Hari OM

Pujya Gurudev clearly gives a definition of perfect guru, in his explanation. Professionals like doctors and lawyers must pass examinations and receive some kind of certification. Traditional gurus, however, follow no such conventions. Appearance is certainly not one of those standards. A long beard and orange robes does not make one a guru.

In Mundaka Upanishad, the sage Angiras defines two basic requirements for a guru when he says, "Seek a guru who is a shrotriya, one who knows the scriptures, and who is brahma-nishtha, firmly established in truth." Our scriptures, like the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads, contain the guidance necessary to lead us toward the goal of the journey of spiritual growth. These scriptures could be compared to a road map because they show us where the goal lies as well as the route to be followed. Obviously, a teacher who would offer us spiritual guidance should know those scriptures fully.

But mere scriptural knowledge is not enough. Possession of a road map is not the same as having already traveled the route to the goal. Therefore, in addition to knowing the scriptures, the ideal teacher should also be brahma-nishtha, established in the truth of brahman, the true reality. That is, the ideal teacher is one who is enlightened, who has gained moksha, freedom from bondage. One who has already reached the goal will obviously be the best guide.
With our current imperfections, we cannot on our own identify such a perfect guru. Therefore the instruction is not to seek a guru, but to be well prepared with our sadhanas and surrender to the teachings with Shraddha.

Daily serve his sandals explains that we need to be in touch with the knowledge (consistent and systematic study of the scriptures for a length of time) with faith, devotion and attitude of surrender.

Pranams

Hari OM

Wishing everyone a wonderful, spiritually charged Guru Pournima.

I always wondered why we are told to revere Gurudev's sandals. A very nice explanation given by Shri Murugan-ji. My understanding to this dictate was rather simple and not so in-depth. It is that all the dirt gets stuck to Sandals/Chappals and when we revere such sandals, we have to tell ourselves that we lowly than that dirt, which has got stuck to Gurudev's sandal. We are not yet there even on the sandals, as dirt. This gives humility and ego gets dissolved.

Hari Om. Pranams.

Thanks Muruganji and PadmaPushpaji for your insights on instructions under study which happen to be on Guru. I will post my thoughts in a day or two.

Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda was in Ann Arbor, USA today to celebrate Guru Purnima. I talked to one of the devotees who lives in that area on phone. She saw Him today, got blessings for her study and participated in Guru Paduka Puja. She said Pujya Guruji sang and talked about Prarthana Gitam (composed by Him). Here is the Prarthana Gitam -

Prarthana Gitam
BY PUJYA GURUJI SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA

tvam hi no neta tvam hi no data yatra tvam nayasi tatra gacchamah || 1||
You are our Leader. You are our Provider. Wherever You lead us, there we shall follow.

kapi no chinta kvapi no bhayam yadashraye tava vartamahe sada || 2||
We have no worries . . . we have no fear . . . for we are always under your shelter.

rakshakastvam hi sankae kvapi shikshakastvam hi shobhane pathi || 3||
Indeed, You are our Protector in difficulties. You are our Teacher on the path of goodness.

dehi nah shaktim
buddhim tatha bhaktim darshite marge chalanaya nityam hi || 4||
Grant us strength, wisdom, and devotion to always walk on the path You have shown us.

yadi vismaramastvam tvam na vismara nah balakastava he karunakara prabho || 5||
Should we forget You,You please forget us not. We are Your children, O compassionate Lord!

he prabho! he vibho!! he guro!!!
O omniscient Lord! O omnipresent Lord! O Guru

Prostrations at the feet of Guru !!!

Hari OM. Pranams.

Sorry for the delay in posting this. Last couple of days I was very busy with the Guru Purnima activities.

13. Sadvidvanupasrpyatam - Surrender to a perfect master:

Vivekachudamani says a "perfect master" is the one who is -

- well-versed in the scripture
- sinless
- unafflicted by desires
- a full knower of the Supreme
- who has retired into the Supreme
- who is as calm as the fire that has burnt up its fuel
- who is boundless ocean of mercy that needs no cause for its expression
- who is an intimate friend of those who have surrendered unto him.

Without knowledge of Scripture a Self realized master will not have technique or language to convey it to disciples. He displays great Self control. He has immense riches of well developed heart and irresistable flow of mercy which demands no cause for its manifestation, especially when it descends upon those who have surrendered themselves to him, having reached his feet as 'spiritual refugee'.

