The Need For A Guru
For a beginner in the spiritual path, a Guru is
necessary. To light a candle, you need a burning candle. Even so, an illumined
soul alone can enlighten another soul.
Only the man who has already been to Badrinath
will be able to tell you the road leading to it. In the case of the spiritual
path, it is still more difficult to find your way. The mind will mislead you
very often.
The Guru will be able to remove pitfalls and
obstacles, and lead you along the right path. He will tell you: “This road leads
you to Moksha; this one leads to bondage”. Without this guidance, you might
want to go to Badrinath, but find yourself in Delhi!
The scriptures are like a forest. There are
ambiguous passages. There are passages that are apparently contradictory and others
that have esoteric meanings, diverse significance and hidden
explanations.
There are cross references. You are in need of a
Guru or Preceptor who will explain to you the right meaning, who will remove
doubts and ambiguities, who will place before you the essence of the
teachings.
A Guru is absolutely necessary for every
aspirant in the spiritual path. It is only the Guru who will find out your
defects. The nature of egoism is such that you will not be able to find out
your own defects. Just as a man cannot see his back, so also he cannot see his
own errors. He must live under a Guru for the eradication of his evil qualities
and defects.
The aspirant who is under the guidance of a
Master or Guru is safe from being led astray. Satsanga or association with the
Guru is an armour and fortress to guard you against all temptations and
unfavourable forces of the material world.
Cases of those who had attained perfection
without study under any Guru should not be cited as authoritative against the necessity
for a Guru; for, such great men are the anomalies of spiritual life, and not
the common normality. They come into existence as spiritual masters as a result
of the intense service, study and meditation practiced in previous births. They
had already studied under the Guru.
The present birth is only its continuative
spiritual effect. Hence, the importance of the Guru is not lessened
thereby.
All great ones had their teachers. All the
sages, saints, prophets, world teachers, incarnations, great men have had their
own Gurus, however great they might have been. Svetaketu learnt the nature of
Truth from Uddalaka, Maitreyi from Yajnavalkya, Bhrigu from Varuna, Narada from
Sanatkumara, Nachiketas from Yama, Indra from Prajapati; and several others
humbly went to wise ones, observed strict Brahmacharya, practised rigorous
discipline, and learnt Brahma-Vidya from them.
Lord Krishna sat at the feet of His Guru
Sandipani. Lord Rama had Guru Vasishtha who gave Him Upadesa. Lord Jesus sought
John to be baptised by him on the banks of the river Jordan. Even Devas have
Brihaspati as their Guru. Even the greatest among the divine beings sat at the
feet of Guru Dakshinamurti.
In the previous 2 to 3 centuries also, we have
seen Swami Chinmayananda learning at the feet of 2 masters, Swami Sivananda
first and then Tapovan Maharaj. Swami Paramahamsa Yogananada under Sri
Yukteswar, Vivekananda under Rama Krishna and so on.
"Guru Seva Bina Nirvaan Nahin"
Love.
