Guru-Bhakti YogaHis teaching on the Guru
CARDINAL NOTES ON GURU-BHAKTI
The Content of Spiritual Teaching
1. Service of the Guru who is a liberated one, the study of the books which are written by him, and meditation on his holy form is the golden medium to develop Guru-Bhakti.
2. The disciple who runs after name, fame, power wealth and sex cannot cultivate true devotion to the Lotus-Feet of Satguru.
3. The field of education is very, very wide and scope of acquiring knowledge is infinite, that the need for a Guru is inevitable.
4. The Taittireeya Upanishad says, “Now about the knowledge. The preceptor is the first form. The disciple is the last form. Knowledge is the link between the two, and instruction is the medium, effecting such a union or link. This is the field of knowledge.”
5. Kathopanishad says, “that Self which is being taught over in various ways, is not easily known when taught by a man of inferior intellect, but when taught by one who is established in Brahman, there is no doubt at all. The Self, being subtler than the subtle, is not to be obtained by mere intellectual gymnastics. Guru-Kripa alone can bestow knowledge.
Guru-Disciple Relationship
6. Disciple should remain in the house of preceptor, maintaining full Brahmacharya for twelve years and do rigorous Tapas. And he should also serve him and study the sacred scriptures under him.
7. He alone can be a Guru who is fit to teach the disciple, who can himself practise whatever he teaches.
8. One ought not accept anyone and everyone as his Guru. Once after accepting him as a Guru one should not divorce him on any account.
9. Teachers of real spiritual enlightenment are very rare in these days.
10. Really advanced spiritual persons will not undertake the duty of being a Guru unless they have got Command from the Almighty.
11. When a deserving aspirant goes in quest of Guru to initiate him to the spiritual path, God appears before him as a Guru and initiates him.
12. Guru, who is a liberated one, lives in a different plane of consciousness which is termed as Tureeya Avastha. The disciple who wants to become one with Guru must equip himself with the virtue of absolute detachment from the worldly transitory things.
Source of Higher Knowledge
13. The higher knowledge which comes from Chit, comes not in the form of ideas or thoughts but as power. It has to be directly transmitted by the Guru (who is one with Chit-Shakti) to the disciple.
14. God-realisation cannot be attained through mere self-effort. The Guru’s grace is absolutely necessary.
15. When the disciple is fit for higher initiation, the Guru will himself initiate him in the mysteries of Yoga.
16. Faith in Guru can move mountains. Guru’s Grace can work wonders. Doubt not. March on. O Hero!
17. He who serves a great spiritual man who is one with the absolute can cross the quagmire of Samsara.
18. If you serve worldly-minded people you get qualities of worldly people. On the other hand if you serve the Lotus-Feet of Guru who is always immersed in bliss, who is abode of virtues, who is love personified, you get the qualities of him. So serve, serve, serve.
19. Disciple should not feel shy or below dignity to serve his Guru (in front of others).
Principles of Action
20. Never take your food before Guru takes his food.
21. He who eats Guru’s Jhuta Prasad (the remnant from the plate of Guru) will feel unity with him. He will become one with Guru through his grace.
22. Do not disturb or wake up the Guru when he takes rest or sleeps even in unavoidable circumstances.
23. Don’t cut jokes with Guru. If you cut jokes with him (gradually) you lose the reverence for him and you will feel equality with him.
24. Be careful about pseudo-Gurus who have ruined themselves, and ruin you also.
25. To have a Guru is good but to divorce him is very bad.
26. To have a Guru is good, to serve him with intense faith is still better.
27. To obey Guru is to obey God.
28. To have many Gurus is bad. To deceive and disobey Guru is very, very bad.
29. Be ever ready like a watchdog to serve the Guru.
30. Obtain the grace of the Guru by serving him untiringly.
31. He only knows the secret of Sadhana who has got Guru’s grace.
32. To have a Guru is good; to obey his commands is better and to get his blessings is the best.
33. He only knows the technique of contacting the Reality who serves his Guru.
34. He who is free from Moha will never do Guru Droha.
35. He who desires to occupy the ‘Gaddi’ of the Guru Maharaj while he is living, will get direct passport to hell. Even Lord of death is afraid of him because he may desire to occupy his throne also.
36. He who does Padapuja on the Guru Poornima day to his Guru will get success in all undertakings throughout the year.
37. To love Gurubhai is to love Gurudev.
38. To help the Gurubhai is to help the Gurudev.
39. To serve the Guru means to save oneself.
40. To serve the Guru is to serve the parents.
41. To have a blind faith in anything is not good. To have blind faith in the words of Guru who is communing with God, is the royal road to Moksha.
42. You can become a high scholar in no time but not a true disciple very easily.
Search for the Right Guru
43. Nowadays there are many pseudo-Gurus and disciples. Be careful, when you choose your Guru.
44. Duty of a disciple is to obey the orders which come from the holy lips of the Guru.
45. Keep neat and clean the surroundings of the Guru’s house.
46. The relation between preceptor and disciple is like that of beloved and lover.
47. Sometimes Guru may test his disciple or even tempt him also but disciple should overcome by firm faith in him.
48. Disciple should not hide anything from Guru. He must be frank and straightforward.
49. It is a rare privilege to become the dust of the Lotus-Feet of Guru who is free from Raga-Dvesha.
50. Dust of the holy feet of the preceptor who is one with the Supreme Being is the divine ornament for the disciple.
51. Never miss a day in the service of Guru. Do not give any lame excuses.
52. He is that blessed man who feels always as a dust of the Guru’s feet.
53. Grace of the Guru descends on the disciple, who is humble, simple, obedient and devoted to the Lotus-Feet of the Guru.
