Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
In the presence of an enlightened Guru or Master, knowledge flourishes; sorrow and lack diminishes, joy wells up without any reason; abundance dawns; and all the talents manifest. To the degree you feel connected to the Guru, these qualities manifest in life.
Mind is connected with the moon and the full moon of Guru Purnima is a symbol of completion. It is the day when the disciple wakes up in gratitude. The gratitude is not in the realm of duality or Dvaita but of Advaita or non-duality. It not a river moving from somewhere to somewhere, it is an ocean moving within itself.
This is a good day to reflect on your own life, recognize the wisdom. Honoring this wisdom is honoring life. Life has taught you so many lessons. When you don’t look into your own life, then you cannot experience the Guru Tattva. Life and the Guru are inseparable. Often, we turn our face the other way, close our eyes and keep galloping on our desires, dishonoring wisdom.
The second thing to remember this Guru Purnima, is to utilize the gifts you have been given. You have been bestowed with so many blessings, use the blessings that have come your way. You will always receive more. The giver is tirelessly giving and wants no recognition for it. The giver gives you and makes you feel that it is your own achievement, your own doing. Really nothing is yours. But the giver gives you in such a way that you don’t even feel you have taken.
So, if you have been given good speech, put that to good use. Let it be uplifting and comforting. Don’t use your speech to blame, complain or talk ill of others. You have been given brilliant intellect, use it more. Similarly, if you have a good voice, put it to good use. If you are strong, then serve. Putting it to good use means using your gifts for the betterment of the society, of the world, kindling divine qualities in others. The divinity permeates this creation. So serving the world is worshipping the divine. Honouring the wisdom, your life and that of others gets elevated.
Another beautiful quality is to be righteous without ascertaining it. Suppose someone gives you a gift and they remind you again and again about the gift, how would you feel? Ascertaining righteousness brings anger, brings frustration and makes you wrong in another way. Once there was a master who was going towards the shore with his disciple to catch a boat for crossing the river. Some boys came along who started laughing and bullying the disciple. They started throwing stones at him. The disciple did not say anything in return. The master and the disciple got into a boat. After reaching midway, the boat that the other boys were sitting in started sinking.
The master slapped the disciple across the face. The disciple was taken aback by this gesture of his Master. He thought he had been a good disciple and yet the master had slapped him! The master said, “It is your fault. You are responsible for their boat sinking. You did not respond to their abuse, which would have taken their karma away. Nature has now punished them in a worse way because you did not have enough compassion to quell their insults.”
So be righteous without ascertaining it; be pure and not be proud of purity; be generous without showcasing your generosity; be wise and be absolutely natural. Ready to even be a fool sometimes.
When you realize this, you become so grateful and you are overcome with emotion, love and devotion, which is so pleasing to the infinity. There is a Guru hiding in each one of you and throwing the light of wisdom there, perform Aarti of the Guru inside.
What Does Aarti mean? It represents the act of getting absorbed in wisdom and ecstasy. What is real? What is unreal? What’s right? and what’s not right ? You don’t have to ask these questions to somebody else. Something inside of you just tells you this is right and this is wrong. You must honour that Guru Tattva in you.
Guru Purnima is a celebration of the seekers, who revise and review their journey on this day; how far they have come along; all that they have experienced in life; what knowledge did they gain; how many hurdles they have crossed; and where is their journey headed. And having reviewed their journey, and their growth on the path, they rededicate themselves to service, Satsang and Sadhana (spiritual practices.) So, a seeker reviews, rededicates, and then rejoices in gratitude on this full moon.
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