‘The Guru’s grace alone can bring about the disciple’s supreme good.’
Guru’s grace alone can bring supreme good to the disciple; nothing else can. This is the verbal testimony of valid knowledge. One who grasps the verbal testimony gets liberated. On the other hand, the one who weighs the Guru with reference to his own mind and desires is led astray. ‘The Guru should do this; he should not do that…. We should get this and that …..’ if one has such thinking, it means he is guided by desires.
One, who is guided by the scriptures, acts in accordance with pramāna, instruments of valid knowledge. One who is guided by his desires acts according to the dictates of his mind. Many people get Mantra-Diksha from a Guru, but most of them are guided by desires. Rare are those who act in accordance with the pramāna. They firmly believe – what the scriptures say is the truth; what the Guru says is the truth; what the mind says is untruth.
Desire-driven actions are the cause of bondage; samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Actions guided by the scriptures, on the other hand, are the means to material and spiritual progress, to God-realization. Of course, we should do Purushārtha, should make full efforts; but what kind of Purushārtha should we do? Should we do what comes to our mind or should we do what the Guru or the scriptures ordain? If you act according to your long cherished notions, howsoever great may be the amount of work you do, howsoever big returns you get, it will be worldly gains, not spiritual.
What validated by Sruti, the Vedas has to be accepted. For example, the Sun is 13lakh times larger than the earth. This is an authenticated fact. It has to be accepted even if our eyes don’t see it. The sky looks blue but it is an authenticated fact that the blueness is not there. We have to accept that the blueness is not there and the blueness that looks to be there is on account of the inability of our eyes to perceive the space. The well authenticated fact has to be accepted. ‘The Guru’s grace alone can bring about the disciple’s supreme good.’ This is a well authenticated fact. Guru Nanak says, ‘The home within is filled with Bliss, but the self-willed manmukh does not get to taste it.’ This is a well authenticated fact.
I was member of a rich family. There was no dearth of caves and places suitable for meditation. Yet Guruji ordered me to live at a place I didn’t like to, in a slum at disa. I accepted it and didn’t allow the mind to have its way. Had I left that place following the dictates of my mind or my relatives, I would have met the same fate as other wretched men meet. He is wretched who allows a lump of butter that has come into his hands to slip away and licks buttermilk. One who fails to take advantage of a propitious situation is wretched. Had I behaved in the way wretched men do, I would have fallen from the path of sadhana. Disa is not very far from Amdvad. I was married; I could have gone home dozens of times in seven years without taking permission from my Guru…. Even if I had gone seventy times, Guruji would have said nothing. But I thought, ‘What would I ultimately get if I cater to the fancies of my or my relatives’ minds? How can the advice of those, who themselves have not crossed the ocean of birth and death, help me cross it? The saints pronounce:
‘No wonder one may reduce his body to a skeleton through severe austerities and practice of meditation night and day but desire won’t be eradicated without reflecting on the enlightening knowledge.’
If it were possible to attain God without engaging oneself in actions ordained by scriptures, everybody would have attained God. There are a large number of people, who are believers; a good many of them are devoted. Why don’t they attain God then?
Many people came to my Gurudev’s Ashram. A two-and-half lakhs of people appear of I.A.S. Competitive examination. The bulk of them are eliminated at various stages of tests and interviews and finally about 1,000 of them are appointed as I. A. S. officers. Similarly, many people come to the Guru; only those out of them attain the Supreme Goal, who have an earnest zeal for God-realization and persevere diligently in Guru’s divine works and actions ordained by scriptures.
Action according to the fancies of one;s mind, jiva is swept away by the current of samsara. Desire-driven actions make one wander in samsara, transmigratory existence and actions based on scriptural authority (pramāna) leads one to liberation. Of course, one will feel good if things go the mind’s way. If one works according to the fancies of one’s mind, one slides towards ruination and by working according to Gruu’s teachings one elevates oneself. One may live a thousand births following one’s beliefs and fancies; one gains nothing and falls to abysmal depths; therefore one is advised to act according to the dictates of scriptures.
Shri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, on the strength of his faith, make Divine Mother Kali to manifest Herself but the Mother said, “seek refuge in a Brahmajnani Guru to attain Self-knowledge.”
Namdevji similarly make Lord Vitthal said, “Go and get the Knowledge of Ultimate Truth from Visoba Khechar.” Ma Pravati worshipped Lord Shiva to get Him as her husband but Lord Shiva said, ‘Go and get the Knowledge of Ultimate Truth from Guru vamdevji.’ What is the secret behind all this?
‘The Gruur’s grace alone can bring about the disciple’s supreme good.’ One must agree to and accept this fact.
‘Let what is mine, be consigned to eh flames, let what is Thine prevail.’
the purport here is that our desires should be destroyed to reveal the Guru’s experiential Knowledge alone. Serving with alacrity, one’s desires are checked and one starts yearning for God-realization.
It is a well authenticated fact that the world is ever perishing. Whatever the jiva may achieve in the world, it cannot get relieved of the sufferings of birth and death without attaining the state of supreme Consciousness.
‘Without the love for Lord’s lotus feet, the sorrow of the heart will not be destroyed.’
