True Guru: Importance and Role

July is a very special month as we celebrate Guru Purnima this month.

Guru Purnima is a day that symbolizes the giving of eternal wisdom. It is a day to celebrate the wisdom that the guru has blessed us with and express our gratitude for it. It’s also a full moon night, symbolizing the guru leading his disciples out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of wisdom.

On this day, above all the offerings, the greatest offering that the guru expects from his disciples is that of the disciple’s comparing, judging mind. The contrast mind is the greatest hurdle on the path of Self-realization.

By bestowing the ultimate wisdom, the guru annihilates our comparing and judging mind, sets us free from fears, beliefs, and superstitions to progress on our journey of the ultimate truth. This, in a way, is symbolically a rebirth, because from that point onwards, we lead a new life with a fresh new perspective.

Like a full-moon, the guru spreads the light of wisdom in our life. This wisdom that we acquire during our life on earth benefits us even hereafter. We get rid of the fear of our own death as well as the death of our loved ones.

To celebrate this beautiful and auspicious occasion, let us focus on the essence of the Guru and the Guru’s role in our lives.

So let’s begin with a very basic question; who is a Guru and is a Guru required?

The word Guru is made up of two syllables, ‘Gu’ and ‘Ru,’ meaning darkness and light. Guru means “One who dispels darkness.” Darkness refers to ignorance, delusion, false beliefs.

Who do we say is a Guru? A person? Is it the body? No. Many people are caught up in this confusion. They have been told, “This particular person,” or “this body” is your Guru. They are refrained from approaching anyone else or attending any other teachings. If they do so, they’re considered disloyal. People lead their lives with this fear of being rejected.

A body is not a Guru. The Consciousness, which manifests through that body, is the Guru. The Consciousness within us that is yet to be revealed is the Guru. It is that Consciousness that guides us. It may guide us through a person, a book, or a dream. Just be open and receptive. Don’t close yourself by saying that if others can attain Self-realization on their own, then I too can. That’s not in your hands. Just be open and let Consciousness guide you.

Now let’s understand whether a Guru is required and why.

Is a Guru required in life? The answer to this question is just as simple as asking: Is a mother required? The answer to both the questions is the same. YES! Let’s take a deeper plunge into this topic.

Some children grow up without mothers. Their mothers died at their birth or at some other time during their formative years. Yet they grow; they live. They appear just fine without a mother. However, some of these children have to go through many hardships in their lives and those experiences make them bitter.

However, those who are nurtured by their mothers understand what unconditional love is and also understand why the mother is essential in life. So it is with the guru. Unless one is blessed with the grace of the guru, one doesn’t understand the necessity of having a guru.

There are a few who didn’t have a Guru and yet have attained enlightenment like Guru Nanak, Ramana Maharshi or Gautam Buddha. But in most cases, a Guru is required, as in the case of Saint Tukaram, Saint Dnyaneshwar, or Saint Kabir. Some external ‘body’ acted as their guru. It is in rare cases that enlightenment is attained without a Guru. This is because the Truth can be revealed only when the mind surrenders completely. The mind, by itself, cannot make the mind surrender. We need to have a benevolent preceptor on whom we can have faith.

While some argue that a Guru is not needed, some spend all their time arguing that their Guru, their religion, and their portrayals of God are the right ones. And because they are focused on the wrong thing, they never attain the Truth.

A living Guru is important because he can guide us according to the nature of our body-mind mechanism. Therefore, we progress fast. When he sees us, he understands how far we’ve come and what our hurdles are. The teachings and the instructions delivered by the living Guru have a very deep impact. If we try to hit someone with a bullet held in our hand, the bullet won’t have an impact. But the Guru is like a gun. When the bullet of wisdom is shot from the Guru, it hits the person with tremendous momentum and causes a deep transformation in his life. If the disciple listens to the Truth from someone who is not a true Guru, then the impact is like the bullet thrown from the hand.

The words delivered by the true Guru are very powerful because they are directly coming from the experience of the Self, from the very Source of Truth. Just by listening to his words, the disciple’s ego is eliminated. Therefore, the disciples abide by his words with devotion and complete surrender.

The Guru kindles faith in the heart of the one who follows the path of wisdom. With this, the follower is able to surrender his judging mind completely.

The true Guru has the complete understanding of Self Experience, the state of Liberation, the state of Samadhi – the timeless state of pure beingness. The true Guru is the Self that is established in itself and able to guide us towards Self-realization. The One who has attained liberation alone can lead us to the final Truth.

In the next article ‘Who is the right Guru‘, we will discuss how one can identify the right Guru and recognize false or fake Gurus.

The above article is an excerpt from the book: The Light Of Grace – Why Guru, God, Grace and You are one

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The Light Of Grace – Why Guru, God, Grace and You are one

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