Great and peaceful, saints move about the world helping people disinterestedly like the spring. Having themselves crossed the fearful oceanof transmigration; they help, without any selfish motive, others to crossover it. The teaching of a Guru comes in various ways.
A devotee had a great desire to follow a line of research, which was of no possible use for him in his life. Though he knew it would be only a distraction to his studies, this would not leave him. One night he had a dream in which Sri Sathguru explained to him the nature of the knowledge he was seeking. The desire to research that subject left him.
Explaining this incident Sri Sathguru said, “The Guru who teaches in the waking statecontinues to teach in the stages of dream and deep sleep. The Guru even teaches and guides after death.It is just that most people don’t know of it.”
The ninth Skandha of the Bhägavata mahäpuräëaà mentions that the Emperor Vaivasvata Manu was able to attain knowledge after he had a discussion regarding spiritual life with his Guru.
The teaching may come in various ways, through incidents in our lives, through non-human agencies as in the case of Satyakama Jabala and Upakosala Kamalayana and through a flash of knowledge that comes in the mind after a long period of tapas and hard sadhana coupled with a feeling of absolute surrender to the Guru. But ultimately the teaching must be given the stamp of authority from the Guru.
As Satyakama Jabala said, “äcaryäddhaiva vidyä viditä sädhiñöam präpatéti2 , Knowledge becomes efficient only if learnt from the Guru.” The use of the word Acharya is significant as the Linga Purana tells us that an Acharya is one who corrects the äcära or conduct of society. Learning is thus not merely an intellectual exercise as in the case of western philosophy but a part of our being.
A devotee had a great desire to follow a line of research, which was of no possible use for him in his life. Though he knew it would be only a distraction to his studies, this would not leave him. One night he had a dream in which Sri Sathguru explained to him the nature of the knowledge he was seeking. The desire to research that subject left him.
Explaining this incident Sri Sathguru said, “The Guru who teaches in the waking statecontinues to teach in the stages of dream and deep sleep. The Guru even teaches and guides after death.It is just that most people don’t know of it.”
The ninth Skandha of the Bhägavata mahäpuräëaà mentions that the Emperor Vaivasvata Manu was able to attain knowledge after he had a discussion regarding spiritual life with his Guru.
The teaching may come in various ways, through incidents in our lives, through non-human agencies as in the case of Satyakama Jabala and Upakosala Kamalayana and through a flash of knowledge that comes in the mind after a long period of tapas and hard sadhana coupled with a feeling of absolute surrender to the Guru. But ultimately the teaching must be given the stamp of authority from the Guru.
As Satyakama Jabala said, “äcaryäddhaiva vidyä viditä sädhiñöam präpatéti2 , Knowledge becomes efficient only if learnt from the Guru.” The use of the word Acharya is significant as the Linga Purana tells us that an Acharya is one who corrects the äcära or conduct of society. Learning is thus not merely an intellectual exercise as in the case of western philosophy but a part of our being.
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