GURU TATTVA
vedaśāstra-purāṇani cetihāsādikāni ca | mantra-yantra-vidyādini mohanoccāṭnādikaṁ || 22 ||
śaivaśaktāgamādini hyanye ca bahavo matāḥ | apabṛamśāḥ samstānāṁ jīvānāṁ bhṛānta cetasāṁ || 23 ||
japastapovṛataṁ tīrthaṁ yajño dānaṁ tathaiva ca | guru tattvaṁ avijñāya sarvaṁ vyarthaṁ bhavet priye || 24 ||
22, 23, 24 The Vedas, Śāstras, Purānas, Itihāsas etc., the science of mantra, yantra, mohana, ucchāṭana, etc., the Śaiva, Āgama, Śakta, etc., and all other thought systems in the world are merely false theories which confuse the ignorant and deluded living beings (Jīvas).
O Priye (Dear One)! Japa (chanting), tapa (austerities), vṛata (vow observances), tīrtha (pilgrimage), yajña (enriching sacrifices), dāna (charity)—all these become a mere waste without the knowledge of the Guru Tattva, the Guru principle.
(Note: Verse 23 concludes that all the scriptures quoted above and the different traditions are meaningless without the knowledge of the Truth of Guru Tattva. These verses glorify the supreme significance of Guru.)
GURU IS BUDDHATMAN- MAKE EFFORT TO ATTAIN GURU
Please listen. Just these basic truths!
One, all scriptures, all literatures, all methods of teaching can only inspire you, they cannot give experience. Understand, this is the first law. All books, all vidoes, when I say all—ALL—including mine. Books, videos, everything can only create inspiration in you, but cannot give experience.
You see, experience is like a lamp. Only from a burning lamp you can pick up, catch. Only from a lamp you can light a lamp. Only from a lamp, you can light a lamp. Same way, the jīvan mukti is transmitted only from a living body to a living body. Experience can be transmitted from a living body to a living body. If that body has to catch jīvan mukti, it has to catch from the same material source, which is Living Enlightenment.
Please understand, I am defining very clearly, the need of the Master. If that body, made out of muscles and the mind made out of thoughts, if it needs to catch Living Enlightenment, jīvan mukti fire, it has to catch it only from another body, which is living Enlightenment at the same frequency; it means that you can catch It only from the same flesh and bones.
Be very clear, Mahavatār Bābā cannot give you Living Enlightenment (Advaita). I am making a very strong statement, but Truth. He cannot only give you inspiration, experience; some glimpse. But if He wants to give jīvan mukti, He has to guide you to a person who is in the physical body.
Rāmakṛṣna or Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi or Mahavatār Bābā, Osho or J Krishnamurthy or any Enlightened Guru who has left the body, all of them are still in the Cosmic plane, do you know why? Listen! For all those to whom they committed when they are in the physical body. For example, if you were in the body when Rāmakṛṣna was physically present and you had a direct connection with Him, and He blessed you, and He then passed away, and still you are here, then He will be there to directly take care of you. But no new addition is possible after the body has left. No new addition is possible.
Now if you are a seeker, starting to pray to Rāmakṛṣna or Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi, they can guide you to a Living Master, that's all. They themselves will not be able to give because it has to be transmitted from this plane of flesh and bone. That is why the need of Living Master, again and again comes back. Understand, that is why no huge organization is able to own spirituality than a Living Master. Seekers are around THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.
The reason is it can be transmitted only from flesh to flesh; from the person who is living Jīvan Mukta, through His muscle-memory and muscles. See, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM will be living jīvan mukti without muscles after THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM leave the body. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM will be living Jīvan Mukti; but, because there are no muscles, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM will not be able to transmit it to the person who is with muscles. If THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM initiate you now, and give you the assurance, only then THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM can handle you even if THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM leave the body. So, if you had assurance from Rāmakṛṣna or Ramana Mahaṛṣi or Osho, or any Enlightened Guru, when they are in the flesh, then you don't need to go to new Master.
But even then usually they guide to a Living Master because living around the Living Master is not only Living Enlightenment, it is such a joy, it is an ecstasy, it is a way of life.
For that reason they guide. Understand thoroughly. Otherwise if you did not have connection with them physically when they were in the body, even they cannot do anything. Mahāvatār Bābā will not be able to give you Enlightenment or the spiritual experience, He can only guide you.
That is the reason why still the Living Master's necessity is not replaced at all, its not replaced. Still the necessity for Living Master is there when the whole thing, the Guru-śiśya paramparā, the Guru-disciple lineage was started by Śiva millions of years ago. The only thing which is not yet outdated, which can never be outdated is necessity of a Living Enlightened Master, a Sadguru.