Guru Purnima
Guru is a concept unique to Hindu philosophy. The word literally means one who dispels the darkness of ignorance. As Swami explains it, “gu” stands for gunaatheethaya—one who is beyond attributes, or gunas. Ru” stands for roopatheethaya—one who is beyond form, which can refer only to God. All others are merely teachers, such as might be found in colleges. The true guru is one who understands his “self” and who reveals the goal—here, the atmic (soul) principle—to the disciple.
Guru Purnima is one of the holiest days on the Hindu calendar. Traditionally, it is the time to honor the guru. Originally the day was named Vyasa Purnima in honor of the great guru, Veda Vyasa, who was born on that day under the full moon. According to Swami, he completed not only the codification of the four Vedas (Hindu scriptures) on that day, but he also finished the writing of the eighteen Puranas (Hindu mythological stories) on that date. Over many thousands of years, as more and more worldly teachers came to expect offerings from their disciples, the festival came to be known as Guru Purnima.
Swami tells us to seek the guru within ourselves—our own atma. He says, “When this Self is within you, where is the need to search for someone to teach you? A teacher who teaches others has had a teacher himself. The one who has no guru above him is the true guru. The right approach is to consider Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara as the guru. These three are symbolized by the three gunas: Brahma is rajas, Vishnu is sathva, and Siva is thamas. The whole cosmos is constituted by the three gunas. The three gunas are present in man; the trinity is present in the form of the three gunas in every human heart. Hence, you are your own guru. You need not seek him elsewhere. You are a guru unto yourself. All power is within you. Consider yourselves as divine at all times and in all situations. You will thereby become one with the divine.”
The ability to realize the Self within us is the goal we all strive for, but many need more concrete sign-posts along the way. Therefore, Swami goes on to say, “Turn your mind Godward and you will experience the bliss of the Divine. It is for this reason that Swami gives you advice from time to time as to what you should do and what you should avoid. All this is not for my sake, but for your own good—to make you take the path of God-realization, to teach you the supreme truth about the Brahman, and to make your sacred life an ideal one. Recognize that God is your preceptor. He is the preceptor of preceptors. When you have such an all-pervading guru, why should you hanker after gurus of lesser breeds?”
We who claim Swami as our guru are unimaginably fortunate because we have the Universal Absolute (God) Himself guiding and guarding us. But what characteristics should we develop in order to be worthy disciples? In the Bhagavad-Gita (The Song of God) Krishna gives an answer in the form of a dialogue with Arjuna: Five thousand years ago, on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, Krishna lightly held the reins of five powerful white horses in his divine hand. He turned in his chariot seat to face his friend and cousin, Arjuna. Arjuna wept, sunk in uncharacteristic despondency at the prospect of killing his kinsmen and gurus in the great war they were about to wage. All his life, Krishna had been the dearest friend, guide, and preceptor of the Pandavas—and especially of Arjuna. At first he allowed Arjuna to wallow in delusion and sorrow; then he began to prod him with sharp words and jeers. Finally, in desperation, Arjuna said, “My Kshatriya blood rises up in protest when you prod me so; it is pushing me forward into battle. Fear of becoming the murderer of these revered elders is pulling me back. I am helpless. As you are guiding this chariot, guide me also and show me the way. I am no more concerned with worldly prosperity; I crave for spiritual progress only.”
At that moment, completely surrendering to Krishna’s guidance, Arjuna became the disciple and Krishna the guru. Until Arjuna accepted the attitude of a learner, he suffered the agonies born of ego and weakness. Once he realized that the ego can lead only to further confusion and ignorance, he surrendered his judgment to the Lord. Then, and only then, was he ready to receive the divine nectar of the Gita.
In the Gita Vahini, Swami quotes Krishna, saying that to recognize one’s error is the beginning of wisdom—and the first excellence of a good disciple.
In addition, “The aspirant for jnana (wisdom) must have not only devotion and faith but he should also be simple and pure. He should not grow impatient and irritate the teacher. Haste ruins chances of success. Whatever the guru tells should be practiced and experienced. … The disciple must be of sterling character; then, just as a clean piece of iron will be attracted by the magnet, he will receive the immediate attention of the Teacher.”
Swami goes on to say, “To acquire this sacred spiritual knowledge, one thing is essential—steady faith in the scriptures and the teachers and in the acquisition of knowledge. Without earnestness born of faith, no task however tiny can be accomplished by man. …
Faith is only the first step. You must have been yearning to imbibe the teachings I am imparting. This is very necessary. Along with these, you must also be vigilant, do not yield to sloth. Again, you may fall into company that is not congenial or encouraging. To escape to evil influence of such company and to strengthen your mind to avoid it altogether, mastery over the senses is required.
Do not admit doubt into you. In its operation and consequence, it is like the tubercular bacilli. It is born in ignorance and it penetrates into the cavity of the heart of man and breeds there. It is the parent of disaster.”
“Who then is the genuine guru? It is he who teaches the path of destroying moha, or delusion. And who is the genuine disciple? He who seeks to control and conquer the outward, fleeting mind.”
Swami continues in the Gita Vahini, “Krishna-Arjuna are the incomparable guru–shishya (disciple) pair—unique and unapproachable by any other. They have to be taken as the ideal by all aspirants and teachers. Arjuna bowed in humility and carried out sincerely the precepts of the guru. Krishna fostered what was really beneficial to Arjuna. He paid full consideration to what would really promote the reputation, the atma-ananda (inner bliss), and the dharma (duty) of Arjuna. He tended and fended him, as the very breath of His Life. That was the kind of guru the Lord was for him.
“Krishna is Param-atma (the universal soul); Arjuna is Jiva-atma (individual soul). That is the reason they are the ideal guru–shishya. Krishna is an ocean of prema (divine love); he watched over Arjuna as one watches over the eye or the heart. He taught holiness and transformed into holiness; he loved and was loved beyond compare. That makes the guru a genuine guru. And Arjuna? He, too, is no ordinary being. His tyaga (renunciation) is unapproachable. Whatever the crisis, he stuck to Krishna’s command and Krishna’s word; he wore the comradeship with the Lord as the armor that would save him from all harm, as the very body in which he dwelt, as something that he must foster, strengthen and guard. Though a mighty force, he was ready to efface it when necessary. This is how guru and shishya should be bound together.”
Sometimes in the rush and madness of our everyday lives, we forget the sheer wonder of living at the same time as the avatar, Sathya Sai Baba—the guru of the Kali Age. The same guru who so beautifully explained devotion, duty, and self-realization to Arjuna in the divine song, the Bhavagad-Gita, the same guru who has been revered and studied by millions of seekers ever since, has come to inspire and teach us once again. But instead of imparting all this sacred knowledge to just one perfect devotee, Swami teaches all of us imperfect ones, clearly, repeatedly, individually and collectively, in discourses and books, on tape and video. He guides us, guards us, scolds us when we need it, makes fun of us, laughs with us, comforts us more completely than the tenderest of mothers, teaches us by parable and by example, and never lets us lose sight of the ultimate goal, the realization of who we actually are. In short, He is the perfect guru. With such a guru, we must be inspired to develop within ourselves the characteristics He has described that will make us true shishyas. On this holy day of Guru Purnima, let us dedicate ourselves anew to this goal.
~Ramya Rao
Maryland, USA
