“There is one thing though that I am absolutely, completely, certainly certain of: that a proper "Guru-shishya" (Master-disciple) relationship, as defined in scripture, exists between Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and me.”
I wrote this in my
Introduction as given in the “Profile” section of the blog. I received an interesting query via email as to what prompted the qualification “as defined in scripture”;
and what exactly is mentioned in the sacred texts regarding the Guru-shishya relationship.
Now we know that
the Guru-shishya relationship is not
defined in any one place in scripture, but aspects of it are found scattered in
many ancient texts. So wide and varied is the literature that the full gamut of
this complex relationship can only be covered in a voluminous tome, and is much
beyond the scope of a humble blog. This post therefore has a somewhat sharper
focus – on examining the Guru-shishya
relationship in the context of Sri Bhagavan’s extraordinary life, and His role
as a Guru. It is well known that Bhagavan never accepted disciples in the
manner we usually expect from Gurus. This apparently caused some confusion in
people’s minds even when Bhagavan was in the body. Did they have a Guru-shishya relationship with Bhagavan
or were they “devotees” only? And then, of particular relevance today would be the query
– is it possible to have such a relationship with a Master who is no longer in
the body? And one whom the disciple has never physically met during his (her) lifetime?
Preliminary
My remark “as defined in scripture”, so seemingly innocuous, makes a reply to the questions raised above complicated beyond belief. I have to start with a few basic concepts as a refresher then, to highlight the difficulties in viewing Sri Bhagavan as a Guru in the traditional sense.
I. Roles of the Guru from “Tradition”
Three broad roles may be attributed to the Guru: first as the ‘Jagatguru’, literally meaning ‘Guru of the World’. A ‘Mathadhish’ (head of a ‘Matham’, a monastery, a religious Institution) can be a Jagatguru. He is thus a Guru for the general public, for all those who may (or may not) visit the Matham. As there is no specific ‘diksha’ (‘initiation’) given, no “formal” Guru-shishya relationship is established with the individual. Note that the term does not imply that any Guru who teaches to the public at large is a Jagatguru. Inherent to the meaning is the sense that the Master in this role has extraordinary spiritual qualities that are eminently suited for the instruction (and interpretation) of broad dharma for all, a Divine mandate of sorts. The Sankaracharyas of the Kanchi Matham over the centuries would be good examples of Jagatgurus.
A Jagatguru could also give diksha to certain members of the public, in which case he becomes the Guru for that individual, and a proper Guru-shishya relationship gets established. As already mentioned however, few Masters have the Divine mandate to be Jagatgurus. And so most Masters that we may come across would be “Gurus” only. Which implies that they would have a few (or many even) selected ‘dikshita’ (“initiated”) disciples, with the Guru-shishya relationship fully in play for each of them.
Preliminary
My remark “as defined in scripture”, so seemingly innocuous, makes a reply to the questions raised above complicated beyond belief. I have to start with a few basic concepts as a refresher then, to highlight the difficulties in viewing Sri Bhagavan as a Guru in the traditional sense.
I. Roles of the Guru from “Tradition”
Three broad roles may be attributed to the Guru: first as the ‘Jagatguru’, literally meaning ‘Guru of the World’. A ‘Mathadhish’ (head of a ‘Matham’, a monastery, a religious Institution) can be a Jagatguru. He is thus a Guru for the general public, for all those who may (or may not) visit the Matham. As there is no specific ‘diksha’ (‘initiation’) given, no “formal” Guru-shishya relationship is established with the individual. Note that the term does not imply that any Guru who teaches to the public at large is a Jagatguru. Inherent to the meaning is the sense that the Master in this role has extraordinary spiritual qualities that are eminently suited for the instruction (and interpretation) of broad dharma for all, a Divine mandate of sorts. The Sankaracharyas of the Kanchi Matham over the centuries would be good examples of Jagatgurus.
A Jagatguru could also give diksha to certain members of the public, in which case he becomes the Guru for that individual, and a proper Guru-shishya relationship gets established. As already mentioned however, few Masters have the Divine mandate to be Jagatgurus. And so most Masters that we may come across would be “Gurus” only. Which implies that they would have a few (or many even) selected ‘dikshita’ (“initiated”) disciples, with the Guru-shishya relationship fully in play for each of them.
A Guru also
becomes a ‘Kulaguru’ (‘Kula’ meaning the familial lineage), in
that the Guru of the father is also the Guru, after a fashion, of the sons and
descendants. There is no initiation for the descendants, but they show special
love and respect for the father’s Guru, and receive the same in turn from the (Kula) Guru. The sons and descendants may
also have a different Master as their own Guru.
II. The responsibilities of the Gurus in these Roles
Let me carry on a bit on the Jagatguru, Kulaguru and Guru theme. We may keep in mind that the same Master can carry out all three roles depending on the counterpart, i.e. the entity/group on the other side. The direct responsibility with respect to teachings and actions narrows down from the first to the last.
In the role of the Jagatguru, the Master has for his canvas the whole universe. His teachings will be geared towards preaching the broad ‘dharma’ for the populace as a whole, for society. Most of the teaching will come via ‘pravachans’ (public discourses), or lectures given in small groups, or treatises written on spiritual issues. Individuals may extract appropriate aspects from the general teaching then, to assist in their personal spiritual growth. In a similar vein, the acts of the Jagatguru would be such that the general betterment of society may happen. For instance: doing puja for general welfare, the running of spiritual schools (such as vedapathashalas), opening of hospitals, development of backward communities, renovation and construction of temples, and so on. Again, a fine example being the role played by the Kanchi Sankaracharyas as Mathadishes.
Then, as the Kulaguru, the canvas narrows down to the one specific Kula or family. The Kulaguru is concerned about the spiritual and worldly betterment of the whole family. He may have specific teachings for the spiritual growth of the members of that family. And He could be assisting in the education of the children, their marriages, their death ceremonies, and so on.
And for the ‘Guru’ of course, the canvas is just the one individual, the shisya. With the Guru-shishya relationship in place, the Guru’s intense attention is then focussed on the spiritual advancement of that one person. He takes over the full responsibility for that individual.
II. The responsibilities of the Gurus in these Roles
Let me carry on a bit on the Jagatguru, Kulaguru and Guru theme. We may keep in mind that the same Master can carry out all three roles depending on the counterpart, i.e. the entity/group on the other side. The direct responsibility with respect to teachings and actions narrows down from the first to the last.
In the role of the Jagatguru, the Master has for his canvas the whole universe. His teachings will be geared towards preaching the broad ‘dharma’ for the populace as a whole, for society. Most of the teaching will come via ‘pravachans’ (public discourses), or lectures given in small groups, or treatises written on spiritual issues. Individuals may extract appropriate aspects from the general teaching then, to assist in their personal spiritual growth. In a similar vein, the acts of the Jagatguru would be such that the general betterment of society may happen. For instance: doing puja for general welfare, the running of spiritual schools (such as vedapathashalas), opening of hospitals, development of backward communities, renovation and construction of temples, and so on. Again, a fine example being the role played by the Kanchi Sankaracharyas as Mathadishes.
Then, as the Kulaguru, the canvas narrows down to the one specific Kula or family. The Kulaguru is concerned about the spiritual and worldly betterment of the whole family. He may have specific teachings for the spiritual growth of the members of that family. And He could be assisting in the education of the children, their marriages, their death ceremonies, and so on.
And for the ‘Guru’ of course, the canvas is just the one individual, the shisya. With the Guru-shishya relationship in place, the Guru’s intense attention is then focussed on the spiritual advancement of that one person. He takes over the full responsibility for that individual.
III. The role of diksha, ‘Initiation’
It is a given that diksha is the key element defining the Guru-shishya
relationship. It is also vastly misunderstood by most of us in my humble
opinion. Part of the problem is that the scriptural authority for it developed over
the centuries in a curious manner.
Scriptural sanction for it can be traced back to the Vedas,
though scholars seem to hold that the Rg Veda is silent on the topic. Mircea
Eliade, the celebrated Polish scholar of religious studies wrote “The Rg Veda
seems to know nothing of the diksha, but it is documented in the Atharva Veda”
[In “Birth and Rebirth”, New York: Harper & Row, 1958, pp. 54-5]. But we know that the Rg
Veda has an intricate symbolism all of its own, not easy to catch. I found some "chatter" on the net that “… mantro
guruh punarastu so asmai” in Rg Veda (1.147.4) refers to diksha, and that may well be right. Mircea Eliade’s work, however, quotes the Atharva Veda
(11.5.6) wherein the term “dikshita” first appears,
Aitareya Brahmana (1.3) [“… Him to whom they give the diksha, the priests make
into an embryo again ….”], and other texts. The imagery is that the Guru causes
the shishya to die and be reborn, in a manner fit for the ritual, and hence spiritual
discipline and achievements.
