Why seek a Guru?

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In the aftermath of Guru Purnima, I would like to share my opinion on two questions about Gurus that have occurred to me and which may be nagging at some of you. But this is just my opinion. Do seek verification from a learned authority.

1. Does one need a Guru?

The vague history reports that Adi Shankara, who was 8 years old at that time, was discovered wandering around in the Himalayas looking for a Guru. A sage asked him who he was. He responded with the recitation of the Nirvana Shatakam.

I was informed that Adi Shankara in fact went directly to Guru Govindapadaal in Maharashtra. The Wikipedia entry on Adi Shankara admits that reliable information about his life is scant. What is important is his impact on advaita vedanta. In the context of this Blog, the importance is the reality that, no matter how spiritually advanced one is, a Guru is needed to take the final step.

At that tender age, he had already understood the Upanishads, had pondered about himself and had realised that, on his own, he could only discover more about this material realm, which he had already realised was nothing but a shell of illusion. In order to discover who he really was, he needed a Guru to guide him further. That's why he had gone in search of a Guru. That a seeker as advanced, both intellectually and spiritually, as he was also needed a guru is very telling.

Celebrating Guru Purnima

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The Sanskrit word "guru" (गुरु) is made up of two syllables 

"gu" (गु) — means darkness or ignorance
"ru" (रु) — means dispeller or remover

In its original context, the guru is one who helps his students to overcome the darkness of ignorance. The term is usually reserved for one who is well versed in the subject and capable of transferring the knowledge. Aspiring students are sent to stay with the guru and they offer him service in return for the learning he imparts.

In a wider context, guru is any source from which one learns. We can learn by observing the sun and rain, the rivers and trees. We can learn from the way animals interact. There is much to learn from observing children at play. We can learn from any person we encounter. Even the person who gives one a hard time is imparting a lesson. For the willing student, gurus can be found everywhere.

The Masterpiece of Manikkavacakar

According to legend, maNikkavaacakar, a 9th century CE minister of a Pandya kingdom, encountered civaa (Shiva) disguised as an ascetic. The encounter awoke his consciousness and moved him to record his understanding of the paths of devotion (bhakthi) and wisdom (njana) which could bring the devotee closer to union (yoga) with the Supreme Consciousness.

The civapuraaNam is a devotional prostration to Shiva as well as a summary of Shaivite theology and metaphysics. The song is very popular and is sung on many religious occasions. Sadly, most of the singers do not completely understand the meaning. For those who are not Tamil literate, it is simply a long-winded recitation of meaningless sounds.

In the third line from the end of the song, maNikkavaacakar mentions "Those who sing, knowing the meaning of the song". It is in knowing the meaning that the maximum value can be obtained from singing the song. This line in the song prompted me to offer a transliteration and translation of the song, primarily targeting those who can't read thamizh. 

My transliteration invites readers to abandon the idea that they are reading an English language version. I wish to encourage them to grasp the structure of the thamizh text. Therefore my choice of the Roman alphabets adheres closely to thamizh spelling.

In my translation, I have tried to retain the lyrical, philosophical, and devotional beauty of the original thamizh. I trust that I have succeeded. I have included guidelines on my romanization of the thamizh for benefit of those who are interested.

I have included the civapuraaNam in my Tao of Music.

Go here for my introduction, transliteration and translation in PDF

Go here for the You Tube video with subtitles.

Expressing an internal Experience

We are in this world to experience a life in the flesh and thereby exhaust our attachments and desires. Those attachments and desires are the bonds of karma that keep bringing us back into this life of toil. It is only by clearing our karma that we can exit the cycle of reincarnation.

Our interaction with the material world is made up of three stages: First, we receive inputs through our senses of perception. Then we process those inputs and experience the effect of those inputs. Finally we respond to those inputs through an expression of our internal experience.

There is a wide array of ways in which to express what we have experienced. Great souls express their internal experience in ways that can move huge numbers of people. Those expressions have served to transform entire populations.

Today's Post is a marker for a Page in which I explore in detail the matter of internal experience and the expression of it. Do take the time to read it. I hope you find it to be inspirational.

Perceive > Experience > Express

Dealing with Karma

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Karma means action. Every action triggers a sequence of consequences. Positive actions yield positive consequences while negative actions do the opposite. Positive and negative consequences can cancel out each other. The concept of karma includes the consequences of one's action. 

The Bhagavad Gita teaches that there are 3 kinds of karma - sanchita which is the entire karmic baggage, prarabdha which is the karmic baggage allocated for the current lifetime and kriyamana which is fresh karmic baggage being added on.

From the upanishads, one learns that there are 4 paths of yoga to help in dealing with karma - bhakthi, karma, njana and kriya. This is dealt with in more detail here. The popular mainstream religions offer bhakthi (devotion) and karma (service) as essential elements of piety. The advaita practices offer intellectual pursuit and meditative inward seeking as mechanisms to deal with karma.

We each have to search for the path that works best for us. This is usually defined by the religious heritage of the individual. Those who are not satisfied with the teachings offered by their religious tradition go in search of answers. Seekers from various disciplines very often find themselves headed in a common direction. That is because all traditions come from the same source.

May you find the path that works well for you.

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