Guru God

Aum Sairam

Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwara, Gurur Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmai Shri Guruve Namaha! Guru is verily the Representative of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He creates, sustains knowledge and destroys the weeds of ignorance. A Guru has to take on all the three functions of the trinity - Creation [of good qualities], Sustenance [of higher nature] and Destruction [of negative qualities].

The true meaning of Guru is "One who dispels darkness of Ignorance". "GU" means" Darkness of Ignorance" and "RU" means "One who removes". The word Guru also means "One who is beyond Attributes and Forms". GU stands for Gunateetha - One who transcends the three Gunas [Satwa, Rajas and Tamas] RU stands for Rupavarjitha - One who is formless. The One who is beyond all attributes and forms is none other than the Supreme Self who is resident within each of us.

There are several instances where Great Avatars like Shree Ram and Shree Krishna, who had to submit themselves to their Gurus, Vasishta and Sandipani respectively, for getting self- realization and that the only virtues necessary for such progress are Faith and Patience. The Guru-Shishya Parampara honors the teacher as God and promotes reverence for Vidya [knowledge]. It inculcates humility in the student and respect and gratitude in him for the dispenser of knowledge. Other noble virtues like discipline, dedication, sense of duty, sacrifice and compassion also evolve with the Guru's help. He shows the Path of Enlightenment to seekers.

In Shri Sai Satcharitra a seeker asks Sri Sai Baba: "Where to go?" Sri Sai Baba replies "High up". The seeker then asks "How to go there?" Sri Sai Baba answers: "Take a guide; he will take you straight to your destination, avoiding wolves, tigers and ditches etc. on the way. If there be no guide, there is the danger of your being lost in the jungles or falling into ditches." In Sri Sai Baba's words, No Sadhanas, nor Proficiency in the six Shastras, are necessary.

Have faith and confidence in your Guru. Believe fully, that Guru is the sole Actor or Doer. Blessed is he who knows the greatness of his Guru and thinks him to be HariHara and Brahma [Trimurti] Incarnate. [Shri Sai Satcharitra Ch18/19] Sri Sainath also urged that bookish knowledge is worthless and added, "Let us do our prescribed duty and surrender our Body, Mind and Five Pranas [Life] to the Guru's feet. Guru is God, all pervading. To get this conviction, strong unbounded Faith is necessary." [Shri Sai Satcharitra Ch 32] Neither the senses, nor the mind and intellect reach the Self. Modes of proof, such as Perception and Inference will not help us in the matter. It is the grace of the Guru that counts. The objects of our life such as Dharma, Artha and Kama are attainable with our effort, but the fourth object, Moksha [Liberation] can only be had with the help of the Guru.

Having experienced that Sri Sadguru Sainath is our Guru God; we should develop undiluted devotion with unshakable Faith in Him with utmost Patience. Let us purify our hearts to let the Divine dwell in it. Let us install God, our Sadguru in our hearts.

Allah Malik