Welcome to Day 33 of our 40-Day Retreat.
We have been speaking about the theme of Guru Tattwa throughout this retreat. In the last few days we have been dealing with the seeker, the aspirant, and how best they can prepare themselves for the Guru Deeksha that takes place in the powerful presence of a Parama Guru (Sadguru). This path is a very special path to me, the path of Guru Tattwa.
The Relationship between Seeker and Teacher based on Guru Bhakti
An essential part of this path that Guru Gita speaks about is Guru Bhakti which is about the relationship between the seeker and the teacher. Guru Bhakti is the most powerful quality of that relationship. In simple words it means love and devotion. I want to explore this relationship based on Guru Bhakti because this is what I developed. Guru Gita is very specific about what Guru Bhakti is and it expands the relationship to such an expansive view that it allows Guru Bhakti to shine in its fullest.
During my journey to India and my search for a spiritual master who was established in truth, I had no intention of getting involved on the path of Kundalini or on the path of Guru relationship. I was just interested in getting into a place of complete love, freedom and peace inside of myself. But I became drawn in a very natural way into a relationship with Guru and my initial concept of Guru emerged from that experience.
The Teacher that touches Our Heart
First I had the difficulty of choosing between a Guru who I mentally accepted and one who was touching my heart. Finally I made a decision after some days (it might have been two weeks) and it was based on how I was touched deep inside.
I was a seeker, seeking out perfect love. I believed in perfect love. I wanted to be established in complete love, pure love and sincere love in every moment. Not conditional love, because I was never attracted to that, but unconditional love. My initial experience, my very deep spiritual experience has been one of the heart chakra opening up. So this beautiful feeling of love started to come out from inside of me, and I realized that my own being was love.
Being Drawn to Follow the Teacher
When I think of how that drew me to the Guru, what I think about is this. In this analogy I am going to choose the little ducklings. If you see how these creatures behave - the little ducklings - when they come out of their shell, the first person they see is the one they are going to follow. They are going to be behind this person continuously for support and you can’t get them away, they are going to follow after you. When they open up to the world this is what they see before them and in a very natural way they are drawn to follow.
When my heart opened up and became so big, I realized the power of this teacher who was able to bring this out of me when nobody else could; naturally I was drawn to him. I had not even seen the teacher in a physical form, but I could see the power that he displayed in the environment that he developed. All the students and disciples that were there, I looked at their quality of consciousness, and the energy they created simply by following his principles and having a lot of love for him. I saw what they created and it drew me into that love.
That brought me in touch with my own being; I could feel this inner power in me awakening and the love growing even stronger. It was the first time I understood that God is inside of me. I was beginning to experience that power of God as part of my own power. That love gave me power. All my senses came alive - I wanted to sing, I wanted to hug, I wanted to walk upon the earth, I was happy doing manual seva (service in the Ashram) simply because of all this love that was pouring out of me, in a natural way.
The Teacher that touches Our Heart – continued
Every morning and evening when I sang “Gurudeva Hamaara Pyaraa” and “Jyotha se Jyotha Jagawo Sadguru”, I felt immense gratitude in my heart and a love relationship began to develop between the Guru and myself. Even though I had never seen the physical person, I could feel the power in this space around me and in all those whom manifested this energy from Bhakti - love for the teacher and devotion to what the teacher manifested and stood for. When I felt this so powerfully I realized that the teacher for us is that teacher who touches us deep inside and brings out the best in us.
We can meet many teachers and we can learn from all of them, but there will come that special teacher who takes our heart away. We begin to adore, we begin to admire, we begin to honour, we are drawn to want to know more, we are drawn to want to follow what this person is saying. We are inspired by the person because of what they are manifesting, because of what they stand for, because of the values that they embrace and that is how I got involved in “Guru Bhakti”. The more I contemplated and listened to the words of the master, the more power I felt within me, the more deeply connected I felt to my inner being and I thought, “Oh what an incredible master, I haven’t even met him physically but look at what I am experiencing”.
I travelled through India looking for other teachers, even after that experience; I thought to myself “If this teacher is so great then there must be others in India”. So I travelled to other parts of India and I felt good energy in places but not that special feeling. I came back and spent more time there, completely happy and satisfied in myself.
