GURU: THE LORD’S REPLICA

ARVIND K PANDEY

The Guru- principle has always enjoyed exalted place in the Hinduism. The Guru acts as a window to the higher laws. About him it is stated that :

Na Guroradhikam Tattwam

Na Guroradhikam Tapah

Tattwa –Jnaanaat –Param Naasti

Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah.”

The above mentioned strotra from The Guru Strotam unfolds salutations to the Guru who represents the higher truth; serving whom one performs the higher penance resulting in attainment of the true knowledge (realization).Commenting on the role , which the teacher comes to perform . Sister Nivedita says ,”The true teacher knows that no one can really aid another. No one can rightly do for another what that other ought to do for himself. All that we can do is to stimulate him to help himself, and remove from his path the real obstacle to his doing so.” Since the road to realization is full of sharp curves, the company of an elevated soul; acting as the Guru comes handy. All what we have to do is to have a heart and mind mired in Guru bhakti apart from a receptive attitude to the Highest knowledge.

The contemplative life, according to Aristotle, is the most divine element in man and ,thus, he hits the nail on its head when he suggests his disciples “to not follow those who advise us, being men , to think of human beings ,and being mortal, of mortal things, but must, so far as we can , make ourselves immortal ,and strain every nerve to live in accordance with the best thing in us; for even if it be small in bulk, much more does it in power and worth surpass everything”(Aristotle in The Spirit Of Plato).It’s abundantly clear that in transient world of ours it would be suicidal to be in league with earthly goals alone. Chances are more to get attracted towards cheaper values of life, after all, the world is full of pragmatic souls for whom moving from dust to dust , all in the name of practicality, holds greater meaning. Since one of the drawbacks of mind is to get carried away by negative versions of goal of life, the risk of being trapped is always immanent. Therefore, role of the Guru is not only to remove spiritual bankruptcy from our lives but also to block the flow of perceptions which cater to the baser instincts.

Plato was of the firm opinion that man should not lose the opportunity of release from its bondage of bodily desires and appetites. Precisely, this the reason why in our land knowledge of Self has been preferred over knowledge of material things.The Para Vidya or Adhytma Shastra sheds light on myriad facets of knowledge leading to the Lord. It is the source of all knowledge and enlightenment, being Chit Sakti—the power of consciousness. In the mundane world of ours, it is not possible to tune the mind to vibrations of higher order. However, Guru-bhakti makes the task for the seekers easier.Many seekers who attempt to enter in the sanctum sanctorum in the Hinduism without Guru often fail to interpret its core. Being weighed down by the grossness of the previous impressions they fail to capture the essence of scriptures. Indian thought system is unique in a sense that it has given rise to Guru-Shishya parampara wherein the knowledge is transferred orally rather through written material. When God’s grace gets combined with Guru’s love, the right atmosphere conductive for the transfer of knowledge comes into existence. The Guru’s words ward off adhi-daivika (God-sent) obstacles such as earthly upheavals; the adhi-bhautika(phenomenal) such as wavering f the intellect, mood-swings and such others that emanate from our weakness. In Prasnoupanishad the six seekers who approached Rishi Pippalada with their queries were no ordinary souls. Yet they were asked by Rishi Pippalada to wait for nearly a year in his ashrama and gear themselves with right bent of mind. In fact, Upanishadic truths cannot be apprehended without aid of a Bramanistha Guru.There has to be perfect synchronization between mind and intellect. Swami Chinmayananda interpreting meaning of term Upanishads says that ‘ it is composed of Upa +Ni+ Shad.Upa means approaching a Guru in extreme humility , with full faith and an indomitable heroic spirit of seeking .Ni means Nischaya .The declarations of the Guru must be without any mental reservations or intellectual dissatisfactions , understood fully beyond all doubts and in their right import; and through meditations when the truth-contents of these volumes are realized, they can pulverize , end or bomb out (sad) the entire ignorance in us and its consequent false values and perceptions.”

Although Lord is the real Guru, he takes human form to carry out his purpose. It’s not necessary that he should belong to high caste. Anyone who has merged his self in the Higher self can become the medium for others. “Sages are born in all the wombs; one should not search for the caste, clan, and the rest regarding these souls who have realized the Lord of their souls”(Bharadvaja paris’ista II.44) . Meeraji was the disciple of Sri Raidasa who belonged to the lowest echelon of society.In our scriptures human beings are said to have two births about which Radhakrishnan says that ‘while the first birth into the physical environment involved disunion and separation, submission to necessity, the second birth represents the victory over the constraints of necessity and the attainment of union and liberty. It is life at a deeper level.” In other words, when man gets connected with the higher realm of understanding he is reborn. According to Radhakrishnan, the part of Guru is that of a midwife, to assist to bring the truth to clear consciousness.

It must now be very clear as to why Guru enjoys such a supreme position in the Hindu way of living. He prepares the blueprint for better life that not only assures seeker’s growth but also his total transformation, which has no trace of negative elements.Sri Sureswaracharya in an unequivocal manner places Guru on the same platform with the Lord in his Vartikam—Iswaro Guru-Raatmeti Moorti-Bheda Vibhaagine.A stanza from Sri Dakshinamoorthy’s meditation verses conveys in enlightening style the elevated status of the Guru and , thus, there is no reason why we must not also adhere to its essence in most humble manner: I worship Sri Dakshinamoorthy , the young Guru, who teaches the knowledge of Brahman through silence , who is surrounded by disciples , who are themselves Rishis and scholars in Vedas;I worship Sri Dakshinamoorthy , who is the Teacher of teachers , whose hand is held in the ‘sign of knowledge’(Chit Mudra), whose nature is bliss, who ever revels in his own self, and who is ever silent.