To Henny - Guru Gita vs 14

[Guest guest]

Dear Henny and all family,

 

Thanks for responding and giving us both the opportunity to grow and understand. I pray that others will share their thoughts/comments.

 

This is one of the many verses of the Guru Gita which I often think on. Yours words has brought me to recall two things - in the opening pages of the book "Before Becoming This" the author expressed how awkard he felt in getting down on his knees and putting his head all the way to the ground in pranam to Maa. He later said that when he rose to his feet, though he was 6' 3" tall and Maa was a mere 5' in height Maa appeared taller than he. Also in Chap 4 of the Chandi, vs 19 when the Gods praised Divine Mother in song they sang – "Why is it that your one glance does not reduce all thoughts to ashes? So that being purified by the weapons, these thoughts may be raised to the higher worlds. You are so benevolent that you think for the welfare of even your enemies."

 

Divine Mother has exposed consciousness in the form of the True Guru. When one approaches the Guru, the Guru knows the purpose and can turn many of us away but because of pure love and compassion, Guru welcomes and blesses all of Her/His children and reward us with subtle teachings or words of wisdom which we have the choice to use or not to use.

 

May we all find refuge at the Beloved Lotus Feet of the True Guru.

 

 

Love,

Kalia , "jaisanatanimaa" <jaisanatanimaa wrote:>> Namaste all,> > this verse and Swamiji's commentary made me think about discrimination and how to know when this action is appropriate. How do you know? I hope you don't mind if I share my musings with you and I hope you will tell me what you all think and help me deepen my understanding.> > In the booklet 'Gems of Wisdom', Shree Maa and Swamiji say: "Actions manifest our love. Work is visible love, the expression of love that we can see." > > This, I think, gives us a good yardstick to measure our actions by: if we do something, is it an expression of love of self or love of God? Whenever we do something, if we look closely we can see which desire prompted the action. > > If I am honest, I can see that many times my actions make visible all my attachments to things and people that are important to 'me'. If we look at it this way, even drinking the water from the Guru's feet can be an action which demonstrates love of self more than love of God and Guru, for instance if this action is an expression of my selfish attachment to appear 'holy' or 'humble'. If I were to approach the Guru with this attitude, then the action would not be appropriate, I am inclined to say. Or it could be an expression of my desire not to look ignorant, even though I have no idea of why I am performing the action. If that was my motivation, the action would, I think, be inappropriate.> At this point, one easily gets discouraged; there can be all sorts of selfish reasons and circumstances I can think of why this action would not be appropriate. Should we say, then, that to drink the water from the Guru's feet is only appropriate as an expression of Pure Love, without any selfishness? But then, who of us is without selfishness? > Here, I feel, is where Swamiji's advice, to use our discrimination when this action is appropriate, proves to be the light which removes darkness. Because I find that as soon as I stop and think about what my motivation for this action would be, I become aware of both selfish attachments AND the desire to move beyond selfishness. And as soon as I become aware of the desire to move beyond selfishness, the selfish desires lose their power of control and I can make a choice.> Then I realize that, in order to move beyond selfishness, I must follow in the Guru's footsteps, because I cannot possibly find my own way out of this forest of attachments in which I am lost. Thinking thus, the drinking of the water from the Guru's feet becomes appropriate, I feel, because then it is an expression of my love and trust, of my willingness to be guided and the recognition that I don't know all the answers. 'If you don't know the answer, surrender', is the teaching. It is our faculty of discrimination that makes us aware that we don't know, but She does, 'whose lotusfeet destroy the great forest conflagration of all the sea of objects and relationships'.> > I am grateful to Kaliananda who posted the verse, which made me pick up again that lovely booklet 'Gems of Wisdom', lovingly prepared by Parvati Maa. Having read it again, I can recommend it to anyone; these gems don't lose their lustre and their light brightens your day!> > with love,> Henny> > > > > , "kaliananda_saraswati" kaliananda_saraswati@ wrote:> >> > > > Namaste,> > > > Vs 14 of the Guru Gita says -"Whoever drinks the water from the Guru's> > feet removes the root of ignorance and purifies the karma (activities)> > from birth, obtains perfection, wisdom and renunciation."> > > > Of this verse Swamiji explains that this verse speaks of faith,> > humility, trust, openess, the highest wisdom (lowliness); one must> > however use discrimination to know when this action is appropriate.> > > > Jai Maa Jai Swamiji> >>