Guru wanted

[Vaidya N. Sundaram]

namaste.

On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, Martin Gifford wrote:

> Hi All !
>
> I thought a guru should appear when there is a need in a seeker. I have the
> need but perhaps I'm not ready.
>

 I would like stress a few points here. Sri. Gifford here in self doubt
wonders if he is ready. I quote sloka 6 ch1 from the vivekachudamani:
 Let one read the sAstrAs, sacrifice to the Gods, perform karmas or
meditate on the divinities; liberation will not arise even after
hundreds of brahmakalpas without knowledge of unity of Atman.

 In stating the above verse, Shri Sankara basically reiterates his previous
statements in the Vivekachudamani; that it is extremely rare to be born as
a human, and having the longing for release and association with great
souls. hence, by the very fact that we are enquiring into the nature of
Atman and It`s Omnipresence,  makes us quite ready and hence there is no reason
for doubt whatsoever. This inspite of the verses following this which state
that a spiritual aspirant should have certain essential prerequisites.
 In his commentary on the Vivekachudamani, Sri Chandrasekhara bhArati says
that the desire to know the Atman is itself sufficient.

>
> _GURU WANTED_
>
> ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
>
> Must be permanently free of the sense of doership.
> Must have fully and finally realised non-duality.
> Loving and accepting.
> Capable of quickly transforming his/her students.
> Must not use guilt.
> Keen about ending human violence and suffering.
> Must not have an aversion to life in the physical plane.
>

 In verses 33-34 are described the qualifications for such a Guru:

The Guru is well versed in the Vedas; he is sinless; he is not smitten
by desire; he is a knower of Brahman; he is super-eminent;
withdrawing himself into Brahman, he is ever at peace; he is like a
smouldering fire unfed by fuel.

 Shri Chandrasekhara BhArati has explained in excellent language about
each of the above mentioned qualities. I would like to specifically mention
one here.
 The Guru`s compassion is unmotivated by anything else than the urge to
destroy the affliction of another. To show that the Guru`s compassion is
not of the kind where the compassion is borne out of a need to erase a
sense of pain felt on seeing another in distress, Sri Sankara uses the word
 " ahetuka " - meaning, pain cannot touch one who has realised the Brahman.
So the Guru`s compassion has to quite obviously be only to help every one
cross the ocean of SamsAra.

> Anyway if someone can suggest a guru that meets the criteria
> please let me know.

 To me, such a Guru is Sri Sankara Himself. For Sri Chandrasekhara BhArati
himself states in the commentary :
  the eternal sadaShiva and Sambhu has become Sankara.
The Lord, who is the cosmic Guru, personified as DakshinAmoorthy, forever
setting His gaze southward, dispels the darkness in the caves of the
ignorance by an initiating look which utters the unspoken word.

 An excellent sloka on Sri Sankara is the TodakAstaka. a simple repetion
of the todakAshta and meditating on Sankara repeating
bhava sankara desika-mae saranam
( I know of no refuge other than the feet of Sankara )
is itself sufficient to obtain the grace of the Guru, Sri Sankara.

> Regards,
>
> Martin.
>

Cheers,
vaidya.