The Importance of The Guru.

In his Chidakasha Gita, Bhagawan Nityananda states the following:

103. Those who have no guru, have not realized the truth. In this world there is no effect without cause. When the darkness in this world has appeared as light, that is called Jnana. Darkness is ignorance. Light is knowledge. Do not be a hypocrite and earn fame.

29. One who has thoroughly wiped off the idea "I am the body" is fit to be called a guru. There is none higher than such a one. There is no god above such a guru. Such a guru is God, and God is such a guru.

It is not possible to be set on your own path without first surrendering to and following the instruction of a Siddha Guru, also known as Acharya. Only the person who obeys can command. In this world there is no effect without cause. What is learned well is first taught by a Master. The Guru is such a person. The purpose of the Acharya is to awaken Kundalini Shakti and guide you from the darkness of your own ignorance into the Light of Divine Consciousness known as Jnana, which is wisdom or true knowledge. These are synonymous. Ignorance of the Self and attachment to sense pleasures and worldly pleasures is what we call Darkness. The experience of God within and the act of merging your individual identity in Shiva is what we call Light or Jnana.

Gurus or Acharyas are known by the inner state and awareness of God that they exhibit and not in any other way. Even the term "Guru," as a title, is not important. What is important is that the one called "Guru" is a being who has merged his individual identity with the Supreme Consciousness of God. A person can be called a Guru or Acharya only if she no longer identifies with the ego nor with the physical body.

The Acharya is that person who lives in the constant, uninterrupted awareness of Purnaham Vimarsha, "I am Shiva," "I am God," "I am not the body, the ego, nor the senses." Such a being has risen to the highest level of Consciousness possible. There is no greater devotion than devotion to such a Siddha. Such a being is God and God works through such people.

Gurukripa Yoga.

Gururkripa Yoga is that yoga in which the disciple relies on the Grace of the Guru or Acharya (which is God's Grace) to carry him/her to Liberation. The Shiva Sutras state "Gururupayah;" The Guru is the means. The Guru who has attained Self-realization is the only one who can help the aspirant acquire it. Gurukripa Yoga and Bhakti Yoga are one in the same because they both emphasize the process of drawing God's Grace to you through Selfless Service and complete Devotion/Surrender to the Acharya. In this way, over time, you learn to take complete refuge in God. Crossing the threshold to Liberation requires great strength and trust. But if you think you are simply going to walk across this threshold of your own volition, you are mistaken. You don't need strength and trust in yourself. You only need the strength and trust that comes from taking refuge in God and following God's will, since it is he who carries you across the threshold to Liberation.

For this reason, the Saints of the Gurukripa path all state that all the other forms of yoga (Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Hatha Yoga) are contained in Gurukripa. Gurukripa Yoga is the Yoga of Bhagawan Nityananda. It is the Yoga of Supreme Love. For this reason, Baba referred to it as Raja Yoga, the yoga in which all the other yogas are contained.

Without the Grace of a Siddha, a Guru, you cannot realize God. You may be successful at reducing stress or even attaining states of relative happiness. But without the Guru, these will be fleeting at best. By reading scriptures and attending lectures you may be able to understand and express philosophy, like so many preachers that we encounter day-in and day-out. But you won't have a lasting experience of the philosophy that you are preaching. To become completely absorbed in God, to Liberate yourself from bondage in order to bask in the rays of total freedom from the ignorance of pain and pleasure, you must be guided by a Siddha (perfected being), until you are set on your own path. It is only by the Grace of such a Guru that you can undergo permanent spiritual transformation.

Mundane knowledge is not spiritual knowledge. It is not direct knowledge of God. Although mundane knowledge may help you advance in the activities of daily life, without the transformation brought about by direct contact with and service to the Acharya, these mundane activities will only serve to sink you deeper and deeper into the bondage of sense pleasures and worldly pleasures. And the bondage of this ignorance is simply a rehashing of so many of your past lives. To break the noose of this bondage, you need a Guru, until you are set on your own path.

Even the Devas and Devis (the gods and goddesses), when they take human form, have to undergo transformation by the Grace of a Guru to fulfill the purpose of their birth on this earth. For example, Lord Rama had the sage Vasistha as his Guru. Lord Krishna had Sandipani as his Guru. The Guru is the very reflection of God; nay she IS God.

The Guru of the Siddhas is Lord Shiva. For this reason, Shiva is often called Mahadeva, God of gods. When the trinity of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Rudra appeared in the house of the sage Atreya, his wife Anasuya, by her austerity and spiritual powers, transformed them into small children. The energies of these three children fused to take the form of Lord Dattatreya, from whom the Guruparampara (lineage of Shiva) began. In this way, Shiva became the first Jagadguru (Universal Guru) for the welfare of the world. He is therefore also called Lord Dattatreya or Adinath (the primary lord). Therefore all MahaAvatars, Gurus, Acharyas and Sages are worshipped as the essence of Lord Dattatreya (Shiva).

Scriptures like the Shaiva Agamas provide a wealth of information on Guruparampara and its importance. Bhagawan Nityananda was a MahaAvatar (a being who is born God-realized) of the 20th Century. His disciples believe him to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva and also Lord Vishnu. As lovers and disciples of Bhagawan Nityananda, we want to share our experiences of His Gurukripa, His Grace, which has transformed the lives of so many across the globe. We take refuge in His authority, not our own. We do not claim to know everything. However, we do have intimate knowledge and first-hand experience of how Love for Bhagawan Nityananda can transform one's entire being.