Thereafter, though there are scattered references to the
process of diksha in texts like the Mahabharata (again in relation to the
performance of specific rituals, in a manner analogous to the Vedas), the term diksha
was specially refined and developed by works classifiable as “Tantra”. The
ritual of diksha in Tantric schools achieves a “transference” of spiritual power
from the Guru to the shishya. And as such the term diksha in general terms too,
irrespective of whether the school was Tantric or not, came to be understood by
most as the process by which the Guru transfers some or all of his spiritual
powers to the disciple. Different texts will also classify diksha into several
types: hasta diksha (initiation by hand), sparsa diksha (by touch), chaksu
diksha (by look), sabda dikhsa (by voice), mano diksha (by mind), and so on. And
nowadays most of us would consider the establishment of the Guru-shishya
relationship to happen only via one of these methods.
In my humble opinion however, the term diksha simply signifies
that a Guru-shisya relationship is established, howsoever it might be,
transference or no transference. Diksha is nought but the Guru’s Grace. This
Grace is ever-present. Upon the unconditional surrender to the Guru, the shishya
can access the flow of Grace of the Guru. He (she) is then a dikshita. This is
brought out in the sections that follow below.
IV. Sri Bhagavan as
Guru – the seeming contradictions.
We are all familiar with Bhagavan’s extraordinary life, and
may now appreciate the problems associated with looking at Him in the context
of a formal Guru-shishya relationship:
Do we look at Him as a Jagatguru or a Guru? Of course, the
special Divine element needed for being a Jagatguru could not have been more
abundant than in Him. But then what about the crucial public presence and
interaction? He never made any public discourses or taught spiritual matters in
any formal manner to any groups etc. All His teachings were essentially
responses to individual queries. Nor was He involved in any generalized social
or religious services of any sort. He did not associate with sastraic
teachings, temple renovations or the running of a matham and so on. Sri Ramanasramam
grew up around Him on its own, and He left its supervision strictly to the Sarvadhikari.
So, taking the traditional meaning of the term, He could not be a “Jagatguru”.
Nor did He ever accept anyone formally (or in the traditional sense) as a shishya. He
never “gave” diksha to anyone by any of the methods enumerated above. He
consistently maintained that He was not a Guru, and He had no disciples. He did
not establish a school or lineage, and nor did He appoint a successor to
carry-on the teachings. So He could not be a “Guru” either, in the manner
usually understood by us. And once it is taken that He was not a Guru, then He
could not have been a Kulaguru either.
But, of course, Sri Bhagavan carried out all three roles! The
sections that follow examine exactly how this could be.
Sri Bhagavan as Guru
I. The Great ‘Atiashrami’
The word ‘ashrama’ comes from the root {shram}, meaning “weariness”, “toil” or “labour”. ‘Ashrama’ hence literally means “a place to rest from one’s toils”. Though nowadays the term is usually taken to mean a hermitage or monastery, a physical resting place is only secondarily implied. It actually refers to the mini-gestalt within which a jiva (individual) “rests” as certain characteristic roles (toils) of his or her life progressively play out. Thus, scripture specifies 4 ashramas of life – brahmacarya (the mini wholeness wherein the childhood role is played out), grihasta (wherein the role of a family person is played out), vanaprastha (role of the forest dweller, or the start of the spiritual Quest), and sannyasa (role of the renunciate seeker).
In scripture the term usually used in this context will be ‘varnashrama’. ‘Varna’, also, comes from the root {vri} [we discussed this root in the context of ‘vritti’ in the previous post “Desire for the Self”]. Thus varna essentially means ‘a covering’, ‘a cloak’, ‘the exterior’, ‘the outward appearance’. Therefore the technical term varnashrama in its purest sense means something like “the mini wholeness within which the jiva seemingly rests, but which is actually just a veiling of the Real Thing within which he is actually resting, as certain characteristic toils of his life progressively play out”. It is only secondarily that the term varna became synonymous with “caste” or “social stage”. In the context of our discussion here, ashrama may be taken to be a shorter form of varnashrama, and identical with it.
Traditionally, every individual, whether shishya or Guru, will fit into one of these 4 categories. Usually though, the Guru will belong to the fourth, the sannyas ashrama. Needless to say, whichever the ashrama, he remains in the realm of the sastras and is bound by them.
Then there is the atiashrami.
The literal (and usual) translation would be “one who is beyond the ashramas”. Alternately, it can mean “one who is in the highest possible ashrama” (beyond which there is no other ashrama). Actually, if we follow the root meaning closely, atiashrama would mean “the ultimate Wholeness where that ‘one’ rests, who has nothing to rest from (or who has no toil or labour to do)”. I have put ‘one’ in inverted commas to specify that the sense is not of a person separate from the Wholeness, but as one with It. Thus the term atiashrami, meaning "the one who is in atiashrama", refers to a Jnani and a Jnani alone.
An atiashrami is beyond the sastras and is not bound to follow them. In fact, what he teaches or does, itself becomes sastra for his followers. If he chooses to remain within the fold of the Faith from which he emerged (as Sri Bhagavan did), his teachings and actions interpret and add to the sastras. If he chooses to establish a new Faith, then he establishes a new sastra, as did the Buddha. He may, in fact, in terms of the worldly role, still be in any one of the 4 ashramas, it does not matter.
[In recent times, the term atiashrami has come to be associated particularly with Swamis who display aberrant behaviour. Sadly, most do it deliberately. They will act like madmen perhaps, remain filthy, toss their clothes off in front of people, eat peculiar things, and so on. All this on the interpretation that the atiashrami is not bound by the rules of society or religion, that he can behave as he wishes. Which is a fundamental misconception, because in actual fact the only one attribute that the atiashrami has to mandatorily have is – that he has to be Self-realized, a Jnani, a Jivan-mukta. Some readers may be surprised if I state that genuine atiashramis who exhibited what would be considered “aberrant” behaviour of the sort above, have been very very few, the exception rather than the rule. Actually, from the examples we have of atiashramis from scripture, I cannot think of even one who did not exhibit exemplary behaviour in tune with the ashrama and role they seemingly carried out: Sri Suka as the great sannyasin, Risabha Rishi as the exemplary king, father and then mendicant, Sri Jadabharata as a Cakravartin emperor (these 3 were given by Bhagavan as examples of atiashramis in His deposition), Sri Janaka as the exemplary king again, and others.]
Still, I believe, if the sastras had to pick just one person as the perfect example of an atiashrami, they would unanimously pick Sri Bhagavan as that exemplar non-pareil. Not because any of the great ones mentioned above were any “less atiashrami” than Bhagavan, but because Bhagavan was the only one who throughout played the role of the perfect Guru and none other; that is, the role of a Guru dedicated solely to teaching the science of Self-realisation, of how an ordinary unschooled shishya may achieve moksha. The others were kings at one time, some were family men, sannyasis maybe in between, and then Gurus. Whereas Bhagavan was only and only the great “atiashrami Guru” and nought else. A role extraordinaire played out with such gentle nobleness of character, dignity, compassion and love, that if it were not recorded by witnesses, we would have had difficulty in believing it all.
But I jump the gun a bit. We need to consider the following issues first:
· What is the scriptural evidence for the atiashrami?
· Can the atiashrami be a Guru?
· How can we be sure that Bhagavan was an atiashrami?
II. The atiashrami from Scripture
Let me draw from the Sri Suta Samhita, which is found in the Skanda Purana, because we know how highly Sri Bhagavan regarded the work. In fact, Bhagavan had a booklet (in Tamil) called the “Suta Samhita Saram” with Him, which had selected verses from the work. He would refer to it for the characteristics of the “atiasharami”, and related aspects, when queried by devotees. The Sri Suta Samhita, even otherwise, has unquestioned sastraic authority. It is said that Sri Sankara read it 18 times before he commenced his celebrated Bhasya. And from the following verses from this great work, it may be clear that the atiashrami is fully sanctioned by scripture:
[Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, there is no English translation of the Sri Suta Samhita (though there is a Tamil translation done in 1918 by the noted scholar R. Ananthakrishna Sastrigal). One Indological publisher is translating the Skanda Purana in stages, but I am not sure whether they have reached the chapter containing the Sri Suta Samhita yet. Happily but, most of the verses on the atiashrami in the text were quoted by the great Vidyaranya Swami in his Jivan Mukti Viveka, for which there are several translations. The following are some of these verses. These are taken from the Advaita Ashram (Sri Ramakrishna Math) version, translated by Swami Moksadananda. Note – the Sri Suta Samhita uses the term ‘ativarnashrami’, this is the same as atiashrami and my note above on 'ativarnashrama' refers; the verse numbers for the Sri Suta Samhita verses are cross-checked and corrected from the Sanskrit work with me].
