Dear Readers ,
We live in an age of fake Gurus and miracle men, seeking to make money of the naivette and innocence of everyday common men . In such an age of money, propoganda and good marketing , how then do we distinguish the fake Guru from the real Teachers and the Realised and Enlightened Masters from the miracle men and charlatans!
Spiritual Guides, and Spiritual Gurus play an important role in our individual spiritual journeys and development . So it is pertinent for us to understand what distinguishes the truly Enlightened Masters or Sadguru's from other spiritual guides .
We live in an age of fake Gurus and miracle men, seeking to make money of the naivette and innocence of everyday common men . In such an age of money, propoganda and good marketing , how then do we distinguish the fake Guru from the real Teachers and the Realised and Enlightened Masters from the miracle men and charlatans!
Spiritual Guides, and Spiritual Gurus play an important role in our individual spiritual journeys and development . So it is pertinent for us to understand what distinguishes the truly Enlightened Masters or Sadguru's from other spiritual guides .
In this article we will explore the thoughts of Enlightened Spiritual Masters from our glorious past - Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda and Yugrishi Acharya Shriram Sharma, and learn from them firsthand on what defines a true Guru ?
This article is a blend of quotes from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda and the writings of Yugrishi Acharya Shriram Sharma.
This article is a blend of quotes from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda and the writings of Yugrishi Acharya Shriram Sharma.
So let us read the enclosed Quoted Text:
In the words of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa a real Spiritual Teacher, Guide or Guru is defined as follows: The real teacher - must be a man of Self realization and Enlightenment.
"A worldly person should also receive instructions from a Sadguru, a real teacher. Such a teacher has certain signs. You should hear about Banāras only from a man who has been to Banāras and seen it. Mere book-learning will not do. One should not receive instruction from a pundit who has not realized the world to be unreal. Only if a pundit has discrimination and renunciation is he entitled to instruct." (Source : http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/)
Swami Vivekananda further elaborates on the theme of what defines a real spiritual Guide, Teacher or Guru ?
In studying books, sometimes we are deluded into thinking that we are being spiritually helped; but if we analyse ourselves, we shall find that only our intellect has been helped, and not the spirit.
That is the reason why almost everyone of us can speak most wonderfully on spiritual subjects, but when the time of action comes, we find ourselves so woefully deficient. It is because books cannot give us that impulse from outside. To quicken the spirit, that impulse must come from another soul.
That is the reason why almost everyone of us can speak most wonderfully on spiritual subjects, but when the time of action comes, we find ourselves so woefully deficient. It is because books cannot give us that impulse from outside. To quicken the spirit, that impulse must come from another soul.
How are we to know a teacher then?
In the first place, the Sun requires no torch to make it visible. We do not light a candle to see the sun. When the sun rises, we instinctively become aware of its rising; and when a teacher of men comes to help us, the soul will instinctively know that it has found the truth.
In the first place, the Sun requires no torch to make it visible. We do not light a candle to see the sun. When the sun rises, we instinctively become aware of its rising; and when a teacher of men comes to help us, the soul will instinctively know that it has found the truth.
Truth stands on its own evidences; it does not require any other testimony to attest it; it is self-effulgent. It penetrates into the inmost recesses of our nature, and the whole universe stands up and says, "This is Truth." These are the very great teachers, but we can get help from the lesser ones also; and as we ourselves are not always sufficiently intuitive to be certain of our judgment of the man from whom we receive, there ought to be certain tests. There are certain conditions necessary in the taught, and also in the teacher.
In the teacher we must first see that he knows the secret of the scriptures. The whole world reads scriptures — Bibles, Vedas, The Koran and others; but they are only words, external arrangement, syntax, the etymology, the philology, the dry bones of religion. The teacher may be able to find what is the age of any book, but words are only the external forms in which things come. Those who deal too much in words and let the mind run always in the force of words lose the spirit. So the teacher must be able to know the spirit of the scriptures.
The second condition necessary in the teacher is that he must be sinless. The question was once asked me in England by a friend, "Why should we look to the personality of a teacher?
For the knowledge that the physical sciences require is simply intellectual and depends on intellectual strength; a man can have in such a case a gigantic intellectual power without the least development of his soul. But in the spiritual sciences it is impossible from first to last that there can be any spiritual light in that soul which is impure. What can such a soul teach? It knows nothing. Spiritual truth is purity. Therefore in the teacher of spirituality, purity is the one thing indispensable; we must see first what he is, and then what he says.
For the knowledge that the physical sciences require is simply intellectual and depends on intellectual strength; a man can have in such a case a gigantic intellectual power without the least development of his soul. But in the spiritual sciences it is impossible from first to last that there can be any spiritual light in that soul which is impure. What can such a soul teach? It knows nothing. Spiritual truth is purity. Therefore in the teacher of spirituality, purity is the one thing indispensable; we must see first what he is, and then what he says.
