The Endless One. An Offering and Tribute to Sri Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri.

THE GURU

Who Is the Guru?

Who is the Guru? When we say Guru, Acharya, Siddha, Teacher, Master, who or what are we referring to? And why is a Guru necessary?

In a talk given by Swami Muktananda in 1974, he said; "There are lots of modern intellectuals who raise doubts about the validity of needing a Guru and they ask, ‘What is the point of having a Guru?’ The question was put to me. I said, ‘Look, if you feel sick, you need a doctor; if you want to build a house well, you need an architect or contractor; if you want to get a haircut, you need a hairdresser, and if you want to have your clothes washed for you, you need a launderer. Now why should you have any objection to the Guru? You turn to all these different guides to answer your different needs. Well, the Guru also answers a certain need which is very deep."

Still, this question, "Who is the Guru?" often represents a dilemma for seekers on the spiritual path (and, rightly so with Guru wanna-bees standing on every other corner). Even those disciples of a true Siddha lose sight of who the Guru really is. Then there are those entrusted with managing and growing the Master’s organization so that more people can be reached with the teachings that they themselves have experienced transformation by following. In their zealousness and enthusiasm, they often seek to build a path that promotes celebrity-type worship, rather than worship of the Guru-principle at work through the Master.

Then there is the practical issue of the senses. The poor senses know how to do nothing else except worship objects and become attached to them. By God’s will, this is all that the senses are entrusted to do. They cannot fathom any other work. In the developmental stages of one’s sadhana, the function of the senses works in favor of the disciple. By focusing one’s senses on the Guru as an object of worship, the senses are turned back inside the disciple. Then they are tamed and placed under the control of Spanda Shakti, as the disciple’s identification with this Shakti increases.

But then, out of a natural and understandable enthusiasm for the path and the Guru, the disciple focuses his senses on the physical form of the Guru and often becomes infatuated with this physical form. Because infatuation is a limitation that is part of the illusion of Shiva’s Maya, this infatuation will ultimately lead to fictitious notions and ideas that will create more limiting concepts about the Master, in the disciple’s mind. Infatuation, and the attachment to the physical form that is fueled by the senses, leads to desire, craving and the projection of the disciple’s own limitations on to the Guru. In this way, the student loses sight of who the Master really is.

This is a dilemma that we all face in sadhana under the guidance of the Guru. We focus our senses on the Master, we meditate on his form in order to draw his Shakti power to us, and then we also become entangled in the limitation of attachment to his physical form. The only way to rise above this conflict is to remember who the Guru really is.

In the Gurukripa Yoga of Bhagawan Nityananda, when we say Guru, Acharya, Master, Siddha or Sadguru, we are referring to the same thing; the Shakti power, the Grace-bestowing power of God that is transmitted through the Teacher. So, the Guru is not any particular person. The Master is not the physical form of the Teacher, but the power at work through the Guru that can cause a spiritual awakening within the student and pierce the student’s chakras. Once this transmission of power occurs through Shaktipat, this power itself becomes your Guru.

The Guru has stored this power over many years of spiritual practice under the guidance of his/her own Master. The Guru has also made sacrifices in his quality of life and sacrifices in what he is willing to experience, in order to nurture the growth of this Grace-bestowing power inside his being. For example, in order for the Guru to have the ability to continue to give Shaktipat, he must spend a lot of time in complete solitude, in order to keep this Shakti power full inside himself. This means that the Master sacrifices social relationships and social events in order to maintain this solitude. Disciples and family members sometimes don’t make the effort to understand this.

The Guru appears to be an ordinary man or woman. He appears to behave like you and me. But, on close observation, when you have a direct experience of the Guru's grace, then you realize that the Guru is very different from us and other priests or monks we may meet. The Guru is often referred to as Mother. He is the infinite manifestation of Prem (unconditional love). Prem is not like the love you are familiar with, where needs and wants are bartered back and forth through petty infatuation and desire. Prem has no beginning or end. Prem has no reason for its existence and no motive either. It has no expectation. It is pure Love. The Guru is the embodiment of this Prem. He/she is the infinite manifestation of forgiveness (Shama) and the infinite manifestation of strength (Shakti). He is the destroyer of ignorance, the destroyer of sorrow (dukhaharini), the destroyer of emnity (vairharini), the destroyer of illusion (mayaharini or Shiva's maya) and the destroyer of sin (papanashini). The Guru is the cause of auspicious happenings (mangalkarani) and the giver of salvation (mokshadayani).