[From Jivan Mukti Viveka: Chapter 1 - Jivan Mukti Pramana Prakaranam; Pg 68 onwards]
Sri Bhagavan as Guru
I. The Great ‘Atiashrami’
The word ‘ashrama’ comes from the root {shram}, meaning “weariness”, “toil” or “labour”. ‘Ashrama’ hence literally means “a place to rest from one’s toils”. Though nowadays the term is usually taken to mean a hermitage or monastery, a physical resting place is only secondarily implied. It actually refers to the mini-gestalt within which a jiva (individual) “rests” as certain characteristic roles (toils) of his or her life progressively play out. Thus, scripture specifies 4 ashramas of life – brahmacarya (the mini wholeness wherein the childhood role is played out), grihasta (wherein the role of a family person is played out), vanaprastha (role of the forest dweller, or the start of the spiritual Quest), and sannyasa (role of the renunciate seeker).
In scripture the term usually used in this context will be ‘varnashrama’. ‘Varna’, also, comes from the root {vri} [we discussed this root in the context of ‘vritti’ in the previous post “Desire for the Self”]. Thus varna essentially means ‘a covering’, ‘a cloak’, ‘the exterior’, ‘the outward appearance’. Therefore the technical term varnashrama in its purest sense means something like “the mini wholeness within which the jiva seemingly rests, but which is actually just a veiling of the Real Thing within which he is actually resting, as certain characteristic toils of his life progressively play out”. It is only secondarily that the term varna became synonymous with “caste” or “social stage”. In the context of our discussion here, ashrama may be taken to be a shorter form of varnashrama, and identical with it.
Traditionally, every individual, whether shishya or Guru, will fit into one of these 4 categories. Usually though, the Guru will belong to the fourth, the sannyas ashrama. Needless to say, whichever the ashrama, he remains in the realm of the sastras and is bound by them.
Then there is the atiashrami.
The literal (and usual) translation would be “one who is beyond the ashramas”. Alternately, it can mean “one who is in the highest possible ashrama” (beyond which there is no other ashrama). Actually, if we follow the root meaning closely, atiashrama would mean “the ultimate Wholeness where that ‘one’ rests, who has nothing to rest from (or who has no toil or labour to do)”. I have put ‘one’ in inverted commas to specify that the sense is not of a person separate from the Wholeness, but as one with It. Thus the term atiashrami, meaning "the one who is in atiashrama", refers to a Jnani and a Jnani alone.
An atiashrami is beyond the sastras and is not bound to follow them. In fact, what he teaches or does, itself becomes sastra for his followers. If he chooses to remain within the fold of the Faith from which he emerged (as Sri Bhagavan did), his teachings and actions interpret and add to the sastras. If he chooses to establish a new Faith, then he establishes a new sastra, as did the Buddha. He may, in fact, in terms of the worldly role, still be in any one of the 4 ashramas, it does not matter.
[In recent times, the term atiashrami has come to be associated particularly with Swamis who display aberrant behaviour. Sadly, most do it deliberately. They will act like madmen perhaps, remain filthy, toss their clothes off in front of people, eat peculiar things, and so on. All this on the interpretation that the atiashrami is not bound by the rules of society or religion, that he can behave as he wishes. Which is a fundamental misconception, because in actual fact the only one attribute that the atiashrami has to mandatorily have is – that he has to be Self-realized, a Jnani, a Jivan-mukta. Some readers may be surprised if I state that genuine atiashramis who exhibited what would be considered “aberrant” behaviour of the sort above, have been very very few, the exception rather than the rule. Actually, from the examples we have of atiashramis from scripture, I cannot think of even one who did not exhibit exemplary behaviour in tune with the ashrama and role they seemingly carried out: Sri Suka as the great sannyasin, Risabha Rishi as the exemplary king, father and then mendicant, Sri Jadabharata as a Cakravartin emperor (these 3 were given by Bhagavan as examples of atiashramis in His deposition), Sri Janaka as the exemplary king again, and others.]
Still, I believe, if the sastras had to pick just one person as the perfect example of an atiashrami, they would unanimously pick Sri Bhagavan as that exemplar non-pareil. Not because any of the great ones mentioned above were any “less atiashrami” than Bhagavan, but because Bhagavan was the only one who throughout played the role of the perfect Guru and none other; that is, the role of a Guru dedicated solely to teaching the science of Self-realisation, of how an ordinary unschooled shishya may achieve moksha. The others were kings at one time, some were family men, sannyasis maybe in between, and then Gurus. Whereas Bhagavan was only and only the great “atiashrami Guru” and nought else. A role extraordinaire played out with such gentle nobleness of character, dignity, compassion and love, that if it were not recorded by witnesses, we would have had difficulty in believing it all.
But I jump the gun a bit. We need to consider the following issues first:
· What is the scriptural evidence for the atiashrami?
· Can the atiashrami be a Guru?
· How can we be sure that Bhagavan was an atiashrami?
II. The atiashrami from Scripture
Let me draw from the Sri Suta Samhita, which is found in the Skanda Purana, because we know how highly Sri Bhagavan regarded the work. In fact, Bhagavan had a booklet (in Tamil) called the “Suta Samhita Saram” with Him, which had selected verses from the work. He would refer to it for the characteristics of the “atiasharami”, and related aspects, when queried by devotees. The Sri Suta Samhita, even otherwise, has unquestioned sastraic authority. It is said that Sri Sankara read it 18 times before he commenced his celebrated Bhasya. And from the following verses from this great work, it may be clear that the atiashrami is fully sanctioned by scripture:
[Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, there is no English translation of the Sri Suta Samhita (though there is a Tamil translation done in 1918 by the noted scholar R. Ananthakrishna Sastrigal). One Indological publisher is translating the Skanda Purana in stages, but I am not sure whether they have reached the chapter containing the Sri Suta Samhita yet. Happily but, most of the verses on the atiashrami in the text were quoted by the great Vidyaranya Swami in his Jivan Mukti Viveka, for which there are several translations. The following are some of these verses. These are taken from the Advaita Ashram (Sri Ramakrishna Math) version, translated by Swami Moksadananda. Note – the Sri Suta Samhita uses the term ‘ativarnashrami’, this is the same as atiashrami and my note above on 'ativarnashrama' refers; the verse numbers for the Sri Suta Samhita verses are cross-checked and corrected from the Sanskrit work with me].
[From Jivan Mukti Viveka: Chapter 1 - Jivan Mukti Pramana Prakaranam; Pg 68 onwards]
“The ativarnashrami – who has transcended the
castes and stages of (social) life – has been described by Parameswara to Visnu
in the fifth chapter of the section on Liberation in the Suta Samhita thus:
The
student (brahmacarin), the
householder (grahastha), the forest
dweller (vanaprastha), the religious
mendicant (bhiksuka), and the one
transcending all (ativarnashramin),
if they are well versed in their respective professions, then, are superior in
the order mentioned (i.e. the latter is superior to the former). [Sri Suta
Samhita III, 5, second line of 9 & first line of 10]
He who
knows the Witness of all (Sakshi)
which is different from the body and senses, self-effulgent, Bliss absolute,
the Supreme Intelligence and the Supreme Truth, becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III, 5, verse 16 & first line of 17]
He, who, by hearing the great words of Vedanta, O Kesava, knows the Self who is
God, becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III,
5, second line of 17 & first line of 18].
He, who knows the great Lord who is free from the caste
and stages of life and is the witness of the three states, becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III,
5, second line of 18 & first line of 19].
Varna and asrama etc. are imaginary things imposed on the body through Maya (delusion) and thy have nothing to
do with Me who is the Self, which is absolute Intelligence – this he who knows
from the Vedanta becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III, 5, second line
of 19 & verse 20].
He who knows from the Upanisad
that the universe is active due to My presence, even as men are active
themselves in the presence of the sun, becomes the ativarnasramin. [SS III, 5, verse 21 & first line of 22].
