Namasthe- Guru, real burning lamp

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Dear all,

 

I want to share what I heard when I had the good fortune to listen to the Bhagavatha Sapthaaham by Brahmasri Nochur Venkitaraman. In this he compares a qualified Guru to a burning lamp. Other spiritually inclined individuals may be compared to  good pictures of the lamp or even to a computer generated virtual 3-D lamp. (Nochurji did not say this example. He just compared a real Guru to a lamp and others to a picture of the lamp.)

 

We can light other lamps only from a lamp which has an actual  burning flame. We can light thousands and thousands of lamps from one burning lamp. A Guru is a person who has removed the veil of Maya and has realized the glowing presence of the flame of the knowledge of Brahmam or Paramaathma chaithanyam in his heart. That chaithanyam may leave the worn out body of Guru when the praarabdha karma of that body is ceased, but it will spread the same radiance to devotees, generations after generations. This is possible only with a real Guru.  Examples are Shankarachaarya, Saint Ramanuja, Madhvaachaarya, Sree Rama Krishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharshi etc.etc.

 

Many Gurus are like the burning lamps in 3-D movie or pictures and appear to be real.This virtual lamp cannot light any other lamp however realistic it may appear. We can like the 3-D movie lamp, or a perfect picture of the lamp, look at it, appreciate saying how realistic it looks until we shut down the projector or TV or until the picture become old and torn out. But we can never light another lamp from that virtual lamp or picture. 

 

In Sri Aurobindo'd words: " A Guru is a channel, a vessel or a representative of the Divine. He is a man helping his brothers, a child leading children, a Light kindling other lights, an awakened Soul awakening souls, at highest a Power or Presence of the Divine calling to him other powers of the Divine. "

 

Nochurji's thought provoking discourses are also very inspiring.

 

Regards and prayers

 

Savitri