Q: What is the principle of Guru in spiritual life?
Let us contemplate the principle of Guru in spiritual life.
na guror-adhikam tattvam
na guror-adhikam tattvam
na guror-adhikam tattvam
shiva shasanatha
shiva shasanatha
shiva shasanatha
This is the teaching of Shiva. Shiva, the primordial Master, the Adi Guru says, there is no principle, higher than the principal of Guru. What is the meaning of the principle?
The principle is the essence. When we say Guru, what comes to our mind is a person who is smiling all the time, maybe with a beard, or maybe looking a bit weird. But we are not speaking about a person. We are speaking about principle. The principle of Guru is the highest principle in the universe. What does it mean? There is a shloka:
akhanda mandalakaram
vyaptam yena charaacharam
tadpadam darshitham yena
tasmai sri gurave namah
The principle of Guru or Guru tattva is all-pervading. ‘akhanda mandalakaram’ means pervading throughout the universe. There is no place where the principle of Guru tattva is not there. ‘vyaptam yena charaacharam’ means moving and nonmoving, living and nonliving, all are pervaded by Guru tattva or principle of Guru.
What is this principle of Guru? Guru tattva means Guru means, one which dispels ignorance. What dispels ignorance? It is the awareness that dispels ignorance. That awareness is the light of the Self, Atma Jyoti, the Divine light. That light is present, in every living being. And that is what is spoken of as ‘Guru tattva’, the light of awareness, the light of the Self, the Atma Jyothi. How is that so?
Look at our life. Anything in our life, we learn from somebody. There is not a single thing we do, without learning from somebody. The first learning for us is drinking milk, eating food, talking, walking. All these came from the mother, the biological mother. It is the biological mother who taught us our basic life skills. The Guru principle, in the biological mother, taught these. The Guru tattva in the biological mother taught these to us. That’s why we call mother as the first Guru.
Somebody can teach you something, but to understand, I need awareness. That means Guru tattva in me helps me to learn. Guru tattva in mother taught me and Guru tattva in me helped to learn or understand what she has taught. Similarly, the biological father taught me life skills. The Guru tattva, the principle of Guru, Atma Jyothi, the light of awareness, in the biological father taught me the life skills. The Guru tattva in me helped me to learn what he has taught.
That’s why we call mother as the first Guru, father as the Guru. And, we have learnt so many things, whether it is from grandparents, friends, schoolteachers, teachers who taught us Hindi, English, mathematics, science, biology, chemistry or the professional teachers who teach engineering, medicine, commerce. And we learnt so many things from friends. Please understand that all these people are just instruments. The Guru principle in them, the principle of awareness, the light of the Self, spoke through those bodies or taught through these bodies to me. The Guru principle in me, the light of the self, Atma Jyothi, helped me to understand.
Whatever we learn in life is because of the Guru principle in us. Whatever somebody teaches you, it is the Guru principle in that person. Guru principle is everywhere including animals, plants, space, natural elements. Is there something we can learn from space? Space teaches us to be empty and vast. To be free from all the clutter. The earth teaches us patience. Nature teaches us to give. Everything in nature is giving, giving and giving. The all-pervading Guru principle teaches us and the Guru principle in me is helping to learn. This is what is called, ‘Guru tattva’.
‘tadpadam darshitham yena, tasmai sri gurave namah’; Sri Guru or Sadguru is the realized person who comes to teach or give you Atma Jnana, the Self-realization, the path of liberation. While all Gurus in our life help us to make a living, Sadguru, the realized Master, comes into our life to show us the path of liberation, the freedom from our impressions, freedom from the bondage of the mind and body. To be free and to attain the Divinity in human life. Guru tattva, the all-pervading Guru tattva, helps us to make our living, makes us into a beautiful human being, but Sadguru tattva, the principle of Sadguru, the realized Master comes into our life, to uplift us from human to Divine, from Divine to Supreme, from darkness to light, give us the light of wisdom, light of enlightenment, light of the Self, Atma Jyothi. This is the contemplation on Guru tattva.
Pranams
References:
SelfKnowledgeTalks_T24_TheGuruPrinciple_20April2016