Posts Tagged With: My Yoga Journey
Why is Guru considered God? How can you tell if a Guru is real or not + More questions about Guru.
Dear Spiritual Seekers,
I receive various questions about Guru, especially from people who feel uncertain about the path or have left. I have spoken about this subject a lot in the past, but lately, I have been reluctant to talk about it as my views have changed with my evolving spirituality. But, seeing the increasing need for it, I am sharing some of my views in this post. However, my views can change again,
When you believe in the ever and omnipresence of God, the whole journey becomes a Divine truth.
ਆਦਿ ਸਚੁ ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਚੁ॥ ਹੈ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹੋਸੀ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ॥
” Whatever happened in the past was the truth of the past, what’s happening today is the truth of today, and whatever happens in the future will be the truth of tomorrow.” Guru Nanak Dev.
Om represents God, Chant Om daily to communicate with God.
Why Is Guru considered God?
Can you please talk about the Guru Brahma – Guru Visnu Shloka?
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुः साक्षात् परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ॥
The Shloka means I honor and bow down to my Guru, the highest God. This devotional and sacred Shloka is very popular and is chanted in honor of teachers and Gurus.
It is believed by many that the Great Adi Shankaracharya wrote this Shloka to honor His Guru.
Hindu culture and religion are rich in devotional and emotional sentiments expressed by gratefulness, humbleness, and glorification. If you help someone in India, they may say you are like their God. A guest is considered God. The mother, father, and children are regarded as images of God. Many animals, mountains, rivers, books, etc. are worshiped as Gods. A husband is also considered the highest God (Pati-Parmeshwar), and so on.
Such emotional sentiments should be seen only as someone’s sentiments, and not be judged, interpreted, understood, or taken at face value. A lover tells her beloved that she is the most beautiful lady in the world. This is a lovely sentiment arising out of love. It’s the lover’s truth at that moment. It can change and will fall apart if you try to find truth in it.
When you take such sentiments at face value, they can be exploited, misused, and abused. In India, the sentiment that a husband is the highest God has been one of the major contributors to male superiority and domestic abuse and violence. Similarly, the Guru Shloka can also be misused.
If a sacred sentiment, like the Guru Shloka, resonates with you, honor it. If not, don’t try to question, understand, prove, or disprove it.
I chant this shloka sometimes to express my gratitude to all who have inspired, guided, helped, or taught me; They are my God-sent Gurus. The help that comes to you when needed is Guru-Tattva, one of the Divine Principles.
Bow down to all with your heart as all is God.
How can you tell if a Guru is real?
The answer depends on your definition of a real Guru. My relationship with my Gurus has been of oneness. I never judged my Gurus to be real or not.
Over the past few decades, interest in spirituality has grown tremendously and it has become increasingly commercialized. There are no criteria or qualifications that one has to meet to become a Guru. Anyone can declare themselves a Guru and give themselves any title. No one can challenge their titles or take them away. Due to the fame, respect, power, and money the Gurus receive, the number of Gurus has increased significantly. Many Gurus and their foundations with millions of followers have become very powerful and super wealthy. Many Gurus are serving time in jail because of various scandals. Still, many of their followers believe them to be real Gurus, worship them in jail, and protest outside the jail for their release.
Many years ago, a Guruji visited Canada and stayed at our house for 2-3 days. Later, one of his disciples became a very popular Guru with millions of followers worldwide. A few years back, I met Guruji again in India and told him that it was so nice that one of his disciples had become so popular and that he must be very proud of him. But, to my surprise, Guruji had nothing good to say about him and called him a fraud. A Guru adored by millions was considered a fraud by his own Guru. How can you tell the reality?
According to Hindu Religion, there have been only ten incarnations of God from time immemorial. But if you believe the current followers, hundreds of incarnations of God are present today. True or not, I don’t know.
If a Guru resonates with you and helps you achieve your spiritual goals, then he/she may be the real Guru for you. Therefore, having real spiritual goals with goalposts is essential to measure your progress. Emotional attachment, feverishness, or craving for blessings weaken your ability to gauge your progress, decline, or stagnation.
I don’t have the capacity or interest to judge who is a real Guru. I may not follow them but I honor them all as they all have Godly Consciousness.
I receive in abundance from my family and students. There are God-sent Guru-Tattva for me.
Is Guru the goal or a means to reach the goal?
Many years ago, a Swami Ji from Vrindavan used to visit Canada frequently, and every time, he would stay at our house for a few days. We used to call him Baba Ji. He was well-educated, a devotee, a wanderer, and a free thinker. We discussed spirituality a lot and always differed on one subject. According to him, Guru’s role was to direct followers to God and not toward himself as Guru was not the goal. But, for me, Guru was the goal. For many years, my two Gurus, one after the other, meant everything to me. They were my world and my God. I was emotionally attached to them and believed I had reached my goal. So, I used to argue a lot with Baba Ji. But later, my views aligned with Baba Ji’s as my emotions began to subside and my spirituality expanded.
Many great Sages of the past sang the glories of their Gurus, but their goal was God.
In one of His experiences of Godly Consciousness, the Great Adi Shankaracharya expresses that He is neither a disciple nor a Guru; Instead, He is pure Consciousness. This may seem contradictory to the Guru Shloka, but I see both as truths of two different times.
Every spiritual journey is unique. Whether you see your Guru as the goal or the means to reach your goal is up to you. Within the vastness of Consciousness, all such questions and answers seem insignificant. You can plan, but you will reach when and where you are meant to.
A flower expresses its Godly presence with its color, beauty, and fragrance. How do you express it?
You have the choice.
Is it necessary for a seeker to have a living Guru?
I have always believed in God but never aspired to seek God or have a Guru until one day when it happened. I am glad I had the opportunity to experience Gurus’ love and receive their guidance. I remain ever grateful for it. I believe the Divine help ( Guru-Tattva) comes to you when you need it or when the time comes.
Different books have different views on the necessity of having a Guru, but not specifically about having a living Guru, which could be considered an extra blessing.
According to the Guru Gita, you must have a Guru. There is no other way.
The Yogasara Upnishad instructs you to learn yoga under a Guru, but it doesn’t elaborate further.
Sage Patanjali, one of the greatest yoga Masters, doesn’t talk about the necessity of a Guru. According to Him, one must honor Ishwara ( God) as He is the Guru of all Gurus.
Honoring Ishwara is one of the fundamental principles of Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
The Bhagavad Gita shows two ways: If your goal is to learn Truth, learn it under the guidance of a learned Saint with reverence. But if your goal is to achieve Oneness with God, devotion toward God is the way.
Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, didn’t have a Guru, but millions around the globe honor Him as their first Guru.
In Sikhism, the Holy Scripture Guru Granth Sahib, which contains the teachings of many great Gurus, is regarded as the last and eternal Guru of Sikhs.
So, the answer varies. The answer that takes you to your destination is the right answer for you. But it can change. Don’t be afraid of changes. Welcome them. They are an essential part of your journey.
Spirituality is an unknown journey about unknown Truth and God. External sources such as Gurus, teachers, books, etc., seem the obvious and appealing choices for guiding your journey.
However, if the external sources don’t quench your thirst or your journey becomes a struggle, turn to your inner Guide. The Godly Consciousness present in you is always there to guide you. Without wanting to know God, turn to His silent presence within you with love and devotion. With time, your knowings will shrink to the smallest, and you will immerse in God without knowing God, just as the fish live in the Ocean without knowing the Ocean.
No matter what you do, include God in it.
Hari Om.