To give a simile: If a heater is hot, it can convey heat vibrations, but if not, it is impossible to do so. Even so is the case with the mental vibrations of the religious teacher which he conveys to the mind of the taught. It is a question of transference, and not of stimulating only our intellectual faculties.
Some power, real and tangible, goes out from the teacher and begins to grow in the mind of the taught. Therefore the necessary condition is that the teacher must be true.
The third condition is motive. We should see that he does not teach with any ulterior motive, for name, or fame, or anything else, but simply for love, pure love for you.
When spiritual forces are transmitted from the teacher to the taught, they can only be conveyed through the medium of love; there is no other medium that can convey them.
Any other motive, such as gain or name, would immediately destroy the conveying medium; therefore all must be done through love. One who has known God can alone be a teacher. When you see that in the teacher these conditions are fulfilled, you are safe; if they are not fulfilled, it is unwise to accept him. There is a great risk, if he cannot convey goodness, of his conveying wickedness sometimes. This must be guarded against; therefore it naturally follows that we cannot be taught by anybody and everybody. "
(Source :http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_4/vol_4_frame.htm)
When spiritual forces are transmitted from the teacher to the taught, they can only be conveyed through the medium of love; there is no other medium that can convey them.
Any other motive, such as gain or name, would immediately destroy the conveying medium; therefore all must be done through love. One who has known God can alone be a teacher. When you see that in the teacher these conditions are fulfilled, you are safe; if they are not fulfilled, it is unwise to accept him. There is a great risk, if he cannot convey goodness, of his conveying wickedness sometimes. This must be guarded against; therefore it naturally follows that we cannot be taught by anybody and everybody. "
(Source :http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_4/vol_4_frame.htm)
The Role of an Enlightened Guru while pursuing spiritual progress:
Now that we understand what defines a real GURU , let us try and understand the Role and Significance of a Guru in the pursuit of spirituality .Like a teacher at school helps translate and transmit the knowledge and wisdom present in school text books to students, in the same way a Guru helps the disciple bridge the gap between knowledge and ignorance. He becomes a transmitter, a benefactor of knowledge and wisdom.
The below mentioned lines elaborate on this theme and are quoted excerpts from the fabulous book " Wonders of Human Bio-electricity" by Yugrishi Pandit Shriram SharmaAcharya.
The below mentioned lines elaborate on this theme and are quoted excerpts from the fabulous book " Wonders of Human Bio-electricity" by Yugrishi Pandit Shriram SharmaAcharya.
Can you have more than one Spiritual Guide?
A related question is – Can you have more than one Guru in your lifetime? The answer is YES. Like you would have different teachers for History, Geography, Math’s, Science etc in school, in the same way Spiritual Gurus can vary in their areas of expertise and you can have more than one Guru at a time.
“History tells us that the divine sage Dattatreya had acknowledged 24 beings as his Guru. Many amongst these were uneducated individuals, some even birds and animals. Perhaps none amongst these were spiritually more enlightened than Dattatreya; none knew about the significance of a Guru or was even aware who had given them the status of a Guru.Nevertheless, because of his own attitude of learning from the good that dwells in others, Dattatreya could derive as much benefit from these Gurus in his spiritual progress, as one would have by interacting with an acknowledged Guru.”
The Grace of an Enlightened Guru:
“Books on the science of spirituality, and yoga unanimously extol the role of a Guru in the pursuit of Sadhana.The mystery behind the miraculous grace of a noble Guru emphasized in the scriptures is the strong faith of the disciple in his Guru. In today’s materialistic environment, faith and belief have become subjects of mockery. Faith and belief are seen as symptoms of ignorance. How can an idol carved out of stone be a representation of God? Or a human body composed of flesh and bones be a Guru to some disciple? Why should one who is not perfect and may have some flaws be regarded as a Guru?
The spiritually enlightened person knows that these are means to an aim/end objective and not the ultimate aim/ or objective itself. The soul of the individual itself is the actor (subject) in its own gradual evolution or its degradation in the course of its ultimate journey towards ultimate salvation. All external objects merely assist this process.” It is almost impossible to achieve this goal without the support of a noble and enlightened Guru.
The Power of a Noble Guru in the Initiation of Spirituality ( Deeksha and Shaktipata):
Most of the great sages and seers of the world had little or no formal education. The status of the spiritual evolution of the inner self is independent of formal education or the regularly measured text book Intelligence quotient of the person.
The transmission of spirituality/ spiritual knowledge from Guru to disciple takes place at the level of the subconscious and unconscious cores of the mind and self (Chitta and Ahamkara).
