In another book J.P. Vaswani says the perfect relationship is one that is established with one'sguru. Here one may ask, Why do we need a guru? Is not self-realisation possible with one'sown efforts? Can we not seek liberation for ourselves?
Vaswani says that it is the guru alone who can lead you from falsehood to truth; from darkness to light; from death to eternity. Though some great souls have reached God without being formally initiated by a guru and Gautam Buddha was one who was not initiated by a master, yet he obtained enlightenment.
Adi Shankara narrates the story of a king who escapes with his pregnant wife into the forest on being chased by his enemy. While he stops to confront the enemy and is killed, his wife finds shelter in a tribal woman'shut. Here the queen delivers a baby boy who grows up, learning all that a tribal boy should know. The dead king'sminister had been aware that the king'swife was pregnant and he goes and finds out the young prince to take him back to the kingdom. Under training from the minister, the prince learns all that a prince should know. The minister makes the prince aware of his real identity, the reality.
In the story above the minister draws the prince away from his illusion, so that he would attain self-realisation. This is the essence of a guru?he makes the disciple see his true self. He makes him aware of the paramatman that dwells within the jivatman.
Vaswani says that in the Bhagvada Gita, Sri Krishna talks of the threefold path or marga?the karma marga, the jnana marga and the bhakti marga. Each of the margas has guru bhakti as its foundation. Guru puja and guru bhakti involve complete surrender and devoted service to the guru.
Guru sakshat Parabrahma
tasmai sri gurave namah?
Vaswani concludes by giving a short biography of each of the most eminent gurus?Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhavacharya, Vallabhacharya, Guru Nanak and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa to elucidate his statement that there can be no perfect relationship other than the one with one'sguru.
(Sterling Publishers (P) Ltd, A-59 Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 020.)
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