Human birth is the first of the three great boons of life: only the human can aspire to moksha, salvation. The second is the company of an illumined teacher: a realised guru alone is able to arouse one’s dormant kundalini and pave the way to liberation, ‘Moksha’. The third boon, love and yearning for God can only be instilled by the guru. Only unconditional love for God will make Him reveal Himself.
For any human, the greatest fortune is to receive initiation from a genuine Guru. One is almost certain to progress along the path to man’s destination: achieving Moksha. Initiation by a genuine guru is itself a priceless gift earned after good actions performed in several births. The one who is lucky enough to be initiated by such a guru and benefits from his wise guidance can look forward to a serene journey through life. Well set on the spiritual path, he steadily attains to that inner peace, tranquility and everlasting bliss through the Guru’s grace.
The guru bestows upon the aspirant the most precious gift, the gurumantra – the means to eternal life. The gurumantra has the divine potency to open the door to higher consciousness. The guru brings God to man or man to God. A guru has thus more importance in our life than our biological parents. The guru is responsible for our spiritual birth, our true destiny. The guru gives, cares and guides constantly.
Man’s spirit is immortal, indestructible, eternally existent. His spiritual experiences remain his sole precious possession through eternity. These are the only wealth he will carry to the beyond and they will determine his next birth. The Shakti, spiritual power bestowed upon him by the guru, remains his only treasure for perpetuity. One is eternally beholden to the guru for this great spiritual gift.
The Gurumantra received from genuine Gurus has Divine potency. All spiritual benefits may be derived by its repetition. Just as the physician cures physical diseases, the guru is the metaphysician that cures soul diseases. Once initiated by the guru, the subject becomes receptive to the cosmic consciousness permeating the atmosphere around. Only the spiritual touch of a true guru can unveil the Great Truth to us. It is said that guru is God. It is not the human form but the divine element within the guru that is God.
There is no greater well wisher in existence than the Guru. The Guru awakens the dormant energy through transmission of Divine energy. The guru accepts the disciple with all his sins and impurities, without any distinction of creed or class. He destroys all impurities and has the power to transform him completely. The disciple is thus forever indebted to him. The guru is not only in this life but for eternity.
A Guru is a highly evolved soul, a selfless being who works humbly and relentlessly for the upliftment of all. Selflessness and humility are marks of a God-realised soul. He gives freely his own Shakti to all who seek solace from him. He does not choose, nor select: giving this unique privilege equally to each one by showering his blessings and grace with the same intensity and compassion; without questioning their identity or past; irrespective of creed and conviction.
Gurus are the representatives of God. Gurus are the living Gods on Earth. They are the ones we ought to worship. The guru is the symbol of perfection, the embodiment of Dharma; righteousness and love personified. They show us the way, inspire us, remove doubts from our mind and pitfalls from our path. The disciple shall have to walk on the holy path shown by his guru with great faith, courage and self-surrender to the Guru.
The guru never imposes his will. None can impose growth on a seed. One can put the seed in the soil, water and protect it from the vagaries of nature. Whether it germinates and becomes a tall tree is beyond one’s control. In a similar manner the guru implants the seed of God consciousness into each one of us leaving us all the freedom to nurture it at our own pace and according to our convictions. The guru’s satisfaction is in having done his share.
A guru is born with a mission. He is an instrument of God to fulfil His will. The guru is one with the supreme Lord creator. A guru makes people Soul conscious and gives them practical steps to achieve love-link with God. He does not teach for money, name or fame, but to help seekers of Truth who wish to tread the Holy path. His teachings are simple, inspiring and highly practical in their application. The method of teachings of different gurus vary but are in essence One. Spiritual Truth remains the same at all times, in all places and under all circumstances.
A guru is the embodiment of practicality, showing perfection in everything he undertakes. He explains the principles of right living: the right attitude, the right conduct, the right thinking and the right activities. A guru is able to formulate the great fundamental Truth in simple language. He indicates to us the right path to enable each and everyone to fulfill the purpose of one’s life. Adept in spiritual matters, he is just as supremely at ease in the secular sphere. The teachings of a guru are full of Divine wisdom while being of guidance for a better life in the material world too.
A genuine guru is not a mere scholar. He knows the spirit of the scriptures. He is a man-God, man’s ascent to God. Association with a spiritual master is called ‘satsang’. Satsang shows us the disparity between mere reading and experiencing. The guru is a mine of knowledge. All doubts are cleared without any intellectual gymnastic. Satsang make the scriptures easier to understand. We get a better understanding of meditation and its importance in our life. It brings home why our body is considered the temple of God!
The guru is a guide of inestimable worth: the epitome of spirituality. Satsang with the guru is such a soul stirring elixir that brings us tremendous support. It gives us a boost and bestows a taste of the Divine. It teaches the true implications of a religious life. With such startling simplicity a genuine guru makes obvious the real gems of sound religion. One is left wondering why one never thought about it before!