A Guru Is One Who Is Liberated

How do you recognize a Guru? Bhagawan Nityananda used to say, "When a person claims to be a Guru or Acharya, you should ask him "Can you show me God with Shanka (conch), Charka (discus) and Gadha (mace)?** Only if he can do that is he a Guru." Now what does this mean? It means only one who is a God-Realized man or woman can be Guru and the Guru alone can make you aware of God. The great Saint Swami Vivekananda once asked his Guru Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, "Have you seen God?" To this Ramakrishna replied, "Yes, but even more intensely than how I see you." Unless and until a person experiences God in this way, how can he lead you to God?

** The conch, discus and mace are weapons that represent Lord Shiva's divine Astras or powers.

The Guru Is Worriless

Bhagawan Nityananda used to say, "Fhakir hai to Phikhir nahi, Phikhir hai to Fhakir nahi." If he is a monk (a Siddha or perfected being), he is free from worries. If he is full of worries, he is not a monk.

A Story

A missionary priest was traveling on a train in the VIP compartment. This priest represented a very large Church. He had a large following. Many of the priest's assistants and parishioners came to say goodbye to him before the train left the station.

Now, a bearded monk was also seated in the VIP compartment. This monk was poor. He wore a simple white cotton cloth around him. The priest looked at this monk with disdain due to the way the monk was dressed. It was obvious to the priest that the monk was poor and he was certain that this monk had been seated in the wrong compartment. The monk had a beautiful smile and was at ease and at peace with himself. In contrast, the priest was well-dressed and sophisticated in his appearance. But the priest was worried. What was this poorly-dressed monk doing in the VIP compartment!?

This monk had thousands of disciples who also came to say goodbye to him before the train left the station. While the priest's parishioners were leaving the compartment, the monk's disciples came one-by one. Each bowed low to the monk and left offerings of various kinds at his feet. These disciples were both rich and poor. The parishioners visiting with the priest were elite and snobbish.

Soon the VIP compartment was full of gifts like gold, fruit, clothes and large amounts of money, all left by the monk's disciples. The monk accepted these gifts with humility and without attachment or concern. The priest, who had initially looked at monk with disdain for his poverty, now looked at him with curiosity and envy.

Soon the train left the station. At each station stop, more and more disciples came to pay their respects to monk. More gifts were left at the monk's feet inside the VIP compartment. Now the priest became even more worried and fearful. "What if these gifts get mixed in with my luggage and belongings and then this monk makes off with all my things!?" The priest then carefully put all his belongings in a suitcase and tied the suitcase to his bed with a chain. He then locked the chain to the bed with a lock. Just as the priest did this, the monk stepped off the train and began distributing the gifts he had been given to the poor and needy. At each station stop, the monk continued to give away all he had been given.

The priest became very curious. He said to the monk, "You are no better than a beggar. How come you have so many people visiting you and offering you gifts? I am a priest of one of the largest churches in this country and I have an international following. I had far fewer visitors than you. Yet you possess nothing. I worry about you stealing my belongings. And yet you give away every gift that is given to you, keeping nothing for yourself. What's your game?" The monk gave him a smile and kept silent. The train then stopped at a small station. There was no one in the station to greet the monk or the priest. The monk suggested to the priest that they should get out and stretch their legs while the train was stopped for 10 minutes. The priest found the monk to be enchanting, so he agreed to exit the train to walk with the monk.

The monk began walking a good distance from the train. The priest followed. Soon they heard the first warning whistle from the train. The priest suggested that they should return to their coach. He was concerned about losing his belongings if the train were to leave without them. The monk said there was still more time before the train left the station. Them he reminded the priest that he had many more items to lose than the priest, referring to the gifts still left in the VIP compartment. He then took the priest further away from the train. Then the final warning whistle came and the train started moving slowly. The priest was worried and and became impatient with the monk. "The train is going to leave without us. Let's get back." But the monk insisted that the train was moving so slowly that there was still time for them to catch the train and board it. No sooner than the monk said this, the train picked up speed and left the station. The priest chased the train on foot, screaming for it to stop and cursing the monk.

