GuruPurnima Archives - Amma, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

The disciple first must awaken the guru within

16 July, Toronto, Canada – America Yatra 2019
-from Amma’s Guru Purnima message

From the moment of our birth on this earth, through all the various phases of life that we travel through, up to the very moment of our death, there is always a guru there to impart us knowledge. Our journey into the world of knowledge begins at home where we receive our first lessons from our mother and father. After that, throughout our life, we have so many gurus.

Knowledge is light; ignorance is darkness. The day that we remember with humility and gratitude all the gurus that held our hand and led us from the world of darkness into the world of light is Guru Purnima. But most of the gurus in this category are those give their students information regarding the ever-changing world and its objects. They don’t have the ability to give their students true knowledge about the world or the real nature of the Self.

Attaining knowledge about the external world is merely gathering information. On the other hand, knowledge of the true essence of the world and our Self is knowledge born of discernment; that is the rise of true knowledge. The first type of knowledge continuously changes. The second type is the permanent and eternal truth. As disciples, the guru holds our hand and guides us into the world of that knowledge that is the source of all other knowledge.

The guru-disciple relationship exists in all spheres of life. But the spiritual guru-disciple relationship is incomparable. It is the greatest and purest of all relationships. It is the disciple’s love, devotion and faith in the guru that maintains that purity and greatness. The spiritual guru is detached and ever liberated—devoid of ego and likes and dislikes. Yet, the guru is also the embodiment of limitless compassion and patience. This compassion and patience keep the disciple close to the guru. This doesn’t mean that the guru will forgive all the disciple’s indiscretions.

A self-realized being has two facets—that of a mother and that of a guru. In this Kali Yuga, they are forced to stick to their mother aspect over that of the guru. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to uplift the disciple. This is why Amma often says, “Here, there are no disciples, only a mother and her children.” The guru is within the disciple. But in order for the disciple to awaken the guru, the disciple first must awaken the guru within the realized being. But in Kali Yuga, if the guru truly manifests, only those with sincere dispassion and intent of the goal will be able to hold on. This is why Amma gives more importance to the mother aspect. It is like giving anesthesia before surgery. Only a mother can compassionately forgive and tolerate all her children’s mistakes. This may not be possible for the guru. Just as Nature requires us to abide by her laws, certain rules and traditions need to be followed in the presence a guru. Mother Nature forgives all her children’s mistakes. But after a certain limit, she starts warning man’s ego by sending strong warnings.

When the guru tries to break the hard shell of the disciple’s ego, it can be painful. The disciple has fallen in love with his ego, nurturing it, thinking, “This is the truth.” But the guru knows the real truth—the truth that there is an enormous tree hiding within the shell of the small seed. In order for the tree to break free, the shell of the ego must break open. But for this to happen, the disciple must cooperate. If a patient kicks and screams, how can any surgery be done? And even if a surgery is attempted, it will never succeed. This is why the doctor administers anesthesia. Similarly, the guru’s love and affection are the anesthesia given prior to the surgery for saving us from samsara—the disease of the delusion that we are separate from God.

In the olden days, when disciples would live with the guru during their schooling, the scriptures would be taught to them in detail. So, spiritual life wasn’t so difficult for them. Before jumping in those waters, they already knew the basics of swimming. Thus, the guru would only have to watch them from a distance. One only really knows swimming, when they can stay afloat in deep water. If we don’t how, we can drown. The disciples of the past would already know how to swim—just not how to stay afloat in deep water. So, the guru would just have to be like a lifeguard, making sure they didn’t drown.

Surrender helps us discover both our inner and outer gems. No spiritual seeker has ever died of starvation. Through surrender, we will attain everything we need. We should try to develop this surrender. Many people go to see the ocean. Some enjoy the vast blue sky and the beauty of the ocean. Others catch fish and satisfy their hunger. Yet others enjoy the sea breeze on their face. But very few dive deep into the ocean and collect the pearls. Similarly, many people approach a sadguru for various reasons. But very few truly understand the principle of the guru and surrender, thereby discovering their True Self. May divine grace help all of Amma’s children develop such courage, power and surrender.

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“I am the infinite, I am fullness itself” – Gurupurnima celebrations

-from Amma’s Gurupurnima message

Guru Purnima is a reminder to find our purnatvam—our fullness—within. Looking through the small windows of our mind, we come to wrong conclusions about ourselves and the world. The guru is the most noble and trusted friend who awakens us to the reality that, “I am not this small entity (body, mind and the intellect); I am the infinite, as pervasive as the sky. I am fullness itself.”

No one knows how much time we have remaining in this human birth. Death is just a step behind each one of us. This precious birth should not be squandered away in short-lived pleasures. Before us is a golden opportunity to achieve the true goal of human birth. We should make proper use of this birth to deeply inquire into our true essence and understand the real source of peace and happiness.

God is like infinite sunlight. However, we will not be able to kindle our kitchen fire with this. The guru’s companionship is the matchstick needed to kindle this fire in the disciple. The guru’s presence will enable us to grow in a practical way.

Currently, we are bound in chains by our likes and dislikes. It will not do if we say we will try to overcome them later. Even if we try to loosen our grip on our suitcase to save ourselves from drowning, we will not be able to loosen our grip if our fingers are frozen. It is the same with our likes and dislikes. We all have godliness within. It is only the unwanted aspects of ourselves that the guru is taking away. But it is these very unwanted aspects that we are hugging onto so tightly. Thus, it becomes difficult to bring out the beautiful sculpture that is hidden within us.

The word for “disciple” in Sanskrit is sishya. The meaning of the term sishya is “He who is fit to be taught, who is fit to be disciplined.” A sishya is he who becomes the offering himself. The disciple should have the complete awareness that whatever the guru does is for his upliftment and good. Some may wonder whether such blind obedience to the guru is a kind of slavery. The truth is that the disciple is already enslaved to his own latent tendencies and ego. What the guru does is to rescue him from the bondage of that slavery.

The guru is like a booster rocket. Caught in many attachments, we are like satellites constantly circling around, caught in the gravitational field of the earth. The booster rocket that is the guru frees us from these bonds.

– — Excerpts from Amma’s Gurupurnima message -27 Jul 2018, Amritapuri

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Earlier in the morning when Amma came to the stage, Ashram dog Bhakti was already waiting there. Seeing Amma she started hauling waving her tail. Amma’s padapuja was performed and she gave her message on Gurupurnima. She also led all singing a bhajan ‘bhajo re bhajo’ and asking everyone to dance to the tune. Afterwards, Amma started giving darshan to the devotees. Many got mantras from Amma on this day. Darshan went on till 5 pm.

Gurupurnima at Amritapuri celebrated

09 July 2017, Amritapuri

Swami Turyamritananda lead the celebrations, conducted a Guru paduka puja of Amma at the Kali Temple.

“There are many relationships in human life. But, the relationship between a Guru and disciple cannot be counted as one of these worldly relationships. In reality, the only bond of love that is eternal and indestructible is the Guru-disciple relationship. In other relationships, the predominant factor is bondage. But, there is no bondage in the Guru-disciple relationship, because the Guru is the doorway that leads us from all bondage to ultimate freedom.” -Amma on Guru Purnima.

Happy GuruPurnima to all from Amritapuri!

The Guru-disciple relationship is an everlasting connection

From Amma’s Gurupurnima message

If we try to count from the beginning of the Guru-disciple tradition, tens of thousands of Gurupurnimas’ must have been celebrated by disciples. Celebrations are mere road signs, pointing us in the right direction. To understand the meaning of these celebrations, we need to go beyond the external pujas and traditional practices performed on this day.

There are many relationships in human life. But, the relationship between a Guru and disciple cannot be counted as one of these worldly relationships. In reality, the only bond of love that is eternal and indestructible is the Guru-disciple relationship. In other relationships, the predominant factor is bondage. But, there is no bondage in the Guru-disciple relationship, because the Guru is the doorway that leads us from all bondage to ultimate freedom.

All human relationships are like two small streams flowing along side of each other. The Guru-disciple relationship is entirely different. The disciple’s experience is that of a person standing under the powerful flow of the Ganges as it falls from the heavens onto the hair of Lord Shiva and from there onto Earth. The Spiritual master’s divine presence and endless flow of grace helps to purify the disciple.

In reality, the Guru is a mere presence. If someone were to ask, “Is the Master the body or the Self?” there would be no correct answer. The Guru is always in a state of oneness with the Supreme Self and hence has no feeling of ‘I’ or ‘mine’. Once the ego is destroyed then the physical body becomes like an empty shell. It has no connection with the Self. So because of this, the Guru cannot be the body. But, this is also incorrect, because we can only see the Guru’s body. The truth is that the Spiritual Master is merely a presence, like the infinite sky.

