Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

Who can be a Guru?

 

From whomever we receive the light of knowledge and the darkness of

ignorance is removed, in that subject, he is our Guru (remover of

ignorance). For instance, when we seek directions from some one and

they show us the way, then the one who provides the direction has

become our Guru for that instance, whether we accept it or not. We

do not need to get into a relationship with that person. Just like

during a wedding, the Pundit (Priest) gets the bride married to the

groom and they are bound to each other for a lifetime, and the wife

becomes exclusively devoted to her husband. After this, that Pundit

(Priest) is not even remembered and it is not even insisted in the

Scriptures to do so. Similarly, the Guru connects (links) us to

God, then his work is completed. It means that the Guru's work is

to bring a person in front of God. To bring a person towards

himself, to have them get into a binding relation with himself is

not the work of a Guru. Likewise our duty is to establish a

relationship with Bhagwaan (God) and not the Guru. For instance,

there are many relationships in the world already, like someone is a

father, someone is a mother, some one is a son, someone a wife,

someone a nephew etc. like that, if one engages in yet another

relation (Guru), what is the gain? Before there were already

several binding relations, now, there is yet another one !

 

Our relationship with Bhagwaan (God) is eternal and natural, because

we are an eternal part of Paramatma (God) - " Mamevaansho jeevaloke

jeevabhootah sanaatanah " (Gita 15:7), " Ishvar ansh jeev avinaashi "

(Manasa, Uttar 117:1). The Guru makes us recall that forgotten

relationship with God, he does not engage you in a new

relationship.

 

I often ask, who comes first - the son or the father? The answer

that I usually get is that the father comes first. But, in reality,

if you see, it is after the son is born, one gets the title of

a " father " , therefore the son comes first. Likewise, when the

disciple gets enlightened with the knowledge of Truth, then the one

who showed the way is called a Guru. Before the discipline attains

this knowledge, he is not a Guru at all. That is why it is said -

 

" Gukaarashchaandhka aro hi rukaarastej ucchyate;

Agyaangraasakam brahma gurureva ne sanshayah " (Gurugita)

 

It means. " Gu " is darkness and " ru " is light, so one who has

entirely removed the darkness of ignorance, that one is called

a " Guru " .

 

(to be continued)