He, who
knows from the Vedanta that the
varieties of ornaments – such as hara,
keyura, kataka and swastika – are
composed of gold (and they are nothing but pure gold) even as the universe is
ever projected in Me through Maya,
becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III,
5, second line of 22 & verse 23].
He, who
knows from the Vedanta that the whole
universe beginning with Mahat (the principle)
is projected in Me through Maya, even
as the pearl is seen as nacre mistakenly, becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III, 5, verse 24 & first line of 25].
O
Purusottama, he becomes the ativarnashramin
who knows from the Vedanta, that the
Great Lord who is one, devoid of any relation, like the all-pervading space,
ever pervades all beings, small or big, the body of candela, or bird, or beast, or brahmana,
and all other beings high or low, as “I am indeed He, the Supreme Immortal
One”. [SS III, 5, second line of 25 & verses 26 & 27].
He, who
knows from the Vedanta that the
quarters look alike to one, even after the correction of the mistake (by the
help of stars etc.) just as the world appears to me even after its negation by
the Supreme Knowledge, indeed it is not there, becomes the ativarnashramin. [SS III, 5, verse 28 & first line of 29].
He becomes
the ativarnashramin who, from the Vedanta, knows that the world of my
waking state is a fabrication of Maya,
even as the world of my dream is the creation of delusion. [SS III, 5, second
line of 29 & verse 30].
Through
the realization of his Self he has cast aside all the conventions of castes and
stages of life, and transcending all such things, he is settled in his Self.
[SS III, 5, 31].
The man
who, giving up his varna and asrama, is abiding in the Self is called
the ativarnashramin by the knowers of
the meaning of the Vedas. [SS III, 5, 32].
III.
Can the atiashrami be a Guru?
The next
legitimate doubt may be whether scripture sanctions such an entity to become a
‘Guru’. We find that not only can the atiashrami
be a Guru as is normally understood, he is the best possible Guru! Again from
the Sri Suta Samhita (as quoted by
Vidyaranya Swami in the JMV):
The ativarnashramin
is said to the Guru of all men who are the rightful claimant of the above
mentioned professions [i.e. the brahmacarin,
grahastha, vanaprastha & bhiksuka],
O Purusottama, like Me, he never becomes a shishya
of anybody. [SS III, 5, 14].
The ativarnashramin, it is said, is verily
the Guru of all Gurus; there is no doubt that in this world there is none who
is equal to or superior to him. [SS III, 5, 15].
He, who knows from the Vedanta
and (then) is firmly convinced of It by his own direct and immediate awareness
of the Self, which is beyond the opposites, devoid of form, immaculate,
ever-pure, devoid of delusion, and which is pure Intelligence, Existence and
Bliss Supreme (sat-cit-ananda), I
called the ativarnasramin, and he
alone is the best Guru. [SS III,
5, 41 & 42].
IV. Sri Bhagavan as atiashrami
And finally, for this section, how can we be
sure that Sri Bhagavan was an atiashrami?
Of course it could be said that the foregoing verses of the Sri Suta Samhita describe Bhagavan
perfectly. But then Bhagavan leaves us with no doubts about the fact by Himself
stating categorically that He is an atiashrami.
He said so in an extraordinary
deposition He gave before the Court Commissioner appointed to look into the
matter of ownership of Sri Ramanashramam. Extracts of this deposition are given
in “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi” (Talks 281 & 291), and also in the
Mountain Path, April 1967, Pg 150, in the article “The Human Status of the
Maharshi”, by Dr. T. N. Krishnaswamy. It makes for a fascinating read:
[From: “Talks with Sri
Ramana Maharshi”; Talk 281,
on 15.11.1936]
A certain man, who claims to have been Sri
Maharshi’s quondam disciple, has filed a suit in the court praying for a
declaration that he is the legitimate Sarvadhikari
of the Asramam. Sri Maharshi was
examined on Commission. There was a crowd but the proceedings went on smoothly
in the room on the North East. The following are a few titbits therefrom: Sri
Bhagavan’s answers were quite spontaneous and smooth.
Q.: To which asramam does
Sri Bhagavan belong?
M.: Atiasramam (beyond the four stages).
Q.: What is it?
M.: It is beyond the four commonly known asramas.
Q.: Is it sastraic?
M.: Yes. It is mentioned in the sastras
Q.: Do you give upadesh? Have you ever done it?
M.: Visitors ask questions. I answer them as well as I know. It is
for them to treat my words as they please.
Q.: Is it upadesh?
M.: How shall I say how others take it?
Q.: Have you disciples?
M.: I do not give upadesh in the
ceremonial manner. For instance, keeping a kumbha, making puja to it and whispering to the person. The person may call himself
my disciple or devotee. I do not consider anyone to be my disciple. I have
never sought upadesh from anyone nor do I give ceremonial upadesh. If the people call themselves my disciples I
do not approve or disapprove. In my view all are alike. They consider
themselves fit for being called disciples. What can I say to them? I do not
call myself a disciple or a Guru.
[From: “Talks with Sri
Ramana Maharshi”; Talk 291,
on 5.12.1936]
Question: You spoke of atyasrama (beyond
the asramas — beyond the orders of life) the other day. Is
there any authority for it? Is it mentioned anywhere?
Maharshi: Yes, in the Upanishads, the Suta Samhita (Skanda Purana), Bhagavata, Bharata
and other works.*
Q.: Are there any restrictions or discipline for that state?
M.: There are characteristics of it mentioned.
Q.: There are Gurus for each asrama. Is there a Guru for atyasrama?
M.: Yes.
Q.: But you do not admit a Guru.
M.: There is a Guru for everyone. I admit a Guru for me also.
Q.: Who is your Guru.
M.: The Self.
Q.: For whom?
M.: For myself. The Guru may be internal or external. He may reveal Himself
internally or communicate externally.
Q.: Can the atyasramis
own property?
M.: There is no restriction for them. They may do what they please. Suka is said to have married and begotten children also.
Q.: The atyasrami is like a householder in that case.
M.: I have already said that he is above the four recognised asramas.
Q.: If they can marry, own property, etc., they are only grihasthas.
M.: That may be your view.
Q.: Can they own property and convey the same to others?
M.: They may or may not. All depends on their prarabdha.
Q.: Is there any Karma
for them?
M.: Their conduct is not regulated according to any rules or codes.
[* For atyasrama, refer to Narada Parivrajaka Upanishad, v. 1-15; Svetasvatara
Up. VI. 21; Tejobindu Up. I. 47-48; Suta Samhita-Mukti Khanda Ch. V. v. 9, 14-43; Sivamahatmya Khanda Ch. V. 32, 37fi 55.]
Note: In Talk 281
above, Bhagavan speaks of ‘upadesh’
(spiritual instruction). I believe a little confusion may have crept into the
text here. The first time the term upadesh
is used (extract repeated below), the meaning is clear that He is referring to “instruction”:
Q.: Do you give upadesh? Have you ever done it?
M.: Visitors ask questions. I answer them as well as I know. It is
for them to treat my words as they please.
Q.: Is it upadesh?
M.: How shall I say how others take it?
But then in the
sequence just following, the translator has carried on with the term upadesh, qualifying it as “ceremonial upadesh”, which is probably a vague
translation for ‘diksha’. Also, as some personalized spiritual instruction is usually given at the time of diksha by the Guru to the shishya, sometimes the word upadesh may be used for diksha, though the meaning intended is
“initiation”. So the conversation should probably carry on as:
Q.: Have you disciples?
M.: I do not give diksha [upadesh in the ceremonial manner]. For instance, keeping a kumbha, making puja to it and whispering to
the person. The person may call himself my disciple or devotee. I do not
consider anyone to be my disciple. I have never sought diksha from anyone nor do I give diksha [ceremonial upadesh].
This is borne out
by the corresponding sequence in the Mountain Path article mentioned above.
There Bhagavan is quoted as directly using the term diksha:
“I have not given sannyas
(the status of renunciate) to any one, nor have I taken sannyas from any one …
… At no time have I initiated any
disciples with diksha (formal
initiation) or in any ritualistic way”.
A Guru-shishya Relationship
with Sri Bhagavan
“If the people call themselves my disciples I
do not approve or disapprove. In my view all are alike. They consider
themselves fit for being called disciples. What can I say to them? I do not
call myself a disciple or a Guru.”
When trying to understand Bhagavan’s remarks
in the extracts above with respect to the Guru-shisya relationship, we may keep in
mind the extraordinarily lofty position from which He spoke. He was the great atiashrami Guru, teaching only the
highest truths and the highest of sadhanas.
