Just like there is motherhood and fatherhood, there is a bit of guruhood in each one of us. Knowingly or unknowingly you have been a Guru to somebody. You have given advice, guided people and given them love.
What is the role of a Guru? Doing all that you can for someone else’s growth and development without expecting anything in return is being a Guru. Have you played this role to at least one person with clarity of mind and purity of heart? Know that the Guru Tattva is simply working through you when you are guiding someone, not wanting anything in return from them. There is no difference between the divine, the Self and the Guru.
They are all one. A Guru’s job is not to fulfil materialistic desires. These are just accessories of life that will come to you effortlessly when you have your eyes on the real goal, which is to seek liberation and which is not possible without a Guru.
Only he can make you recognise the beauty of inner freedom and the light within. The Master is the embodiment of wisdom. In Sanskrit, Upanishad means sitting close to the Master, totally tuned in.
It signifies the finite getting close to the infinite, the known reaching out to the unknown. There have been many great souls who have walked the path of true knowledge and have shown that it is possible to attain the pinnacle of life’s purpose through surrender and devotion. Their lives serve as an example for humankind.
The Upanishads are conversations between the Master and student from ages ago. There are conflicts on so many levels in the universe. Despite these conflicts how does one get mentally close to the Master who is the embodiment of wisdom? First, we invoke peace.
Students come closer to wisdom when there is peace. If there is mistrust or doubt then knowledge cannot be exchanged. Thus, all of the Upanishads begin with a prayer for three types of peace: - “Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” -“Let us have peace at the physical level, at the level of thoughts and emotions, and finally the innermost peace of the soul.
Let the Divine protect us and bestow wisdom upon us. Let us not hate one another, but let us come together in peace.” A devotee is higher than the God.
In reality, both Guru and disciple are God. To sing the glory of a devotee and to raise the level of a devotee, God himself bends. It is like a father carrying his son on his shoulder, higher than him.
God also wants your help. The one who does the work of God works for the good of society and is also taken care of by God. Working for God, for the good of society, is an indication of divinity blossoming in you.
Realising this and feeling grateful for all that has come your way in life; celebrating this and the tradition of Masters who preserved this knowledge is the expression and celebration of Guru Purnima..
