Posting made in Dattaterya group

July 17, 2005

Dear Shakthas,

At the request of my friend and Dattamahopasaka Sree Subramanyam Bharathula of Markapuram who is also into building of a temple in Markapuram for lord Dattatreya I posted for the first time on Lord Dattatreya. I do not normally interefere in that group's activites even by way of postings even though it is my group as it is in the able hands of Sree Subramanyam Bharathula but he came down to my house today all the way from Markapuram and asked me to type something for the group. The link for this group is (for interested members who want to join)

Smarthrugaami-Dattavibhavam

Those who are interested may join this,

Iam giving that posting here too because gurupournami is falling soon on july 21rst this month and Lalitha sahsranama parayana and Gurupaduka puja is a must for srividya upasakas.

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The posting's name is : Guru pournamaasi(My Smarthrugaami-dattavibhavam message number 106

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Hope you all find it interesting

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Dear Dattapriyavallabhas,

Gurupournami is not an auspicious day to remember one's Guru but go beyond and seek the Guru tatwa inherent in One's soul.

Gurupournami falls on 21rst july this time. This time it falls on a thursday which makes it all the more important because the day Thursday is cloesly connected with Gurupaarampara tatwa. And hence it is known as Gurvaara in sanskrit.

Before I dilate on Gurupournami and it's 'visheshata' let me tell some unknown snippet of an information on the day Thursday.

(Dattareya the presiding guru deity for all those in the path of guru--Gurupanthi aur Datta panthi ek hain)

(Moon god in shwetara kshetra in tamilnadu)

Guruvaara is the 5th day in the weekly cosmogny of our Hindu almanac.Because the day of our week starts on sunday. On this day Guru Bhagavan saw the darshan of lord shiva after doing intense tapas and extolled his greatness as Shweteshwara (there is even a navagraha khsetra in Tamilnadu where this Gurbhagavan tapas khsetra is there and I personally had the good fortune to have a 'darshana' of both the gurubhagavan and his upasana deity shweteswara.

(Lord shiva- Gajaarohanam)

Lord Shiva pleased with the intensity and the austerity of his tapas granted him many boons and raised him to the level of a loka guru. Noone knows the real name of Guru Bhagavan and how he was in his poorvaashrama.

Now the significance of Gurupournami in the Datta Sampradaya.

There are 15 Datta Sampradaya margas of which only a few are existent these days due to erosion of time.

And all the margas give 'pramukhyata' to the guru parampara and guru tatwa.

Their bible if at all there is any book for the avadhuthas is the Gurugeetha written by Lord Shiva. This Gurugeetha was imparted to his consort Parvathy devi when she asks what is the greatest tatwa.

It is said that one should NEVER REVEAL ONE'S SHAKTHI OR ONE'S GURU.

But Dattareya says even shakthi can be relinquished but never guru. Even though Dattareya says that such words come only indivine states and out of emotionality for the guru one should not take the words perse and 'relinquish' one's wife to one guru! When these days gurus abound for lust and sex!

In chapter 16 of Guru charitra(the bible for Datta devotees) there is an incident with respect to Nrusimha Saraswathi (who along with tow others are known as the datta trinity) expounds the guru-principle.

H e in his parivrajaka role keeps moving from place to place with his devotees He stayed in Vaijnath and then...

(Nrusimha saraswathy)

(Nrusimha saraswathy,sripadasree vallbha,swami samartha of akkalkot...Dattaguru parampara)

From Vaijnath, Sri Nrusimha saraswathy, accompanied by Siddhamuni, visited Amba Bhavani Kshetra and lived there for a few days. At this place, a Brahmin yogi came tosri nrusimha saraswathy and prayed to him for his guidance and help in his Sadhana. He said that his mind was very restless and he was unsuccessful in concentration. He said that he had gone to one Guru earlier, who initiated him to a Mantra, but it did not seem to help him at all. He said that he had left off that Guru as he had no respect not liking for him any longer, and that he was now seeking out another Guru and requested Sri Narasimha Saraswati to accept him as his disciple. Sri Nrusimha Saraswathy told him that it is never proper to talk disrespectfully of the Guru, and that he had committed a very great mistake in forsaking his guru. He said that it is not for the student to judge the merits or demerits of the Guru. One should have

implicit faith in the Guru. Guru is the treasure house and abode of all knowledge and wisdom. Guru is even superior to God; the student must ungrudgingly, selflessly, dedicatedly and lovingly serve the Guru, whatever be the hardships of service. There is nothing comparable to the service rendered to the Guru. Only if Guru is pleased, Gods will be pleased. If Guru is not pleased, all the Gods even cannot help him wee bit. GuruBhakti and Guru Sadhana are the foundations of spiritual Sadhana, and winning of Guru's grace alone is the fruition of all Sadhana. Sri Narasimha Saraswati narrated the stories of Dhaumya Rishi's disciples as example and illustration of this truth, which is an anecdote from the Mahabharata

====================== Thus the story goes....

Now Guru geetha is a pithy saying of the concept of gurutatwa...

Lord shiva says

that he does a saashana on the gurutatwa....SHIVA SHAASHANATHAHA SHIVA SHAASHANATHA SHIVA SHAASHANATHAHA...He says thrice! to underline the importance of a Guru in the path.

Now why a pournamaasi?

Why not an ashtaami say guruasthami?

The answer lies in the power of moon.

In astrology Moon is considered to control one's mind. Manaha trayathe soma skandam iti muni uvacha.

Guru protects the mind and the power of the moon is the greatest during pournami and thus it is appropriate to keep this day to highlight the importance of guru.

(Adiguru amsa of Dattatreya)

This month 21rst July guru pournami has another importance (which occurs every guru pournami) in that This Ashada shuddha pournami(first full moon) is also the birthday of Aadiguru(one of the 16 Amsas of Dattareya popularly known as Shodasa avataras of Datatreya)

Things to do during Guru pournami:

1. Anna danam( Na annodaka samam daanam..there is no greater charity than offering of food to poor and destitute)

2. Guru pooja

3. Reading or parayana of Gurugeetha 16 times with naivedya

(Nrusimha saraswathy padukas in Ganagapuram)

4. Guru paaduka puja after being initiated into the guru sampoorna deeksha by a comptenet Datta yogi.

(Guru charitra avataranikaa)

(Sweet pongal offering which Lord Dattatreya likes)

5. Reading and parayana of Gurucharitra(a must for Datta devotees) and offering naivedya to Lord Dattareya the guru of all gurus.(offering of sweet pongal(pudding)...a preethi for Lord Dattareya(Datta likes sweet pudding))

6. Feeding black dogs.

7. Getting initiated to guru mantras and other mantras from one's gurunatha.

8. Doing Datta homa ,Audumbara deeksha and Anagha vrata.

Na guror adhikam tatwam Na guror adhikam gnaanam Na guror adhikam moksham

Yours yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

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