54. Be an instrument in the hands of Guru.
55. When Guru points out your mistakes, do not justify your actions. Simply obey him.
56. Learn Asana, Pranayama and meditation under the guidance of Guru who is well-versed in them.
57. He who eats too much, and sleeps too much cannot serve according to Guru’s taste.
In the Foot-Steps of the Guru
58. Those who talk too much and want to decorate their bodies, cannot serve their Guru as Guru wishes to do them.
59. Daily worship the Lotus-Feet of your Guru with Bhav and devotion.
60. Never mix with women or worldly-minded people if you want to serve your Guru with Divine Bhav.
61. Guru-Seva is the master-key to unlock the Guru’s blessings.
62. Where there is Guru there is God. Remember always this point well.
63. He who seeks Guru seeks God. He who seeks God meets the Guru.
64. Disciple must follow on the foot-steps of his Guru.
65. Disciple must regard and honour his Guru’s wife as his own mother.
66. Do not beg at the door of your Guru for earthly comforts which are transitory. Ask for Immortality.
67. Beg not from thy Guru thy earthly needs.
68. Preceptor’s Lotus-Feet is the sole refuge of a true disciple.
69. He who serves his Guru untiringly day and night with Bhav will never be troubled by lust, anger and greed.
At the Feet of the Guru
70. He who takes refuge at the feet of Divine Master will overcome all the obstacles on the spiritual path by his Grace.
71. The best seclusion for meditation is Guru’s abode.
72. Seclusion will not be seclusion if Guru is not dwelling with his disciple. Seclusion becomes the abode of lust and Tamas.
73. Service of Guru from beginning to end becomes the sweet honey to the disciple who has real devotion to his Guru.
74. He is the blessed soul who drinks the nectar which flows from the holy lips of his Guru.
75. He will have no thoughts of the world who serves his Guru untiringly with full of Bhav. He is the most blessed soul on earth.
76. Serve, Serve, Serve your Guru. This is the royal way to cultivate Guru-Bhakti.
77. Guru is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.
The Worship of the Teacher
78. There is no service so beneficial and so soul-elevating as that of the blessed Acharya.
79. No real rest can be had except in the service of Divine Master.
80. Grace of Guru gives real meaning to life.
81. Service of the holy Acharya without any selfish motives gives a shape to the life.
82. It is a great blunder on the part of seeker after the truth to say “Na Guru na sishya” after studying some Vedantic Texts independently.
83. Some time Guru suffers physically on account of taking disciple’s sins. In fact Guru never suffers from any physical diseases or ailments; but it is only a rare chance given to the disciple to purify his heart by serving him with great (devotion) and earnestness.
84. The sublime thought of the blessed Acharya will help the disciple to rise above body-consciousness or glamour of a sensual life.
85. ‘Upa’ means near, ‘ni’ means down, ‘sat’ means to sit. So Upanishad means sitting down near the Acharya. Groups of pupil sit near the preceptor to learn from him the secret of doctrine of Brahman.
Impartment of Mystic Teaching
86. Mystic significance of the holy scriptures, and esoteric meaning of the ancient doctrines cannot be understood by reading books, or hearing scholarly lectures. Those blessed pupils who serve and live under the spiritual teacher, for life-long time with great reverence and devotion can understand and realise the Upanishads’ statements such as “Thou art That,” “I am Brahman,” “All indeed is Brahman,” etc.
87. Grace of the Guru gives the inner vision (of Atman).
88. Satguru communicates the secret knowledge of the Upanishads to his trusted disciples only after repeated entreaty and severe testing.
89. According to the Upanishadic tradition the secret knowledge of Brahman may be imparted by a preceptor to his worthy son or to a trusted Sishya but not to another, whoever he may be, even if the latter should give him the whole earth surrounded by the water and filled with the treasures.
90. After doing prostration to the blessed Guru, disciple should not turn his back to him and go away.
91. Even a child can be taught Vedanta provided the teacher knows very well what Vedanta truly means and how can it be applied to the different stages of life.
92. “Arthaturanam na Guror na bandhum.” That means a person who hankers after wealth, will not mind even to swindle Guru’s property.
93. Do not covet the wealth of the Guru.
94. The blessed Guru who is a liberated one is ever peaceful and blissful. He has an equal vision and balanced mind. He is equal in honour and dishonour, censure and praise, pleasure and pain. He is free from egoism, pride, anger, lust and greed. He has no likes and dislikes, he has no attachment to anything. He is full of wisdom; he is childlike, he clears the doubts of the disciple merely by his presence or through his gracious look.
95. To serve the poor and the sick, to serve the Guru and parents, to do charitable and noble acts, to possess knowledge of the Self by the grace of the Guru, is indeed a supreme blessing.
96. There is nothing so purifying as personal service of Guru.
97. Gurukripa is a trustworthy companion along the weary path to Moksha.
Weapon for Self-conquest
98. Conquest of life is possible only by surrendering to Guru.
99. The way from passion to peace is through controlling the mind by practising the Guru-Bhakti Yoga.
100. Guru-Seva keeps you quite fit and healthy.
101. Practice of Guru-Bhakti Yoga gives you immeasurable and immense joy.
102. Guru-Seva generates Advaita Bhava or unity.
103. Guru-Bhakti Yoga bestows on the practitioner, longevity and bliss eternal.
104. Practice of Vedanta without Guru-Seva makes one a lip-Vedantin. Therefore serve, serve, serve your blessed Acharya.
105. Pray to the blessed Guru every minute for your guidance in your daily life.
106. That prayer which comes from the sincere pure heart of a disciple is at once answered by the Guru.
107. Approach the saints and sages who are blessed Gurus, the doctors of divinity with faith, devotion and humility. Take a dose of medicine called Jnana. The pathyam is perfect obedience. Then the disease of Ajnana will be eradicated completely. You will enjoy Supreme Bliss.