Spiritual Guidance
He loves all beings as his own Self. He is endowed with dispassion and mercy. He speaks the truth and serves all. He ever meditates on the Lord. He sings the glory of the Lord. He has divine knowledge. He is fearless and generous. He never begs, but gives. He is majestic and lordly. Such a one is rare in the whole world. He is not easily found. He is not born everywhere.
Love is the very breath of a saint. Mercy is his very nature. His heart overflows with compassion. He does not look to the faults of others. He returns good for evil and blesses those who curse him. The heart of a sage is a flame of love and his whole being thirsts for the uplift of suffering humanity. He forgets himself utterly and lives but for the sake of others.
A saint sees the whole world as the projection of his own soul. A sage sees unity in diversity. He becomes one with the whole world. A sage is a youth amongst the youth, aged amongst the old, brave amongst the brave, a child amongst children. He feels the pain and suffering among sufferers.
The Life of a Saint
The life of a saint is plain, simple, and attractive. It is full of grace. It is methodical. He is untouched by the changes of the world. No external happening can shake him off his balance. He is centered in his own Atman or Absolute Consciousness.
A sage is desire-less and so he is ever happy. A king possesses everything and so he is happy. But, the happiness of a sage is infinite, because he lives in his own Atman, the ocean of Brahmic Bliss. The happiness of a liberated sage is not sensual pleasure. It is Aatmic Self-bliss.
He enjoys the whole world simultaneously as the Self of all objects. His happiness is not in time. It is transcendental bliss. A sage alone is really wealthy. A sage has awakened from the dream of life. He enjoys eternal bliss. To a sage of illumination, the entire world surrenders.
A Sage need not be genius
The sage moves among men, but he is unseen by all men; he is taken by them as an ordinary man. Only a sage can know a sage. He will sometimes appear like a Sarvajna, an all knower. He will sometimes appear like an Adjani, an ignorant man. He knows when to act like a Brahma-nishtha and when to behave like a fool. Do not judge him.
If you approach him with the proper Bhava, with faith, devotion and spiritual thirst, he will impart the highest knowledge to you. If you approach him with a bad motive, he will behave like a madman and you will be deceived. Great will be your loss then. A Brahma-jnani or liberated sage need not be a genius. He need not be an eloquent speaker, orator, lecturer or professor. But, he is calm, serene, and tranquil. He is taciturn and silent.
His silence is superior eloquence. He has equanimity and balanced mind. He has equal vision. He has Samata and Sama-drishti. He is a Mouni, Maha Mouni, and Muni. He has divine wisdom and intuitive knowledge. In his presence, all doubts are cleared.
Sages differ in their conduct
Knowledge is the same in all sages, but their conduct is different. Sri Vasishtha was a Karma-kandi; he did Havans and sacrifices. Raja Janaka was a Bhogi; he ruled his dominion; he enjoyed regal pleasures.
Shri Dattatreya was a wanderer; he was an Avadhuta, a naked Fakir. Kakabhusundhi was a Yogi. Some even marry. Sages like Dattatreya and Jadabharata roam about happily. They have neither rooms nor clothing. All dualities have become extinct. They cannot work for the well-being of the world like Raja Janaka and Sri Sankara. But, their mere presence elevates people. The other type of sage is the benevolent sage - like Raja Janaka and Shri Sankara - who works for the solidarity of the world. He has compassion for all. He writes books, conducts classes, establishes Mutts or Ashrams. You may ask: "Which of the two kinds is superior ?". The answer is: "Both are on the same level".
A Sage is not Selfish
Ignorant people say, "A sage is attempting for his own Self-realization. He is extremely selfish. He is of no use to society". This is a serious mistake. A sage is the most benevolent superman. He is extremely kind and compassionate.
He elevates at once all persons who come in contact with him. Further, he does Shakti-sanchar through his Divya-Drishti. He finds out the deserving aspirants and raises them up through Sankalpa Shakti, even while remaining in a cave or Kutir in the distant Himalayas. A Jnani is not a selfish man as worldly men think. His spiritual vibrations purify the world. His very life is exemplary and elevating. He gives hope and encouragement to others to tread the spiritual path.
He is the only real lover of mankind. He feels the presence of God in everyone. A Jnani only does real selfless service as he feels the presence of God in all beings. He is the real altruist and humanitarian.
You cannot apply the worldly yardstick to measure the greatness of the saints. Do not superimpose defects on them on account of your evil eye. You cannot judge their merits. Brahma-nishtha are like fire.
They can consume anything. Their very touch purifies everything. They are beyond good and bad; they are themselves the supreme good. Do not imitate their actions. Their actions are strange and mysterious.
They are beyond your intellect. If you commit theft and say, "Did not Krishna steal butter ?", you will be hopelessly ruined. Krishna lifted up the Govardhana Hill with His little finger. Can you lift even a big stone with all your strength ? Follow the Upadesa of saints and Mahapurushas; you will attain Brahma-Jnana here and now.
