15 July 2011 – Guru Purnima Dedication
A Realized Jnaani Guru is like a mother, father and relative. The Guru is nothing but that Ultimate Truth, the Self. If you are a devotee, the Guru is your God, if you are the body the Guru is that individual Self. If you are a droplet the Guru is your Ocean. If you are the imagined mind, the Guru is your origin the Supreme Self.
Gukaaraschaandhakaaro Hi Rukaarasteyja Uchyatey Agjnaana Graasakam Brahma Gurureyva Na Samshayah [44]
Gukaaro Bhavarogah Syat Rukaarastannirodhakrut Bhavarogaratvaachcha Gururityabhidheeyatey [45]
Gukaarashcha Gunaateeto Roopaateeto Rukaarakah Gunaroopa Viheenatvaan Gururityabhidheeyatey [46]
Gukaarah Prathamo Varno Maayaadi Guna Bhaasakah Rukaarosti Param Brahma Maayaa Braanti Vimochanam [47]
Meaning: “‘Gu’ denotes darkness the letter ‘Ru‘ denotes the remover of darkness.Parabrahman who is capable of swallowing up ignorance is certainly the Guru. ‘Gu‘ also means the disease of birth and death, ‘Ru‘ means destroyer of births and deaths. On account of the power of destroying the disease of births and deaths, such teacher is known by the significant name ‘Guru‘. ‘Gu‘ denotes that Guru is above the three gunas (sattva,rajas, tamas), and ‘Ru‘ denotes that Guru is beyond forms. That is why He is known as Guru. ‘Gu‘ denotes the one who creates and makes manifest maya (illusion) and gunas. ‘Ru‘ is Parabrahman that removes both mayaand delusion.”
Shri Babaji’s comments:
Shloka 44 tells the meaning of Guru as the one who dispels the darkness and brings light in to your life. Darkness is always compared to ignorance. An ignorant person in this world is like a person walking in pitch darkness, totally blind. Sometimes ignorance is bliss to, but it can be so disastrous and dangerous, you can fall and hurt yourself or could be harming others. A person who does not have the wisdom of thinking pros and cons can be working and acting in this world dangerously to others and one’s own self. That is how ignorance is compared to darkness. Guru destroys this ignorance and gives the light of knowledge and wisdom. People have asked me the question why I always try to place wisdom with the mention of knowledge. In my experience and opinion knowledge only can be disastrous. Like if you have a weapon, how to fire it is knowledge, but when to fire is wisdom, without both it can be dangerous. The Guru and the right company give this wisdom. That is why I feel, along with knowledge, wisdom is also necessary. We see in the legendary and history stories, some demon conquerors and rulers have behaved very dangerously with innocent civilians particularly; they had knowledge of weapons and power but did not have consideration and wisdom.
Shloka 45 tells the meaning of Guru as ‘Gu’ as diseases of birth and death. Birth and death are considered as diseases because they can be the cause of sufferings and unhappiness, fear and confusion, though birth is celebrated happily and death usually with awful fear. The moment you are born, death is inevitable, like death sentence. Throughout your life you are on death row, any moment a death call might come. Throughout life one looks for happiness and peace. When one looks back after a certain age, it appears so elusive. Always there can be an insecure feeling and struggle for existence and fight for secure existence. That is why it is known as disease. ‘Ru’ means destroyer of the disease of birth and death by guiding you to your real existence that is Eternal, it destroys the ignorance about self identity and graces upon one to regain awareness of the immortality of the Self.
In shloka 46 ‘Gu’ means above the three gunas. Three gunas means the temperament of the mind is in three forms, like the good, the bad and the ugly. Guru, as He is a Realized Soul who would have abandoned all cravings of mind, is settled effortlessly into the Self that is the Eternal Ultimate Truth of Existence. That is why Guru would not have any such ideas of good, bad and ugly about anything. For such Guru Jnaani only one single pure Self exists.’Ru‘ means the Guru is beyond all forms. Actually, a Realized Soul, the Guru is beyond forms and formlessness. There is no judgment of existence. Just like you can say a room is filled with space or a room is void with space, whatever your mind imagines it appears so to you. If there is no imagination, one simply experiences the existence of that Supreme Peace.
Shloka 47 talks of ‘Gu‘ meaning creator of illusion by imagination. When consciousness imagines, what comes out is known for us as mind. When mind imagines illusion occurs. Meaning whatever mind imagines, it (the mind) forgets that the imagined thing is appearing to that mind because of its own imagination. Again ‘Ru‘ which is pure Self and Parabrahmanwithdrawing this mind and illusion. That is the real Guru. The Divine Ultimate Truth is the real Guru which creates the illusion for sake of play and withdraws it if the mind prays with devotion considering Parabrahman as the Ultimate Truth, the Self. Then by showering Grace upon the mind all illusion disappears and awareness of Self happens. Supreme Peace is experienced.
(extracted from Guru Charanaambujam)
May the Divine Guru bless you all on this auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima
Love and Blessings
Babaji
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