[Advaita-l] SADHANA - The different Paths

[KAMESWARARAO MULA]

Dear Ryan Ji,                          Namaskaraha! You have instigated the fire in me to re-check our fundamentals and indeed happy to  read your writing on 'Guru'.Let us understand the same with reverence to our puranas & samhita as you mentioned nicely so that we can understand our selves better.

'GuruGita' as given in Uttarakhand section of 'SkandaPurana' in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Uma (Shakti).
Guruis Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Lord Maheshwara. Guru is verily the supremereality. Sublime prostrations to Him (a solid state which can directly goes tovapour state i.e vaya rupa without liquid intervention e.g camphor).“Dhyanamoolam Guru Murti’ Pujamoolam Guru Padam
Mantra Moolam Guru Vakyam, Moksha Moolam Guru Kripa”The bestowal of liberation is onlythe Guru's grace,Real worship is of the Guru's feet. The basis of all mantras is the words ofthe Guru. 
“Akhanda Mandalakaram, Vyaptam YenaCharacharam
Tat Padam Darshitam Yena, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha”            
I prostrate to the Sadguru by whom the whole world,comprising of unbroken consciousness, is pervaded and filled through andthrough in every moving and unmoving object. Sublime salutations to the Guru who is established in That and who hasawakened me to its realization.DakshinamurthySamhita, Chpater-56: Shiva says that the supreme goddess is in the form of compassion, bearsthe universe (Jagadhatri), and is in the form of sound as Nada & Bindu.IshvaraShiva sings of the greatness of Lalita and describes the Turiya or fourthtechnique, by remembering which, an individual becomes one with the Brahman orMahapada. He says: "One's self (svayam) is Brahma, one's self is Vishnu,one's self is Rudra, there is no doubt about it." One who pronounces the vidya even once surpasses thousands ofmillions of Ashvamedha acts of homa, pilgrimages to holy places like Kashi,bathing in sacred rivers. He adds that even if he had millions of tongues, itwould be impossible to speak of the greatness of ‘Guru’ – Mother- Shrividya i.e abhdeda bhavanam, srichakra pujanam.After obtaining it this from the guru, it washes away the most heinous of sinsmakes the way the path towards liberation.SriGuruPadaravindarpana Mastu                                                   Kameswara 


    On Thursday, 18 January 2018 1:21 PM, Ryan Armstrong <ryanarm at gmail.com> wrote:
 

 Once again, Namaskaras
Firstly, when you say "knowledge" what is being referred to?I ask since English fails us here, the same word being used for different concepts...
In the Taittiriiya Upanishad, the first part involves grammar and more specifically, the joinings of different sounds, or संहिता.It describes the 5 महासंहिता.One of these states:अथाधिविद्यम् । आचार्यः पूर्वरूपम् अन्तेवास्युत्तररूपम् । विद्या सन्धिः । प्रवचनं सन्धानम् 
"Here begins (thhe meditation on) knowledge. The teacher is the first letter, The student is the last letter, Knowledge is the meeting-place, instruction is the link"
This does not seem to show that there is a transfer of knowledge, but rather an arising of it during instruction.
Now it is interesting that the English word "knowledge" is the translation of विद्या the dhatu of which is विद्
In the second book, the upanishad declares:सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म
And Gambhirananda translates this as "Brahman is Truth, knowledge and infinite"Now, the English word "knowledge" is the translation of ज्ञानम् - dhatu ज्ञाAnd in the bhaashya, Shankara explains how this statement can be broken into 3 sentences, one of which is "ज्ञानम् ब्रह्म" - The Brahman is Knowledge.
So the word knowledge could refer to विद्या, or ज्ञानम्.When I posted that guru "knows (innately) अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि", I was using know in the sense of ज्ञानम्.And if  "ज्ञानम् ब्रह्म" then surely the "knowledge" is already in the student but the student is ignoring it.Hence the term ignorance - to ignore the knowledge of One's True Nature.Perhaps then, this is where the shakti comes in - that by this great gift from the guru, the knowledge can arise in the student of himself.
Such is my understanding anyway, and I would appreciate any errors in the reasoning to be pointed out.
Yours in TruthRyan

On 16 January 2018 at 15:58, KAMESWARARAO MULA <kamesh_ccmb at yahoo.co.in> wrote:

Dear Sir,               Although I have expressed my views on 'Guru', but i feel that I may be too small to comment on that as I am just beginner in the path of self-realization.
As Sh. Ryan Ji Says that " गुरु refers to one who has realized the Truth and knows (innately) अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि" 
But What I want to understand that what makes a Guru to transfer the Knowledge to the needy disciple? (this is not applicable to acharya/teacher)
 Any learned members or seniors of the list, please put your views so that we can understand our selves better.
What is the driving force by which 'Guru'  transmits his shakti or siddhi /knowledge to the Sishya?  how the disciple is his knowledge son?
What makes do this? and knowing this is the objective of my life

Today I exists on this earth and could able to stand on my feet due to the grace of my Guru only as he is immortal on this karma bhumi.

    Na Guror-adhikam tattvam na Guror-adhikam tapah   Tattva-gyanat-param nasti tasmai Shri Gurave Namah
   Man-naathah Shri Jagan-nathah Mat-guru-shri jagad-guruhu   Mad-atma sarva-bhutatma tasmai Shri Gurave Namah
   SriGuruPadaravindarpanaMastuKameswara
 
On Tuesday, 16 January 2018 12:57 PM, Ryan Armstrong <ryanarm at gmail.com> wrote:
 

 Namaste Sri Belavadi
In my understanding, the term गुरु refers to one who has realised the Truth and knows (innately) अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि.Manu says something about this as being the difference between an आचर्य and a गुरु. (I shall have to find the reference if needed.)The guru knows who he is and instructs the student as to how the student may reach the same realisation.
As such, the guru IS the Absolute.So I would say that it is quite redundant to say "immortal guru" since the guru must be immortal in the first place for the title to be used.
Of course, this is within व्यवहार.In the final verse of तत्त्वोपदेष (ascribed to aadi shankara) states नाद्वैतं गुरुणा सह - There is no advaita between the guru (and the student).The guru exists while in ignorance and the seeker needs assistance to dispel the ignorance.Once ignorance is dispelled, the truth that only  Brahman exists is known, and distinction of teacher/student falls away.
Yours in TruthRyan
On 16 January 2018 at 08:34, Belavadi Shankar via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita- vedanta.org> wrote:

Where can anyone find an 'immortal' GURU?





-- 
Regards

Ryan Armstrong
+27 82 852 7787
ryanarm at gmail.com


   



-- 
Regards

Ryan Armstrong
+27 82 852 7787
ryanarm at gmail.com