TALK 33 by Prabhuji (20 APR, 2016)
Let us contemplate on the principle of Guru in spiritual life. ‘na guror adhikam tatvam, na guror adhikam tatvam, shivashasanatha, shivashasanatha, this is the teaching of Shiva, Shiva the Primordial master the adiguru says, ‘there is no principle higher than the principle of Guru. What is the meaning of principle, principle is the essence when we say Guru what comes to our mind is the person smiling all the time, may be a beard, or wearing a saffron dress and looking like a monk. But we are not speaking about a person, the principle of Guru is the highest principle in the universe, what does it mean?
Akandamandalakaram vyaptam yena characharam. The principle of Guru tattva is all pervading, ‘Akandamandalakaram’ through the universe, there is no place where the Guru tattva is not there. ‘Vyaptam yena characharam’, living and non-living all are pervaded by Guru tattva, or Guru principle.
What is this principle of Guru? Guru means ‘one who dispels ignorance’, what dispels ignorance, it is the awareness that dispels ignorance. That awareness is the light of the self – Atmajyothi, that is the divine light. That light is present in every living being and that is what is spoken as Guru tattva, the light of the self, the light of awareness, atmajyothi.
How is that? Look at our life, every single thing that we know today, we have learnt it from someone in our life. First learning came from the biological Mother who taught us how to eat, walk and talk. The Guru principle or Guru tattva in the biological mother taught this to her child. That is why we call mother is the first Guru. Somebody can teach us, but to understand that I need awareness, that means the Guru tattva in me helps me to learn. Guru tattva in mother taught me and Guru tattva in me helped to understand and learn what she has taught.
Similarly the Guru tattva, the light of awareness in the biological father taught me the life skills, the Guru tattva in me helped me to learn the life skills. That is why we call mother as the first Guru and father as the Guru. And we learn so many things from our grandparents at home. We learn from professional teachers, who taught us Maths, Science, Medicine, Commerce etc and we learnt so many things from friends.
Please understand that it is the Guru Principle, the Awareness, “Light of the Self” in all of us that has taught to others and learnt from others through these bodies.
Whatever we learn in our life is because of the Guru principle in us. When someone is teaching you, it is actually the Guru principle in that person teaching you. Guru principle is present in everywhere including animals, plants, the space the natural elements. Is there something we learn from space? Yes, the space teaches us to be empty and vast and be free from all the clutter, the earth teaches us patience, the nature teaches us to give. Everything in nature is about giving without expecting anything in return. The Guru tattva, the all-pervading principle in nature teaches us and Guru principle in me is helping to learn, this is guru Tattva.
‘Tatpada darshitam yena tasmai sri guruve namah….’ – A self-realised person comes to you to teach Atmagyan, the path of liberation. While all in our life help us make a living, Sadguru the realised master comes into our life to show us the path of liberation, the freedom from our impressions, freedom from the bondage of mind and the body and to attain divinity in human life. Guru tattva all-pervading principle helps us to make a living makes us into a beautiful living being but the Sadguru tattva , the realised master comes into our life, to uplift us from human to divine and from divine to supreme from darkness to light, the light of wisdom, light of enlightenment, light of the self. This is the contemplation on Guru tattva.
Transcription by Atmajyothi Satyavathi
Light of The Self Foundation 