The Power of the Teacher – Self Mastery
When I actually met this teacher two years after and I realized the power of the being, I could not fathom the power. This was the only person I could not figure out. Everybody else I could categorize, but this one I couldn’t. I could not fathom the depth of the person, there were no hidden agendas and there was no kind of selfishness. I just could not figure out the space from where this person was expressing. I became devoted to that space, I became devoted to the principles that this being embraced. Even when he seemingly displayed anger to manage some situation, I felt only love for him in his heart and I realized the freedom of these beings. This was the one being who really got my admiration in terms of self mastery.
Going Deep Inside to Know the Teacher
Following this teacher I was able to go deep within myself and it seemed that the infinite power of the Universe blessed the relationship, because even when away from the teacher I felt so close to the teacher.
That is what Guru Bhakti is. It is when you develop such a powerful relationship with the teacher because of what the teacher stands for, because of the qualities that are expressed in the teacher. The teacher shows you the possibilities and is so deep inside of you. The teacher is so deeply established that you cannot figure him out with your normal mind. You have to go inside yourself to know this teacher. I completely believe we can only understand these beings when we reach that same place inside.
Honouring these Teachers
I am so grateful that these teachers exist in the world. I am so grateful that they accommodate us and I do believe that the future of our word depends on these Masters. So when you have found such a teacher don’t waste that relationship, honour every word, honour the attention you get, contemplate the words given to you, because the teacher is not just a human being, the teacher is established in the place of light inside and is able to take us into that light.
I will read a verse from Guru Gita that speaks about Guru Bhakti. It says:
Yatah param kaivalyam
Guru margena vai bhavet
Guru Bhakti ratah kaaryaa
Sarvada moksha kaankshibhih
“The seeker after liberation should at all times develop Guru Bhakti, because by following the path shown by the Guru, one attains the Supreme consciousness and the kaivalya state.” (kaivalya is the state of oneness with the Supreme).
Becoming that which we adore
Guru Bhakti naturally draws us into adoration. In adoring we create such a beautiful relationship that we want to become that which we adore. It is natural in human relationships to be drawn to those leaders, teachers, Gurus whom we adore, we want to follow what they are saying, we want to be like them.
This is a beautiful verse from Guru Gita that tells us what we should adore in these great beings.
Bramaanadam param sukhadam
Kevalam gyaana moortim
Dvandaa teetam gagana sadrshan
Tatvamasyaadi lakshyam
Ekam nityam vimalachalam
Sarva dhee saakshi bhootam
Bhaavaa teetam triguna ratitam
Sadgurum tam namaamic
“I adore the Sadguru, the one who is established in supreme happiness, the bliss of Brahman, who is pure knowledge, the one without a second, who is beyond the pairs of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the Mahavakya, Tatvamasi, the one eternal, pure, unchanging, the witness of all functions of the intellect, who is above all bhavas and the three Gunas – sattva, rajas, and tamas.”
It tells us what we need to adore in those beings, this is the essence of Guru Tattwa, and this is what we should adore when it is expressed in those beings.
Guru Gita says about that Guru who touches us deep inside, and is able to lift all our doubts away:
Nirasta sarva sandeho
Ekee krtya sudarshanam
Rahasyayam yo darshayati
bhajami gurum eeshwaram
“Devoid of all doubts, with one pointed and concentrated vision on the Supreme, whoever reveals the secrets and makes the Supreme vision possible, to that divine Guru I extend my adoration.”
Guru Bhakti makes all your Senses come Alive
Guru Bhakti is dear to my heart. Guru Bhakti makes our being alive. When you are in the mind, the heart quality is not there and when you bring the heart quality, when there is adoration, when there is love, when there is respect, the whole being comes alive. All the other senses come alive. You love seeing, you love speaking about, you love being around and you love all of nature once again when the heart becomes involved. Bhakti makes all your senses come alive.
When you chant there is so much beauty, when you serve there is so much beauty, when you speak you feel so uplifted. Guru Bhakti brings so much light and beauty in life. Those who are caught up in the mind, they will not understand that, but eventually when you go beyond the mind, there is something called Parabhakti there at that level, you begin to realize the Supreme Bhakti again. No matter which path you choose, you are going to come back to Bhakti.
The Path of Love and Devotion
This has been my path. The path of love and devotion to that Supreme principle and it is a joy when I see it manifest in human beings, it brings my heart out because these are the ones who are going to create a better world.
When you embrace Guru Bhakti that is what you are going to become. A being and instrument of love, being able to draw people with your words, with your actions, with your look and with your touch; you will bring the whole world to a better place. Not negating anything, but embracing everything. The Bhaktas they embrace everything with great love.
Let us contemplate Guru Bhakti.
