Guru-Bhakti YogaHis teaching on the Guru
GURU-BHAKTI YOGA
The Limbs of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
l. Now then an exposition of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
2. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is total self-surrender to Satguru.
3. The important eight limbs of the Guru-Bhakti Yoga are, (a) the real lasting aspiration to practise Guru-Bhakti Yoga; (b) absolute faith in the thoughts, words and actions of Satguru; (c) doing Sashtanga Namaskara with humility and repeating Guru’s name; (d) perfect obedience in carrying out Guru’s commands; (e) doing personal service to Satguru without expectation of fruits; (f) daily worshipping of the Lotus-Feet of Satguru with Bhav and devotion; (g) self-surrender or dedication of Tana, Mana and Dhana in the cause of divine mission of Satguru; (h) meditation on the holy feet of Satguru for obtaining his benign grace, and hearing his holy Upadesh and sincerely practising it.
4. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is a Yoga by itself.
5. It is not possible for an aspirant to enter the spiritual path that leads to the union with God unless he practises Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
6. He who understands the system of Guru-Bhakti Yoga Philosophy can only surrender to his Guru unconditionally.
7. The highest object of life, i.e., Self-realisation is achieved through the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
8. Yoga of Guru-Bhakti is the real safe Yoga which can be practised without any fear.
9. The essence of Guru-Bhakti Yoga lies in utter obedience in carrying out the Guru’s orders and translating his teachings in life.
The Aim of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
10. The aim of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to free man from the thraldom of matter and fetters of Prakriti and make him realise his absolute independent nature, through complete surrender to Guru.
11. He who practises the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti can annihilate the egoism without any difficulty and he can very easily cross the quagmire of Samsara.
12. Guru-Bhakti Yoga bestows immortality and eternal bliss on one who practises it sincerely and regularly.
13. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga gives peace and steadiness of mind.
14. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the master-key to open the realm of elysian bliss.
15. The goal of life is to obtain the benign grace of Satguru by practising Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
Principles of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
16. With humility approach the adorable feet of Satguru. Do prostrations to the life-saving feet of Satguru. Take shelter under the Lotus-Feet of Satguru. Worship the sacred feet of Satguru. Meditate on the holy feet of Satguru. Offer the valuable gifts on the sanctifying feet of Satguru. Dedicate your life to the service of glorious feet of Satguru. Become the dust of the divine feet of Satguru. This is the secret of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
17. Self-surrender to the sacred feet of Satguru is the very foundation of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
18. All that is wanted of you is sincere and earnest effort in the path of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
19. Devotion to Guru is the greatest factor in the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
20. Faith in the Guru is the first rung in the ladder of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
21. The cream of the Guru-Bhakti Yoga is absolute (blind) faith in the thoughts, words and actions of the Brahma Nishtha Guru who is well-versed in the sacred scriptures.
Guru-Bhakti Yoga As a Science
22. The highest and the easiest Yoga to practice in this age is Yoga of Guru-Bhakti.
23. The greatest point in the philosophy of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to identify the Guru with the Absolute.
24. The practical aspects of philosophy of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to realise the oneness of Guru with his Ishta Devata.
25. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is not a system which can be taught by lectures or correspondence courses. The student should live under a preceptor for many years and lead a rigorous life of austerity, discipline, celibacy and practice of deep meditation.
26. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the science of all sciences.
Fruits of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
27. Guru-Bhakti Yoga confers immortality, eternal bliss, freedom, perfection, perennial joy and everlasting peace.
28. The practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga induces non-attachment and dispassion for worldly objects and bestows Kaivalya Moksha.
29. The practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga will help the disciple to control the emotions and passions and will give him power to resist temptations and to remove the disturbing elements from the mind and make him fit to receive Guru’s Grace which takes him to the other shore of darkness.
30. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga bestows immortality, supreme peace and perennial joy.
