Let God Be Your Guru

“Look upon God alone as your true guru,” observed Bhagavan Baba in His inspiring discourse on July 24, 1983, in the Poornachandra auditorium in Prasanthi Nilayam. The unprecedented gathering of devotees from many countries and all parts of India heard with rapt attention Bhagavan’s two-hour discourse, during which Swami expatiated on the significance of God’s advent in human form. Faith is the primary requisite for recognizing and realizing divinity.

The supreme meaning of human birth is the realization of one’s true nature. Self-realization is the path to immortality. Man’s life is a bridge between this world and the Divine. The language of pranava (Om) is the only medium for conversing with the atma [individualized soul]. By wearing the garb of this body, made up of bone and flesh, encasing the soul that is pure and eternal, man imagines that his happiness lies in the physical environment. This is a delusion.

There are two kinds of knowledge that man can seek in his quest for happiness. One is loka jnana—worldly knowledge. This relates to knowledge of music and the fine arts, of the physical universe, botany, chemistry, mathematics, and the like. All this knowledge is of use only for earning a living. All of it relates to matters that are ever changing and perishable.

The other kind of knowledge is Brahma jnana—knowledge of the Supreme. This knowledge reveals that the origin, growth, and dissolution of the cosmos are due to Brahman. Man today needs this supreme knowledge. There are three steps leading to this knowledge. One is bhavam [feeling]. The second is sadhana [spiritual effort]. The third is upasana [worship].

In the first stage, the thought of Brahman should be firmly established in the heart. When this is done, one has to look upon the whole universe as a manifestation of the Divine. One must realize that the five elements (space, air, fire, water, and earth), the five pranas (sensory force, lesser life force responsible for circulation, generative force, digestive force, swallowing force), the five sense organs, the mind and speech, all these have emanated from the Brahman. All that is beautiful and great in nature—the lofty mountains, the vast oceans, the stars in the sky—must be regarded as proclaiming the glory and power of the Divine. The sweet fragrance of flowers and the delectable juice of fruits should be regarded as tokens of God’s love and compassion. The entire universe must be considered as the temple of God.

The external world will reflect your thoughts. If you view the world with love, it will appear as filled with love. If you view it with hatred, everything will appear antagonistic to you. Eyes filled with love shine with brightness and cheerfulness. Eyes filled with hatred appear bloodshot and fearful. Our thoughts determine our good and bad actions.

The Kauravas and Pandavas [epic characters] were cousins. But because of the inimical attitude of the Kauravas toward the Pandavas, they looked upon the latter as their enemies. Because they looked upon Karna with a friendly eye, they made him ruler of Angadesha. The attitude of man to God is dependent on similar likes and dislikes. There are some devotees who worship God with devotion for a time. Then they turn against God.

The reasons for these changes in attitude are traceable to their ideas about God. When they feel that their prayers are being answered and their desires are being fulfilled, they adore God. But when their wishes are not fulfilled, they revile God with all sorts of words. This kind of devotion is based on self—interest and has nothing divine about it. Pure devotion will not be affected by changes in circumstances or fortunes. True love is not based on any conditions. It is equal in weal or woe and is not affected by the vicissitudes of fortune.

The Upanishads regarded love as a quality of the eternal and hatred as a demonic quality. Looking upon love of God as a sacred quality, one should cultivate it and strengthen it. One should realize that he alone is responsible for his happiness or misery. He should not blame God for his difficulties. God has no likes or dislikes. As thoughts are the most important factor in determining one’s attitude and behavior, one should entertain only good and sacred thoughts.

The second step is spiritual effort. This does not consist merely in devotional singing, chanting, and meditation. All these are auxiliaries. The primary requisite is concentration on the pranava (Om). All spiritual effort should be based on pranava. There are 70 million names for God, all of which have to be uttered with pranava at the beginning, e.g. “Om Naraya-naaya Namah; Om Madhavaaya Namah; Om Keshavaaya Namah!” This is how the names of the Lord should be recited. To utter the name without the pranava is like using a revolver without cartridges. By meditating on the pranava, one can glimpse the nature of the Supreme Reality, according to the Upanishads.

The third step is worship. Upasana means approaching near the Divine. Worship is often equated with fasting. This is not correct. There is a bliss that is greater than food. When one is immersed in that bliss—the bliss of brahmananda—one gives up food of one’s own accord. It is such giving up of food that constitutes true upasana. To subject oneself to fasting as a compulsory regimen is not upasana but mere starvation. For instance, to keep awake on Shivaratri night by watching films or playing cards is a caricature of the sacred vigil that one is expected to observe on that day.

The Upanishads speak of seven degrees of ananda [bliss]. The first is the happiness derived from enjoyment of worldly goods, from good health, and bodily comforts. This is called manushyananda (human bliss). The pitrudevananda (the bliss enjoyed by souls of dead ancestors) is 100 times that of manushyananda. Devananda (bliss enjoyed by demi-gods) is 100 times that of the manes. 100 times this  bliss is the Viraatpurusha ananda [that enjoyed by Deity presiding over universe]. 100 times this bliss is prajapati ananda [bliss enjoyed by Creator]. 100 times the previous one is Hiranya-garbha ananda [bliss enjoyed by Cosmic intelligence]. 100 times this is brahmananda [bliss of the Infinite Absolute]. You can reckon how much greater is brahmananda than manushyananda.

The word brahmananda is nowadays bandied about to describe any and every kind of pleasure. “I am filled with brahmananda because a son was born today.” “I got first marks in my class. I feel supremely happy.” Such expressions of happiness are far remote from brahmananda. This experience is tantamount to moksha (liberation). The Brahman experience is not to be got by the mastery of various spiritual practices. It is only when the heart is purified that divinity can be realized. There is no room for divinity in a heart filled with egoism, pride, and hatred.

