Today, let us understand the journey towards self-realisation. According to Shri Guru Gita Sloka no 72 and 73, Lord Shiva says, “Salutations to Shri Guru. He is firmly established in the power of knowledge and is adorned with the garland of tattvas. He grants worldly fulfillment as well as salvation. My salutations to Shri Guru, who by (imparting) the power of self-knowledge burns up all the karmas acquired through countless lifetimes.”
The guru decides which part of the disciple’s karma should be exhausted by experiencing its fruits and which part should be resolved without being allowed to sprout. Since the kārmic load of each disciple is different, there can never be any fixed formula for this process. For some disciples, their karma may be completely set aside and their lives shaped only by the grace of the guru. For others, the guru may decide that the fruits of some good karma are better to be experienced.
Don’t compare yourself to other disciples. His or her kārmic load is completely different from yours. Many disciples make this mistake and stumble on the path. If you analyse the actions of the guru with each disciple, you are attempting to measure something that is immeasurable and unfathomable. You will never understand the implications of what is happening, because you have no knowledge of the karma that is carried by each disciple from many lifetimes or the various ways in which divine grace is constantly working to dissolve this karma. When you try to analyse what your guru is doing, you are identifying him with his physical form. This is merely a garment he wears. The guru is a divine force that can be comprehended only through the soul and never with the petty, logical mind.
The guru looks only at the souls of all those who come to him and everything else is simply secondary.
There is a very fine line between the state of a self-realised soul and others. A self-realised being is completely immersed in bliss and may seem eccentric to ordinary observers. However, more discerning people will soon notice the difference in the vibrations that they emit. Those who come into the presence of an enlightened one also experience at least a little of the peace and bliss that he is experiencing. So they know that this person is special.”
Therefore, we must prevent the senses from impeding our spiritual progress. In the bygone days, all sādhana started with the senses. The eyes were trained to see divinity everywhere — in photographs, idols, temples, lamps, bells, the green fertile earth below the feet and the vast blue heavens overhead. Hymns and chants fell upon one’s ears frequently. Everything that was put into the mouth was regarded as prasād (consecrated food) and was eaten with reverence and gratitude. Sandal paste, fresh flowers, incense and aromatic herbs filled the air with their fragrance which divinised the sense of smell. Everything that one touched, including Mother Earth, was regarded as manifestations of divinity.
The mind can also be involved in this sādhana. Associate everything that is perceived with divinity. Look upon all stree shaktis as the manifested forms of the divine mother. When you see a bull, think of Lord Shiva. When you see a conch, bow to Lord Vishnu. When you see an elephant, salute Lord Ganesha. When you look at food, remember Goddess Annapoorneshwari (Pārvati). When you drink water or bathe, recall the nectarine purity of the river Ganga.
When your senses and your mind are thus turned towards God and allowed to dwell there constantly, divinity is revealed to you in all its glory. God is egoless and responds instantaneously to your devout call. He is ever-present and ever accessible.
