Brij Mohan Sharma
It is a universal truth that man’s every action in this world is performed with a definite aim, and that aim chiefly is to bring about happiness and joy in his life by whatever means possible, fair or unfair.
Ever since his origin as first human being (Homo erectus) on this earth planet, and his gradual evolution and transformation between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago as a homo sapien, i.e the modern human being, his efforts by a large have been to secure for himself a very happy, rich and joyful life.
Even though he has achieved unimaginable success in his endeavours, his struggle to make his life more and more happy and prosperous is still going on incessantly. His efforts in this direction are, indeed, commendable and his hard work has undoubtedly rewarded him with amazing dividents which have made this world a wonderland and his life extremely luxurious and scientifically miraculous.
Surprisingly, however, all these phenomanal achievements have not been able to make him self-complacent and perpetually happy.
The reason being his growing realization that the nature and attributes of the happiness he has achieved by his ever-new innovations and inventions, though unquestionably materially progressive, lack the ethereal and spiritual aroma. He has, therefore, come to the firm conclusion that all the achievements he has made are of ephemeral and transient nature and certainly bereft of the charm and grace which could bestow upon him true and eternal bliss he is in search of.
On further examination and analysis of his actions, it has dawned upon him that his discontentment has been mainly due to his lack of understanding of the real character and nature of eternal bliss and happiness. He has all along been under the illusion that eat, drink and be merry is the only goal and purpose of life. He failed to understand the real purpose of his life, and never cared to gain knowledge about his Creator or go through the teachings of his prophets, which could have guided him to the right path of Self-realization- the ultimate goal of every individual soul.
So, he started studying and researching various scriptures and religious books and came to know that there are mainly three paths to attain Supreme and Eternal Bliss. The first is Karma (action), the second is Jnana (Knowledge) and the third is Bhakti (devotion). Of these three, Karma (action) yoga with constant meditation on God is considered to be the easiest path for self-realization and has been recommended for householders and other ordinary men.
He also learnt that whatever path one may choose for his surrender to God, he will need the guidance of a self-realized Guru. It is the Guru who can remove all his doubts and misunderstandings and establish him on the right course. The holy Gita also says “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.” (BG IV, 34).
Guru is a sanskrit word : Gu means darkness and ru means removal. So, Guru means an entity who removes the darkness of his disciple. 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. “Guru Brahman, Guru Vishnu, Guru devo Maheshwara, Guru sakshat param Brahman, tasmai shri Gurve Namaha.”
According to Adi Shankaracharya “No known comparison exists in the three worlds for a true Guru.. The venerated teacher… creates equality with himself in the disciple who takes refuge at his feet. The guru is therefore peerless, nay, transcendental.”
The question, however, remains how to recognize a true and self-realized guru, and what is his description?
In holy Gita, Lord Krishna has described the traits of a Self-realized human beings: the mark of a God-realized soul is stability of mind and establishment in Samadhi (perfect transquility of mind). When one thoroughly abandons all cravings of the mind and is satisfied in the self through the joy of self, then he is called stable in mind. The saint whose mind remains unperturbed in sorrows, whose thirst for pleasures has altogether disappeared, who is free from passion, fear and anger, is called stable in mind.
These are the attributes of a true guru, and if one finds such a guru, his every effort will be to make his disciple also an entity who is stable in mind. He will teach him how to control and collect his mind and how to sit for meditation devoting himself heart and soul to God.
A true Guru teaches us the supreme goal of life is God- realization, union with God. He does not deal just with spiritual side of life, but teaches one how to harmonize all outer roles and activities and how to make proper use of emotions. The 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 to develop our potentials-materially, emotionally and spiritually.
We are all seeking bliss, because it is our true nature. To find it you have to transcend duelity 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 for guru-disciple relationship, it is rooted in the God-created cosmic law. It is divinely ordained that he who seeks God shall be introduced to Him through a true guru. When a devotee sincerely desires to know God, his guru comes. A true guru, as already explained, has found his way to God; therefore he can authoritatively say to his disciple: “Take my hand. I will show you the way”.
The first principle of the covenant between guru and disciple is loyalty. For this, the disciple is required first of all to banish the ego, the consciousness and self-assertion of the little “I”, which keeps us from God. As soon as the disciple banishes this unreliable tendency of human nature and becomes a loyal and understanding person, he will begin to manifest his divine soul qualities, and abide faithfully and one pointedly by his guru’s teachings. The loyal disciple travels swiftly along the path to God. His concsiousness becomes magnetized by divine love, and is drawn irresistibly to God.
Obedience or surrender to the guidance of the guru is another tenet of the guru-disciple relationship. Undulating moods, waves of emotion, ever-changing likes and dislikes constantly buffet man’s consciousness with one kind of feeling or another. What he likes particularly today may strike him differently tomorrow and he goes after something else. The vacillating state of consciousness renders man blind to the perception of Truth.
Therefore, the primary requisite of discipleship is the ability to bend his undisciplined and whimsical will in obedience to the guru’s wisdom. The only way to please God and Guru is by right behaviour.By cultivating respect for the Guru as God’s agent, the devotee helps himself to grow spiritually. He begins to race toward the goal of his spiritual quest. The disciple must learn to follow the guru by emulating his example and by practising faithfully the sadhana he gives.
The guru is omnipresent. His help, his guidance, and his teachings prevail not only for the brief years he dwells on earth, but for ever.
(The author is former Addl. Secy to Government)
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