13 Jul 2022
This is the function of the birthday of sage Vyāsa, who is considered as Guru, who is the preacher and guide of the spiritual path. The meaning of the word ‘Guru’ is that he removes the ignorance of the disciples by giving true knowledge just like the sun removes darkness by giving light. This can happen not only in spiritual line, but can happen in any line of materialism. This means that even a teacher giving the knowledge of any worldly subject like Mathematics, Physics etc., can be also called as Guru. If you consider spiritual knowledge as one of the branches of knowledge, named as philosophy, Guru can be in the branch of philosophy or spiritual knowledge also. This means that Guru is a teacher of any subject of knowledge including spiritual knowledge, which is treated as one of the branches of knowledge.
It is not correct to treat spiritual knowledge as philosophy, which is a branch of knowledge standing as one among several branches of worldly knowledge. All the branches of worldly knowledge are only useful to earn livelihood. Even spiritual knowledge in the name of philosophy is used to earn livelihood. This is completely wrong because spiritual knowledge is not for earning livelihood, but to earn the total grace of God, which is the main goal of life. Even, animals, birds, insects, worms etc., are earning their livelihood. The birth of a human being is very valuable compared to animals, birds etc. Śaṅkara told that human birth is very very rare compared to other births (Jantūnāṃ narajanma durlabhamidam). Hence, the angle of the human being must be thoroughly purified while learning spiritual knowledge.
The value of spiritual knowledge is very much estimated by Gītā by saying that spiritual knowledge is the King of all branches of knowledge (Adhyātma vidyā vidyānāṃ). Ancient scholars often recite a verse, which says that all the branches of knowledge cry like foxes in the forest as long as spiritual knowledge does not preach like a roaring lion (Tāvad garjanti śāstrāṇi…)! Spiritual life is far far higher than this routine worldly life. Pravṛtti or worldly life is limited up to this birth only and its effect is very much petty covering routine cheap aspects like eating, drinking, living in a house etc., because all these aspects end with this life. Spiritual knowledge deals with the subject of God that protects the soul forever even after this birth and in any number of births that are going to come. Don’t be foolish to think that there is no re-birth. Very large number of cases are reported proving the re-birth in the entire world. Several divine miracles are experienced by a very large number of people in their lives and such miracles are exhibited in a wide range by human incarnations like Sri Satya Sai Baba etc., and you can see several videos of these miracles. From all this information, one must be able to understand the existence of God and things like protection of soul in this world as well as in the upper world especially, protection from hell.
If you have realized the tremendous value of spiritual knowledge, with the help of above discussed angles, you must pay full concentration on spiritual line at least after stabilizing your cheap materialistic line. In this spiritual line, the preacher and guide preaching the spiritual knowledge is very very important and this point can be realized even in the branches of worldly knowledge. There are two types of Gurus, who give the correct spiritual knowledge as learnt and asat Gurus, who give wrong knowledge due to the defect in the process of their learning or due to twists done by them in order to please the disciples for earning more money through their offering (Gurudakṣiṇā). Apart from Gurus, there are ‘Sadgurus’, who are the human incarnations of God and who have arrived on earth to preach correct spiritual knowledge. Sadguru is not only a ‘guide’ through preaching, but also, the ‘goal’ if realized. Krishna preached spiritual knowledge to Arjuna, who took Him as Guru in the beginning (Śiṣyaste'ham śādhi māṃ…). In the end, Arjuna realized that Krishna was the ‘goal’ also. Hence, Krishna is the ‘Sadguru’. Sat+Guru is Sadguru. Sat means the absolute reality indicating God and Guru means the preacher. This means that Sadguru is God, who has come to this earth to preach true spiritual knowledge. Even Krishna, the Sadguru, asked the disciple Arjuna to analyse whatever preached by Him and then only accept. Analysis comes only when there is a doubt in the knowledge. Once the Sadguru preaches the knowledge, no one will get any doubt. If some concept is not understood, clarification may be asked, which is not a doubt. Doubt means the analytical validity of the concept preached by the Sadguru, which will never arise because every concept preached by Him is the perfect truth. This is the inherent characteristic of the knowledge preached by the Sadguru that penetrates all the layers of the consciousness. This is the identification mark for recognizing the Sadguru. Why is knowledge given such importance in identifying the Sadguru? The reason is that you need only the true knowledge that directs you in the correct path to reach the correct goal. Hence, you must concentrate on the knowledge only and through the characteristic of the knowledge as told above (which is that no doubt comes and the knowledge penetrates the entire bulk of your consciousness), you must identify the Sadguru. The beauty in catching the Sadguru is that you have reached the goal also, which is to be reached by you after doing a lot of spiritual effort!
Sage Vyāsa, due to whom we are celebrating the function of ‘Guru Pūrṇimā’ today, is also a Sadguru. He is the incarnation of God Vishnu and also the author of vast spiritual knowledge. It is told that the entire knowledge has come from His mouth only (Vyāsocchiṣṭa midaṃ jagat). He wrote Brahmasūtras, which help everybody to correlate various hymns of the Upaniṣats. He is the author of eighteen secondary scriptures called ‘Purāṇams’ through which all the Vedic knowledge was clearly explained. He is the author of ‘Bhāratam’ and ‘Bhāgavatam’ dealing with the important human incarnation, called ‘Krishna’ and thus is the author of the ‘Bhagavad Gītā’. His two books, Brahmasūtrams and the Bhagavad Gītā are the two among the three holy scriptures called ‘Prasthāna trayam’. He has created an ocean of knowledge and it is told that whatever is present in His knowledge exists anywhere and whatever is not present in His knowledge does not exist anywhere (Yadihāsti tadanyatra…). He was born on the Pūrṇimā day of Āṣāḍha month. This month is famous for rains and He rained the entire spiritual knowledge on earth. He was born as a sage and not as an ordinary baby and this shows the miraculous birth of God Vishnu born as sage Vyāsa. All His spiritual knowledge is termed as the chair of knowledge called ‘Vyāsapīṭham’.