How to benefit by company of saints
To benefit from the company of saints, you have to prepare yourself first. Do not go with any preconceived notion or prejudice. Go with an open, receptive mind. Go without expectations. Approach them humbly and respectfully. Assimilate what appeals to you. If some of their teachings do not appeal to you, do not form a hasty opinion. If you do not like them, you need not take them to heart.
What may be suitable to another may not be suitable to you. Yet, with regard to broad fundamentals, there can be no difference of opinion. When you go before a sage, do not ask him questions out of mere inquisitiveness. Sit in his presence humbly. Observe him. Listen to him without prejudice. Ask him only such questions about which you really need clarifications. Ask him only pertinent questions. Do not draw him into politics or public bickering.
Meditate in the presence of a sage. You will get inner light which will clear your doubts.
For a beginner in the spiritual path, a Guru is necessary. To light a candle, you need a burning candle. Even an illumined soul alone can enlighten another soul. Some do meditation for some years independently.
Only the man who has already been to Badrinath will be able to tell you the road. In the case of the spiritual path, it is still more difficult to find your way. The mind will mislead you very often. The Guru will be able to remove pitfalls and obstacles, and lead you along the right path. He will tell you: "This road leads you to Moksha (liberation); this one leads to bondage".
The scriptures are like a forest. There are ambiguous passages. There are passages which are apparently contradictory. There are passages which have esoteric meanings, diverse significance, and hidden explanations. There are cross-references.
A Sadguru is absolutely necessary for every aspirant in the spiritual path. It is the only one who will find out your defects. The nature of egoism is such that you will not be able to find out your own defects. Just as a man cannot see his back, so also he cannot see his own errors. He must live under a Sadguru for the eradication of his evil qualities and defects. The aspirant who is under the guidance of a Master or Guru is safe from being led astray. Satang or association with the Guru is an armor and fortress to guard you against all temptations and unfavorable forces of the material world.
All the sages, saints, prophets, world- teachers, incarnations, great men, have had their own Gurus, however great they might have been. Svetaketu learnt the nature of Truth from Uddalaka, Maitreyi from Yajnavalkya, Bhrigu from Varuna, Narada from Sanatkumara, Nachiketas from Yama, Indra from Prajapati; and several others humbly went to wise ones, observed strict Brahmacharya, practiced rigorous discipline, and learnt Brahma-vidya (the science of God) from them. Lord Krishna sat at the feet of his Guru Sandeepani. Lord Rama had Guru Vasishtha who gave him Up Desha (spiritual advice). Lord Jesus sought John to be baptised by him on the banks of the river Jordan. Even Devas (celestial beings) have Brihaspati as their Guru. Even the greatest among the divine beings sat at the feet of Guru Dakshinamurti.
A neophyte must have a personal Guru first. He cannot have God as Guru to begin with. He must have a pure mind. He must have ethical perfection. He, must be intensely virtuous. He must be above body-consciousness. Then alone can he have God as Guru.
If you find peace in the presence of a Mahatma (great soul), if you are inspired by his speeches, if he is able to clear your doubts, if he is free from greed, anger and lust, if he is selfless and loving then you can take him as your Sadguru.
He who is able to clear your doubts, he who is sympathetic in your Sadhana, he who does not disturb your beliefs but helps you from wherever you are, he in whose very presence you feel spiritually elevated then he is your Guru. Once you choose Your Guru, implicitly follow him. God will guide you through the Guru.
Do not dig here and there shallow pits for getting water. The pits will dry up soon. Dig a very deep pit in one place. Centralize all your efforts for digging the well. You will get fresh water throughout the year. In the same way try to imbibe thoroughly the spiritual teachings from one preceptor (Guru) alone. Drink deep from one Guru. Sit at his feet for some years.
There is no use of wandering from one Guru to another Guru, out of curiosity and losing faith in a short time. Do not have the ever-changing mind.. Follow the spiritual instructions of one Guru only. If you go to several people and follow the instructions of many persons, you will be bewildered and misguided. You will be in a dilemma. From a doctor, you get a prescription. From two doctors, you get consultation. From three doctors, you get your own cremation. Likewise if you have many Gurus, you will be bewildered. You will be at loss and will not know what to do. One Guru will tell you to chant "Soham", another will tell you to chant "Shri Ram? and the next one will tell you to chant something else. This will make you puzzled.
So stick to one Guru and follow his instructions. Listen to all but follow one. Respect all but adore one. Gather knowledge from all but adopt the teachings of one Master. Then you will have rapid spiritual progress.
Guru Parampara
Spiritual knowledge is a matter of Guru-parampara (traditions). It is handed over from Guru to disciple. Totapuri imparted knowledge to Shri Ramakrishna and Ramakrishna to Swami Vivekananda. It was Ashtavakra who moulded the life of Raja Janaka. It was Gorakhnath who shaped the spiritual destiny of Raja Bharatri. It was Lord Krishna who made Arjuna and Uddhava to get themselves established in the spiritual path when their minds were in an unsettled state.
Gaudapadacharya imparted Self-knowledge to his disciple Govindacharya; Govindacharya in turn to his disciple Shankaracharya; Shankaracharya to his disciple Suresvaracharya. Machhindranath imparted knowledge to his disciple Gorakhnath; Gorakhnath to Nivrittinath; Nivrittinath to Jnanadeva.