Mere book knowledge cannot take us to the Light of Realization because anything we undertake with 'doership' only adds additional feather to the cap of our ego and ego is ignorance. "Shastradnyopi Svatantryena Brahmajnananveshanam na kuryat" (One though versed in the Scriptures, should not search independently after the Knowledge of Brahman.) says Mudakopanishad 1.2.12. Trishanku wanted to go to heaven along with his body so he remained hanging between two lokas forever. Students who keep gaining book knowledge but refuse to surrendered to any master remain hanging in state of limbo like that.

Just like when a woman gets a child, 'Mother' Tattva manifests in her. Similarly surrender of a disciple makes "Guru" Tattva manifest in Self Realized master. Just like woman might be interacting and transacting with others in the world but she is mother only to her child, similarly Self Realized master might be transacting with many people but He pays keen attention, disciplines, grooms and instructs only surrendered ones in silent ways. Just like milk flows through the udder of a cow upon seeing a calf, instructions flow through Him upon seeing a sincere desciple sitting at his feet.

To a child whatever Mother says is 'Pramana'. Child trusts it completely. A big wrestler might be standing next to tiny mother but child trust only mother to protect him. When mother disciplines, child might get angry, but child knows in the depth of his heart, that mother knows my welfare the best, so he obeys keeping aside his ego. Child knows mother and mother knows the child. Their minds are in perfect tune with each other, due to love. Child is totally at the mercy of mother and doesn't have any individuality. Guru disciple relationship is like a mother and a child. Surrender is nothing but becoming "Guru's baby".

Hari Om. Pranams.

14. Pratidinam tatpaduka sevyatam- Daily serve his Sandals:

Guru stands on the solid foundation of Supreme Self. Guru's Sandals represent that Truth. Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda writes in Vivekachudamani -

Upasana of the Guru is not mere servile attendance upon him in the attitude of growing disgust, or in a mood of melancholy dissatisfaction. The disciple, out of sheer love and reverence for the Master, forgets himself and serves him at all times and in all possible ways; thereby the student is made to remember, constantly, the glories and noble qualities of the Master. This constant mental awareness of the Ideal through the person of the Guru slowly and steadily raises the moral tempo and ethical goodness in the neophyte who finds himself well established in his inner purity which would otherwise have taken him painfully long years to develop. This sort of 'love making' with the Guru, not through the heart and its sentiments, but through the intellect and its idealisation, makes the disciple efficient to set himself in unison with the Master which is essential for the student if he is to really benefit by the Master's original ideas, minted in the seer's own inner experiences. When suggestive words of deep import are given out by a Teacher in his moments of inspiration, the student at once understands the Teacher. It is for this reason that Shankara is compelled to declare that as a result of Guru Upasana, the disciple becomes capable of liberating himself from his limitations.

Hari OM. Pranams.

Let's now discuss some practical aspect questions based on these two instructions. Please share your thoughts.

1. What is 'surrender'? In olden days seekers used to approach Guru samitpani (with samidha (Dry faggots) in their hand). What is the significance of that?
2. How can we surrender to Guru without seeking Guru ?
3. What aspects of our current state of living change after we 'surrender' to Guru?
4. What quality will enable us to serve Guru daily and continuously?
5. What would our life look like when we start serving our Guru's sandas daily and continuously.

Hari OM

1. What is 'surrender'? In olden days seekers used to approach Guru samitpani (with samidha (Dry faggots) in their hand). What is the significance of that?
Surrender is giving up the resistance, the ego and the I- ness. I am not sure of the significance of the samidha.
2. How can we surrender to Guru without seeking Guru ?
In our current state of imperfection, we are not well equipped to seek Guru. However, if we develop deep interest in scriptures and prepare ourselves through various sadhanas, our mind will get matured and be receptive to identify the Guru principle and Knowledge of scriptures.
3. What aspects of our current state of living change after we 'surrender' to Guru?
After we surrender our ego to Guru, our ability to assimilate knowledge of truth will get enhanced.
4. What quality will enable us to serve Guru daily and continuously?
Humility and Shraddha will enable us to serve Guru daily and continuously
5. What would our life look like when we start serving our Guru's sandas daily and continuously.
Our ego will get reduced and nullified. Ahamkaram and Ahambhavam will slowly go away. Our ability to grasp the knowledge of Truth will improve.
Pranams

Hari Om. Pranams.

