Ramana Maharshi

[Guest guest]

Questioner: You have elsewhere stated that without the grace of the

Sad-guru (Enlightened Teacher) one cannot get at the Self. What

precisely do you mean by this? What is this Guru?

 

Bhagavan: From the standpoint of the path of knowledge it is the

supreme state of the Self, which is the Sad-guru. It is different

from the ego-self, which you call your self.

 

Questioner: Then if it is the supreme state of my own self, in what

sense do you mean that I cannot reach it without the grace of the

Sad-guru (Enlightened Teacher)?

 

Bhagavan: The ego-self is the Jiva (individual). It is different

from the Lord of all (God, the Absolute). When through disinterested

devotion the Jiva approaches the Lord, He graciously assumes name

and form and takes the Jiva into Himself. Therefore, they say the

Guru is none other than the Lord. He is a human embodiment of the

Divine Grace. The real Guru is God himself (in human form). Who can

doubt this?