Amma's 2001 Guru Purnima Message

5 July 2001

"Darling Children,

"All my children must be celebrating Guru Purnima today. Didn't you celebrate a similar Guru Purnima last year? Since that day until today, there must have been many lessons to reflect upon and imbibe. And there has been enough time also. There are innumerable lessons in the book of life, lessons that can never be exhausted. 'Have I learnt well the lessons that need to be learnt? Do I know all there is to know?' Guru Purnima reminds us to make such inquiries and answer them.

"The Guru is an embodiment of all the knowledge contained in the great book of life. The Guru-shishya (Master-disciple) relationship is the stream in which the depth of that knowledge and the sweetness of love commingle.

"The disciple is on a journey in search of supreme knowledge. The Satguru (Self-realized Master), on the other hand, has completed the journey and is serene and unruffled, resting in the abode of the Self. He or She is aware that the beloved disciple may falter and stumble, overpowered by the challenges thrown up by the mind and testing circumstances. To prevent this, the Guru will shower on the disciple rays of unmotivated love and causeless compassion, for the Guru loves the disciple like his or her own child. Holding this son or daughter by the hand, the Guru leads the way, offering both support and protection.

"The mind is inadequate for and incapable of measuring the depth of the Guru-shishya relationship. An unsullied heart is required for that.

"Children, Amma always says that the present moment is the most important. This is because the Guru-shishya relationship can be cemented only here and now, at the present moment. The beauty of the Self and supreme love emanating from the august presence of the Guru are available only here and now. Guru Purnima expresses the yearning of the mind that thirsts to drink in that beauty and love.

"Just as the radiance of the full moon transforms night into day, the presence of the Guru dispels the darkness within the disciple's heart. The Guru elevates the disciple to the state of supreme bliss by giving him the strength and discrimination to transcend the limitations of the mind. And the disciple, understanding the Guru's infinite compassion, offers himself or herself completely at the feet of the Master in utter gratitude, knowing that he or she can never repay the debt to the Master. Guru Purnima symbolises this poignant relationship.

"The disciple who has totally surrendered himself or herself thinks 'I am nothing, I am nobody. You are everything.' The disciple-hood awakens in one who has this attitude of humility, and the Guru's grace flows into such a person. May my children develop the maturity of mind and humility to deserve and receive that Grace."