31. The practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga will enable you to get rid of fear, ignorance, pessimism, confusion of mind, disease, despair, worry, etc.
Sadhana of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
32. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the transformation of the ego sense which consists in transmutation of individual feeling, willing, understanding, determining into infinite Consciousness.
33. The Sadhanas laid down in the Guru-Bhakti Yoga are very simple and sure ways to take to the other shore of fearlessness.
34. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is a method of strict discipline achieved through the grace of Guru.
35. Service of Guru without expectation of fruits and ever increasing devotion to the Lotus-Feet of Guru is the integral Sadhana according to the Guru-Bhakti Yoga system of philosophy.
36. He who practises Guru-Bhakti Yoga without ethical perfection, devotion to Guru, etc., cannot obtain the grace of Guru.
Importance of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
37. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the foundation of all other Yogas, viz., Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, etc.
38. He who has turned his face from the path of Guru-Bhakti Yoga goes from death to death, from darkness to darkness and ignorance to ignorance.
39. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga offers a clear definite path for the realisation of the highest end of life.
40. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is open to one and all. All great souls, all master-minds have done great work through the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
41. Guru-Bhakti Yoga includes all other Yogas. Without taking recourse to Guru-Bhakti Yoga nobody can practise other Yogas which are hard to tread.
42. Guru-Bhakti Yoga school of thought gives great importance to obtaining Guru Kripa through Acharyopasana.
43. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is as old as Vedic and Upanishadic time.
44. Guru-Bhakti Yoga teaches the way to wipe out all pains and sorrows in life.
45. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the only unfailing remedy for the ills of life.
46. The path of Guru-Bhakti Yoga brings fruits quickly only for a worthy disciple.
47. Guru-Bhakti Yoga ends in the annihilation of ego and attainment of bliss immortal.
48. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the best Yoga.
Stumbling Blocks on the Path
49. Shyness to do Sashtanga prostration to the sacred feet of Guru is a great hindrance in the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
50. Self-sufficiency, self justification, vanity, self-conceit, self-assertion, procrastination, obstinacy, fault-finding, evil company, dishonesty, arrogance, lust, anger, greed, and egoism are the great stumbling blocks on the path of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
51. Annihilate the fluctuating potency of the mind through ceaseless practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
52. When the dissipated rays of the mind are collected by the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga you can work wonders.
53. Guru-Bhakti Yoga cult greatly stresses upon the service of Guru for attaining the purity of heart, to meditate and realise.
54. A true aspirant rejoices to the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
55. First understand the philosophy of Guru-Bhakti Yoga, then put it into practice. You will succeed.
56. A very effective way of rooting out all evil qualities is to put into practice sincerely the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti.
Fundamentals of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
57. Absolute faith in the preceptor is the root of Guru-Bhakti Yoga tree.
58. Ever increasing devotion, humility, obedience, etc., are the branches of the tree. Service is the flower. Self-surrender to him is the immortal fruit.
59. You are bound to succeed in the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga if you have a firm faith and devotion to the life saving feet of Satguru.
60. True and sincere surrender unto the Guru is the essence of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
61. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga means an intense pure love for Guru.
62. No progress in the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti is possible without honesty.
63. Live in a quiet place with higher spiritual vibrations under a Guru who is a great Yogi or adept. Then practise under him the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti. Only then you can attain success in the Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
64. The ringing note of the Guru-Bhakti Yoga is unconditioned self surrender to the Lotus-Feet of Brahma Nishtha Guru.
Cardinal Notes in Guru-Bhakti Yoga
65. According to the Guru-Bhakti Yoga school of thought Guru and God are one; hence total self-surrender to Guru is very essential.
