Wish you all a very happy Guru Purnima.
Pearls of Knowledge on Guru purnima.
Extract from the talks of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar and a few question and answers...
Guru purnima is the day to feel grateful for the great knowledge you have received from your master. It is time to review how much knowledge you could ingrain in your life in past one year. This may bring about a realization for scope of improvement which in turn will bring humility in you. Be grateful for the way this knowledge has transformed you. Just think how you could have been without this. There is a definite change inside you. If you cannot see any change, then you haven't had a good look in yourself. Gratitude and humility together blossom a genuine prayer inside you!
Guru is a tatva - an element, a quality; inside you. It is not limited to a body or a form.
Life is an ocean of love. Flow the lamp of knowledge in it. Even let the knowledge be flown away in the ocean of love. The ego that comes out of truth and knowledge is dangerous. Sense of righteousness makes you hard. So in the wave of devotion and love; you even let the knowledge get washed out.
Q. What is the story behind Gurupurnima?
A. Acharya (teacher) gives knowledge and Guru gives height of awareness and makes you alive. Acharya gives information, Guru gives intelligence, an awakened intelligence. Mind is connected with moon. Full moon is completion, the pinnacle. On Gurupurnima the devotee wakes up in full gratitude. Devotee becomes like an ocean moving in itself. It's the time to come in fullness. It's a time to celebrate. It's also called "Vyasa Purnima". Vyasa had given knowledge on each and every subject.
So in Gurupunima you remember all guru's of the past. It is the day when devotee arises in full gratitude, they turn back and see how they changed and developed in the last 1 year. They assess what lessons they have learned and how they are growing in knowledge. It's reviewing yourself in knowledge. Mind needs to be reminded again and again, so we review it.
Q. People blindly worship a Guru? Is it ok? Shouldn't they just worship the divine? A. Why does somebody adore someone else?
A. In college, rock star, movie stars, sports players are adored. This adulation is part of human nature. Deep inside it is your ability to appreciate and honor good qualities. This adulation of Gurus has come down the ages. In the East, people took pride in their Gurus. There was a lot of respect but it's missing in the students now. They throw tomatoes at their teachers. We have now gone to the other extreme.
When your life is full, you get a feeling of gratitude. You start with the Guru and end up adoring everything in life. Guru is just a beginning. In India there is a festival in October when people worship everything from cars, scooters etc. Everything is venerated. Divine dwells in every particle. In the East the tradition was that before cutting a tree, you have to plant 5 more. An innocent mind sees life everywhere. Life has to be honored, adored. If you cannot do this, then what else is left in life? It is so dry, just eat, drink and sleep. Whenever you praise, the praise goes to the divine. If you praise your Guru, the praise goes to the divine. When you praise someone, you own consciousness is expanding. So for your own sake, adore and venerate others.
Q. I feel like I want to be close to you and I don't know how. I love you.
A. It is good, heart breaks and love flows. In the world out there heart breaks and misery comes, but here when heart breaks, love flows and life blossoms. Good. Just assume you are already close to me and when you are smiling, when you do service, when you are in knowledge - you are so much close to me. And see more and more people get the benefit of this knowledge what you are having. Just turn back and see your life, how much it has changed as you did the practices, the meditations, your kriya and relate to yourself the person who was there before doing the kriya. What a big difference. Isn't it? How many of you feel you are not the same person. Almost everybody isn't it, so that benefit, that opening, we need to bring in others life as well, we need to do that.
Q.How to find a guru or choose a guru?
A.Guru is too big for you to make. If you make Guru you are bigger than the Guru. Guru comes in your life in spite of your refusing or rebelliousness. Don't struggle to make a Guru. Just relax. Life keeps changing. Wake up and see. Feel grateful. Give all your garbage to the Guru. Guru makes gold out of garbage. Guru makes a fool intelligent. It is easy to make that change because everyone is made up of that one thing.
Q. How to become a sincere devotee?
A. Just you have to assume that you are really sincere devotee. You give grade to yourself. I am number 1 devotee. Nobody's like me. But don't think so and so is number 1 devotee and I'm number 2. Each one of us should say I'm number 1 devotee. Nobody's like me. Then that is how the devotion grows. If you think you are number 2, number 3, number 10, then that much, you will be away from the knowledge. You know this problem is there with many - that after basic course, you continue for sometime then you drop. Then afterwards it becomes very difficult. If you do an advanced course, it will bring you back in the knowledge.
Q. Guruji, you are the best.
A. Only best can recognize the best.
Q. A devotee is very happy on getting a Guru, does the Guru feel the same happiness in getting a devotee?
A. Seeing your happiness he gets happiness.
Q. I want a Guru mantra from you.
A. That is there. Sudarshan kriya is there.
Q. Guruji, show me the path.
A. Why? Why shall I show you the path? I'm not so irresponsible. I'll take you to your goal. It's my habit. It's the age of aero planes and you are talking in terms of bullock carts. You have sat in plane and your flight has taken off. Now, this plane will take you to your destination, you don't need to ask for the path.
Q. What quality should an ideal disciple have? Do you differentiate
between disciples?
A. Don't worry so much, just be like a child, and take life with ease. Yes, I differentiate between disciples and you are very special. Each one of you is unique and each one is special, so everyone is different.
Q. You are so wonderful, when can I become like you?
A. First stop attempting to become like me. Second know that I'm you.
Read an interesting article on Guru Poornima: http://www.indiayogi.com/content/full_moon_festival/guru_purnima.asp