Vishwatmak Gurudev Jangli Maharaj from Pune too imparted self-knowledge to his beloved disciple "His Holiness Param Pujya Vishwatmak Gurudev (Babaji)". He followed the same footprints as told to him by his master. There was no difference left between disciple and Gurudev (Master).
Babaji further carried on the work of his Sadguru and gave the universal and divine message that "God lives in our Heart and is attained through meditation". He strongly believes in "Work is Workship". Babaji further established many ashrams at various places. Ashram means to come and perform the necessary and positive work at a particular pious place. This work may be intellectual, spiritual or physical.
Sadhana (Meditation) with right attitude
Every one has to do his own Sadhana. Sadguru will direct him and make him aware of all the pitfalls on the path but he cannot do Sadhana for the disciple. This Sadhana should be done with proper Bhava (attitude). If the service is done with Bhava (Narayana Bhava) towards the sick and the afflicted, it would be first class Sadhana.
But if the same service is done without that Bhava it brings almost no result. With this consideration one who wants to tread the path of Sadhana should become a true disciple and proceed step by step on the path with the determination not to step back.
Remember again, two things, Bhava and Shraddha (confidence and faith) are essential for any progress.
Believe oneself to be the sandals of` the Guru. There should be the real faith from the bottom of the heart and one should behave accordingly. By being saturated with this faith, one gets some satisfaction that one is at the lotus feet of Sadguru, or rather has been given an opportunity to protect his feet.
In being in his shoes one learns the most important quality of humbleness and gets over the evil of ego. This ego is the greatest hindrance to progress in any path and more so in the spiritual path.
In similar way, one must guard oneself from that subtle ego that one is a prominent disciple of Om Gurudev. In this process the disciple shall cultivate humbleness and eradicate ego. When one thinks that he is well-established in this stage, then would begin the second stage.
Believe oneself to be the stick that Babaji holds in his hand. This stick does not do anything by itself. It only does the thing that is done by the hands of Babaji. In the same way, cultivate the faith that one is the only an instrument in the hands of Babaji.
Keep fit so that the Sadguru can use you as his instrument. If this faith gets established then the pride of "Doer ship" i.e. "I did this," "I am doing this" or "I will be doing this" will vanish. The knife is cutting but cannot say that it is operating. It is the surgeon who operates, the knife being the instrument.
One must become a sharp knife in the hands of the Master Surgeon (Sadguru). He will do the finest operation of our "ego." Because of this faith of being the stick one may have the satisfaction of being of some service to him and one shall have the privilege of becoming happy.
Believe to be the pen with which he is writing. One must write about him and for him. It is not the pen that is writing but the hand which holds the pen. Pen is only the instrument. It writes what the mind dictates.
One must surrender the mind to Gurudev and only write what the Master Mind dictates to the pen, oneself. His mind shall be the ruling mind. One should have no independent existence, i.e., complete surrender to Sadguru.
If one's glasses are dirty, one cannot see properly. In the same way, by being Sadguru's glasses let us clean the dirt in ourselves first. This will make one quite pure. One must feel that his X-rays eyes would see the slightest dirt in ourselves and therefore the necessity of self-cleansing. It is not the glasses that see but the eyes. Glasses are only an aid. If one is Gurudev's glasses one must see things as he sees. One must adjust one's vision according to his.
In this Bhava one is in Gurudev's company for the greater part of the time as the glasses are in use for a long time and by this time one has raised oneself to that stage as to be in Sattvic mood for the greater period than in the beginning.
If one has passed through all these stages with proper Bhava, one may consider oneself to be the "upper cloth" for Gurudev and be always nearer to his heart. When one reaches nearer to Gurudev's heart, I think life's Sadhana is over. It is at this stage that Gurudev's real blessings will grace us. Let us be prepared to earn this now, in this very life only.
Realization cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru. Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done Sadhana. Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to develop Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (practice). He did not say to him, "I will give you Mukti (liberation) now". Therefore, abandon the wrong notion that your Guru will give you Samadhi and Mukti. Strive, purify, meditate, and realize. Guru-krupa grace of a Guru is very necessary. That does not mean that the disciple should sit idle. He must do rigid Purushartha, spiritual practices. The whole work must be done by the student.
Nowadays, people want a drop of water from the Kamandalu (water-pot) of a Sannyasin and desire to enter into Samadhi immediately. They are not prepared to undergo any Sadhana for purification and Self-realization. They want a magic pill to push them into Samadhi. If you have got such delusion, give it up immediately. The Guru and the Shastras can show you the path and remove your doubts. Anubhava (direct experience) of the Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive knowledge is left for your own experience.
A hungry man will have to eat for himself. He who has a severe itching will have to scratch for himself. No doubt, the Guru's blessing can do everything. But how can one have his blessings? By pleasing the Sadguru. He can only be pleased with his disciple if the latter carries out his spiritual instructions implicitly. Carefully follow, therefore the instructions of the Sadguru. Act up to his instructions. Then only will you deserve his blessings, and then alone his blessings can do everything.
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