So when Bhagavan says that He does not acknowledge anyone as His disciple, or
Himself as a Guru, it is essentially a throwback to His primary position: all
is nought but the Self; the shishya
is an illusory entity arisen within the Self; the Guru is the Self personified;
thus essentially the Guru and the shishya
are the same; there is no diksha or “ceremonial
upadesh” in the sense of a
“transference” between that which is One from the start.
So the atiashrami Guru sees no differentiation. But the devotee exists due to differentiation, and lives in the world of differentiation. He needs instruction and Divine Grace to get rid of this delusion. He identifies with his body, and looks for a body outside to give him this instruction, and Grace. Out of compassion the Supreme Self assumes form and appears as a body for this purpose. What is diksha ultimately? It is basically the Grace of the Guru for the shishya. Since the Guru is the Supreme Self, that Grace is ever-there, ever-flowing. The Guru may be in the body or not, physically present or far away, it does not matter. His Grace keeps on flowing in a flood towards all would-be-shisyas. Then from the would-be-shishyas, those who surrender to Him unconditionally and make a samkalpa in their minds that He is the Guru, establish the Guru-shishya relationship in every sense of the term and receive that Grace in full measure. [Note: A ‘samkalpa’ is ‘an intense solemn resolution formed in the mind towards a definite intent’].
The onus thus is thrown entirely on the would-be-shishya, to formally take the steps to establish the Guru-shishya relationship. Though the words “to establish” are used, thus implying a beginning, we may appreciate that this is only an approximation. There is no beginning for this relationship. The Guru is the Self taking form out of compassion for the shishya in the first place. The Guru-shishya relationship always existed from the time the would-be-shishya was born. It is just that the shishya only recognised it to be so at a certain point.
Many conversations are recorded in Bhagavan’s reminiscences along the lines as above. And, as I re-read and re-work these lines, I realise just how clumsy my attempts at a summarization remain! But Bhagavan’s words are direct and crystal clear. The following are just a few, representative conversations:
[From: “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, Talk 398, on 14th April, 1937; one line is put in italics by me]
So the atiashrami Guru sees no differentiation. But the devotee exists due to differentiation, and lives in the world of differentiation. He needs instruction and Divine Grace to get rid of this delusion. He identifies with his body, and looks for a body outside to give him this instruction, and Grace. Out of compassion the Supreme Self assumes form and appears as a body for this purpose. What is diksha ultimately? It is basically the Grace of the Guru for the shishya. Since the Guru is the Supreme Self, that Grace is ever-there, ever-flowing. The Guru may be in the body or not, physically present or far away, it does not matter. His Grace keeps on flowing in a flood towards all would-be-shisyas. Then from the would-be-shishyas, those who surrender to Him unconditionally and make a samkalpa in their minds that He is the Guru, establish the Guru-shishya relationship in every sense of the term and receive that Grace in full measure. [Note: A ‘samkalpa’ is ‘an intense solemn resolution formed in the mind towards a definite intent’].
The onus thus is thrown entirely on the would-be-shishya, to formally take the steps to establish the Guru-shishya relationship. Though the words “to establish” are used, thus implying a beginning, we may appreciate that this is only an approximation. There is no beginning for this relationship. The Guru is the Self taking form out of compassion for the shishya in the first place. The Guru-shishya relationship always existed from the time the would-be-shishya was born. It is just that the shishya only recognised it to be so at a certain point.
Many conversations are recorded in Bhagavan’s reminiscences along the lines as above. And, as I re-read and re-work these lines, I realise just how clumsy my attempts at a summarization remain! But Bhagavan’s words are direct and crystal clear. The following are just a few, representative conversations:
[From: “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, Talk 398, on 14th April, 1937; one line is put in italics by me]
M.: What is medicine for? It is only to restore the patient to the
original state of health. What is this talk of Guru. Grace, God, etc.? Does the
Guru hold you by the hand and whisper something in your ear? You imagine him to
be like yourself. Because you are with a body you think that he is also a body
in order to do something tangible to you. His work lies within. How is Guru
gained? God, who is immanent, in his Grace takes pity on the loving devotee and
manifests Himself as a being according to the devotee’s standard. The devotee
thinks that he is a man and expects relationship as between bodies. But the
Guru, who is God or Self incarnate, works from within, helps the man to see the
error of his ways, guides him in the right path until he realises the Self
within. After such realisation the disciple feels, “I was so worried before. I
am after all the Self, the same as before but not affected by anything; where
is he who was miserable? He is nowhere to be seen.” What should we do now? Only act up to the words of the master, work
within. The Guru is both within and without. So he creates conditions to
drive you inward and prepares the interior to drag you to the centre. Thus he
gives a push from without and exerts a pull from within so that you may be
fixed at the centre. In sleep you are centred within. Simultaneously with
waking your mind rushes out, thinking this, that and all else. This must be
checked. It is possible only for the agent who can work both within and
without. Can he be identified with a body? We think that the world can be
conquered by our efforts. When frustrated externally and driven internally, we
feel “Oh! Oh! There is a power higher than man.” The existence of the higher
power must be admitted and recognised. The ego is a very powerful elephant and
cannot be brought under control by anyone less than a lion, who is no other
than the Guru in this instance; whose very look makes the elephant tremble and
die. We will know in due course that our glory lies where we cease to exist. In
order to gain that state, one should surrender oneself saying “LORD! Thou art
my Refuge!” The master then sees “This man is in a fit state to receive
guidance,” and so guides him.
…..
D.: Swami Vivekananda says that a spiritual Guru can transfer
spirituality substantially to the disciple.
M.: Is there a substance to be transferred? Transfer means
eradication of the sense of being the disciple. The master does it. Not that
the man was something at one time and metamorphosed later into another.
D.: Is not Grace the gift of the Guru?
M.: God, Grace and Guru are all synonymous and also eternal and
immanent. Is not the Self already within? Is it for the Guru to bestow It by
his look? If a Guru thinks so, he does not deserve the name. The books say that
there are so many kinds of diksha
(initiations - hasta diksha, sparsa diksha, chakshu
diksha, mano diksha, etc.). They also say
that the Guru makes some rites with fire, water, japa, mantras, etc., and call such fantastic performances dikshas, as if the disciple (sishya) becomes ripe only after such processes are
gone through by the Guru. If the individual is sought he is nowhere to be
found. Such is the Guru. Such is Dakshinamurti. What did he do? He was silent;
the disciples appeared before him. He maintained silence, the doubts of the
disciples were dispelled, which means that they lost their individual
identities. That is jnana and not all the verbiage usually associated
with it. Silence is the most potent form of work. However vast and emphatic the
sastras may be, they fail in their
effect. The Guru is quiet and peace prevails in all. His silence is more vast
and more emphatic than all the sastras
put together. These questions arise because of the feeling, that having been
here so long, heard so much, exerted so hard, one has not gained anything. The
work proceeding within is not apparent. In fact the Guru is always within you.
Thayumanavar says: “Oh Lord! Coming with me all along the births, never
abandoning me and finally rescuing me!” Such is the experience of Realisation.
Srimad Bhagavad Gita says the same in a different way, “We two are not only now
but have ever been so.”
D.: Does not the Guru take a concrete form?
M.: What is meant by concrete?
Because you identify your being with your body, you raise this question. Find
out if you are the body. The Gita says: param bhavam ajanantah (Bh. Gita IX - II) – that those who cannot understand the
transcendental nature (of Sri Krishna) are fools, deluded by ignorance. The
master appears to dispel that ignorance. As Thayumanavar puts it, he appears as
a man to dispel the ignorance of a man, just as a deer is used as a decoy to
capture the wild deer. He has to appear with a body in order to eradicate our
ignorant “I-am-the-body” idea.
[From: “Talks with Sri Ramana
Maharshi”, Talk 317, on 6th January, 1937; 2 lines are put in italics by me].
D.: Realisation is said to be helped by Guru’s Grace.
M.: Guru is none other than the Self.
D.: Krishna had Sandipini for his Guru and Rama had Vasishta.
M.: Guru is said to be external for the seeker. The in-turn of the
mind is brought about by the Guru. Since the seeker is out-ward-bent he is
advised to learn from a Guru whom he will in due course find to be the Self.
D.: May I have Guru’s Grace?
M.: Grace is always there.
D.: But I did not feel the same.
M.: Surrender will make one understand the Grace.
