Welcome to a new day, Day 11 of our 40-Day Retreat.

Of course these days are a great joy for me and I know for you as well, as we are delving into a very important mystery and science that constitutes the path to freedom. It is a path of Guru, using the concept of Guru. And we have been using verses from that book of wisdom, profound wisdom - Guru Gita.

The Power of Energetic Communication – (review of yesterdays talk)
Yesterday I spoke about the power of communication and how we can tap into the power of human beings who carry power, how we can tap into sacred symbols, or sacred formulas - like mantras, and how we can tap into their energy. Ancient symbols and ancient mantras they carry energy, the energy of centuries, energy’s that has been invested by all those who have contemplated these formulas, or these mantras. And we can tap into them if we understand the significance of them.

So too, we can tap into the energy of a person, and those persons who are very evolved, we can tap into their energy, even without their knowing. So that is very powerful because in our world it is so natural for one human being to follow another. In our world there are leaders and followers everywhere.

Be Wise in Selecting a Guide, Mentor, Guru
It is important to understand the difference in leaders, and which leaders we should really follow. Whether we know it or not, that is also the path of Guru. I have been saying that the word Guru means “the remover of darkness” - literally. We have to be very selective, very careful when we are choosing someone to be a mentor or a guide. This book (Guru Gita) tells us how to do that - how to be wise in our selection.

Guru Tattwa
Tthe book speaks about the inner Guru, the Guru is a Tattwa, it is a Principle that is inside of all of us. It is not that it is in some people and not in others; it is inside of all of us. And the book tells us how to tap into this Tattwa, so this book (Guru Gita) is a beautiful book. I have been introduced to this book so many years ago (about 30 years ago) and this book is a favorite of mine.

Tapping into the Param Guru (Sadguru)
In this series of talks I am introducing you to the secrets that are in this book. Yesterday I spoke about a verse that spoke about how we should tap into the energy of these Beings that we call Guru’s.  I’m speaking here about the Param Guru, the Sadguru, the one who is established in Truth, in that place of Truth inside of Divine Consciousness. This is the Param Guru. How can we really tap into that Guru?

The Guru Gita said that we should contemplate the Guru. What does it mean? It can be very highly misunderstood. We can contemplate the Guru in the same way that we can tap into the power of mantras by repeating them, really getting into their energy by concentration, by focus, by embracing them. In the same way that we can use sacred formulas, diagrams, and contemplate them and go into the deep meaning and beyond. In the same way too, we can use human beings, but it is mysterious, it needs to be understood.

The Guru Gita as I said in the verse yesterday gives us a clue in how to do this. And today I’m also going to follow up on that.

Meditating on the Guru
I want to just go back to that verse that I repeated to you yesterday. And then I want to go on to two other verses that are going to take me into a series of talks with you. The verse that I mentioned to you:

Gurur dhyaanam tathaa kritvaa – that we should meditate on the Guru

Swayam Brahma mayo bhavet – that we’ll attain the Consciousness that is inside the person.

That is call Brahma Consciousness, or you can call it the Christ Consciousness, the Divine Consciousness, or the Krishna Consciousness, or the Shiva Consciousness, that we will become full of that; that we willl attain that.

Pinde pade tathaa rope Muktaaste Naatra samshayah – It says “in this very form”.

He used pinde, pade and roope. Pinde means the physical. Pade – as he is alluding to the teacher here, who is Shiva. It is the name that is associated with the body – the word pade. And roope is the form. So he is telling us that the physical, the name and the form, that will go - later on he will explain that in this very name and form and physical body we can become free. Muktaaste, he says that “there is no doubt about that”.

He says “the key is to understanding the Guru, and the key is to meditate upon the Guru”. Now if this is misunderstood we’ll think we are just meditating on the person. And yesterday I tried to tell you through the power of communication that we communicate on different levels.

A Person is a Holistic Being
When we think of a person, we are not just thinking of a form, there is much more, there is a presence inside of the form. So when you think of a person, a person is an experience, that is why in the tradition of India, we say “Darshan.” - that a person is an experience, not just an image in the mind.

What does that mean? It means that a person is a holistic being. A person is giving out signals, energies, from different places inside of them. So when you think that the memory of a person is just the physical form or the name or the physical substance, it is actually saying that the experience of a person is much more than that, the memory of a person is much more than that. I want you to really consider that.

We are Transmitters of Energy
We are all transmitters of energy, we create presence. And when we remember a person we are remembering a presence. We have within us that memory encapsulated so much more than a name, than a form. There is an energy in there, encapsulated or contained in there.

This is saying, “When you meditate upon the Guru, or that Being that lives in Freedom, or can take you from darkness, you need to understand all of that. You need to understand the whole idea of holistic being; you need to understand all that is encapsulated in that Being that is called “Guru”, and not just the physical.

The Secret within the Form
Shiva is saying to his companion (Shiva is the Supreme Teacher here). He is saying to his companion in this form “Pinde pade tathaa roope.” And then she becomes a little confused. And in the next verse she is saying “Oh dear teacher please explain this to me, what do you really mean by pinde and pade and roope?”

I will read the verse to you, and then I will read his replay because then he goes into this whole concept of holistic thinking. But it is so deep that if you read this verse, you would not think of the wisdom that is contained in it. Buts its magical what he is saying in a little verse, it is so meaningful. So his companion, Paarvati, now begins to speak, and the verse says:

Shree Paarvatee Uvaaca:

Pindam Kim Tu Maha Deva Padam Kim Samudaahrtam.
Roopaa teetam Ca Roopam Kim Etadaakhyaa Hi Shankara.