We invite all those who visit this site to share in this celebration, and the joy created, as we take this journey into the life, teachings and experiences of Bhagawan Nityananda. We are certain that this journey will lead all those who take it to Liberation from the bondage of ignorance that keeps one separate from God. Like the ocean, the Grace of the Guru is always available to those who sincerely want to know the Truth. Even if you let go of the Acharya's hands, he will never let go of your hands. The Guru will stand by you, no matter what. This is why we call this Gurukripa. Once you surrender to the Acharya, your Liberation is certain.

What does it take to complete this journey? Prem (unconditional love), Shradha (unshakable Faith), Tyag (sacrifice/discipline) and Anyanasharanam (total surrender to the God/Guru). These four cannot be understood intellectually. They have to be experienced through the Grace of your own effort at sadhana (daily spiritual practice) and the Grace of the Guru. Love everyone, have Faith in the Self and make your life good. Cultivate discipline in sadhana and the will to excel in worldly affairs, remembering always to give the glory, not to yourself, but to God.

In this journey of ours, you are not obligated to follow. You have free will. The choice is yours. You may embark, disembark and embark again as you like. The journey, once begun, does not stop. Everyone is free to share the experience. In sharing this experience with each other, we recreate the Ananda, the Joy of Love for God. And this Ananda grows within us as we share this journey. Gurukripa is open and available to all.

A Story.

On the outskirts of a village in Karnataka was a dense jungle. On the path leading to this jungle lived a Sage. There was a village woodcutter who used this path to the jungle to cut down trees. On his way to the jungle, the woodcutter used to pay his respects to the Sage. He would stop by the Sage's ashram each day to have darshan and to rest a while. The woodcutter was very poor and found it very difficult to manage his householder duties. His wife nagged him about this constantly.

He became so disturbed by his living conditions that, one day, the woodcutter decided to take his problems to the Sage. "For years I have been coming to your ashram every day to pay tribute to you and to attain your Grace. Yet you have done me no good, as I am still not rich." The Sage smiled and said, "Son, today is your lucky day. Go deeper and your life shall change." The woodcutter assumed the Sage meant that he should go deeper into the jungle. So, he went deeper than usual and came across a heap of iron ingots. He collected some of them and sold them in the market for cash. Each week the woodcutter went back to that place in the jungle, collected more ingots and sold them in the market. Eventually he became rich.

Each week the woodcutter continued to pay his respects to the Sage on his way into the jungle. As he spent his newfound wealth, his desire for sense pleasures increased. Soon he became bored with his daily routine. He and his wife moved to a wealthy neighborhood, only to find that most of the people there had more money than them. So, one day his wife told him that she wanted them to have more money than their neighbor. Once again, the woodcutter approached the Sage. "For years I have bowed to you and offered my praise. But that has done me no good. Look at my neighbor. He doesn't even have a Guru and he has so much money that he has been made minister in the King’s court. The Sage replied, "My dear child. Go deeper than you have ever gone before and your lifestyle shall change." Again, the woodcutter assumed the sage meant to do deeper into the jungle. When he did so, he found gold. He was now so rich that he became a regular companion of the King.

But, by now, his attachment to worldly pleasures had become so great that his desires knew no end. Being wealthy was not enough. His ego was out of control. He no longer knew his place. Now, he had to be the King himself. He felt that, if he were King, he would become happy and content. The woodcutter continued to visit the Sage, but less and less. Now he went to the ashram once a month. And each time the Sage told him to go deeper, he went deeper and deeper into that jungle. Soon he found diamonds and other precious gems that no one else had acquired. He was now the wealthiest man in the Kingdom, surpassing the King himself. It was only a matter of time before he became the new King.

But his greed had overtaken his judgment. He was so greedy and self-absorbed that no one wanted to be around him. His wife, relatives and friends all left him. He was unhappy. He felt no joy at all in his life. He could not be content and he became a very sick man. Now he only made time to visit the Sage once a year. During one annual visit he fell at the sage’s feet and said, "Today I am a very successful man. But I am miserable. I thought my wealth would bring me peace and happiness. Instead, it has only brought me pain and sorrow. I want permanent peace and happiness. Please help me." The Sage replied, "My good friend, I told you to go deeper. Who stopped you from going all the way? You stopped yourself. When you could become King of the entire Universe, instead you settled for the crumbs offered by one little corner of this world. You worshipped those things that cannot bring you peace or happiness. Surely, if you want permanent peace and happiness, you need to stop looking for those where they are not. For permanent joy, you will have to go deep inside your own being, to that place that is the source of this entire Universe."

Upon hearing these words, the woodcutter realized his folly. He turned away from sense pleasures and worldly pleasures. He gave up his attachment to objects and surrendered his ego entirely to the Sage. Then he went deep within his own being. There he found peace and the permanent joy which is Nityananda (eternal joy).

On this journey of ours, we have to worship God by becoming God. Let us not be distracted by that which is transient and unreal. Let the Grace of the Guru be attained by Gurubhakti, through Devotion, Surrender and Selfless Service to the Acharya, to God, which leads to the merging of one's individual identity into God, into Shiva. Become one with Shiva. The one who is searching for the Truth is also the goal of the search. The seeker, the means of seeking, and the one sought are all one in the same.

The Endless One, The Lord Is Waiting For You, Seva. The Mystical Spiritual Practice, Gurukripa Yoga, The Guru, Japa and Chanting, Tulsi Amma, Lalita Mauli, Lalita Mauli-Part Two.