D.: I have surrendered heart and soul. I am the best judge of my
heart. Still I do not feel the Grace.
M.: If you had surrendered the questions would not
arise.
[From: “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, Talk 434, on 28th December, 1937]
D.: I am always at your feet. Will Bhagavan give us some upadesha to follow? Otherwise how can I get the help
living 600 miles away?
M.: That Sadguru is within.
D.: Sadguru is necessary to guide me to understand it.
M.: The Sadguru is within.
D.: I want a visible Guru.
M.: That visible Guru says that He is within.
…..
M.: A bond will be the next requisition and a suit will be filed if
you imagine no help forthcoming. (Laughter).
D.: May I come near, Sir? (for blessing).
M.: Such doubts should not arise in you. They contradict your statement
of surrender. Sadguru is always on your head.
[From: “Day by Day with
Bhagavan”, 9-3-46 Morning, Pg 168]
Dr. Masalavala retired Chief Medical Officer
of Bhopal, who has been here for more than a month now and who is now also in
temporary charge of the Asramam Hospital in the absence of Dr. Shiva Rao, put
the following questions to Bhagavan and got the following answers:
Question: Bhagavan says, ‘The influence of the jnani steals into
the devotee in silence.’ Bhagavan also says, ‘Contact with great men, exalted
souls, is one efficacious means of realising one’s true being.’
Bhagavan: Yes. What is the contradiction? Jnani, great men, exalted
souls — does he (Dr.) differentiate between these?
Thereupon I [Devaraja Mudaliar] said, ‘No’.
Bhagavan: Contact with them is good. They will work through silence. By speaking,
their power is reduced. Silence is most powerful. Speech is always less
powerful than silence. So mental contact is the best.
Question: Does this hold good even after the dissolution of the physical
body of the jnani or is it true only so long as he is in flesh and
blood?
Bhagavan: Guru is not the physical form. So the contact will remain even
after the physical form of the Guru vanishes.
Question: Similarly, does the contact of a devotee with his Guru continue
after the passing of the Guru or does it stop? It is possible that for a ripe
soul his Self may act as his Guru after the going away of the Guru, but what is
the unripe soul to do? Bhagavan has said that an outer Guru is also needed to
push the mind of the devotee towards the Self. Can he come in contact with
another adept? Is this contact to be necessarily physical or will a mental
contact do? Which is better?
Bhagavan: As already explained, Guru not being physical form, his contact
will continue after his form vanishes.
[From: “Day by Day with
Bhagavan”, 9-1-46 Afternoon, Pg 101; one line put in italics by me]
Mr. P.Bannerji asked, “What is the difference
between a devotee and a disciple? A friend here told me I should not call
myself a disciple of Bhagavan and that I can only be a devotee.”
Bhagavan then added, “After all, as in the above case everything comes from within. First
the man feels that he is bound, in the bondage of samsara, that he is
weak and miserable and that unless he leans upon and gets help from God who is all-powerful
and can save him, he cannot get out of bondage and misery. Thus he makes bhakti
to Ishwara. When this bhakti develops and the intensity of
his devotion is so great that he forgets his entire self and becomes Iswaramaya
and complete surrender has been achieved, God takes human shape and comes as
Guru and teaches the devotee that there is but one Self and that That is within
him. Then the devotee attains jnana by realizing the Self within him and
then he understands that the Ishwara or Lord whom he worshipped and had bhakti
for, the Guru who came in human shape, and the Self are all the same.”
I find
the record above, from “Day by Day”, particularly interesting for 2 reasons:
Firstly
it brings out the significant scepticism and lack of understanding that existed
even when Bhagavan was in the body with respect to Him being a personal Guru.
Because He did not give diksha in the
usually understood manner, some of the inmates and visitors would even tell
each other that they cannot be ‘disciples’, only ‘devotees’.
But
what is of enormous significance in this conversation is: Bhagavan’s
endorsement of the scriptural story of Ekalavya by saying: “After all, as in the above case [i.e. in
the story of Ekalavya] everything comes
from within”.
The
story of Ekalavya appears in the Sambhava
Parva of the Adi Parva in the Mahabharata. [In K. M. Ganguli’s work, from
where the extract below is taken, it appears in Volume I, Section CXXXIV].
Ekalavya's heroic (and tragic) story gives us a clear endorsement from scripture for the
shishya initiating and establishing
the Guru-shishya relationship as a result of intense surrender and devotion towards his Master. And
this happened even when the Master was not the great atiashrami (though as accomplished as any Master could be
otherwise), had refused the role of Guru for Ekalavya, and was completely
unaware that such a relationship had been established!
The
whole story, in toto, is as under
(one line put in italics by me):
“Vaisampayana
continued, 'Thereafter Drona began to teach Arjuna the art of fighting on
horse-back, on the back of elephants, on car, and on the ground. And the mighty
Drona also instructed Arjuna in fighting with the mace, the sword, the lance,
the spear, and the dart. And he also instructed him in using many weapons and
fighting with many men at the same time. And hearing reports of his skill,
kings and princes, desirous of learning the science of arms, flocked to Drona
by thousands. Amongst those that came there, O monarch, was a prince named
Ekalavya, who was the son of Hiranyadhanus, king of the Nishadas (the lowest of
the mixed orders). Drona, however, cognisant of all rules of morality, accepted
not the prince as his pupil in archery, seeing that he was a Nishada who might
(in time) excel all his high-born pupils. But, O oppressor of all enemies, the
Nishada prince, touching Drona's feet with bent head, wended his way into the
forest, and there he made a clay-image of Drona, and began to worship it respectfully,
as if it was his real preceptor, and practised weapons before it with the most
rigid regularity. In consequence of his
exceptional reverence for his preceptor and his devotion to his purpose,
all the three processes of fixing arrows on the bowstring, aiming, and letting
off became very easy for him.
And one
day, O grinder of foes, the Kuru and the Pandava princes, with Drona's leave,
set out in their cars on a hunting excursion. A servant, O king, followed the
party at leisure, with the usual implements and a dog. Having come to the
woods, they wandered about, intent on the purpose they had in view. Meanwhile,
the dog also, in wandering alone in the woods, came upon the Nishada prince
(Ekalavya). And beholding the Nishada of dark hue, of body besmeared with
filth, dressed in black and bearing matted locks on head, the dog began to bark
aloud.
Thereupon
the Nishada prince, desirous of exhibiting his lightness of hand, sent seven
arrows into its mouth (before it could shut it). The dog, thus pierced with
seven arrows, came back to the Pandavas. Those heroes, who beheld that sight,
were filled with wonder, and, ashamed of their own skill, began to praise the
lightness of hand and precision of aim by auricular precision (exhibited by the
unknown archer). And they thereupon began to seek in those woods for the
unknown dweller therein that had shown such skill. And, O king, the Pandavas
soon found out the object of their search ceaselessly discharging arrows from
the bow. And beholding that man of grim visage, who was totally a stranger to
them, they asked, 'Who art thou and whose son?' Thus questioned, the man replied,
'Ye heroes, I am the son of Hiranyadhanus, king of the Nishadas. Know me also
for a pupil of Drona, labouring for the mastery of the art of arms.'
Vaisampayana
continued, 'The Pandavas then, having made themselves acquainted with
everything connected with him, returned (to the city), and going unto Drona,
told him of that wonderful feat of archery which they had witnessed in the
woods. Arjuna, in particular, thinking all the while, O king, Ekalavya, saw
Drona in private and relying upon his preceptor's affection for him, said,
'Thou hadst lovingly told me, clasping me, to thy bosom, that no pupil of thine
should be equal to me. Why then is there a pupil of thine, the mighty son of
the Nishada king, superior to me?
Vaisampayana
continued, 'On hearing these words, Drona reflected for a moment, and resolving
upon the course of action he should follow, took Arjuna with him and went unto
the Nishada prince. And he beheld Ekalavya with body besmeared with filth,
matted locks (on head), clad in rags, bearing a bow in hand and ceaselessly
shooting arrows therefrom. And when Ekalavya saw Drona approaching towards him,
he went a few steps forward, and touched his feet and prostrated himself on the
ground. And the son of the Nishada king worshipping Drona, duly represented
himself as his pupil, and clasping his hands in reverence stood before him
(awaiting his commands). Then Drona, O king, addressed Ekalavya, saying, 'If, O
hero, thou art really my pupil, give me then my fees.' On hearing these words, Ekalavya
was very much gratified, and said in reply, 'O illustrious preceptor, what
shall I give? Command me; for there is nothing, O foremost of all persons
conversant with the Vedas, that I may not give unto my preceptor.' Drona
answered, 'O Ekalavya, if thou art really intent on making me a gift, I should
like then to have the thumb of thy right hand.'