The guru is indeed a wizard of a soul specialist. None can match the guru’s perfection, generosity, ocean-like heart, gentleness, caring, rectitude, selflessness or loving guidance. The disciple is an open book to the guru. The guru brings to light his hidden nature and makes the disciple conscious of his negative traits, his blunders, shortcomings and selfishness that he may rid himself and become a lovable person. Even the guru’s scolding is a blessing in disguise. It is an affectionate hint to one’s shortcomings that risk playing havoc in future.
A genuine guru is perfectly pure; as such spiritual experiences cannot come to an impure soul. There is no gradation in spiritual practice. Either one is or is not! Some are born siddhas. Others become siddha gurus through the grace of another siddha guru or God. Someone with book knowledge only can never be a genuine guru. Never having learnt at the feet of a realised spiritual master he is like a blind leading the blind.
The Guru has neither desire for name or fame nor any other bane. His only concern being our spiritual upliftment and general welfare. Any desire for name or fame destroys all spiritual motive. Only a true renunciant can become a guru. An act of piety or spiritual practice beneficial to the doer only is no longer spiritual. Only service for the benefit of others is considered spiritual. Only the one who has experienced God as love can ever impart godliness or knowledge of God, for he knows God as love. The guru is indeed an epitome of love and kindness.
Only the yogi who rejects supernatural powers, attains the highest state of Samadhi. Having given up the vanities of powers he attains divine communion and guruhood. A genuine renunciant will never meditate for supernatural powers. Anyone indulging in such spurious practice deceives the Self and commits a grave sin. Should someone yield to this temptation, his further progress will be barred. These powers that are most fabulous in appearance are in truth like molten rock on the wayside along a diamond studded road.
To raise the kundalini is the object of all practices of yoga and meditation. Only an awakened kundalini allows man to evolve through direct experience of the Self. Intellectual knowledge of God does not give direct knowledge of God. Unless the kundalini is awakened a human being cannot evolve spiritually. The guru performs the greatest of miracles, the awakening of the seeker by spontaneous awakening of the kundalini. Only a true guru can initiate one and raise the kundalini.
There is no greater benefactor than the guru who ever bestows blessings on us for our upliftment and ever guides us on the path of self realization, the goal of human birth. The guru alone can show us the way and take us to safe shores of the ocean of life. The guru’s grace is the favourable wind which helps one steer across the ocean of life easily, in spite of all impediments on the way.
The guru’s presence is soothing; so gentle and caring, just like a tender mother. Guru is the light and the pivot of one’s life. He is God incarnate. The mere presence of the guru makes us forget our worries; all restlessness vanishes. The guru instills new hope and gives a new dimension to life with the promise of a brighter tomorrow more pleasant and peaceful. He illumines the dark nooks and avenues of life, brightening one’s future out of his fathomless love. Morbid thoughts melt away from the mind like frost melting away at the first ray of the rising sun. Miseries and sufferings are but faint memories.
The greatness of a guru is incomparable, indescribable, immeasurable, and can only be recognized when one comes in contact with such a great being. It cannot be described in mere words for these are inadequate; it can only be sensed. It is the unfathomable; so subtle it escapes words. The guru’s grace, Shakti is always present to guide. Distance doesn’t count. The Guru’s invisible presence that one constantly feels is difficult to describe. Words fail in the endeavor. Faith in the Guru should be undaunted as a mountain that never gets weathered, nor eroded.
A genuine guru is a rare gem indeed. As a man-God, the guru lives with God. His rectitude defies human imagination. He is the beacon light to groping humanity; the greatest boon to mankind. Genuine gurus are present in the world for upliftment of erring humanity to bring its divine potential to full manifestation. Their subtle thought vibrations continue to influence long after they have left their physical body.
Initiation by a genuine guru is the most precious gift a mortal can dream of. Only a genuine guru is able to bring God to man or man to God. A guru always gives, cares and guides constantly more than anyone else in this world. None could replace a guru in our life, except a guru!
The greatness of the true guru has been emphasized by the great seers of yore as follows:
| “Dhyana moolam Guru moorti, | “The root of meditation is the Guru’s form, |
| Pooja moolam Guru padam, | The root of worship is the Guru’s feet, |
| Mantra moolam Guru vakyam, | The root of the Mantra is the Guru’s word, |
| Moksha moolam Guru kripa.” | The root of liberation is the Guru’s grace.” |
The glory of a guru is indescribable. Words fail to describe it. The guru makes God a living presence in one’s life and not just a fictitious dream. From living a ghost-like life in a living grave, one can aspire to immortality.
Blessed are those who find a genuine guru!