Therefore, an interaction between Guru and the disciple on the wisdom of spirituality is not an exchange of knowledge through word of mouth as in the case of regular text book knowledge that is communicated via the intellect.
The transmission of spirituality/ spiritual knowledge from Guru to disciple takes place at the level of the subconscious and unconscious cores of the mind and self (Chitta and Ahamkara).
Therefore, an interaction between Guru and the disciple on the wisdom of spirituality is not an exchange of knowledge through word of mouth as in the case of regular text book knowledge that is communicated via the intellect.
The sacramental rite of ‘spiritual initiation” or (Deeksha) has been assigned a great status amongst all religions. In the process of initiation, a noble Guru uses his awakened spiritual power to interact with the disciple at great depths of the subconscious levels. He transmits bio-electric currents of his own spiritually activated life force into the sub-conscious life force of the disciple. These seeds of bio electric currents of the Gurus life force when nourished by the disciple can grow and fructify in a short time.
The wisdom of spirituality given by a competent Guru is never wasted. A noble Guru bestows “Shaktipata” (extra sensory transmission of spiritual power) upon deserving disciples.
The secret process of “Shaktipata” can bring a metamorphosis in the entire personality of the disciple. Many Yogis in India are aware of the awakening of “Kundalini” (also known as serpentine fire or the source of miraculous vital spiritual energy) of man by simply touching the persons head.
The author here has personally come across great spiritual masters and Yogis , who can electrify their bodies by activating the hidden force of the tremendous soul power(Atma Teja).In this state ,touching the bio electrically charged body of the sage gives you a shock like that of touching a live wire.
The secret process of “Shaktipata” can bring a metamorphosis in the entire personality of the disciple. Many Yogis in India are aware of the awakening of “Kundalini” (also known as serpentine fire or the source of miraculous vital spiritual energy) of man by simply touching the persons head.
The author here has personally come across great spiritual masters and Yogis , who can electrify their bodies by activating the hidden force of the tremendous soul power(Atma Teja).In this state ,touching the bio electrically charged body of the sage gives you a shock like that of touching a live wire.
In our day to day living, we must not miss opportunities of interaction with spiritually evolved and virtuous persons. They bring to our lives the “Midas touch” –turning metal to gold OR in this case enabling the common man to communicate with God.
We can interact with virtuous souls in many ways; the best way to do so is to meet them individually or through paper/ letter correspondence in case they are still living amongst us. In the event they are not living, hand written papers of enlightened persons are a constant source of bio electric motivation. In the course of writing, paper and ink handled by a saint- sage becomes charged with bio electric impulses of his or her thoughts. Liquid in ink being a good conductor of bio electricity absorbs the intensity of the thoughts of the writer.
Thus reading his or her self written letter or text may tantamount to meeting the writer to some extent. Audio and video recordings is available serve the same purpose.
Original manuscripts of ancient texts are considered valuable for this reason: besides the knowledge they contain, they are also charged with the “live particles” of the thoughts of their writers. Original paintings of great artists and personal articles of renowned historical persons are regarded precious for the same reason.
The impact of a piece of writing or literature on its reader is commensurate with the depth of emotional input by its author. Books written by people with strong ideologies have moved masses around the world( examples :“Das Capital” by Karl Marx, “Democracy” by Russo, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Stow and the recent Harry Potter series).
Engrossed reading of such texts generates the same thoughts that the author had at the time of writing. Thoughts travel at the tremendous velocity as compared to light and can travel around the world in a fraction of a second, thereby lighting up lives and creating thought revolutions and behavioural changes.
Engrossed reading of such texts generates the same thoughts that the author had at the time of writing. Thoughts travel at the tremendous velocity as compared to light and can travel around the world in a fraction of a second, thereby lighting up lives and creating thought revolutions and behavioural changes.
Keeping the company of good books is a form of "satsanga" (meaning keeping company of the virtuous). Collective singing of hymns, listening of discourses, mass prayers help charge and motivate the atmosphere.
The combined force generated by a large number of individuals concentrating on a single subject always creates tremendous impact.
Participating in such events helps us take the primary first step in our attainment of knowledge and wisdom. To reach the core of the subject and grasp its fundamentals we do require contemplation, meditation, solitude and the guidance of a noble Guru".
The combined force generated by a large number of individuals concentrating on a single subject always creates tremendous impact.
Participating in such events helps us take the primary first step in our attainment of knowledge and wisdom. To reach the core of the subject and grasp its fundamentals we do require contemplation, meditation, solitude and the guidance of a noble Guru".
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Source and credits : Visit our Life Transforming Books section to read the below mentioned referenced texts:
Chapter 15 & 23 of the Book –“Wonders of Human Bio electricity” authored by Yugrishi Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya.