Verse 8
Amaanitwam adambhitwam
Ahimsaa kshaantiraarjavam;
Aachaaryopaasanam shaucham
Sthairyamaatmavinigrahah.
Humility, unpretentiousness, non-injury, forgiveness, uprightness, service/reverence to the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control.
Amānitvam
If grass is trampled on, it simply bends; it does not resist. We should be humbler than a blade of grass. If we chop off the branches of a tree, it does not curse us.
Even if we cut off a large part of the tree, it again shoots up tendrils and leaves. It is very tolerant. Thus, the devotee / Sadhaka should be as tolerant as a tree and as humble as a blade of grass, giving respect to everybody and wanting respect from nobody.
Adambhitvam
There is no show on the part of a spiritual seeker. He never demonstrates himself as a seeker of God, a lover of God, a spiritual seeker.
It is said the sadhana that we perform, the mantra that we chant, and the Guru whom we worship should not be revealed to anyone.
Ahimsa
Non-violence is something well known to us. All beings should feel fearlessness towards us.
Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (10.8): “May all be fearless towards me” is the pratijna, or the vow, that we take. “Let nothing, let no one, be afraid of me.”
Kṣāntiḥ
If somebody does something wrong to us, we should not do the same to them.
Here is a short poem: “There is so much bad in the best of us, and so much good in the worst of us, that it ill-behoves any of us to find fault with the rest of us.” So, be forgiving.
Ᾱrjava:
We should be honest and straightforward, and not hide anything. We should not think one thing, say another thing, and do something else.
We have learnt through the hymn “Kāyena vācā manasa…” about the purity and alignment of thoughts/words/ actions emerging through/ from our Body/ Mind/ Speech/ Senses/ our Tendencies!!!
There should be harmony; otherwise, there will be non-alignment of personality.
Ᾱcāryopāsanaṁ
We should always be humble and worshipful before our teacher, who imparts knowledge to us.
We should not show our greatness or our ego before the teacher, or the Guru.
Let him be worshipped as the veritable manifestation of God Himself.
Swami Sivananda writes in His priceless book "Guru Bhakti Yoga", on "Service to Guru", the following points
¥ Goal of life is Service to Guru.
¥ Every unpleasant incident in life is a test of your trust in Guru.
¥ Disciple considers the actions; Guru weighs the intentions and motives.
¥ Doubt in the Guru’s action is the greatest sin.
¥ Never try to appear before your Guru what you are not.
¥ Obedience is the law of life for a disciple.
¥ Don’t miss any opportunity to serve your Divine Teacher.
¥ Be sincere and earnest when you serve your Divine Preceptor.
¥ To love Guru is to serve Guru.
¥ To live is to serve the Divine Master.
¥ Obedience to Guru is better than reverence.
¥ Obedience to preceptor is better than sacrifice.
¥ Adapt, adjust, accommodate with your Guru under all circumstances.
¥ Don’t talk much before your preceptor.
¥ Pure love to Guru is true obedience to Guru.
¥ Give the best things to your teacher first.
Śaucaṁ means physical purity, both inwardly as well as outwardly.
Sthairyam is the decision that we have taken to achieve God-realisation in this birth, and not in a future birth.
Ᾱtmavinigrahaḥ is self-restraint, the control of the senses and the mind.
Love.
Love.