Sadguru is the God in human body and will not interfere with the properties of the body so that God will mix with humanity freely like a friend by which people can ask Him questions in ground state without excitation. When the properties of the body remain as such, there will be an opportunity to do service to the human incarnation. When Krishna ate sugar cane, His finger was cut and blood came out. Due to the divinity of Krishna, if the finger were not cut, then there would have been no opportunity for Draupadi to serve Krishna by tearing her new sari. The devotees will lose the opportunity of serving God. Since Krishna was having hunger, Gopikas served Him by offering butter to Him. If Rama were not hungry due to long journey by walk, Shabari would have not offered the fruits by tasting them to check their sweetness. If Shankara did not behave like an ordinary human being unable to cross the Ganges, His disciple Padmapada could not have crossed Ganges to bring the wet clothes of Śaṅkara.
If the finger is not cut, even testing the real devotion of devotees will not take place. When Draupadi tore her new sari, it was a test for the devotion of Draupadi to see whether she can tear her new sari or not. It is also a test for the eight wives of Krishna, who could not tear their new saris and ran in eight directions for a piece of cloth. Not interfering with the properties of the body has many advantages like 1) He can freely mix with human beings so that they can clarify their doubts without excitation, 2) There is an opportunity to serve God directly and 3) There is an opportunity for God to test the real devotion of devotees.
The devotees, who desired to see God in human form have the aspiration to serve God directly and to satisfy them, God comes in human form without interfering with the natural properties of the human body like hunger, thirst etc., so that devotees can give Him food and good drinks. There are some devotees, who are very much misers not willing to spend even a paisa on God! Such devotees want to get the grace of God by their theoretical devotion like singing devotional songs etc. Such devotees must worship statues and photos and this worship of representative model is introduced for such miser devotees only. Such miser devotees also will get the grace of God, but the grace will be in theoretical phase. If they sing songs on God praising Him, God will also sing songs praising such devotees. The devotees doing practical service are blessed by God with practical boons. Krishna told this in the Gita that God will respond in the same way in which the devotee has approached God (Ye yathā māṃ prapadyante…).
Every Sadguru is the incarnation of God Datta, Who is mainly the divine preacher of spiritual knowledge. In the field of knowledge, always, tests will be there and hence, the Sadguru always tests the devotees, who are His disciples. The test will be as per the level of devotion of the disciple. For a school student, the test will be at high level. For a college student, the test will be at higher level. For the University student, the test will be at the highest level. The fruits are also at those corresponding levels. The test is never conducted at a higher level or at a lower level compared to the level of the standard of the syllabus. The test will be exactly at the level of the standard of the devotion of the devotee. When the test is conducted and the fruit is given, there will be no criticism from anybody. Even though, God is omniscient and can declare the result even without a test, God conducts the tests so that nobody can criticize God. Aruṇi saw that the water in the field of his preacher, sage Dhaumya, was gushing out due to the cut of its boundary. He tried his level best to stop it, but could not stop it by any effort. Finally, he lay down against the wash out and the leakage stopped. He lay like that in rain and severe cold weather. The preacher Dhaumya was very much pleased with Aruṇi, giving him a new name ‘Uddālaka’ and blessed him that he will get all the spiritual knowledge immediately without studying it. The boon is in the level of devotion to the Sadguru and this is the best example for the policy of Krishna as announced in Gita that God will respond at the same level as the devotee approaches God.
1. There is an argument that God Datta is the incarnation of God Vishnu. Please comment on this point.
[A question by Shri J.S.R. Prasad]
Swami Replied:- It is told based on the scripture that God Brahmaa asked God Naaraayana that they are worshipped by souls and in such a case, which deity is the goal for them (God Brahmaa etc.). Then, God Naaraayana told that He is God Datta and as God Datta, He becomes the goal for God Brahmaa etc. Here, God Naaraayana is God Datta Himself and He clearly told that He is God Datta (Datto’ham Datto’ham). God Naaraayana or God Datta is the first energetic incarnation and God Brahmaa, God Vishnu and God Shiva are the energetic incarnations that came later on from God Datta. God Datta is called as God Hiranyagarbha, God Naaraayana and God Iishvara. Since some scholars misunderstood that God Naaraayana is God Vishnu Himself, this misinterpretation came.
When God Datta is born to sage Atri and Anasuuyaa, the three divine forms (incarnations) of God Datta, which are God Brahamaa, God Vishnu and God Shiva are born as three sons with the names ‘Chandra’, ‘Dattaatreya’ and ‘Duurvaasa’ respectively. Chandra gave His divinity as God Brahmaa to Dattaatreya and joined the planets. Duurvaasa gave His divinity as God Shiva to Dattaatreya and joined the sages. From that time onwards, Dattaatreya became God Dattaatreya with three faces and six hands. Here also, when God Dattaatreya got the divinity of God Brahmaa and God Shiva, He became the united divine triad equally because all the three divinities are 1/3rd, 1/3rd and 1/3rd equally. In this case, you cannot attribute importance to any 1/3rd divinity. Therefore, all the three divine forms are equal and basically one root divinity called ‘God Datta’.
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