baba the guru of gurus-

the universal guru

The discovery of the sages binds the whole of humanity in the harmony of the cosmos. Sages are the sources from which mankind receives knowledge and wisdom to behold the light, truth and beauty that shows the path of freedom and happiness to all. They make humanity aware of the near shadows and vain illusions of the world. With their eyes the unity of the entire Universe is best seen, such sages are revered us as real Gurus by mankind.

Saint Kabir conveyed his joy of communication with Guru's grace as follows:

"It is the grace of my Guru that made me known the unknown,

I have learnt from him to walk without feet,

To see without eyes, to hear without ears,

To drink without mouth, to fly without wings,

I have brought my love and meditation into the land,

Where there is no Sun and moon, nor day and night,

Without eating, I have tasted of the sweetness of the nectar,

And without water, I have quenched my thirst,

Where there is response of love, there is full of joy,

Before whom can that bliss be uttered,

It is the wisdom to bark in the Guru's presence,

It is the wisdom to take Guru's sanctified name,

It is the wisdom to receive Guru's ambrosia word,

It is wisdom to meditate upon Guru's Form".

Saint Sri Tirumular, the illustrious mystic seer of early Saivism adored the ceaseless act of Guru's grace in his Tirumantram as follows:

"My Guru's grace bathed me in a sea of Nectar,

My Guru's grace taught me the love Divine,

My Guru's grace made me to taste Bliss benign,

My Guru's grace found its ways in my Heart's shelter.

That the Sadguru acts as a lamp lighter, who lights-up the dark chamber of our innerself is exquisitely potrayed by another mystic Saint, Sri Thayumanavar:

"He is the Guru who granted me grace to gain

Good for life that is good for the life to be,

Being most worthy to show me true wisdom's day,

How best to be but the doer of good only,

He draws me to him with motherlike tenderness,

And in heart's temple. He, the Guru, dwelth".

Jesus said, "you must be born again" He ment that you must be given a new birth by your Guru. The Guru must recreate you after first destroying you. Your ordinary physical birth, pur.... your face in to the slush of the Samsara. He given you a new birth, which takes you out of the world.

The word "Guru" is a Sanskrit word and a number of derivations are found specially in "Guru Gita" which is a part of "Skanda Purana". "Gu" generally means "Guha and therefore means "darkness", "Ru" donates the action of destruction (just as fire destroys) or removal. So "Guru" means the dispeller of darkness or ignorance. Another derivation of Guru-Gita says that Guru is one who takes one from the Gunas to that beyond Gunas i.e. BAHMAN. Over and above another definition is "Gu" means Gunatita that is beyond the senses. "Ru" means Ru-Patita that is beyond all forms. As the guru is beyond all gunas and forms He is revered as Nirakara and Niranjana.

We see and heard of various types of Gurus. Sometimes their realisation is the same, but the method of teaching is different. Some times their method of teaching may be same, but the method of initiation is different. Just as there are gradations in realisations, similarly there are gradations in Gurus. Some are Vidya-Gurus who only teach certain scriptures. Some are Deekhya-Guru who usually initiate into meditation or into spiritual practices.

The real Guru is one who makes the disciples realise God or Brahman and such "A" one, could not only teach through his practices, and He is a power separate from mere teaching but thrilling, inspiring illuminating and used to deliver the real soul consciousness to individuals in particular and mankind in general, Who is actually the divine power personified.

In the ocean of rebirth, lust and rage are two big rocks through which the boat of life cannot pass unscathed. The thieves of greediness are ever waiting to steal the values of the life and the spiritual wealth of individuals. There will be sharp showers of arrogance and jealously and the hurricane of illusion ever ready to over-turn the ship. One used to forget the soul which is nothing but a spark of divinity. Thought the soul of individual is a tiny spark of God and as water seeks its own level, the individual is graced with the inspiration to reach the inner essence that is ever increasing bliss. However because of the diverse luminosity and enamouring potency of God's illusive power "The Maya", man is enticed by the materialistic world and the essence of consciousness, the tiny spark which is hungry for the incessant bliss is unwittingly entrapped and over-shadowed by the urge of physical sense-gratifying pastures, It is only a real Guru who alone knows the proper ways to escape the dangers for reaching the other shore, can impart and ignite the knowledge of consciousness of the divine spark to humanity, for He has already reached the other shore and descent only out of measureless compassion to navigate the ship of man's life through the tantalizing ocean of material world and the cycle of birth and death.