Vaisampayana
continued, 'Hearing these cruel words of Drona, who had asked of him his thumb
as tuition-fee, Ekalavya, ever devoted to truth and desirous also of keeping
his promise, with a cheerful face and an unafflicted heart cut off without ado
his thumb, and gave it unto Drona. After this, when the Nishada prince began
once more to shoot with the help of his remaining fingers, he found, O king,
that he had lost his former lightness of hand. And at this Arjuna became happy,
the fever (of jealousy) having left him.”
[Great
scripture does not balk at presenting even heroes in a harsh light occasionally, unlike us,
who endlessly endeavour to colour them as perfect and without fault. The Mahabharata, without blinking, shows the
great Guru Dronacharya and his equally great pupil Arjuna, as being herein
small-minded and concerned only with personal worldly success. I especially
gave the whole extract to show that there is nothing in the text to pass blame
on Ekalavya, who must be considered far greater to both Guru Dronacarya and
Arjuna. I mention this particularly because in recent times, due to an
over-zealous and unnecessary show of bhakti
by some Vaishvanite schools in the
North, Ekalavya has been held as the one at fault here. Some sort of reasoning
is also presented by these schools to bolster this view. This is off-topic in
the context of this post, so I will not pursue it further. But if any
reader feels that Ekalavya did anything wrong, please do put up a comment below, and I will be happy to
discuss the issues further].
The story of Ekalavya is a stunning endorsement in scripture of, if I may put it a bit crassly, the shishya “appointing” the Guru; or to put it alternately, of becoming a dikshita without diksha. Ekalavya came from the lowest of castes, had no qualifications for archery to speak of, received no diksha in the traditional sense, and was not in the physical contact with his Guru. He still managed to learn all that Guru Drona had to teach. And this came about (from the text) “in consequence of his exceptional reverence for his preceptor and his devotion to his purpose”.
We can see how well Ekalavya's story fits within Bhagavan's teachings as given in the extracts above. After all, the Guru was not the physical entity that was "Dronacarya", but the Self Itself. The Grace of the Self personified as the Guru is ever-flowing, ever-present. The moment Ekalavya surrendered fully to the Guru, he established the Guru-shisya relationship, and drank of this great flood of Grace in full measure. And since his samkalpa was related to achieving mastery in archery, from a Guru who was the Self personified as a great Master of the warrior skills, he received exactly that.
That the would-be-shishya may “appoint” Sri Bhagavan as Guru was confirmed by His great shishya Sri Muruganar as well. The query was raised by Ms. Sarada Natarajan (of Sri Ramana Kendra Bangalore), when she was 13 years old.
The story of Ekalavya is a stunning endorsement in scripture of, if I may put it a bit crassly, the shishya “appointing” the Guru; or to put it alternately, of becoming a dikshita without diksha. Ekalavya came from the lowest of castes, had no qualifications for archery to speak of, received no diksha in the traditional sense, and was not in the physical contact with his Guru. He still managed to learn all that Guru Drona had to teach. And this came about (from the text) “in consequence of his exceptional reverence for his preceptor and his devotion to his purpose”.
We can see how well Ekalavya's story fits within Bhagavan's teachings as given in the extracts above. After all, the Guru was not the physical entity that was "Dronacarya", but the Self Itself. The Grace of the Self personified as the Guru is ever-flowing, ever-present. The moment Ekalavya surrendered fully to the Guru, he established the Guru-shisya relationship, and drank of this great flood of Grace in full measure. And since his samkalpa was related to achieving mastery in archery, from a Guru who was the Self personified as a great Master of the warrior skills, he received exactly that.
That the would-be-shishya may “appoint” Sri Bhagavan as Guru was confirmed by His great shishya Sri Muruganar as well. The query was raised by Ms. Sarada Natarajan (of Sri Ramana Kendra Bangalore), when she was 13 years old.
“Sometime back when
I started reading a few religious books, I went through Sri B. V. Narasimha
Swami's Self Realisation. After reading it, I
felt inspired to do self-enquiry and that I could accept Sri Bhagavan as my Guru.
But since the Hindu
Scriptures emphasise on taking formal mantra initiation from a Guru, it was decided that Sri
Muruganar should be consulted on the subject. Hence, when we visited the Ashram
during the last vacation (June '73), we went to meet Sri Muruganar. When the
question "Is it enough if I take Sri Bhagavan as my Guru and do Atma
Vichara?" was posed before the
great poet-saint, he was extremely moved. With tears welling up in his eyes, he
said in a voice choked with emotion: "Enough! Enough! Hundred per cent
sufficient!" He paused for a minute and again emphasised that point by
saying that was even more than hundred per cent sufficient! He further said
that Sri Bhagavan is the only everlasting illumination within us. His presence
is the only existence everywhere and for all time.
We sang a few songs
on Sri Bhagavan from Sri Ramana Sannidhi
Murai. Muruganar
got very emotional and tears flowed from his eyes. I can never forget this
incident in my life and it will always remain vivid in my mind. I am thankful
for the golden opportunity I got of seeing Muruganar before his Samadhi and asking him my doubt which would otherwise
have remained unanswered.”
Forgive
me folks for an already long post, but at this stage it may be clear that scriptural
(and anecdotal) endorsement is present for Bhagavan to be a Guru, the greatest of
Gurus in fact. And going back to the 3 broad roles that the Master may play out,
of Jagatguru, Kulaguru or Guru, we may see now that he carried out all 3 roles
for different people at different times, albeit in a non-traditional manner.
That He was the Guru for those who surrendered unconditionally to Him is already brought out. Sri Muruganar is one great example of one such shishya. From theory then, Sri Bhagavan also became the Kulaguru for Sri Muruganar’s family. We know from the records of reminiscences, how Sri Muruganar’s wife, Meenakshi Ammal, suffered as her husband increasingly got absorbed in Sri Bhagavan, and could not (would not) look after her as would normally be expected from a family man. Then Bhagavan took special care of her, made sure that she did not feel abandoned, and lived comfortably. This was Him carrying out the Kulaguru function. Many more examples can be cited on similar lines for other disciples, wherein Bhagavan fulfilled the Kulaguru role.
A Personal Note
Folks, as I repeatedly mention in my posts, this blog is all about a candid sharing of spiritual ideas, actions, experiences, and so on. So let me tell you, with all humility, what I did in my case to claim to be a shishya of Sri Bhagavan.
On my first ever visit to Sri Ramasramam some years ago now, I was, one day, unexpectedly offered the chance to sit in a very sacred spot, rarely allowed to be accessed. I sat there all alone with my eyes closed, and over the course of the next 15 minutes or so, used every ounce of mental focus and concentration I could muster up to surrender unconditionally to Sri Bhagavan, and make a samkalpa in the mind that He is my Guru. It was in a sense the formal submission of my “application” to be His shishya. This “application” was accompanied by some “attachments”: an unconditional acceptance of all His teachings, the carrying out of His instructions for sadhana in letter and spirit, and trying to live every moment of one’s life in a manner that He would approve of. I believe that the Guru-shishya relationship irrevocably clicked into place that moment.
Let me elaborate slightly on the last 3 points, which I call the “Gurudakshina” points, crucial, in my humble opinion, in forging the Guru-shishya link:
I believe that as shishyas we have no leeway in picking and choosing from the Guru’s teaching. It has to be accepted in toto. Earlier, before I became a “shishya”, I could never really accept that the world and dreams are identical, both “unreal”, even after reading reams of Advaita literature to that effect. Afterwards, knowing that Bhagavan held that view as firmly as He did, I did too as well. I had to believe first, and then tried to improve my logic to fit that viewpoint. Which, I believe, is descriptive of the basic blueprint that the shishya has to follow. The belief in the Guru’s teachings is blind, and comes first. If one’s experiences are contrary to something in the teaching, the experience is flawed and has to analysed to find the error. If common-sense logic doesn’t support the Guru’s view, better logic has to be found. Else, this is not the Guru for you. And if the doubts persist, the Guru-shishya relationship will never hold.
[And so, we may appreciate how critically important it is to “check” out the Guru first, before becoming His shisya. The teachings, the way He lived His life, and so on, all may be examined thoroughly. In fact, it is even permitted to quiz the would-be-Guru (if in the body) directly on these matters! There is no ‘dosha’ (fault) in this. But once the plunge is made, the Guru’s teachings, His instructions and expectations are inviolable.]
