“When the Shishya is ready the Guru appears” says scriptures.

At times we hope of having a Guru so that our spiritual journey will be easy to tread with his guidance and blessings. There is a need for a Guru who can clear our doubts on Universe, Reality, Truth, and so on. One may wonder why ignorance cannot be dispelled by just reading religious scriptures. The scriptures are like a dense forest with unclear passages. These passages look contradictory and may have obscure meanings, diverse connotation, and concealed explanations with cross-references. Guru can explain the right meaning by removing doubts and ambiguities. Thus the essence of the scriptures unfolds for us. Guru is one who is versed in the scriptures, sinless, untouched by desire and experiencer of Brahman, who has united himself with Brahman. He is calm, like fire that has consumed its fuel with a boundless reservoir of mercy that knows no reason, and a friend of all.

The Jignasattva (desirous of knowing) of the Shishya and the Jnana (Knowledge) of the Guru combine to make a vibrant, progressive society. An athlete’s natural gift and skill acquire direction under the expertise of the coach. A musician’s talent is sharpened by the dedication of the mentor. In the spiritual path it is the enlightenment of the Guru that removes the ignorance in the mind of the seeker.

The Guru-Shishya tradition is accorded paramount importance in our culture. Guru occupies the same pedestal given to Absolute. Spiritual growth is possible only with the grace of a Guru who is a Brahmajnani (established in the state of Realisation) and also has the teaching skills to impart the subtle spiritual concepts. Rare is the person who meets with these stringent qualifications. Yet my motherland has been blessed with outstanding Gurus who have appeared in every generation to keep this unique tradition alive. It is to this singular endowment that we pay our respects. And as a mark of gratitude we offer ourselves as Gurudakshina and pledge to continue the tradition for generations to come. For this total surrender to the Guru is one of the foremost qualifications of a Shishya. This does not imply blind following instead, a Shishya questions, probes and analyses the truths taught so as to understand, absorb and transform his personality to the higher realm. Finally Seva Manobhava (Attitude of Servitude) is implanted by the Guru to the Shishya as the hallmark of Jnana Purnattva (Perfection of Knowledge).

Today is Guru Purnima or Vyasa Purnima. Many confuse this day to be the appearance day of Vyasadeva which is not true. It is on this day Vyasadeva divided the original single Veda into four parts called Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. It is difficult to access the Veda and its contents were difficult to understand. Therefore Vyasadeva collated eighteen chief Puranas to bring out the message of Vedas within the popular reach. Then the essence of those Puranas was conceived as the Jaya or Bharata which was later swelled into the great Mahabharata which contains the famous popular philosophical guide Bhagavad Gita. It is the story of his own progeny playing out the great real life drama of the conflict between Dharma and Adharma. Hence Vyasadeva is considered as Maha Vishnu (Vyasaaya Vishnu Rupaaya). It is said that all the knowledge in the world has been wetted by Vyasadeva’s mouth (Vyaasochhistam Jagat Sarvam). He is the Guru par excellence. I bow to Him on this day of Guru Purnima….!