The fire of non-attachment and knowledge crowned with Guru's grace can burn one's Samrkaras to make him free from the bondage created by him. Non-attachment does not mean indifference or non-loving. Non-attachment and love are one and the same. No-attachment gives freedom, but attachment brings bondage. Through non-attachment every householder remains aware of his purpose of life and does his duty selflessly. His actions becomes means for him. In renunciation, the renunciate remains aware of the purpose of his life constantly and attains enlightenment. Non-attachment and renunciation expands the consciousness. When one learns to expand his consciousness on unites with Universal consciousness then he no longer remains within the bound of his karma that makes him totally free and is naturally regarded as a Guru in the society.

Such a Guru acquires the right to show the path of freedom to others. Whether he is in the world or outside, he can also heal the sickness arising from Karmic debts. He can remain untouched and above, without being involved or reaping the fruits arising from other's Karmic debts. Such a True Master or Guru has control over himself and moves freely in the world. When a potter has completed making his pots, the wheel of the potter still rotates for some time, but is unable to manufacture pots. For a liberated soul (Guru) the wheel of life remains in motion, but his Karma does not create any bondage for him. His actions are called "Actionless Action".

Such an Universal Guru says :that the fulfilment of knowledge is wisdom. Knowledge can be imparted but wisdom is to be gained by self-effort and in the process if body, mind and intellect keeps cohesion the integration of personality can do wonders. Over and above the nature and tendencies of individuals, due to the Poorva-Karma are mostly concealed and not realised or controlled. They work so confusingly that make many people difficult to decide as to what is the actual way and what really good for them and here a Guru's aid is often useful, if not absolutely necessary.

All should remember that when we love a Guru, we are not loving his external personality,we are to love his perennial personality, the Siva-consciousness, which he is trying to instill into us. That means that we are loving ourselves, the Self is loving the Self. Instead of attempting to love the entire universe we should try to love one person properly, because the Atma is the same in every being. And remember no matter how much we love, or think. He love our Guru, he loves us much, muchmore because he has already learned how to love the Infinite. He used to try to make us in to his own Guru the "One".

In this contest whether it is metaphysical discussion, spiritual illumination or moral exhortation Sri Sai Baba of Shiridi the Guru of Gurus. The Universal Guru lays His finger unerringly on one thing essential for man; a change in his behavioural pattern, motivates one to trim his heart lamp of faith and devotion: burning in the wicks of love, non-attachment and through the process of which the flame of knowledge (self-realisation) lit-up for shining brighter leading to actual enlightenment and emancipation.

In our scriptures twelve types of Gurus are described who are varil revered as God. They are:

1. Datuvaadi Guru : teaches austerities and penances, the practice of which can lead thee disciple to the attainment of salvation. There is a strict spiritual discipline of physical exercises, rhythmic breathing, fasting, exhalation, and retaining of the breath, gazing at the tip of the nose or between the eyebrows, bringing the upward and downward breath together to generate heat inside the body so that the Kundalini, or the serpent power, can be awakelened.

2. Chandana Guru : releases the spiritual fragrance just by his presence. He is just like the sandal tree which wafts its fragrance to the adjoining trees. It is said that the bamboo and the plantain trees are incapable of being influenced by the sandal tree. Similarly, those that have no faith will not receive the gragrance of the Chandrana Guru. It means he is capable of influencing people who are endowed with faith.

3. Vichhara Guru : is full of wisdom, clarifies every subtle thing, removes the doubts of individuals, gives them food for thought, always teaches discrimination and appeals to the reasons and intellect of people. The way becomes very clear to the disciple due to the clarity of understanding.