What is the true gift to the guru, do you know?

[Guest guest]

What is the true gift to the guru, do you know? The gift to the guru is this:

that truth which the guru has given, to wake up that truth, to exalt it.

Repeating the mantra (and in that word mantra is the word "heart" or "mind"),

elevating the mind, removing the impurities of the heart, making the heart and

mind pure, keeping one’s faith in the practice which has been handed down by

the guru—in all this is the gift the disciple gives. If one attains to that

truth, no need for any other thing on this earth will remain. If you see that

truth, there is no more desire to see any other thing. If you hear that truth

in your ear, then there is no more desire to hear anything else.

To the sincere and faithful devotee the invisible God does also manifest himself

in visible forms. Once there was a thief, a robber. He used to work always at

his banditry. And he would drink wine. And whatever unholy and indecent acts he

felt the urge to do, he would do. But one day, taking the mantra from his guru,

he asked his guru, "When will I attain to God?"

"That day that you take a bath in the Ganges," said his guru, "on that day you

will get the vision of God, you will have liberation."

The robber would daily go about his stealing. How many unholy murders he would

commit, how many robberies! One day he suddenly remembered, "My guru said that

if I take a bath in the Ganges, I will gain liberation, I will get the vision

of God! This very day I am going for a bath in the Ganges."

He called all his relatives and neighbors and the villagers around to watch and

he went for a bath in the Ganges. He dived into the water, and coming up he

said, "My guru told me that if I bathe in the Ganges I will get the vision of

Bhagavan, I will have liberation." But taking his bath in the Ganges, he did

not have liberation, he didn’t get the vision of God. But this thief, this

murderer, did not lose faith in his guru’s word.

He said, "What my guru said, that is certainly the truth. Therefore this river

is not the Ganges! So be it.

The Lord and creator of the Ganges is Narayan. So I will go and ask Narayan."

All of his friends and family laughed at him and clapped their hands: "How ridiculous!"

But the thief said, "No! My guru said it. My guru’s word can never be a lie! My

guru said that if a take a bath in the Ganges, I will get the vision of God, I

will have liberation. So look! This is not the Ganges! The creator of the

Ganges is Narayan, so I am going off to ask Narayan!" And off he went,

traveling without food, going without sleep.

But Narayan could not wait for him. He came on ahead. Standing before that

killer, that robber, Narayan inquired, "Baba, where are you going?"

"I am going to Vaikunta. I am going to ask Narayan, ‘Is this the Ganges or not?’

My guru’s word cannot possibly be a lie."

Then Narayan said, "Baba, you don’t have to go to Vaikunta. This is the Ganges!"

"Then why am I not liberated?"

"You are liberated, Baba!"

Then what? All of a sudden, in front of the thief, instead of an old man he saw:

Shangkha chakra, gada paneDvarika NilayachitoGovinda PundarikkaRakkamang sharanagoto.

"Oh thief, you have kept faith in your guru’s word! Look! God with conch, wheel,

mace and lotus! These four things in four hands. White color, yellow dress,

flower garland around the neck!"Narayan thus gave him darshan, and immediately

the thief attained liberation. "Gurur Brahma Gurur VishnuGurur Devoh

Maheshwar;Gurur Shakshat ParambramhaTashmai Shri Gurur Veh Namah"May the

Merciful Sri Sai Baba always shower His grace on us and our families and remove

our problems and anxieties by giving us all - strength , goodluck, success and

happiness with peace of mind.Sai bhakt,Deepa Hdebu7366

Start your day with - make it your home page