Here are my reflections -

1. What is 'surrender'? In olden days seekers used to approach Guru samitpani (with samidha (Dry faggots) in their hand). What is the significance of that?

Disciple after testing and finding Guru fit for total reverence as "living and speaking God" submits to Him for following faithfully every bit of instruction given out by Teacher in order to get liberated from fire of Samsara. This submission of student at the feet of the Guru is called Surrender.

Samit-panih: Mundaka Upanishad says "Tad-vijnan-artham sa guru-mevabhi-gacchet samit-panih shrotriyam brahma-nishtham" (Let him in order to obtain the Knowledge of the eternal, take sacrificial fuel (Samit) in his hands and approach that preceptor alone who is well versed in the vedas and is established in Brahman).

In olden days, the practice was to carry a bundle of (samit) fuel, or it may be Margosa (Nima) twigs (used for brushing teeth) as a symbol of disciple's readiness to surrender totally to the Master and tune himself through continuous and tireless service. The twigs may symbolise that the disciple is declaring that he has reached the feet of the Guru, after having burnt all his negative impressions, animal tendencies, egoistic vanities and foolish attachment with the sense world.

2. How can we surrender to Guru without seeking Guru ?

A man with burning desires to reach certain destination (liberation) urgently, will seek desperately a guide(Guru), who knows how to get there. A man who is really not sure if he wants to go, a man who is no hurry to go, a man who is happy where he is but casually checking it out out of curiosity will not seek a guide. If we fall in second category then we are not ready yet. The desire to seek will come only upon properly living and examining life and understanding that eternal joy that we are after cannot be gained through any action. Surrender is living life as instructed in the Upanishads and the Bhagawat Gita. All the sadhanas prescribed in sadhana panchakam book are therefore very valuable for us. Following these sadhanas will help us develop Sadhan Chatushtaya (basically purity of mind and single pointedness). As Vairagya (dispassion) grows it will create burning desire for liberation and Guru will come in our life to instruct us.

3. What aspects of our current state of living change after we 'surrender' to Guru?

Outward changes will be many but the most important change will be our mind will be in tune with our Guru's instructions continuously and awareness of Guru's presence will be steady through out all our transactions.

4. What quality will enable us to serve Guru daily and continuously?

Devotion to Guru.

5. What would our life look like when we start serving our Guru's sandas daily and continuously.

Everything in our Life will look like our Guru's sandals to us.

Hari Om. Pranams to All ....

One Announcement -

I will be away for couple of weeks (Aug 7th - Aug 20th) attending Dharma Sevak Course under guidance of and in the blessed company of Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji. Shri Muruganji has graciously accepted to co-ordinate Gita study group and Sadhana Panchakam study group in my absence.

I will be back with you after 20th of August. All the Best and happy discussions !!!

Love and Regards,
Padmaja

Hari OM

Padmajaji, wish you a wonderful time during the Dharma Sevak course and look forward to learning from your rich exposure.

As we have completed the mananam on instructions 13 and 14, let me post the explanation on the instruction 15.
PadmaPushpaji, request you to post the instruction 16, if you have the Sadana Panchakam book. In case you do not have the book, I will post the instruction 16;
Also, let us do our independent reflections on these two instructions and post them.

Pranams

Hari OM

Brahmaikaksaramarthyatam, srutisirovakyam samakarnyatam

15. Worship OM, the Immutable

The Supreme Self, the Timeless Essence, the One Infinite Truth, that expresses as this Universe of names and forms, is indicated in the Vedas by the sound symbol OM. This is not a mere name; OM is not Truth;OM indicates Truth. Your name is not you – Your name indicates you- You are separate from your name. The National flag is not the Nation –the idol indicates the Ideal. Thus OM indicates the State of Consciousness other than our present ego state ( PFT), and the student in Vedanta are advised to worship OM as a symbol of the Self, for their mental “purification”. By chanting, doing japa and by devotedly adoring the OM symbol, our mind gathers its wandering rays of jostling , oscillating world of things, beings and happenings, and mind becomes quiet, vigilant and alert. Such an alert but quiet mind is instrument for steady and deep meditation. Therefore, Sankara insists that Vedantic students would do well if daily they would worship OM, the Immutable.

