re: Gurupoornima 2007 -- Knowledge IV --

[Guest guest]

This was a talk (Gurupoornima) given by the Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

recently, which has been transcribed by Murali Nair and was shared with

another group. I thought you might enjoy these reflections of a Guru on

the subject of the Guru. I would also like to point out that this was a

talk addressed to a gathering of men And women, and surely all the women

present were not mothers, so if the instruction is for all to be a guru

to somebody, this is in contradiction to the notion that only the Mother

can be like a guru to us. (I was told it is ok to share this

transcript).

Murali Nair writes: Gurupoornima 2007 - Knowledge IV

 

On Gurupoornima

Gurudev first shared five signs of a Sad Guru (you would find them

in a knowledge sheet as well, let us do some digging through

intimate notes to the sincere seekers )

 

The five signs are -

Dukkha Kshaya - Elimination of Sorrow

Sukha Aavirbhava - For no reason happiness blossoms

Gyan Raksha - Knowledge gets protected

Sarva Samruddhi - Abundance and no lack in anything in life

Sarva Samvardhan - Hidden talents blossom, people who never wrote

start composing poetry etc

 

Then He told a story of a young boy. A young buy meditated for a

long time so the Creator became happy and decided to bless the boy.

So he asked the boy to ask for any boon. The boy said, 'Knowledge'.

The Creator showed the boy a huge mountain and told him that this is

knowledge - take as much as you want. The boy - how much he can

take? He took four handfuls of knowledge and returned back. The four

handfuls then were known as the four Vedas and the boy was called as

Vedavyasa - the one who organized Vedas. This is a symbolic story -

how the huge mountain of knowledge was and how Vedas are only few

handfuls of this mountain.

 

Ayurveda, Atharvaveda, Gandharvaveda are part of Vedas and Upavedas.

Then there are Darshanas in which Yoga comes as fourth Darshana.

Vast branch of Yoga is just one of the Darshana. Nyaya, Vaisheshika,

Sankhya, and then Yoga-Ayurveda. Nyaya Darshana is the practical

tool by which one can validate or verify whether the attained

knowledge is authentic or not. Such is the expanse of knowledge and

Veda Vyasa has done this amazing work of organizing the knowledge.

 

Because of the ultimate importance of His work, any chair of a

teacher is called Vyasa's chair or Vyasapeeth. The full moon of this

Indian Calendar Month is dedicated to Vyasa. Full moon indicates

fullness. Fullness that comes out of gratitude. So today we feel

grateful for whatever we have got, for all the teachers who have

given us knowledge. Be a Guru to someone in life. Meaning, give

unconditional love to someone, care for them, be a source of light

for them. Help and serve them and be available for them. Being a

Guru is a good job (laughter).

 

Then He recited a shloka and explained its meaning as well. For a

Guru, if desire comes, then it can be as below -

Desire knowledge from Siva, desire liberation from Vishnu. Guru

will get victory from everywhere. But the highest source of joy

for Guru would be when he gets defeated by his own disciple. When

his own disciple excels him, that is the greatest joy for the Guru.

 

What all we desire for? Job, health, marriage? Rather than desiring

for these small things, desire something big for the planet. Life is

not just to eat, sleep, gossip and die. Eat well, sleep well,

meditate well, serve well. There was a saying in Kannada which means

that even if you know what to eat and what not to eat, how to eat,

you would attain Govinda - divinity.

 

Gurupooja which is performed at the occassion of Gurupoornima, is

done out of this fullness. How Grace flows in life? When you feel

grateful - it starts flowing in life. Pooja is like a small ceremony

to remember and be thankful for all the ancient Masters from Holy

Tradition.

 

(He permitted all those who had learnt Gurupooja to chant it with

HIM and meditation after that had us all blown away)

 

When He woke us up from that deep state, He was smiling with a

pristine smile of a child!

 

In the evening a bhajan was sung - Ananda lala.. Nanda Lala.. He

said - Nanda is blissful Lala is a child - Aananda - wakeful

blissful child.. so awaken that blissful child in each one of you...

 

:-))))))

 

(By the way, my memory has sort of run out of whatever He may have

additionally said.. please fill in the details if you know.)

 

At one other occassion - He told us a story of Buddha which He said

He was saying mainly for children.

 

Once a believer came and asked Buddha - I believe there is God -

what do you think? Buddha replied - You are right. The man went.

 

Then an atheist came and asked Buddha - I think there is no God -

what is your opinion? Buddha replied - You are right. Atheist

departed.

 

Then a true seeker came and asked - Buddha, I do not know if there

is God or not. I would like to find it out. They say you know the

answer. Can you help me please? Buddha smiled and said - You may

stay back. Perhaps you may find it. Let us find out.

 

Buddha's disciples who were watching this, got extremely puzzled and

asked Him why He gave three different answers to different people.

 

Buddha replied that believer or atheist had already got concepts

firm in their mind, believer may not have experienced God and

atheist had closed that possibility for himself. Only the third

person was a true seeker as he was ready to explore the truth.

 

At another occassion, a YES/Plus student had asked this question. -

Do you think the advanced technology such as iPod, laptops, cell

phones have made the young generation more aloof, less communicative

and drawn to themselves and unsocial?

 

Gurudev answered - Technology need not be associated with you being

unsocial or social. You can have an iPod and a laptop and still you

would like to mingle and be social and cordial to people around you.

Or you may not have any of these gadgets and still be very unsocial.

There is no point in giving excuse of gadgets for being unsocial.

The two are unrelated. It is up to you how you want to make use of

the technology. And craze of anything new does not stay for long.

All these gadgets and instruments, iPod, cell phones or laptops and

internet may not replace the need of having new friends around you.

Even after acquiring the latest gadgets, after a while, you would

still want to come and seek friends to share your life with!

 

(This logically ends postings on knowledge series of Gurupoornima -

I would welcome all those souls who were present, to fill in the

missing gaps or add / rectify whatever I could recollect)

Jai Gurudev