A VITAL CONVERSATION – PART 2
Note: If you haven’t read the first part of this conversation, you can find the link below:
(Sri Swamiji was conversing with a devotee in Bengaluru – Sri Gurumurthyji, recently on his visit to the Sundara Anjaneya Swami Temple. We saw in Part 1 how Sri Swamiji with tremendous care and love explained different types of devotees who approach a guru and what it really takes to progress spiritually after attaining a guru. We continue this vital conversation in this second part)
If the thirst to have the vision of God is true, intense and deep, an aspirant would not be deterred by either the length of the journey, or by the obstacles in the path to the destination.
The path taken by the aspirant should also be exactly as shown by his/her guru. The aspirant needs to follow that path sincerely with full faith in the words and directions of the guru. Only then there could be any spiritual progress.
When we have accepted a mahaan as a guru, no, no …..when a mahaan has graciously accepted us as a disciple, we need to totally align our thoughts, aspirations and motives to that of our gurus’, to such an extent that our mind merges with the mind of our guru. In spiritual matters, if we truly seek progress we should never have an opinion or motive or choice of our own apart from the direction of the master.
Any distractions like analysing the words of a guru with other spiritual literature or judging his directions based on what we read, hear or think we know are to be totally avoided. These are the workings of our ego which only greatly retards the progress.
Any deliberations or experimentations on other paths or techniques which are not shown by the guru also should be avoided.
If we do not follow the path shown by a guru sincerely, it is like a married couple who puts on a show of a ‘family’ to the world while there is no true compatibility or harmony between them!
To illustrate this further, an example of a guru-shishya relationship in field of classical music would be appropriate.
A keen music enthusiast who has listened to many musical giants and hence has picked up some skills, styles and formats from all these musical greats goes to a guru to learn music.
The burden of his past learnings- which he picked up from many, coupled with his continuous listening to many others, thereby imbibing some bits and pieces from them also would actually break his(her) progress to musical perfection.
The guru also will never be able to teach him properly, as the disciple is burdened by a lot of confusion which acutely impedes true learning and flowering of perfection. This indeed is a vicious web.
Spiritual aspirants should totally avoid getting caught in this sad vicious web.
These internal conflicts and confusions due to non-alignment to a guru’s direction may appear to be minor and trivial like a cobweb, but as time goes these become iron chains which shackle our feet and totally blocking our progress in the spiritual path.
Once we have the thirst for God-realization and we are also blessed with a guru to guide us in the path, we need to be crystal clear in our conviction, totally focused in our attention and be steady in our walk towards the destination as shown by the guru.
(e.g) Mr XX (Sri Swamiji referred to a current legend in the field of sports-cricket) is totally into his sport(cricket); he eats, lives and sleeps cricket. If he were to dissipate his focus and attention on other sports like hockey or tennis what would happen? You may ask, “Why-are they also not sports?” Indeed they also are. But if you let your attention to disperse, if we let our focus to scatter and our passion to dissipate which makes you lose the depth in achievement, which would have been possible if you have had a single-pointed dedication to one. In area of our spiritual traditions, we have known mahaans like Alangudi Periyava whose whole world and life was Srimad Bhagavatham alone, Sri Vasudeva thatha’s life and world was Ramayanam and Rama Bakthi alone.
Do you understand? The point here is not which sport is better or which path is better; the point rather is that only when we are aspiring to go in depth on just ‘one’ path we shall have real clarity, attention and passion to achieve perfection or realization. Here one is fortunate to reach the holy feet of a guru only in accordance with the past lives spiritual practices(sadhana) or his past lives spiritual alignment. People with past lives practice of yoga would be directed by providence to reach the feet of a yoga guru. Similarly it is same case with Bhakthi or gnana margas (paths)
These progressions to finally attain a great master is not something which happens instantly or by accident, but it happens as a result of accruals over many many past lives(jenmas).
भवापवर्गो भ्रमतो यदा भवेज्जनस्य तर्हिच्युत सत्समागम: ।
सत्सङ्गमो यर्हि तदैव सद्गतौ परावरेशे त्वयि जायते मति :।। (SB- 10.51.54)
When the end of (the cycle) of birth and death in the case of a soul undergoing transmigration is in sight, then(alone) his meeting with some saint takes place, O immortal Lord! (And) When there is fellowship with a saint, then alone is engendered (a feeling of) devotion to You, the Refuge of saints and the Ruler of the high and low.(54)
So if we aspire for steady spiritual progress, we need to steadfastly hold on to one and the only path shown by our guru. Simply allow the mind to merge with your guru in such a way there is no separate individual thought, aspiration or choices. In short, let the disciple’s mind lose itself in the mind of his(her) master!
(Q) Guru Maharaj why do some who come to satsang not aspire truly for liberation and only some aspire for God-realization?
With a smile Sri Swamiji started to answer the wonderful question-
continued… Vital Conversation – Part 3