Even when the Divine appears in human form, moves freely amongst men, and is near in various ways to people, few are able to recognize Divinity in the physical form. It is not easy to recognize the nature of the Divine through the corporeal form alone. A true guru is required to reveal the real nature of Divinity. Such a guru has been equated with the Trinity—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The devotee who regards God Himself as his guru will not have any difficulties. Today many who are looked upon as gurus utter the mantras [spiritual formula] in the ear and stretch their palms for money. For everything they do, they expect money. Such gurus are baadha (harmful) gurus and not bodha (enlightening) gurus.

The true guru is like an ophthalmic surgeon. The latter removes the film in the patient’s eye and restores his natural vision. The guru also should remove the veil of ignorance and attachment that blurs the vision of the disciple and restore his natural spiritual vision.

What is the recompense one should make to such a guru? On Gurupoornima day, it is the practice for disciples to offer padapooja [worship the feet] to the guru and give dakshina [an offering]. The significance of the full moon should be understood. It is a day on which the moon shines in all its fullness, without any blemish. It is a day of purity. The moon sheds its cool rays on the earth. The moon is the deity controlling the mind. Only the day when the mind is rid of the darkness of ignorance and achieves- fullness of illumination is the real Gurupoornima day for man. Looking merely at the full moon in the sky and calling it Gurupoornima is only worshipping the external, while internally there is a void. It is only when you have cleansed your heart by getting rid of ignorance, sorrow, worry, greed, and envy, that you can celebrate your Gurupoornima and realize the fullness of your reality.

To achieve this fullness you have to cultivate love. You have to go through all the three stages of hearing, meditating, and practicing to achieve the goal of human existence.

You must all realize that the relationship between you and me is not linked only to the physical body. Thinking only of the physical relationship, you should not waste your life. The body is a passing thing. You should concentrate on the attainment of that which is permanent and beyond the limitations of time and space. You have seen for yourself and experienced the Divine here. You must carry with you this experience and enlarge it by contemplating on it internally.

Here is an example: Thousands have assembled in this Poornachandra hall. I have been conversing with you. How long can this last? Perhaps for two or three hours. Tomorrow you will all be returning to your respective places. After you go back, the memory of what you have experienced here—Swami’s discourse to you, the presence of  1000s of devotees in the hall—will be etched in your mind whenever you try to recall this day. It will be a life-long possession for you. This is because you are carrying me in your mind.

Looking at things externally, the Poornachandra hall will be before you only for a short time. But you must retain permanently what you have seen with the outward-looking eyes. What you see externally is a burden. When you have made it apart of yourself, it ceases to be a burden. It is like the food that a traveler carries on his head for consumption on the way. As long as the food remains outside, it is a burden. But when he has eaten it, he gets stronger and there is no burden on his head.

As long as we are involved with external appearances, we have to carry the burden of doubts and weakness of faith. We will not be able to get rid of involvement in unnecessary things. Faith is like a live volcano. No seed will sprout on such a volcano. Doubts are like seeds. If the doubts multiply, it means that your faith is weak and unstable. It is like an extinct volcano. If your faith is strong, no doubts will crop up. Where there are no doubts, there can be no faith.

We alone are responsible for our doubts. The Divine acts as only a witness. The Divine shows you the path to self-realization. Your doubts arise or disappear because of your past karma [actions]. To realize divinity you must first get rid of all your doubts. From time to time, God subjects you to various tests. These are not intended to be punishments as you may imagine. These are intended to strengthen your faith.

Arjuna himself was subjected to such a test by Krishna on the eve of the Kurukshetra [epic Mahabharata] battle. Arjuna was worried about how to wage the war against his kinsmen and what strategy he should adopt. Krishna took him to a forest in the evening. It was twilight. The light of knowledge was setting and the darkness of ignorance was emerging. Krishna wanted to find out whether Arjuna was fit to receive the Gitopadesha [message of the Gita] the next day.

He pointed out to Arjuna a bird on a tree and asked him whether it was a peacock. Arjuna said: “Yes, my Lord.” “No, no. It is a dove,” observed Krishna. Arjuna immediately said: “Yes, it is a dove.” Krishna then said, “You senseless fellow. It is not a dove but a crow!” “Yes, Swami! It is a crow,” said Arjuna. Krishna then told Arjuna, “You have no power of discrimination at all. You cannot decide whether it is a peacock, dove, or crow and only say `yes’ to whatever I say. Should you not have this much of understanding?” Arjuna replied: “Krishna, if one does not know Your real nature, one may attempt to agree or disagree with You. But I have understood the truth about You. If I declare that it is not a peacock, a dove, or a crow, You have the power to turn it into a peacock, a dove, or a crow. I have therefore no need to enquire into what it is. Your word alone matters for me. That is sufficient authority for me.”

When Arjuna displayed such implicit faith in Krishna, he felt that Arjuna was fit to receive the message of the Gita. Hence He told him: “Be thou My instrument.”

Therefore, the first requisite is deepening one’s faith in the words of the Lord. It is not possible to know the Lord by book knowledge or by human intelligence. When the Lord comes in human form, His measureless powers are not to be judged by looking at His age, size, or innocent behavior. Such judgment will only lead to greater misunderstanding of the Divine.

When the child Krishna was brought before His mother Yashoda and accused of eating mud, Krishna protested to His mother that He was not an infant, or a naughty boy, or a madcap to eat mud. Krishna then revealed to His mother His divinity. The avatar [incarnation] is not to be judged by reference to age or actions.

Premaswarupas [embodiments of love]! On this holy day of Gurupoornima, take a resolve to purify your minds and to install in your hearts the Supreme Lord. Look upon God alone as your true guru.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, August 1983