Maya teases Me often. Though

I forgot Myself I cannot forget Her. She always envelops Me. This

Maya(illusive power) of the Lord (Sh ri Hari) teases God Brahma and

others; then what to speak of a poor Fakir like Me? Those who take

refuge in the Lord will be freed from Her clutches with his grace".

 

Self realization, that is to know who I really am, is Knowledge. To

think that I am the body and I am not God, I am limited, I do not exist

when the body dies and to feel unhappy, when our real nature is perfect

bliss is due to ignorance. In Satcharitra, Hemadpant quotes from 'The

Creative Period' by Messrs. Belvalkar and Ranade, the essence of

Ishavasyopanishad - One who sees all beings in the Self and sees the

Self as existing in all beings, for whom all beings and everything that

exists have becomes the Self would have no reason for grief.

Loathfulness, infatuation and grief verily proceed from our not being

able to see the Atman in all things.

 

But a man, who realizes the oneness of all things, for whom everything

has become the Self, must ipso facto, cease to be affected by the common

foibles of humanity. So, not being able to see this Oneness is

ignorance. Baba said, "The idea that I am the body is a great delusion,

and attachment to this idea is the cause of bondage." In His

interpretation of the verse, Tadviddhi Pranipatena from the

Bhagawad-Gita to Nanasaheb Chandorkar Baba explained what ignorance

(Ajnana) is and that Knowledge (Jnana) dawns as soon as ignorance is

removed. The Sad-guru is Nirguna, Sat-Chit-Ananda. He has indeed taken

human form to elevate mankind and raise the world. But his real Nirguna

nature is not destroyed thereby, even a bit. His all pervasiveness,

divine power and wisdom remain undiminished. The disciple also is in

fact of the same swarupa. But, it is overlaid by ignorance, which is the

effect of the samaskaras of innumerable births, and which hides from his

view that he is Sat-Chit-Ananda. Because of ignorance, he get s the

impressions -I am Jiva, a creature, humble and poor. The SadGuru awakens

the disciple by teaching - "You are God, you are mighty, imperishable

and all pervading", and shakes the perpetual delusion under which the

disciple is laboring, that he is the body, that he is a jiva or ego,

that God (Paramatma) and the world are different from him. From actions

based on it, he has derived his joy, sorrows and mixtures of both. To

remove this delusion, this error, this root ignorance, he must start the

inquiry. How did the ignorance arise? Where is it? And to show him this

is called the Guru's upadesh.