One should readily accept authenticated fact and should make one’s life accomplished.
Guru’s grace alone can bring supreme good to the disciple; nothing else can. This is the verbal testimony of valid knowledge. One who grasps the verbal testimony gets liberated. On the other hand, the one who weighs the Guru with reference to his own mind and desires is led astray. ‘The Guru should do this; he should not do that…. We should get this and that …..’ if one has such thinking, it means he is guided by desires.
One, who is guided by the scriptures, acts in accordance with pramāna, instruments of valid knowledge. One who is guided by his desires acts according to the dictates of his mind. Many people get Mantra-Diksha from a Guru, but most of them are guided by desires. Rare are those who act in accordance with the pramāna. They firmly believe – what the scriptures say is the truth; what the Guru says is the truth; what the mind says is untruth.
Desire-driven actions are the cause of bondage; samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Actions guided by the scriptures, on the other hand, are the means to material and spiritual progress, to God-realization. Of course, we should do Purushārtha, should make full efforts; but what kind of Purushārtha should we do? Should we do what comes to our mind or should we do what the Guru or the scriptures ordain? If you act according to your long cherished notions, howsoever great may be the amount of work you do, howsoever big returns you get, it will be worldly gains, not spiritual.
What validated by Sruti, the Vedas has to be accepted. For example, the Sun is 13lakh times larger than the earth. This is an authenticated fact. It has to be accepted even if our eyes don’t see it. The sky looks blue but it is an authenticated fact that the blueness is not there. We have to accept that the blueness is not there and the blueness that looks to be there is on account of the inability of our eyes to perceive the space. The well authenticated fact has to be accepted. ‘The Guru’s grace alone can bring about the disciple’s supreme good.’ This is a well authenticated fact. Guru Nanak says, ‘The home within is filled with Bliss, but the self-willed manmukh does not get to taste it.’ This is a well authenticated fact.
I was member of a rich family. There was no dearth of caves and places suitable for meditation. Yet Guruji ordered me to live at a place I didn’t like to, in a slum at disa. I accepted it and didn’t allow the mind to have its way. Had I left that place following the dictates of my mind or my relatives, I would have met the same fate as other wretched men meet. He is wretched who allows a lump of butter that has come into his hands to slip away and licks buttermilk. One who fails to take advantage of a propitious situation is wretched. Had I behaved in the way wretched men do, I would have fallen from the path of sadhana. Disa is not very far from Amdvad. I was married; I could have gone home dozens of times in seven years without taking permission from my Guru…. Even if I had gone seventy times, Guruji would have said nothing. But I thought, ‘What would I ultimately get if I cater to the fancies of my or my relatives’ minds? How can the advice of those, who themselves have not crossed the ocean of birth and death, help me cross it? The saints pronounce:
‘No wonder one may reduce his body to a skeleton through severe austerities and practice of meditation night and day but desire won’t be eradicated without reflecting on the enlightening knowledge.’
If it were possible to attain God without engaging oneself in actions ordained by scriptures, everybody would have attained God. There are a large number of people, who are believers; a good many of them are devoted. Why don’t they attain God then?
Many people came to my Gurudev’s Ashram. A two-and-half lakhs of people appear of I.A.S. Competitive examination. The bulk of them are eliminated at various stages of tests and interviews and finally about 1,000 of them are appointed as I. A. S. officers. Similarly, many people come to the Guru; only those out of them attain the Supreme Goal, who have an earnest zeal for God-realization and persevere diligently in Guru’s divine works and actions ordained by scriptures.
Action according to the fancies of one;s mind, jiva is swept away by the current of samsara. Desire-driven actions make one wander in samsara, transmigratory existence and actions based on scriptural authority (pramāna) leads one to liberation. Of course, one will feel good if things go the mind’s way. If one works according to the fancies of one’s mind, one slides towards ruination and by working according to Gruu’s teachings one elevates oneself. One may live a thousand births following one’s beliefs and fancies; one gains nothing and falls to abysmal depths; therefore one is advised to act according to the dictates of scriptures.
Shri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, on the strength of his faith, make Divine Mother Kali to manifest Herself but the Mother said, “seek refuge in a Brahmajnani Guru to attain Self-knowledge.”
Namdevji similarly make Lord Vitthal said, “Go and get the Knowledge of Ultimate Truth from Visoba Khechar.” Ma Pravati worshipped Lord Shiva to get Him as her husband but Lord Shiva said, ‘Go and get the Knowledge of Ultimate Truth from Guru vamdevji.’ What is the secret behind all this?
‘The Gruur’s grace alone can bring about the disciple’s supreme good.’ One must agree to and accept this fact.
‘Let what is mine, be consigned to eh flames, let what is Thine prevail.’
the purport here is that our desires should be destroyed to reveal the Guru’s experiential Knowledge alone. Serving with alacrity, one’s desires are checked and one starts yearning for God-realization.
It is a well authenticated fact that the world is ever perishing. Whatever the jiva may achieve in the world, it cannot get relieved of the sufferings of birth and death without attaining the state of supreme Consciousness.
‘Without the love for Lord’s lotus feet, the sorrow of the heart will not be destroyed.’
One should readily accept authenticated fact and should make one’s life accomplished.
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