66. Self-surrender to Guru is indeed the highest rung in the ladder of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
67. Service of Guru is a sine-qua-non in the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
68. Grace of Guru is the end or goal of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
69. Pig-headed student cannot have any definite progress in the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
70. Evil company is an enemy of a disciple who wants to practise Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
71. Give up sensual life if you want to practice the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti.
Pathway to Immortal Bliss
72. Everyone who longs to transcend misery and obtain joy and happiness in life should sincerely practise Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
73. True lasting happiness can be had by taking recourse to Guru Seva Yoga. But not in external perishable objects.
74. Is there no escape from the unceasing cycle of births and deaths, pleasure and pain, joy and misery? Listen, O disciple, there is one sure way; turn away your mind from the sensual objects which are perishable and take recourse to Guru Seva Yoga which takes you beyond dualities.
75. Real life begins when a man takes recourse to Yoga of Guru-Bhakti which bestows on the practitioner the everlasting happiness here and hereafter.
76. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga gives you immeasurable and immense joy.
77. Guru-Bhakti Yoga bestows on the practitioner longevity and bliss eternal.
78. The mind is at the root of Samsara or world process. The mind is the cause for bondage and freedom; pleasure and pain. This mind can be controlled only by practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
79. Guru-Bhakti Yoga confers immortality, eternal bliss, freedom, perfection, perennial joy and everlasting peace.
Greatness of Guru-Bhakti Yoga
80. The avenue to the supreme peace begins from the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
81. Whatever may be acquired by asceticism, by renunciation, by other Yogas, by charity and auspicious acts, etc., all these are speedily acquired by practising Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
82. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is an exact science that teaches the method of overcoming the lower nature and attaining the supreme bliss.
83. Some people think that Guru Seva Yoga is inferior type of Yoga. They have thoroughly misunderstood the secret of spirituality.
84. Guru-Bhakti Yoga, Guru Seva Yoga, Guru Sharana Yoga, etc., are synonymous terms. They are one and the same.
85. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the king among all Yogas.
86. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the easiest, surest, quickest, cheapest, safest way for God-consciousness. May you all attain God-consciousness in this very birth through the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
Instructions to the Student
87. Take recourse to Guru-Bhakti Yoga and regain your lost divinity.
88. Practise Guru-Bhakti Yoga and go beyond all that causes duality and sorrow.
89. The practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga bestows on the disciple supreme peace, joy and immortality.
90. It is very easy to tame a wild tiger, lion or elephant. It is very easy to walk over the fire or water. But it is very difficult to surrender to the Lotus-Feet of Satguru unless a person has real aspiration to practise Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
91. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is control of mind and its modifications through the service of Guru.
92. Perfect unconditioned self-surrender to Guru is the sure way to attain Guru-Bhakti.
93. The foundation of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is based on absolute faith in Guru.
94. If you really want God, turn away from worldly enjoyments and take recourse to practice of Yoga of Guru-Bhakti.
95. Continue the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga without any interruption.
96. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga alone can make one fearless and ever happy in all walks of life.
97. Seek the immortal blissful Atman within through the practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
98. Make the Yoga of Guru-Bhakti the only purpose, aim and real interest in life. You will reach supreme happiness.
99. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is an auxiliary to knowledge or Jnana.
100. The chief aim of Guru-Bhakti Yoga is to control the unruly senses and the wandering mind.
101. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is one of the ancient systems of Hindu Culture which lead man to eternal happiness and blissful union with God.
102. Yoga of Guru-Bhakti is a system of spiritual and mental self-development.
103. Guru-Bhakti Yoga seeks to release man from the clutches of matter and restore him to his original state of divine glory and immortal bliss.
104. The practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga makes the body and the mind free from defects and diseases.
105. Yoga of Guru-Bhakti bestows on the practitioner physical and mental efficiency.
106. Guru-Bhakti Yoga makes a man free from suffering, pain and old age and confers longevity and everlasting bliss.
107. Guru-Bhakti Yoga includes every discipline, physical, mental, moral and spiritual which leads to Self-mastery and Self-realisation.
108. Yoga of Guru-Bhakti is the science and art of mastering the forces of mind.