137 – Who is the Guru

The Guru Stotram say:

Gururbrahma gururvishnuh gururdevo maheshvarah.

Guru is Brahma, guru is Vishnu and guru is Shiva.

Guru is Brahman because he creates for his disciple a new and wondrous world; he is Vishnu because he sustains and protects him; he is Shiva because he annihilates the world of individuality. All great saints have stressed the importance of a guru. In the Ramayana it is said that no one can cross the ocean of samskara without the guru’s help even if he is Brahma or Shiva.

Who is the guru? Swami Satyanananda Saraswati said that Guru is both the teacher and the being who dwells in the disciple’s heart. As a teacher he can teach and as the resident in the heart he guides the disciple through the process himself. The disciple learns from the guru to surrender himself and then through sadhana, one’s faith becomes strong, and pure and he sees God. The Guru enables us to change our philosophy of life. We are engaged in the pursuit of pleasure and pain. In a yogic life style it is stated that satisfying one’s senses leads to creation of discontent.

These experiences have a beginning and an end, and therefore they are not permanent. We have to go beyond this limitation and have to understand why the universe was created and we are all a part of it. This awareness leads to detachment and no expectations. Whether we are materialistic or spiritual we will experience these upheavals. The disciple is able to bear the difficulties with no rancor or distress.

Cut the roots of avidya

A devotee is not always happy. Avidya, ignorance, causes darkness. Darkness causes fear. Fear causes confusion. Confusion causes creation of objects. Objects cause craving. Craving cause indulgence. Indulgence causes samaskaras. Samaskaras cause birth and death and again rebirth. These three cause unhappiness and unrest in the depth of the soul. In order to be really at peace, one has to cut at the very roots of avidya by absolute surrender of the ego first to the guru and the guru leads one to God.

Aim Hrim Klim

 

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