[Advaita-l] the qualification to be an advaita guru

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste,
 
Srimad Ramayana, is the essence of dharma sastra and Sage Valmiki is never tired of projecting these whenever the occasion arise.  
 
There are 3 most important characters that need to be studied from close quarters who are also the upAsya tattvas.  They are a) Bhagavan Ramachandra b) Mother Sita c) Acharya Hanuman
 
Valmiki very frequently in Sundarakanda hints at the acharya lakShaNa of Hanuman who was the anusandhAna karta between Ramachandra (Paramatma) and Sita (sAdhaka / Jivatma).
 
The character of Sita (sAdhaka) was described in Sundarakanda as of noble character, engrossed in the contemplation of Rama by undergoing vratAs like upavAsa dIksha etc.  
 
Hanuman who is the Acharya is described as the repository of 4 vedas, sastras, maha-mantras, nava (9) grammers.  Inspite of His erudite learning & atma jnana, He is so humble and considers Himself to be "rAma dAsa".  This is the Acharya Lakshana.  "swayaM tirthAn parAn tArayanti" is the acharya lakshana.  Having crossed the ocean of samsAra himself offers His helping hand to the deserving disciples.  Unless Acharya is realised, how can he give the realisation to his disciples.
 
Now, the mumukShu in Sita after undergoing all the uttama vratas is completely ready for Acharya Upadesa.  And thus comes the helping hand of Acharya Hanuman in the form of handing over of   "rAma mudrika" (ring) to Sita (jivatma).   So, handing of rAma-mudrika implies that the initiating from Acharya “just happens” when the sAdhaka is “ripe enough to receive the grace”.  
Later, Hanuman burns the Lanka, uproots the trees in Ashoka Vana.    Burning of Lanka destruction of dEha-adhyAsa.  One great scholar in Telugu by name Shri Vavilakolanu Subba Rao Garu (who is also called Andhra Valmiki) decodifies a great mantra here with the burning of Lanka (laM here indicates prithivi / bhu tattva).  
 
Later, Mother Sita (Jivatma) hands over the “chUDAmaNi” to Acharya Hanuman who hands over the same to Ramachandra.   Bhagavan Ramachandra “recognizes” the Sita’s (jiva’s) chUDAmaNi. Thus, Ramachandra knows the whereabouts of Sita.  This further paves the way for the
“reunion” of Ramachandra (Paramatma) & Sita (Jivatma).  
 
Probably, this is the reason why Sankara Bhagavatpada had named His work as “vivEka-chUDAmaNi” because it instills viveka & vairagya in the sAdhaka that paves for the reunion (jIva-brahma-aikyasiddhi).   
 
Initially, Rama & Sita were One, but owing to sight of Golden Deer (Avidya), 
Sita (Jivatma) longs for it and gets separated from Rama.  Acharya Hanuman comes into picture who was “instrumental” in reuniting them.  Had there not been Hanuman in Srimad Ramayana, probably Sita & Rama would not have united.  
 
So, Hanuman’s lakShaNa is “AchArya lakShaNa”.  Ramachandra Himself has acknowledged the scholarship of Hanuman in Kishkindha Kanda saying that the speech of Hanuman is in the madhyama svara and only such a person can speak who has studied Rg, Yajur, Sama Vedas and entire vyAkaraNa sAstra.   In Uttara Kanda, Valmiki describes the scholarship of Hanuman as the one who knows the essence of Vedas, nava (9) vyAkaraNAs  from  Surya.   
 
May we all be blessed with such an Acharya like Hanuman and cross the ocean of Samsara.
 
Regs,
Sriram