Pranams

Hari OM

16. Listen, in depth, the Upanishadic declarations:

The Upanishads contain the entire mystic knowledge of the Hindus, the Subjective - Science of the Self, the Life. "Hear" the Upanishads directly from a teacher giving discourses upon them and indirectly by our attentive study, and we can gain a superficial knowledge- a mere work meaning of the statements. But the Rishies are trying to point out by these chosen sacred words a State in yourself which is to be explored and experienced by each of us all by ourselves. This discovery of our own " Spring of Consciousness" in ourselves can happen only when our minds ride upon the Upanishadic statements and we learn to glide into the Timeless, the Supreme State of Consciousness Divine. The cardinal declarations in the Upanishads are vehicles upon which mind can take off into the world of contemplation and learn to land safely upon the fields of the infinite.

Pranams

Hari Om. Pranams.

Muruganji, Padmapushpaji...let's reflect and write our thoughts on instructions 15 and 16.

Hari OM. Pranams.

My reflections on Instruction 15.

15. Worship OM, the Immutable

OM is A U M. When we open our mouth the first sound that comes is A and when we close our mouth the last sound that comes is M. Between them all the sounds that we can possibly utter like U are encompassed. All perceptions, feelings and thoughts in three states of experiences (waking, dream and deep sleep) that any language can ever express can be summed up in A U M. We use words to indicate objects, forms, shapes, characteristics of this Jagat. What is perceived becomes words in our understanding. Essence of Jagat is Brahman. Essence of all words that indicate Jagat is OM. When we say 'Ram' form of Ram comes to our mind. Similarly when we chant OM, when we worship OM, when we absorb our mind in AUM it gains purity, single pointedness. Transcending words it glides into silence. Shedding names and forms it finds essence of names and forms, which is Supreme Self. Hence worshipping OM is a very potent sadhana.

Mandukya Upanishad says - Om-iti-etad-aksharam-idagam sarvam, tasyopavyakhyanam bhutam bhavad bhavishyaditi sarvam-omkara eva. Yaccanyat trikalatitam tadapi omkara eva. The whole universe is the syllable Om. Following is the exposition of Om. Everything that was, is, or will be is, in truth Om. All else which transcends time, space, and causation is also Om.

Since OM is infinite, OM is immutable.

Hari Om. Pranams.

16. Listen, in depth, the Upanishadic declarations:

Upanishads give in our hand a golden key to escape the prison of ignorance born bondage which makes us take births after births of misery. Due to not knowing our true nature to be infinite we search for happiness outside. In process of this search we incorrectly conclude the happiness to be in certain objects, people and states of experiences. By repeating those experiences we erect prison of vasanas and get trapped in it. Upanishads tells us 'Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya, Jivo Brahmaiva Na Parah'.

Just like a cow eats grass, digests it and feeds its essence (milk) to her calf with great love, Guru delivers the cream of Upanishads according to the need and capacity of disciples sitting in front of him. Therefore, "Hearing" the teaching first hand from Guru is many times more effective than reading it ourself. It is important that our attentive focus should be on listening not only to words of Guru but their subtle imports. Pujya Guruji in one of his discourses said "You may call it Realization or you may call it Experience or Knowledge or infinite bliss...all those words are insufficient to convey what Truth really is. All those words are incorrect only". By tuning our mind to Guru's mind, we have to lift our vision in the direction Guru points to. Taking those words of Guru as God we have to contemplate single pointedly on their import in order to discover Truth within us.

Hari OM
Reflections on instructions 15 and 16.

Worship OM, the immutable.

OM is a beautiful one syllable word. As Padmajaji explained, the one sound that represents all the sounds produced by the letters “ a – u – m” is OM. The totality of the physical world as the waker, the thought world as the dreamer and the un manifest world as the sleeper is “ a – u – m”. This is you, the world and God, all in one. In the kathopanishad it is said, tat te padam sangrahena bravimi OM iti etat. The Gayatri mantra starts with the word OM, the immutable.

How do we worship OM. We can worship OM by chanting OM and performing japa yoga with full commitment.

Chanting a mantra helps us gain a certain insight into our mind. While chanting we generally use our mind and thus the chanting reveals the ways of the mind. When we begin chanting a mantra, we discover that our mind is distracted often from the intended activity, because mind is used to mechanical thinking, where one thought leads to another thought and yet another and so on.