She is saying “Please Lord, please Great One, tell me what is pindam, and explain to me what is padam and explain to me what is roopam”.

You can see right here a good Seeker. She is asking the most powerful questions.

And his reply:

Shree Mahaa Deva Uvaaca:

Pindam Kundalini Shaktih Padam Hamsamudaahrtam
Roopam Binduriti Giyeyam Roopaateetam Niranjanam

He is saying “Pindam is Kundalini Shakti. Padam is the hamsa – it is the breath that gives live to the Jiva, to the sentient being, or the living form - the hamsa. So he says “Padam is the hamsa”. And he says “Roopam is the bindu and beyond that there is a state that is beyond all attributes”- Niranjanam.  He is explaining now what he meant by being free in the body. And he is saying that in pinde, pade, and roope there is much more. As you are looking at the human form, there is so much more.
He says “Pindam is the Kundalini Shakti, Padam is hamsa and roopam is the bindu”. He’s saying “beyond that - Roopaateetam is the Attributeless, that which is Supreme, the Infinite”. It is marvelous because when we think of the body we think of the pindam, the material nature of the body.  

He chose pindam (pindam means a ball), and the Kundalini is said to be coiled and hiding this energy of Kundalini, this subtle energy is coiled and hidden. He says “in this pinde is Kundalini.” Kundalini is the primordial energy in creation that is stored within us that we need to tap into.

Hamsa - when we begin to breathe we become a living being. When a baby takes a breath it comes into life. Then the Jiva comes into life. So this hamsa is very important, but it says in ordinary people “when you are breathing, you’re breathing into the body.” You think “I am the body” because you have the breath in the body. You are thinking “I am the body”. So this hamsa get you into thinking “I am the body” because you are breathing into the body.

In the next verse which I’ll read tomorrow, he gives the explanation of the freedom from hamsa, and he gives the explanation of the freedom in bindu. He gives the explanation of freedom in Kundalini which is very beautiful. But I’ll deal with that tomorrow.

The Bindu – The Guru Chakra
Today, my point is that this Kundalini that is in the pinde - this Kundalini has 7 chakras. One of the prime chakra that makes us Guru, and makes us realize Guru Tattwa is at the bindu. This is the bindu point. Bindu means “a dot”; it means “a point”. In the deeper meaning it means “the point from where all names and form arise in the Universe, the point from where all sound comes out”. It is a point of doer-ship as well, where the Ego comes in and into the duality.

When you go above the point you go to the spiritual center at the top of the head, the Sahasrar Chakra (crown). There the idea of doer-ship becomes different; it is aligned to the Infinite. When in this bindu you look outside, you see the world of name and form, pade and rope, you see it when you look outside.

This bindu is an important point, it is called the “Guru Chakra.” When this bindu is pierced then we begin to make the journey deep inside, and we begin to have power, power at the 3rd eye - power at the eyes, power at the voice, power of being. This is a very mystical voice. Tomorrow I will go into a little more detail about how this takes us to freedom. He explains very clearly how this takes us to freedom.

Meditating on the Guru - continued
When we begin to contemplate Beings that we call Gurus in our Universe, and as I said before we can do it without their even knowing. So we don’t even have to get caught up in their physical personality even. When we see Kundalini shining through them, and they become highly impactful, we can slowly tap into their energy without them even knowing. These Great Beings, their energies are expansive for all. You can tap into their ‘being’ no matter were you are and that is amazing.

Contemplation on the Guru means contemplation on the whole being, not just form. There is a verse in the Guru Gita too which I will explain some other time. It says “dyanam guru murtim”. It says “the root of meditation is the Gurus form”. It doesn’t mean that you should go honoring the physical form; it means you use the form as a template, as a diagram, as a gateway to the Infinite to what is behind the bindu.

These Great Teachers, they allow you to do that, because of their impact. They have a very impactful presence because they have pierced the bindu; because they have the power of bindu. They are so impactful that you can’t forget them - the power of their eyes, the power of their voice, the power of their being. It makes contemplation easier - the power of their love, the power of their kindness, the power of their selflessness. We are drawn to think about such people, to remember them.

The Guru Gita is saying “how you can safely (think about teachers(” because it speaks about teachers who we shouldn’t concentrate upon at all. It speaks about how you can safely contemplate those who can lead you to freedom. And that is marvelous.

Guru Tattwa
Today, I just want to say to you that our being is holistic. We have different centers of transition of energy. When we are asked to tap into the energy of those Beings whom we are drawn to follow, then we should be thinking “what is manifesting in them, and how can I use this to awaken what is inside of me”, that becomes important. When we meet the Great Ones we should think “how should I tap into what I see inside of them” and that is called “Guru Tattwa”.

Post Meditation Remarks:

Today I’ve given you food for thought, and my wish is that you will contemplate what is inside of here (body). What is the power of the bindu? What is the power of this Kundalini Shakti that is in the body? How does it impact my world? How can I use it positively in my world to help to liberate me and to uplift my world? And how can I tap into the energies of our Universe - the energies in great powerful Beings, Spiritual Beings? The energy in sacred formulas, the energies of powerful images in our Universe, how can I tap into it?

I leave you with those thoughts.