[Advaita-l] Question? - Is Guru necessary?

[Aurobind Padiyath]

Hari Om! Sadaji,
How to answer to you who is Gurusthaniyah?
Still as a question asked by Guru I'll show my ignorance so that you can
correct me.
गुरुरेवपरंब्रह्मः - There cannot be two, Guru and Brahman, when we are
taught सर्वं खल्विदंब्रह्मः। That is in the Paramarthika state.
Coming to Vyavahara as you said we need a Guru. The very reason we are in
Vyavahara is the reason which necessitate such a person who can show us to
go beyond the illusion of the Vyavahara. Eventhough I mentioned it as a
person above, it necessarily need not be a human form. As in the case of
Avadhuta Gitakara, anyone or anything that can remove the illusory vision
and bestows the Truth is a Guru. Rare indeed is such an aspirational seeker
to get those visions. Having said that, it makes the need of a Guru
mandatory for the seeker. Who can know where the seeker is presently
standing and also knows the path and procedure to take him to that ultimate
destination.
I belive that even the Gurukula system earlier were for the general vedic
practises. The teachings of Adhyatma Vidya was always one-to-one. The
गुह्यतमं शास्त्रम् cannot be a classroom monitored one. Here also the broad
explanatory class can be to multiple students or seekers, but when it comes
to the deliverance of that experiencing words, it will and should be
absolutely personal.
Until one knows That Truth, he also cannot know if the teacher is an
experienced one in Truth.
As Vachaspati Misra said even Goddess Sarawati will not be able to share
her personal experience, but bless that you too have one. Such being the
situation, a Guru too blesses his ward thru words of wisdom and knowledge.
But it's for the seeker to dawn That Truth in his bosom by Sravanam,
Mananam, and Nidhidhysanam.
Please remove my ignorance in the above understandings if any.
Hari Om!
Aurobind Padiyath




On Fri, 29 Jan 2016 09:10 kuntimaddi sadananda via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> PraNAms to all
>
> Shree Subbuji just posted - How one can get under the grace of a Guru?
>
> Here is a question I want to pose it to all.
>
> Q. 1: Do we really need a guru?
>
> Shastras says so - therefore we need one. Or Do we really need to have one
> understand Shastras?
>
> We do not have old gurukula system of education. We have now Missions and
> Missionaries. We have now internet and on-line discussion, talks on yu-tube
> or all other means to understand the shaastras.
>
> All we need to know is Brahma Satyam, Jangan mithyaa and jeevo brahma eva
> na aparaH. This can be learned by listening to many teachings available on
> line.
>
> I understand that we need to have shraddha - Does Shraddha comes with
> 'Guru or in the very teaching itself (shastra)
>
> Q2. Do we need a live guru or on-line guru? I find many claim that
> Bhagavan Ramana Mahasrhi is our guru; but he is not there in Physical form
> to teach. His teachings are available - so are other on-line teachers too.
>
> Claim: We need a teacher who himself is self realized? Well, since there
> are no litmus to evaluate a particular teacher is self-realized or not we
> cannot go by that rule as long as we have the faith in the shaastras and
> understand clearly the explanation.
>
> I would like hear from eveyone those who are looking for a guru and those
> who found their gurus and those who do not think they do not need one (as
> JK - says - even though his follower want to follow!)
>
> Q. We have many who do not have gurus as we know - starting with Bhagavan
> Ramana Maharshi himself. That he had Guru in the last life is only
> justification for the axiom that one needs a guru, since we do not
> Bhagavan's last janma to make a claim
>
> The sadhana chatushtaya sampaathi does not necessorily for subtle inquiry
> does not demand a guru - it says Shraddha - Is Shraddha in the teachings
> available in may ways now - not sufficient.
>
> What do you think? I am posting this to both groups to see the responses.
>
> Hari Om!
> Sada
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 

Aurobind Padiyath
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