Personality deelopment thro' Gita 7. Have faith in Guru

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7. Have faith in Guru

`Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava' are

the preachings handed down to us but unfortunately in the modern

world leave alone treating the trio as Gods, they are looked down

upon. The younger generation fight with the mother, argue with the

father and look down upon the teacher.

I am grieved to hear even from L.K.G. students `My teacher

doesn't know anything'. She can't teach properly.' If at all they

admire the teacher, they admire her for her powers. Quite often we

see kindergarten children imitating their teacher, mind you not her

teaching, but her beating !

The students in such an environment learn for the sake of

learning but not with any faith in the teachers. In some lessons

there are some gun shot questions. We tell our students `this

question is important' while teaching the lesson, we remind

them `this question is asked many times in the public exam' when we

dictate notes. We make them put two stars there when we revise that

lesson! But what's the use ? 99% of students don't get the maximum

marks for that question. Why ? The answer is very simple - `They

don't take it seriously. They don't bother to learn that particular

question.' My slogan is -We teach the lesson, we set the paper, we

tell you that it is a gun shot question in the public exam. What

does it mean ? It is more a gun shot question in the internal

exam'. But that surrender that Arjuna felt for Krishna is missing.

karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah

prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah

yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me

sisyas te `ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam

 

Bhagavadgita 2-7

 

karpanya—of miserliness; dosa—by the weakness; upahata—being

afflicted; sva-bhavah—characteristics; prcchami—I am asking; tvam—

unto You; dharma—religion; sammudha—bewildered; cetah—in heart; yat—

what; sreyah—all-good; syat—may be; niscitam—confidently; bruhi—

tell; tat—that; me—unto me; sisyah—disciple; te—Your; aham—I am;

sadhi—just instruct; mam—me; tvam—unto You; prapannam—surrendered.

 

Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all

composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking

You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your

disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.

 

`Oh Krishna ! I am overcome by a sense of helplessness and

sin, my mind is perplexed regarding my duty. I ask you - tell me

that which is definitely good for me. I am your disciple; teach me

who have taken refuge in you'.

Arjuna was Bhagavan Sri Krishna's dear friend. Spiritually

speaking, they might have been on different levels ; but in

practical life their relationship was that of equality. But Arjuna

was in a state of mind where a suggestion or advice would not help.

What he needed was a true Guide and Teacher, who would command him

to follow a certain path. Arjuna chose the correct guru, Krishna

and chose the correct path - the path of surrender. He said `Lord,

I am not only your disciple, but I have also taken refuge in you'.

The root of the word ` Prapanna' means surrender of the self to God,

realizing him to be the repository of all power and the highest

being. In the first chapter Arjuna gave a lecture and Krishna was

silent, Arjuna, being a great man, realized that lectures wouldn't

help so he surrendered to Krishna. The humbler the sishya is, the

greater the attachment the guru shows. If Arjuna had not

surrendered Krishna would not have given the Gita.

Krishna, like a good doctor gave him the correct medicine

and asked at the end, `were you cured of your agnana

Arjuna ? `Arjuna answered

arjuna uvaca

nasto mohah smrtir labdha

tvat-prasadan mayacyuta

sthito `mi gata-sandehah

karisye vacanam tava

 

arjunah uvaca—Arjuna said; nastah—dispelled; mohah—illusion; smrtih—

memory; labdha—regained; tvat-prasadat—by Your mercy; maya—by me;

acyuta—O infallible Krsna; sthitah—situated; asmi—I am; gata—

removed; sandehah—all doubts; karisye—I shall execute; vacanam—

order; tava—Your.

Translation

 

Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now

gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and

free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your

instructions.

 

`Yes I am cured of my agnana Arjuna.' Arjuna understood the

essence of Krishna's teaching so well was an indication that Krishna

was a great teacher and his teaching was the best.

There is a practice in the world. However great heights a

disciple reaches, he should never leave his faith in the guru or

should oppose the guru. Arjuna followed the custom. Though he

acquired jnana he spoke `Karishye Vachanam Tava' - I will follow

your teaching. All sadhakas should follow the path of Arjuna and

should have faith in Guru, faith in God and faith in the shastras

throughtout their career. He followed as he promised and won the

battle.

Unfortunately today the trend is taking a dangerous turn. A

science fiction writer Isaac Asimor in `The fun they had' imagines a

scene in 2020. Two children come across a text book of their

grandfather and they wonder at it. They couldn't believe that all

children together went to a building called `school' and they learnt

under somebody called a teacher. That's because they learn

individually through computers and their lessons are planned and

programmed as per their I.Q. level. When one girl isn't able to

score good marks, the computer programmer, so called master, changes

the programme for her. So they wonder how one teacher can handle

together students of different I.Q.levels. But that's the specialty

of the teacher. She knows the pulse of the students. At a glance

she can judge whether the student is telling the truth or is trying

to fool her. So her level of teaching, guiding, coaxing, pampering,

scolding, punishing varies from student to student. This may look

like partiality but she is handling them as per their behaviour.

That's why however well planned a teaching aid can be, it can never

remove the presence of a live teacher. Only the teacher can solve

the problems the students get in the course of their learning.

All that a student requires is - to have total faith in his

guru. Vinayak is the best example. Lord Siva laid a condition that

Kumara Swami and Vinayak should have a holy bath in all the sacred

rivers and added that who ever reached them first would be

made `Adidevata' Vinayak sat down with a sad face. When asked the

reason, he said, `Knowing fully well my physique, how could you lay

such a condition ?' Lord Siva took pity on him and showed an

alternative. He said `you go round us - your parents'Chanting the

sloka given by Lord Siva, without any second thoughts he went around

his parents. Kumara Swami had already left . He did not doubt how

this would equal the original condition ! He felt only one thing -

`Father asked me to do something. Father only showed me an

alternative. Why then should I doubt ?' You know the result of his

faith !

Ekalavya was another example of surrender to his Guru. He

treated Dronacharya. as his guru. The latter refused to teach him

but all the same he wanted Guru dakshina after he became expert in

Archery. Ekalavya did not raise any objection to such a demand,

since he did feel Dronacharya as his guru. He had the image of

Dronacharya before him and learnt it as if he taught him personally.

The disciple need not be Ekalavya today and the Guru should

not be Dronacharya. `Such is the Guru who has himself crossed the

terrible ocean of life and without any idea of gain to himself,

helps other also to cross the ocean' - Vivekananda.

A Devotee - `Sir, is it necessary to have a guru Here is a

conversation between a devotee and Sri Ramakrishna master - Yes,

many need a guru. But a man must have faith in the guru's word. He

succeeds in spiritual life by looking on his guru as God himself' -

Sri Ramakrishna. Many times we are caught in the norns of dilemna.

We do not know what is right, what is wrong. What is good, what is

bad. In short we feel like repeating Hamlet's famous soliloquy in

Shakespeare's drama - `to be or not to be !'

The life on earth is like a journey through a thick forest

which gives us no landmarks to come out of it successfully, If we

have a guide he will show us the easiest and quickest way out of the

most difficult forest. The same way the sadguru takes us in the

easiest way through the toughest spiritual path. The teacher in the

class room guides us, motivates us trains us and inspires us towards

our educational persuits. We should not forget that listening to one

lecture is like reading four books since a guru is worth a library

of books.

Dhyana mulam Guror murthohi

Puja mulam gurorpadham

Mantra mulam guror vakyam

Moksha mulam guror krupa

A guru, who is a gnani, leads you in the spiritual path and

helps you to attain moksha.

Look upon your Guru as your mentor

Treat your disciple as your friend.