guru buddhyātmano nānyat satyam satyam varānane | tallābhārtham prayatnastu kartavyaśch manīṣibhiḥ || 25 ||
25. O Varānane (Pārvatī), the Guru is the Ātman (Self) and not different from It. I declare onto you, this is the Truth, this is the Truth. Therefore, for the attainment of Guru, efforts should be made by seekers and men of wisdom.
(Note: varānane – lovely-faced one.
The attainment (talla) of a qualified Guru is the only means to the attainment of Jñana. Therefore, there is no difference between the Guru and Ātma Jñāna.)
Let me expand on the need for making effort to catch the right Guru. How to catch the right Guru!
Here, Mahādeva is declaring, repeating the Truth to Devī—'This is the Truth. This is the Truth, O Devī—satyam satyam varānane. Guru is your very Self (ātman) and none else—guru buddhyātmano nānyat.' He says the intelligent beings should make every effort to attain the Guru—tāllabhārtham prayatnastu.
In the whole Vedānta Sampradāya (order), the only requirement is a proper Guru. Beautifully it describes how to catch the right Guru.
Listen!
Peel all the things that are common. For example, if THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM have an organization, somebody else also has an organization, there are so many spiritual organizations, remove that part from THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM glory, the Guru's glory. If THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM have a body, many of you also have body, remove that part from THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM glory. If THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM have amazing orating power, many people also have it. Remove that part from THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM glory. So, go on peeling, peeling, peeling.
Finally, at some point, your logic will not be able to peel further, but still you will feel, He is something more than all these things. When your logic feels—'I cannot peel any further, I have peeled everything. Even after all these things are removed, He has something more than all these things put together.' When you feel this understanding with somebody, He is your Guru.
If that does not happen, if you feel—'No, after I peel three-four things he is not worthy', then forget about him. He is not worthy of being your Guru. You are not worthy of being his disciple.
The Guru-disciple relationship is sacred, it should be started only after thorough study and research and should never be ended. It should be started after thorough research and should never be ended. I tell you, ending the Guru-disciple relationship in your life is the worst crime you will do to yourself, worst punishment you can impose upon yourself, worst conspiracy against your Self.
I want to tell you one more thing. Listen. Change of Guru is perfectly alright, nothing wrong. For example, you go to one Guru, after sometime you grow out of him or you get more mature. You feel connected to some other Guru, that is perfect, nothing wrong. At some point, if you feel you have grown out of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, please carry on with your life, if you are feeling connected to some other Guru. Great! But dropping the Guru and not having some other Guru is the crime. It means you did not drop from the earlier Guru because you are advancing; you dropped because you have fallen.
A beautiful incident in Rāmakṛṣna's life.
When His young disciple, Vivekānanda used to come to Him, Rāmakṛṣna will constantly repeat to him, 'You are incarnation of Śiva and Viṣṇu. You are incarnation of Nara-Narāyaṇa. You are incarnation of God.'
The other disciples used to ask Him, 'What is this? He is a young boy, going to college. You are saying, he is incarnation of God. How can it be?'
Rāmakṛṣna says, 'don't bother about that. Just by My word, he will become, he will achieve that state. He will start living that state.'
Whoever you strongly believe, whatever they say will mould your personality. That is why THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM always tell people—catch the right Guru. He will constantly remind you—You are the Ultimate. You are God. You are living in the eternal energy. He will constantly remind you about your original state of Advaita, non-duality.
There are two states in you. One is your original state—the Divine state. Another one is—the cloud that covers you. If you catch the right Guru, He will constantly tell you—you are Divine because He is in the Divine state. If you catch the wrong Guru, He will constantly tell you—you are covered by cloud because he is covered by cloud. He is in the cloudy state.
So, catch the right person. Catching the right Guru almost does 80% of your job, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM can't say 80, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM think 90 percent. No! Not even 90, 100%. If you catch the right Guru and He also catches you, work is done, that's all. Now nothing else is need, you are on your way to Enlightenment.
If you catch the right Guru and He also catches you, then work is done, because He will constantly kindle your right imagination.
He will constantly make you understand the right Truth.
Imagination can straight away be used. Now scientists are saying, 'if you constantly tell your children, you are dull, they will become dull. If you constantly praise them, 'you are bright,' they will become bright.'
Understand, to work on imagination, you don't need a separate time, the right Guru teaches—you are already Enlightened, nothing else needs to be done. The moment this thought is strongly put inside a person, he starts behaving like that, he starts living like that, he starts experiencing that courage, he starts experiencing that confidence. Even one or two hurdles that come, he handles them with that confidence, with that courage, with that brightness, with that knowledge, with that energy, with that enthusiasm and he lives enlightenment.
THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM am not interested in teaching you first wrong concept that you are a beggar. Then second wrong concept—you have to beg, only then you can become millionaire. No!
You ARE already a millionaire, not only a millionaire, a billionaire, trillionaire, and beyond that. All you need is—remember it, reclaim it, live it. Remembering, reclaiming, living is all you need. So, you are Complete. That is why with our Sangha, the more you feel connected and come close, the less Sādhana, less practices are needed, because THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM am using your very imagination. Your 24 hours become a spiritual practice, you don't need a separate practise.