However, when I give my mind an occupation, like chanting a given mantra for a few minutes, I have made a commitment to myself as to what my next thought will be unlike in mechanical thinking. Once I have made a commitment, distractions due to mechanical thinking becomes clearly evident and I can deliberately bring it back to the mantra OM and its significance. By this way, we can worship OM.

Listen in depth the Upanishadic declarations.

Listening in depth means it is not a causal listening like listening to a film song. It should be systematic, consistent for a length of time step by step like building a home from foundation, basement, plinth, walls, roof slabing etc. Gnanayoga consists of Sravanam, mananam and nidityasanam and Bagavan Adisankara advises us to follow this path to assimilate and digest the knowledge of the Upanishads which explains the essential nature of us, the world and God and the relationship among all these.

Pranams

Hari Om. Pranams.

Thanks Muruganji for sharing your insights. I think the most important ingredient in listening to scripture is faith and devotion to the Teacher. Also, in what fashion, from whom and in what environment we gain knowledge is also important because our state of mind varies accordingly. If our mind is peaceful, focused and full of purity then more absorption of knowledge takes place. If we have devotion and faith in Teacher from whom we are hearing knowledge, then instant absorption takes place.

I actually asked a question to Pujya Guruji on this subject. Sharing here His answer as I understsood it.

I asked him, 'there are various ways to attain knowledge. What is the difference between them? e.g. one can attain knowledge by online courses, listening to CDs, lectures, going to camps or attaining one or two year Vedanta Courses'. He said 'listening to CDs is 10 times more effective than online studying and attending classes in person is 10 time more effective than listening to CDs'. On that I asked 'what is the difference between gaining knowledge by attending regular classes at local centres and coming to spiritual camps like these'. He said 'coming to spiritual camp is 10 times more effective because you dont' have to worry about cooking and going to work. You can focus better in camp'. I then asked, 'which is better, attending camp each year or doing one/two year Vedanta course?' On that He said 'Do both and then compare !'

Hari OM Padmajaji

Nice to read about your interesting conversation with Pujya Guruji. It is quite true that a direct contact with a living Guru is important to gain the wisdom of vedanta. We can ask doubts, get clarifications and also share his experiences in the path to gaining the gnanam. He can also assess our progress and prescribe suitable methods to progress faster.

Mahatmas who are not in their physical body can provide inspiration and we can worship them, but a direct contact with a living Guru will certainly help to achieve right progress.

I sincerely wish and pray that i get an opportunity to attend the two year program and various camps, although so far i have not been able to attend any camp other than short lecture series or gnana yagnas/satsangs. You mentioned about one year program. Is it some thing new, how does it differ from the two year vedanta program.

Pranams

Hari Om. Pranams.

The only way to do it is by 'making time' by making it a priority in life. e.g. if we were sick or some unexpected situation comes in our life, then that takes precedence over everything else and we create time for it though we have no time. It is something like that. This is not a forced situation like sickness but out of our higher call we make a resolve to do it. I remember first time when I went to Dharma Sevak Course, my manager didn't approve any vacation so I went there on weekend only. The camp was for 2 weeks. I met Pujya Guruji there (that was the first time I was seeing Him) so I asked Him for His blessings. He asked me "How long are you here for?" I said "I am leaving tomorrow." He said loudly "Then what is the use?... What is the use if you are leaving tomorrow !!!" After that I decided to attend that camp every year full 2 weeks (unless Pujya Guruji Himself tells me otherwise). I save all my vacation for going to that camp. There were times when I had to take leave for something else, then I took leave without pay to go to camp or sometimes I took negative vacation but somehow it works out.

Yes, one year vedanta course is something new that started in past few years in some regional centres. I know one course like that in marathi language happened in Kolhapur, I think chennai has one Tamil course, Trinidad/Tobago had one year vedanta course in English. Piercy California has one going on right now. Dharma Sevak Course that I went to, was basically the first two weeks of that one year Vedanta course in Piercy.

I think even if we can attend one spiritual camp a year that is good. It pulls us out of worldly life and makes us focus inwards. I just aim to do that right now.

Hari OM
Thank you Padmajaji. I will try to attend some of these programs in the near future. As you rightly mentioned, atleast one training program in a year will certainly help.
Pranams