The monk just laughed and laughed. The priest was infuriated at the monk's laughter. He had just lost all his belongings and he wanted someone to pay. Although the monk had lost quite a bit more than the priest, the monk was calm and undisturbed in the least. He then put his hands on the shoulder of the priest and said, "Brother, although I am a simple beggar, people love and respect me even more than you. This is so because I have everything but I possess nothing. You, on the other hand, have nothing but you possess everything. I do not have your worries because I know that everything belongs to God and He takes care of me by His will, not my own. I have nothing to lose or gain."

A Personal Sharing From Gopalkrishna Shenoy

The Guru should be a manifestation of Karuna (Karunamayi). The Guru is like the holy Mother, full of Compassion. Those who were close to Bhagawan Nityananda saw this quality ever present in him. He was like a mother, full of Love and Compassion. You could bask in his warmth. Love was just flowing from Him. Even today, if you visit his samadhi shrine and look at his Murti (statue), you will find great vibrations of love touching you. When you stand in front of his statue at his Kanhangad Ashram at dawn, or in front of the samadhi shrine of Janananda Swami at dusk, there is an intense calm and peace that you are immediately overcome with.

When I was young, I remember how Baba used to change in his appearance. Early each morning at 4 am he took a dip in the hot springs. After doing so, he looked like the very manifestation of Spanda Shakti. We could sense power flowing from him. As the sun climbed the sky, he manifested himself as a fatherly figure. He was strict and firm. He counseled some people and, with others, he was silent. At this time, his eyes were half-closed and there was a degree of seriousness about him. As the sun moved toward the West, he would change again. Through the ashram wall the orange sunlight used to fall on him and there was twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face. The orange light of the setting sun used to flutter on his body. As the day cooled with the sunset, his warmth increased. It's as if he had absorbed the entire sun into his own being. At this time, he manifested as the Mother. In that silence you could hear the birds flying back home, some cowherd playing a flute, the bells around the necks of bulls ringing, and people singing evening Bhajans (devotional songs) and chants.

Bhagawan Nityananda was the very manifestation of Love. At night, he was full of jokes and laughter. He used to tell stories from incidents in his life. He would describe places and their importance, talk history, discuss world news and share jokes. He did this until it was so dark that you could not tell if there was somebody close enough to you to poke your eyes. At night it got cold and my teeth used to chatter. The night was so beautiful. The trees were covered with beautiful fire flies, lighting up the place as if it were Christmas. During these satsangs with Baba, one could take liberty to ask any question of him. He had a strong voice and hearty laugh. He used to laugh a lot. When another day began and the sun started to rise, he transformed himself into a great wave of Shakti once again.

Bhagawan Nityananda is considered to be the Guru of Gurus. Those relatively few who had the opportunity to spend extended periods of time in his company, experienced his tremendous Love and Compassion and were blessed. Some of these people include Sitaram Shenoy, Mahadev Hegde, Baburao Khade, Devrai Pai, Raghunath Shenoy, Sadanand Swami (Padiyar), Lokhandwala Babubhai, Gajanan Mhatre, and Vidyadha Patil. As we continue this journey of Gurukripa and Gurubhakti, we will have a chance to experience their stories. They were all great devotees of Bhagawan Nityananda and they have left us great Prasad in form of their experiences. When we distribute this Prasad to more and more people, Bhagawan Nityananda's Grace becomes available to all. It's like a great Bhandara where blessed food is distributed to all after chanting to the Lord. This is what the hearing of these experiences is like.

We pray to Bhagawan Nityananada that all those who join us on this journey of Gurukripa Yoga may succeed in finding their right Guru or Acharya so that, in the words of the great Sage Narada, they can be carried to God; just as the chanting of God's name and the sharing of these experiences through our Good Company, attracks the Grace nececssary for God-Realization.

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.

Photo Credit: M.D. Suvarna.

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