Brij Mohan Sharma
“For every individual there comes an hour sometime or other, for nature is not in a hurry, when everything that he can do for himself fails, when he sinks into the gulf of utter blackness, an hour when he would give all that he has for one gleam of light, for one sign of the Divine”, says Dr S Radhakrishnan, the great Indian Philosopher and Statesman who also served as second President of India. He further elucidates that when man finds himself “assailed by doubt, denial, hatred of life and black despair, he can escape from them only if God lays his hand on him.”
What are the reasons that drive man to such a pass?
Our wisemen, saints and sages say that it is the result of man’s past karmas.
While the reasoning put forth may be scripturally and spiritually irrefutable, we should not feel hesitant to admit that man’s present actions are also responsible, to a great extent, for his suffering and misery. In Mahabharata, Krishna says “Remember one thing Karna, everybody has challenges in life to face.. but life’s unfairness does not give you the licence to walk the wrong path.”
Karma, in general, means action, not merely the past action. It can refer to action performed in the past or now, or that might be done in the future.
So, in case we want to escape from the ‘gulf of utter blackness’ and the influence and effects of our past or present karmas, we shall have to seek God’s mercy and blessings to grant us wisdom to perform every action keeping in view its right or wrong repercussions.
My revered Gurudev Shri Paramahansa Yoganandaji says :” we may have karma of past lives.. and of this life…, but if we realize we are gods, we will be free from that karma now. Every human being is made in the image of God. If you find that image within you, how can you have any karma? God as the Master of the universe has no karma; if you know that you are one with God, there can be no karma for you.”
Now, the question arises how and wherefrom to acquire this wisdom of being one with God ?
It is here, dear readers, that the holy Bhagavad Gita comes to our assistance and commands us to ”acquire this widsom by all means. If you prostrate yourself at the feet of the wise, render them all forms of service, and question them with a guileless heart, again and again, those wise seers of Truth will unfold that knowledge to you.’ (B G IV-34)
Who are these wise seers of Truth ? They are entities who, in spiritual parlance, are called ‘Gurus’- spiritual teachers.
‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘ru’ means one who removes darkness. As rightly observed by a philosopher: “The Lord abides in the heart of every creature and when the veil of that secret sanctuary is withdrawn, we hear the Divine voice, receive the Divine light, act in the Divine power.”
In India, a true guru is treated and worshipped like God. The Sanskrit phrase ‘Guru Devo Bhava’ means ‘Guru is God’. This is why gurus are given the highest degree of respect. ‘Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwara, Gurur sakshat param Brahmantesmai Shri Guruve namah.”
According to Adi Shankarcharya “No known comparison exists in the three worlds for a true guru. If the philosophers’ stone be assumed as truly such, it can turn iron into gold, not into another philosophers’ stone. The venerated teacher, on the other hand, creates equality with himself in the disciple who takes refuge at his feet. The Guru is, therefore, peerless, nay, transcendental.”
Sant Kabir was an ideal disciple of his Guru. In one of his couplets he says: “Guru Govind Dowoo Khare, Kako Lagun Paon’ Balihari Guru Aapne Govind Diyo Bataya”. “When both the master (guru) and the God are standing together side by side, to whom should I salute and welcome first? Definitely to the Guru for he introduced God to me”.
It is only God’s mercy and willingness that one gets a real and accomplished guru, who shows him the way to God.
A true guru teaches us that the supreme goal of life is God realization, Union with God. He does not deal just with the spiritual side of life, but teaches one how to harmonize all outer roles and activities and how to make proper use of emotions. These two aspects of nature- the inner or spiritual aspect and the other material aspect- are not in conflict with each other if properly understood. They support each other and help us develop our potentials- materially, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
In the present world scenario, people are forgetting and ignoring human values. We need to be humane in our every action and make use of human values with which we have been endowed by God. Being religious and spiritual minded is of no use unless we behave like humans. The guru who is interested in the welfare of human race revives and re-inclucates these godly traits in his disciples and teaches them that ‘to serve humanity is to serve God.”
We are all seeking bliss, because it is our true nature. To find it you have to transcend duality and go inside, into the unity of God’s consciousness, into the super-consciousness of the soul. It cannot be found in anything in the world because “the kingdom of God is within you”.
As such, a true guru introduces his disciple to the path of concentration and meditation. He empowers him to switch off and on, at will, his five senses. Attaining this power, the devotee finds it simple to unite his mind with the divine realms or with the world of matter. The life of a true disciple is not influenced by his past actions, but stolely by the directions of the soul. He tastes the deep air of omnipresence.
As rightly observed by Dr Radhakrishnan “Only the wisdom that the universal reality and the individual self are identical can bring us redemption. When this wisdom arises, the ego is dissolved, the wandering ceases and we have perfect joy and blessedness.” Until we realize this truth, we must act according to the advice of our guru.
What is the description of a true guru, and how are we to know him?
“The sun requires no torch to make it visible. When the sun rises we immediately become aware of its rising and when a teacher of men comes to help us the soul will instinctively know that it has found the Truth”, says Swami Vivekananda.
However, to be more precise, let me summarise what Gita says in this regard. “A true guru’s intelligence is firmly set in wisdom. He has no selfish desires, and his spirit is content in itself. His mind is untroubled in the midst of sorrows and is free from passion, fear and rage. He is without affection on any side, and does not rejoice or loathe as he obtains good or evil. He draws away the senses from the objects of sense on every side. His nature is God-like. Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice and pride are his endowments.” (B.G II-55-58, XVI-3).
In short, a true guru experiences the reality of God in the depths of his soul and that his wisdom and knowledge is direct, whereas a philosopher, though proves the existence of God, his knowledge of God is indirect.
Frankly speaking, nowadays you will not find many gurus who fit into this description. You should, therefore, be extra cautious in selecting your guru lest you fall into the trap of some charlatan.
It would also be prudent to combine devotion to the guru with the most unrestricted right of free examination and enquiry. Blind obedience to an external authority is not desirable these days. Many credulous and simple-minded people are drawn to them mostly by man’s weakness for novelty, curiosity and excitement.
However, the moment you are fully satisfied that the guru you have chosen possesses all the attributes of a God-realized master, you must unconditionally surrender youself to him, and true yourself in with his wisdom. Acquiring that knowledge you will no more be subjected to delusion. “Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners you will cross over all (sins) by the raft of knowledge (wisdom imparted by your guru)”, says Lord Krishna (B.G 35-36)
A true disciple is one who seeks liberation by accepting the guru’s discipline, and who disciplines himself by the wisdom-guided instructions of the guru. To follow the counsel of a true guru is the only way you can be sure that your actions are leading you to freedom. He will change your whole orientation and you will attain perfect harmony and eternal blessedness. For all this, however, you need purity of mind, real thirst for knowledge and perseverance.
Always remember that no one can free you unless you make the effort to free youself. God has given you free choice to follow the path of salvation or to follow the path of perdiction.
(The writer is former Addl. Secy to Govt)
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