“A city without streets, a king without treasure, a merchant without business and a life without a guru are all considered the same. Why the emphasis on guru? Why do you need a guru?
Guru is like a circuit breaker. When you cannot handle life, your guru comes and saves so that you remain sane and balanced. If there is a compelling desire that bothers you, your guru is there to offer solace. You offer all your desires and pain to your guru. Having a guru means being able to relax and smile all the time, walk with confidence, be fearless and have a vision. That is wisdom.
Guru is a tattva — an element, a quality inside you. It is not limited to a body or form. Guru comes in your life in spite of your refusing or being rebellious. The guru principle is so vital in life. There is an element of the guru in every human being. That wisdom in each has to be invoked, awakened. When this element is awakened, misery in life disappears. In our consciousness, wisdom comes to life when guru tattva comes to life. When we have no desires of our own, then the guru tattva dawns in our life. Wake up and see that our life is changing every moment and feel grateful for whatever you have received. Life sometimes seems very complicated. There is pleasure, pain, happiness, suffering, generosity, greed, passion and dispassion. When our life is full of such opposing values, our mind sometimes becomes unable to handle these complications and just breaks down. It is then that you need wisdom to guide you through troubled times. Guru is that wisdom. You might have noticed you give great advice when you are not involved in a situation but the same is not true when you are in trouble. This is because wisdom dawns when you are out of the mess. Guru is one who is out of the mess. He watches the chaos, amidst the chaos.”
These are the words from Sri Sri Ravi Shanker published in Times of India today. The need for Guru has been stressed in opening remarks as if life is not possible without a Guru. Though literally the words are absolute truth, but one major problem with the words is that it creates a subconscious urge in mind of suggestible to have the preacher as Guru. The problems are there in every body’s life including Gurus. But what exactly is a Guru; needs to be understood thoroughly.
Teachers and consultants are gurus
In current context Guru should be replaced with teachers and consultants. One needs to consult or read and decide according to the need and problem. The answer has to be arrived at, after a thorough brain storming. Most of the so-called Gurus are now running a multi-million trade. They exploit the sentiments and weaknesses of the innocents by feeding subconscious suggestions. Spirituality is above money. One should have faith in truth. All living beings should be listened to or read carefully. One should never be a blind follower to a living being.
The article should be read along with another post in this blog titled Devotion.
Life, gross and subtle
P V VAIDYANATHAN, Aug 8, 2010, 12.00am IST
Read more: Life, gross and subtle – Speaking Tree – Spirituality – Life & Style – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spirituality/speaking-tree/Life-gross-and-subtle/articleshow/6200962.cms#ixzz0wrBETe5j
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Dr.Mahesh Chandra Panda said,
July 25, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
The knowledge of the self is so subtle and mystic that, no one can by his own individual effort ever hope to attain. So the help of another person-teacher, who has himself got self-realization, is absolutely necessary. What others can not give with great efforts and pains can be easily gained with the help of such a teacher, for he has walked on the path himself and can easily take the disciple step by step on the ladder of spiritual progress.