Secondly, the Guru’s instructions with respect to practical sadhana have to be followed to the last letter. Bhagavan emphasised, overwhelmingly, on Atma-vichara as the primary sadhana for all and sundry. How much more so, then, for one who would claim a Guru-shishya relationship with Him? I believe that it does not even matter whether one can do Vichara effectively or not. But we are beholden to give it a try anyways for at least an hour or two every day, come what may.
And lastly, the shishya has to live his (her) life in a manner the Guru would approve of. Personally I feel that this can be done by a very simple process: by imagining that Bhagavan is present every instant with us, and lovingly watching everything that we do. And whenever we are faced with a dilemma as to what one should do in a particular situation, to just imagine how He would react to the choice made – would He have approved or not?
A Disclaimer
Folks, do note that the Guru-shisya relationship is NOT claimed (or claimable) from a “proficiency” standpoint. It is NOT because someone has become an adept at Vichara and doing it better than others, and also NOT because that someone has understood Bhagavan’s teachings better than most, that the claim to be Bhagavan’s shishya can be made. In fact, one could be the worst practitioner of Vichara possible, and really not have a clue about the great philosophical arguments that sit behind Bhagavan’s teachings, and still claim the Guru-shishya relationship with Him. Because the link is forged via surrender and complete obedience to His instructions, which come from pure love and reverence, that’s all.
And which leads me on to a second aspect related to this – that the link does NOT, in the slightest, confer any particular qualifications or right to teach Bhagavan’s teachings as a Guru or equivalent, even if the shishya were to be extraordinarily proficient. And no “lineage” authority can get established. Because, once the Guru has categorically stated that He was not a Guru in that mould – one who initiated shishyas formally, had a doctrine to teach, and appointed one or several successors to carry on the ‘parampara’ (Guru-tradition established by Him), no shishya may “teach” the teachings. To do so violates the Guru’s implied wishes in this regard. The very claim of lineage or any authority to teach would immediately crack the Guru-shishya relationship. [Unless of course the shishya becomes a great atiashrami himself. Then who can say what he may or may not do?].
So, in my humble opinion, all that a shishya of Sri Bhagavan’s may do is, share experiences and insights with other shishyas or lay devotees, with the attitude of being just another of one of them; and never from a standpoint of presumed superior proficiency, in either the theory or practice.
----------
That He was the Guru for those who surrendered unconditionally to Him is already brought out. Sri Muruganar is one great example of one such shishya. From theory then, Sri Bhagavan also became the Kulaguru for Sri Muruganar’s family. We know from the records of reminiscences, how Sri Muruganar’s wife, Meenakshi Ammal, suffered as her husband increasingly got absorbed in Sri Bhagavan, and could not (would not) look after her as would normally be expected from a family man. Then Bhagavan took special care of her, made sure that she did not feel abandoned, and lived comfortably. This was Him carrying out the Kulaguru function. Many more examples can be cited on similar lines for other disciples, wherein Bhagavan fulfilled the Kulaguru role.
A Personal Note
Folks, as I repeatedly mention in my posts, this blog is all about a candid sharing of spiritual ideas, actions, experiences, and so on. So let me tell you, with all humility, what I did in my case to claim to be a shishya of Sri Bhagavan.
On my first ever visit to Sri Ramasramam some years ago now, I was, one day, unexpectedly offered the chance to sit in a very sacred spot, rarely allowed to be accessed. I sat there all alone with my eyes closed, and over the course of the next 15 minutes or so, used every ounce of mental focus and concentration I could muster up to surrender unconditionally to Sri Bhagavan, and make a samkalpa in the mind that He is my Guru. It was in a sense the formal submission of my “application” to be His shishya. This “application” was accompanied by some “attachments”: an unconditional acceptance of all His teachings, the carrying out of His instructions for sadhana in letter and spirit, and trying to live every moment of one’s life in a manner that He would approve of. I believe that the Guru-shishya relationship irrevocably clicked into place that moment.
Let me elaborate slightly on the last 3 points, which I call the “Gurudakshina” points, crucial, in my humble opinion, in forging the Guru-shishya link:
I believe that as shishyas we have no leeway in picking and choosing from the Guru’s teaching. It has to be accepted in toto. Earlier, before I became a “shishya”, I could never really accept that the world and dreams are identical, both “unreal”, even after reading reams of Advaita literature to that effect. Afterwards, knowing that Bhagavan held that view as firmly as He did, I did too as well. I had to believe first, and then tried to improve my logic to fit that viewpoint. Which, I believe, is descriptive of the basic blueprint that the shishya has to follow. The belief in the Guru’s teachings is blind, and comes first. If one’s experiences are contrary to something in the teaching, the experience is flawed and has to analysed to find the error. If common-sense logic doesn’t support the Guru’s view, better logic has to be found. Else, this is not the Guru for you. And if the doubts persist, the Guru-shishya relationship will never hold.
[And so, we may appreciate how critically important it is to “check” out the Guru first, before becoming His shisya. The teachings, the way He lived His life, and so on, all may be examined thoroughly. In fact, it is even permitted to quiz the would-be-Guru (if in the body) directly on these matters! There is no ‘dosha’ (fault) in this. But once the plunge is made, the Guru’s teachings, His instructions and expectations are inviolable.]
Secondly, the Guru’s instructions with respect to practical sadhana have to be followed to the last letter. Bhagavan emphasised, overwhelmingly, on Atma-vichara as the primary sadhana for all and sundry. How much more so, then, for one who would claim a Guru-shishya relationship with Him? I believe that it does not even matter whether one can do Vichara effectively or not. But we are beholden to give it a try anyways for at least an hour or two every day, come what may.
And lastly, the shishya has to live his (her) life in a manner the Guru would approve of. Personally I feel that this can be done by a very simple process: by imagining that Bhagavan is present every instant with us, and lovingly watching everything that we do. And whenever we are faced with a dilemma as to what one should do in a particular situation, to just imagine how He would react to the choice made – would He have approved or not?
A Disclaimer
Folks, do note that the Guru-shisya relationship is NOT claimed (or claimable) from a “proficiency” standpoint. It is NOT because someone has become an adept at Vichara and doing it better than others, and also NOT because that someone has understood Bhagavan’s teachings better than most, that the claim to be Bhagavan’s shishya can be made. In fact, one could be the worst practitioner of Vichara possible, and really not have a clue about the great philosophical arguments that sit behind Bhagavan’s teachings, and still claim the Guru-shishya relationship with Him. Because the link is forged via surrender and complete obedience to His instructions, which come from pure love and reverence, that’s all.
And which leads me on to a second aspect related to this – that the link does NOT, in the slightest, confer any particular qualifications or right to teach Bhagavan’s teachings as a Guru or equivalent, even if the shishya were to be extraordinarily proficient. And no “lineage” authority can get established. Because, once the Guru has categorically stated that He was not a Guru in that mould – one who initiated shishyas formally, had a doctrine to teach, and appointed one or several successors to carry on the ‘parampara’ (Guru-tradition established by Him), no shishya may “teach” the teachings. To do so violates the Guru’s implied wishes in this regard. The very claim of lineage or any authority to teach would immediately crack the Guru-shishya relationship. [Unless of course the shishya becomes a great atiashrami himself. Then who can say what he may or may not do?].
So, in my humble opinion, all that a shishya of Sri Bhagavan’s may do is, share experiences and insights with other shishyas or lay devotees, with the attitude of being just another of one of them; and never from a standpoint of presumed superior proficiency, in either the theory or practice.
----------
----------
Bibliographical Notes:
Folks, the books from where direct quotes are taken are all detailed in the post itself. In addition, the following links may be of interest:
1. “Kamakoti Mandali” website – has material on diksha from Tantric sources:
http://www.kamakotimandali.com/srividya/diksha.html
2. David Godman's informative article: "Bhagavan the atiasrami":
http://davidgodman.org/rteach/atiasrami1.shtml
3. Swami Shantananda Puri on the atiashrami:
http://www.swamishantanandapurimaharaj.org/writings_swamiji/He%20is%20called%20Bhagwan.pdf
4. The Sanskrit Suta Samhita in 2 volumes:
https://archive.org/details/SutaSamhita-volume1
https://archive.org/details/SutaSamhita-volume2
5. The
Tamil Suta Samhita by R. Ananthakrishna Sastrigal
For those who may want to know more, there are some interesting biographical details
of this great scholar and author here:
