Trust in the SatGuru alone

[Guest guest]

" Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and ~without a doubt~ you shall be

united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.  The person whose mind is

always free from attachment, who has subdued the mind and senses, and who is

free from desires, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from Karma through

renunciation.  Governing sense, mind and intellect, intent on liberation, free

from desire, fear and anger, the sage is forever free. " ~ BG

 

One should NEVER argue with one's Guru.  That is true faith.  Faith is not

loudly proclaiming your love for Guru.  He knows who really loves him and who is

uttering empty words.  Someone who truly loves their Guru, is too busily

absorbed in the love of the Guru, to reflect and say " I love my Guru " .  Hanuman

never once said " I love Rama "   for any reason.  He never sang any great songs. 

He was a sanskrit scholar, yet he never wrote any great compositions (or long

emails).  Even the Ramayana that he wrote was thrown into the Indian Ocean by

Him so that the world would be able to see and appreciate the works of Valmiki

(another devotee of Rama).  Such was Hanuman's devotion - that the works of

another Rama bhaktha were holier than any consideration he had for himself.  By

Valmiki's own admission, Hanuman's version of the Ramayana was incomparably

better.  Hanuman's love was not loudly proclaimed, nor written on any stones,

nor discussed in

groups.  It was written on his face, and in his heart.  Usually, people who

proclaim things loudly, are the first people to desert their proclamations in

times of trouble, when things do not run in their favor.  Today we argue with

Guru as a matter of course; but can you imagine Hanuman ever telling Rama that

he doesn't know what he is talking about?  " You are just a man, if you do this,

your reputation will be destroyed, don't do this Rama, trust me, I've advised

even kings like Sugriva and Vali, I know what i'm talking about, and besides i'm

your disciple, you should listen to your disciples. "   If Hanuman felt that

Rama's reputation was going to be affected, He didn't stop Rama from doing what

He wanted to do, instead Hanuman took the stance that He himself would pay the

price for Rama's actions (any disgrace would thus be Hanuman's not Rama's), to

save Rama's reputation.  That was Hanuman's level of bhakthi.  He surrendered

himself so that

Rama would be well.  He did not argue with Rama and tell him " No, but you don't

see the whole picture... just trust me, i'll take care of it " No.  Hanuman did

what Rama asked, even if it meant he had to pay the price for following Rama's

instructions.  Such was Rama's love for his own Guru, Vishwamitra. 

When Vishvamitra asked Rama to sentence Yayathi (rama's ardent follower) to

death, for a misunderstanding that took place at Vishwamitra's ashrama, Rama

didn't argue with Vishwamitra.  Without knowing that Rama had sentenced Yayathi

to his death, Hanuman saw Yayathi in need of some help, and without even

thinking (such is his devotion to Rama), he said " I will never let a bhaktha of

Rama come to any harm, I promise you, on Rama's name, that I will protect you

from whatever trouble you may be in. "   When Yayathi told Hanuman his trouble,

Hanuman's heart nearly collapsed.  He found out that his promise has landed him

directly opposing Rama's

orders.  But his faith in Rama's name was so great, that he said, " I don't care

what happens to me, but Rama's reputation is at stake, so I will follow through

on my promise to protect Yayathi, even if it means Rama should kill me first. "  

That is bhakthi.  In today's world, we get together and tell Guru what he needs

to do to please the people and to grow the organization.  That is our sad state.

 

Looking back, who argued with their Guru's?  Individuals such as Kaikeyi,

Dasharatha, Duryodhana, and the blind king Dhritharashtra.  Why was Drithrashtra

blind in the Mahabharata?  He represents that blind ignorance that refuses to

listen to good counsel (Guru Vaakyam) and follows attachment (to Son, to

Kingdom, etc.) without consideration.  Gandhari, his wife, the pativratha that

she was, blinded herself and followed her husband blindly, and at the end of the

Mahabharata war, yelled at Krishna that " You know everything, you could have

averted all of this, yet you did not... "   But when the opportunities presented

themselves, Drithrashtra didn't avert the war, he continually supported his

blind logic, rather than accept good counsel from those around him.  At the very

least, one should recognize one's mistakes, and surrenderingly, humbly pray to

SatGuru " Please help me! I will listen to you without question. "   ...Even after

everything was said

and done, Gandhari did not acknowledge her mistake, and commit to following

Lord Krishna's advice.  Though well intentioned, Kaikeyi argued with Vishwamitra

that she has also fought in battles along side with her husband, and has been

noted for her own valour.  Yet, neither Kaikeyi nor Dasharatha understood that

Vishwamitra's request was not some game nor an act of desperation.  Vishwamitra

if he desired, could have easily vanquished the demons that plagued the Yagna. 

He was reserving that honor for Rama, so that Rama's fame would grow.  Without

understanding this, Dasharatha and Kaikeyi, with emotions, and pleading, argue

wtih Vishwamitra that Rama is only a child, ...if all you need is someone for

Yaga-rakshana (protection of the Yagna) then we are more capable.  They didn't

understand that Vishwamitra didn't come begging for their help.  Vishwamitra is

a Brahmarishi - one who had the power to create a completely separate universe

when the

present universe did not suffice.  They didn't understand that Vishwamitra was

in fact doing all this for the benefit of Rama.  So, like all common people do,

they argued, thinking that they " knew better " than the Guru.  Afterall, he's a

mendicant, a beggar who goes around doing yagna's (fire sacrifices), and he

wasn't a " family man " so he couldn't possibly understand the responsibilities

and problems associated with a family life.  That was their way of thinking.  If

it wasn't for the good counsel and timely words of Sage Vasishta, Dasharatha and

Kaikeyi would have defaulted on their promise to Vishwamitra to give him

anything he liked.   In fact, when Vishwamitra entered the palace, first thing

Dasharatha did was to yell at the servant (yeverakkada?! whoever is there?!) get

the appropriate puja articles for receiving Sage Vishwamitra.  Then he loudly

proclaims, " just by your feet touching the ground of our palace, our lives are

fulfilled. "  

... yet when it came time to backup his words, he said " Sage... I cannot do

what you ask... i'm sorry. "   What happened to all the devotion he was showing

less than 5 minutes earlier?  Neither of them understood that Vishwamitra's

request was for Rama's own good, and that Rama was under the protection of

Vishwamitra.  They thought that they knew better.  Duryodhana wasn't 100% bad

(no one is), but what was his greatest problem?  His ego, anger, jealousy, and

pride.  He refused to listen to the good counsel of wise elders such as Bhishma,

Drona, and the ministers and sages of the court who supported the Pandavas.  He

refused to reason with his enemies.  He did everything " from the gut " .  In his

haste, he decimated a once prosperous kingdom.  His anger blinded him.  He

teaches us that even when we are angry, we should always take the time to step

back and see if our anger is justified.  If it is in our best interests. 

Children get mad at

their parents often, and sometimes in a blind fit of anger, do something that

is rebellious just to spite their parents.  It takes maturity and presence of

mind (something Duryodhana lacked) to put aside the anger for a moment, and see

if the anger makes sense, or if it is undeserved.  Duryodhana's hatred for the

pandavas, blinded him to his own (and his people's) highest good.  What was

Arjuna's greatness?  It was that he, without fail, listened and trusted the

words of His chosen SatGuru, Sri Krishna, ~without fail~.  Of course, when

Abhimanyu was vanquished, he too started to doubt and take jabs at Krishna.  In

the entire story, nothing is really that extraordinary about Arjuna, except for

the fact that when given a choice between a tactical advantage gained by having

Krishna's army, and Krishna himself, ...he chose his Guru, Sri Krishna, trusting

that wherever Krishna was, was all victory and auspiciousness.  That was his

secret to all his

success.  When draupadi had nearly lost everything, she threw her hands up

finally and said " Krishna, I surrender to you, if you will save, ok, if you

don't save, ok... but I have surrendered everything, even my dignity and my hope

of saving myself. "   Then, Krishna shows up and keeps adding more and more to her

sari, as Dushasana (the debt collector) keeps stripping her of her sari (her

bare necessities - " dharma, artha, kama, moskha " ), until he was exhausted and

fell over.  No one could help draupadi in that instance, not even her 5

husbands, not the elders, not the various sages and ministers, and not even the

king himself lifted a finger to save her.  Krishna waited until she stopped all

her fidgeting, her arguing with him, and her attempts to " do her part " .  She

simply folded her hands in prayer and let go.  In that moment, she recognized

Krishna as the supreme lord, who does everything and is responsible for

everything.  In that moment,

Krishna quickly rushed to save her.

 

Whatever the SatGuru says is Law.  Whatever the SatGuru wishes, should be done

without question.  One may be a PhD, an MD, or a Masters in something, a great

organizer, a senior committee member, or they may be the president of the

country itself ...but the SatGuru has degrees (of freedom) that they do not

have, to do what you cannot or are unable to do.  One shouldn't make a big drama

or show about their relationship with Guru.  If Guru tells something, we should

step back and see how we react, and rectify ourselves if it is not appropriate. 

That is how we learn about ourselves.  We should not be so arrogant as to say

" What does he know? "   You can call your boss an idiot in your mind, you can say

that he doesn't know what he is talking about, you can say he is missing facts,

....but you can never say that about your SatGuru.  As far as the sishya

(student) is concerned, SatGuru is the universe.  He knows everything that he

needs to know, and

that if he said something, even before he (apparently) knew all the facts, his

words should be respected without question or without consideration for

" changing circumstance. "   Today, we adjust for this and that until finally,

SatGuru himself changes his mind and his words.  This is wrong.  Very wrong. 

Within the larger organization and mission of Sri Swamiji, devotees take upon

themselves various tasks assigned to them by SatGuru.  In that process, they

develop arrogance and begin to think within themselves that they are the doers. 

They are helping Swamiji.  They are responsible for the completion of the task,

etc.  They have a right to work, not to the fruits of those works (ownership or

authority over works).  Some people even go so far as to think within themselves

" I know better than Swamiji, I am here on the ground doing it, ...he doesn't

know unless I report what I am doing. "   or they think to themselves " We must

adjust for the

people, ...Swamiji told us to do it this way, but he doesn't know the full

situation, i'm sure he would adjust if he knew what we know. "   In their

foolishness, people don't realize they are committing mistakes in this way.  Not

only individuals, but entire committees make such mistakes.  Later they fail to

understand why they are in trouble.  If SatGuru utters even one word to you in

your lifetime, you should meditate on His words as Guru Vaak (mantra).  Even if

he says " Chi! " that is a mantra.  If Swamiji gets mad at someone, it is not for

show, it is not for ego, it is not for games; He is doing it to correct you.  He

knows what is best for you, individually as well as group-wise (entire

organization).  Sometimes people will try to debate with Swamiji " But Swamiji...

" ...the moment they say " But Swamiji " they have lost.  There is no " Ifs, Ands,

or Buts " when it comes to Guru Vaakya. 

 

In ancient times one should look at the example of Ekalavya to see the level of

devotion they had for their Guru.  They understood the value of the Guru. 

Without Guru, there is no way one can progress in life.  The mentor is all

important in one's progress.  Geniuses are lost because they didn't have a

mentor to support them.  There are many people who are born into unfortunate

circumstances (e.g., the ghetto) and by some chance they happen to find a

special mentor who brings out their talent and makes them great.  Such people

owe everything to their mentor.  So, you may have talent, but without a proper

Mentor, your talent is a waste.  So, the Guru is more important than life itself

for them - without a Guru, one has no life.  In the story of Ekalavya, his Guru

asks for his thumb as a fee (Guru dakshina), and Ekalavya without even a second

thought cuts his thumb off and submits it as Guru dakshina.  He didn't waste

time thinking " ...but my

Guru is under the negative influence of Arjuna's false logic and his jealousy,

if I can just wake him up to this fact, he will not ask me for my thumb "   He

simply did what the Guru asked without questioning even the Guru's competence in

asking for such a dakshina (fee).

 

Today we are constantly challenging the Guru.  This is a very common problem,

Why? Because this is how we behave in our normal lives with our uncles,

brothers, relatives, and our co-workers.  However, you should know that is not

the way to behave with your SatGuru.  His voice, His word, His actions are

pregnant with meaning.  His breath is the very cause of the universe.  It is

your duty to find out what is the meaning behind his statements, however short

or simple they may be.  You should know WHY Swamiji has said something (or at

the very least say OK Swamiji, I don't understand, but I will blindly do what

you told me).  You should start with assuming that whatever He has said is (a)

right (b) has meaning and © is for your own good.  This is faith.  Go ahead

and ask him, talk to him, etc. but if he says something, listen like your life

depends on it.  If you treat his words like they are a dime a dozen, then you

are not listening.

 

Lot of people go around saying " I love my Guru "   " Swamiji is so compassionate "

" Swamiji is so winderful " " Swamiji is so beautiful " ...but when the time comes

to DO what is asked without question, they suddenly start to doubt, start to

question, start to apply logic.  Logic should be applied in your daily sadhana,

but not in following the orders of the Guru.  Guru is beyond logic.  He is

beyond reason and rationale.  He may be the embodiment of dharma itself, but

dharma is His servant.  He is in complete control over it.  If He behaves

(apparently) adharmically that is His right (He is the creator of law, its

wielder, and its juror), but for the sake of the world He behaves in a dharmic

manner.  He is the origin, source, and finality of all Dharmas, Shastras, and

Vedas. 

 

Read the bhavagatam and absorb the lessons, you will understand Guru Tattva. 

You don't have to know high sounding sanskrit words.  You have to think and

reflect about common sense things and every day situations.  Sadhana is not

about running to some cave and chanting Om when life is good.  It is your life. 

Devotion of all of one's actions, one's thoughts, and one's life to SatGuru is

not an easy thing, but if SatGuru is all that matters, it is the easiest thing. 

While this is a high standard, and perhaps we are unable to live up to it, it

serves as the beacon and the standard by which we should measure ourselves in

all situations and circumstances. 

 

Donating money or time or resources (material things) is the not the measure of

a man's devotion; donating His heart/mind alone is the true measure.  That is

the real Guru Dakshina, the real sacrifice, the real surrender.  That is the

true sadhana.  In this lies the very essence and meaning and purpose of life. 

If SatGuru is not there in your life, it is like a fruit with no juice, ...all

fiber, no taste.  Endlessly chewy (karma), completely unsatisfying (absence of

jnana/prema/shanti/dharma :: knowledge/love/peace/sacrifice).

 

Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are all requirements of life; and these will come

to one who puts SatGuru above them all.

 

Ask for " the kind of happiness that you [swamiji] have " , and the rest will

follow... if you must ask. 

 

Do not place your faith in science, technology, astrologers, monkeys, donkeys,

and every person you meet on the street.  They cannot help you when you really

need it.  God only knows if they are reading your astrology while drunk.   Math

is beautiful, it is truthful, but it is also cruel.  It makes no exceptions and

does not differentiate between good and bad, nor does it accept sincere

apologies when once you recognize your mistake - it just implies that you should

not do it again.  False assurances and promises, or even heart felt

re-assurances of people who 'love you' or 'care about you', are not the same as

the secret hidden actions of SatGuru's ever-present guiding hand in all things. 

The laws of science and nature are fixed (dharma); but by having faith in the

Guru, sometimes, he will even side step natural law (or through natural law will

find an appropriate loophole) by which He will save his devotees.  Trust in

Swamiji ALONE.  He

is ALL IN ONE.  Very easy, but very hard.  Walk carefully, diligently,

consciensciously.  Walk with faith in Him.  

 

Swamiji will undoubtedly take care of everything.  Let us all follow Him and

offer him the cake of our inner faith in these difficult times. Surrender to His

holy feet (they don't talk, they walk  ...Silent teaching, through the " karma

way " ).

 

Swamiji says " I have given the Key " .  Swamiji IS that key.  (Don't forget) Datta

gave himself, hence he is called " Datta " .

 

Om Aim Hreem Shreem Siva-Rama Anagha Dattaya Namaha!

 

Jaya Sri Swamiji! Jaya Guru Datta!

 

Jai Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji ki!

 

p.s. video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-126lviZtU (You are a swimmer no

doubt, OK, but you don't know how to swim in ~this~ Ocean)

 

p.s.s video2: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuS264F-fGE & feature=related (Durgi, Lakshmi, Vani

Mata, ninnu nami vochinaanu ... Durgi Lakshmi Vani Mata, I came because I

trusted in you...)

---

Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?

Sarva Kartha, Sarva Dhartha, Sarva Hartha, Mangalam!

Satchidananda, Satchidananda, Satchidananda Mangalam!

Tasmai Sri Guru-murthaye Nama Idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye!

 

 

Ata Nityo Narayanaha, Brahma Narayanaha, Sivascha Narayanaha, Kalascha

Narayanaha. Disascha Narayanaha, Vidisascha Narayanaha, Urdwamscha Narayanaha,

Adhascha Narayanaha, Antar-bahischa-Narayana.Narayana Eh Vedam Sarvam, Yat

BhootamYacchha Bhavyam.Nish-kalango Niranjano Nirvikalpo Nirakyadhas,suddhho

Deva Eko Narayanaha, Na dwiteeyosthi kaschit,ya evam Vedas Vishnu reva Bhavati,

Sa Vishnureva Bhavathi, Etat yajur veda sirodeeyathe.

 

 

Nagendra haraya trilochanaya bhasmanga ragaaya maheshwaraya nityaya shudhaya

digambaraya tasmai nakaraya na-ma-si-va-ya.

 

 

~*Om * Ayim * Hreem * Sreem * Siva * Rama * Anagha * Dattaya * Namaha*~