Message by H. H. Narasimha Swamiji for Guru Poornima on 10th July 1955.

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Message by H. H. Narasimha Swamiji for Guru Poornima on 10th July 1955.

 

The Moon that starts it growth from the New Moon day increases its digits and

grows in splendour, beauty and blissfulness from day to day till it reaches

Full Moon. That is the time? all creature rejoice in its light and Nature even

laughs out hilariously. The Pournima has its importance not merely for the

worldly comforts it imparts but also for its spiritual side. The Moon stands

for the mind; and the fulness of the mind, especially to reach what Mankind

exists for, can only be got with the help of those who reached perfection of

mental strength. The mind practically is the Soul. That is the largest sense of

the term 'mind'; but did not Hamilton say there is nothing great in the world

but man and nothing great in man but mind. For a Soul to attain perfection, it

is hardly possible to depend upon itself alone. Hardly one in a thousand

attains to anything like perfection without a Guru's help. The importance of

the Guru is recogni­sed in every religion, including Hinduism. Every ordinary

pournima is the day for the Guru Worship. But several saints like Sai Baba

insisted on the impor­tance of approaching the Guru on the Guru Pournima day on

which Vyasa started writing the Brahma Sutras. The Full Pournima is also the day

which marks the beginning of the Monsoon roughly. After the Mon­soon sets in, in

a wild forest covered country like ancient India, travel was hazardous, and

Jnanis and Sanyasis who were directed by Sastras to go round from place to

place to obtain their food could hardly venture to cross the fallen trees and

broken paths that they would encounter for approaching even a near village.

During Monsoon time and in parts like Malabar and western range of Hills, the

rains are so frequent and continuous as to dissuade people who want to travel.

For these and similar reasons, hermits, saints, and sadhus were compelled to

stay in one place and depend upon the charity of that place for their

sustenance during the Monsoon. Gratitude is the hallmark of Saints. Their very

presence may be the means of repaying their generous donors. Their very

acceptance of the food of the donors destroys the evil karma of the donors. The

Bhagavtta says:

Bungte Sarvatra Bhoktrunaam

Dahan Prag Uttaraaseubham...

i.e. the Muni like fire devours without fear of being tainted every food offered

by the donors and thereby burns up the evil karma of the donors both past and

future. But apart from this natural and involuntary reaction, there is the

direct desire of the hermits or the saints to benefit those who support them.

These are the Gurus who can impart spiritual benefits and help greatly in

uplifting those who come near them prepared to receive their teaching or

stimulation or unseen influence. Hence it is during the Chaturmasya which

begins with the Guru Purnima that people with the proper frame of mind make

spiritual advance with the help of the Guru. At Shirdi roughly about 1908 this

practice of Guru Pournima was begun. One day Baba told Dada Kelkar, 'You know

this day is the day to approach Gurus. Bring your worship articles.' Then

Kelkar and his friends looked up the calendar and found the day was Guru

Pournima. And on the Guru Pournima day, they began worship of Sai as their Guru

Deva, and that practice has continued from that day upto now for worship of Sai

Deva not only at Shirdi but in all places where Sai is worshipped. The

importance of a particular day for Guru Worship is not enough to note. One must

carry out everything necessary for the success of the celebration. The purpose

of Guru Puja on that day being special illumination, the earnest Bhakta must

observe all rules, forms, and procedure that are best fitted for develop­ment

of spirituality—early bath, purity, reduction of attention to worldly concerns,

abstemious diet, or a careful fast (or phalahara), devotion of every available

minute to contemplation on and immersion in the Guru Deva. Every reading,

parayana, manana, stotra, keertana, Bhajana, Katha etc., that tends to develop

and deepen one's bhakti should be strenuously and scrupulously adopted.

Frivolity, idle gossip, indul­gence in every form of loose and low mentality

should all be shunned. Above all, meditation, preferably in solitude or at

least in holy company under auspicious and favourable circumstance such as

proximity of the Guru Deva, should be developed. If on the Guru Pournima day,

for instance, 30 minutes of intense unbroken concentration on Guru Deva is

achieved, that ought to be maintained or increased during subsequent periods.

The end of concentration is Tanmayatva (becoming that). Thinking of Brahman,

the soul becomes Brahman. In fact we are nothing but our thoughts. The more we

avoid loose and worthless thoughts and confine ourselves to noble thoughts

preferably on the noblest thought of Guru Deva, the more assuredly we shall

achieve the goal of life, namely, our transformation into the likeness of the

Guru Deva. This is the basis of Tukaram's famous sayings that Saints turn their

ardent Bhaktas into their own likeness. Apana Sarika Karitaat Talka!, i.e.

immediately they (Saints) make them (the adorers) like unto themselves. This is

the grandest achievement possible for us, and the Guru Pournima day is the day

when we should not only recall that fact but make every possible effort to help

on that consummation.Sri Sai Baba is ever present and near us and will

assuredly respond to our call.