For the Guru who has gone beyond likes and dislikes, there is no thought of, “I am the Guru and you are the disciple. I am superior and you are inferior.” The Master has no demands or requirements. Looking at it in this way, we will see that there is actually only the disciple in this relationship. The Guru should become the light of the full moon that never sets within the heart of the disciple. The Guru-disciple relationship is the everlasting connection we make with this divine presence.

– excerpts from Amma’s Guru Purnima message – 19 July Tokyo 2016

Guru is the embodiment of the Scriptures

31 July 2015, Amritapuri

Gurupurnima was celebrated with much devotion and enthusiasm at Amritapuri today. Many devotees came from different parts of India and the world to be with the Guru.

Amma’s Padapuja was performed by Swami Amritaswarupanda with the chanting of Guru Gita and 108 Names. All the swamis garlanded Amma, Amma showered blessings upon every one.

Amma addressed the overflowing hall on the significance of the principle of the Guru. The following remarks are excerpted from her address:
“The Guru tattwa (Guru principle) is eternal. Gurus lived these ideals in their lives. The disciples observed this and tried to live those ideals in their lives as well. God and the Guru are one. However, the Guru principle that elevates the soul to the state of liberation is beyond the divine principle. There is nothing whatsoever that the Guru needs to gain or do. He guides the disciple out of compassion alone.

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“The disciple has innumerable weaknesses and tendencies. It takes boundless patience to lead such a disciple. Sacrifice and austerity are ever ablaze in the Guru’s life. Every word from such Gurus is scripture. Their very life is scripture. They are also the ones who impart vitality to the scriptures.

“Spirituality starts with compassion and ends in compassion. When we put a stone in a pond, ripples radiate from the stone and touch the shore. They then come back and reach the center. It begins with the center and ends with the center- the bindu. This central point is Love. ”

After the talk, Amma sang the bhajans, “Sakala Kala Devate Saraswati Devi,” and “Guruvadi vani sun lo” and at the end asked every one to dance to the last bhajan “Bolo Bolo sab mil bolo Om Namah shivaya.” She then led the assembled crowd in a silent prayer for world peace. After that, Amma started giving darshan till 10.43 pm.

Earlier, before Amma’s padapuja, Swami Amritaswarupananda addressed the gathering, spoke about Amma’s greatness as the Guru.

Attraction to the Guru leads us to freedom

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“Our inner relationship or bond of love with the guru is actually the unity we feel towards our own True Self—the Atman. So, we should not mistake the love or closeness we have towards our guru as mere external closeness. We are turning inwards and getting closer to our True Self because the guru is not the mere body. The guru is also the pure God consciousness that is beyond all names and forms. This is why attraction to the guru leads us to freedom.” — from Amma’s talk on the occasion of Guru Purnima, July 12, 2014, Toronto

Guru Purnima in Amritapuri

12 July 2014, Amritapuri
In Amritapuri Guru Purnima was celebrated. Under the leadership of Swami Turiyamritananda, Guru Paduka puja was conducted. Archana, Bhajans, Arati, and Satsang followed.

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Do not hurt anyone, listen to your conscience and act

25 July 2010, Amritapuri & Tokyo

Guru Purnima celebrations

Guru Purnima, the day dedicated to the Satguru, was celebrated joyfully today, here at Amritapuri. After the morning Archana, a beautiful ceremonious Paduka puja was performed by Swami Turiyaamritananda Puri, one of Amma’s earliest disciples, amidst soulful Vedic chants by the ashramites.

gurupurnima

Amma was in Tokyo, one of the last stops in the tour. Tokyo celebrations were telecast to Amritapuri and other Ashram centers in Delhi, Cochin, Coimbatore, France, Germany and Spain. As Darshan was about to get over at Tokyo, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri led a short Satsang speaking about Guru and compassion reminding everyone the good fortune of having a living Master amongst us. He then performed Pada puja to Amma immediately after the Darshan. After archana and arati Amma sang two bhajans “Hari Narayana” and “Kotha Tumi” both ending in high fervor chorus. Amma shared a short message to Her children and said “Do not hurt anyone with your thoughts, words or deeds. Listen to your conscience and act accordingly. Pray for world peace.”

As Amma got up to leave, Amma looked into the webcast screen and called out to all her children while each one answered in various languages from the various places. As Amma left, she gestured “come come” simultaneously saying “kisses, kisses”.

Gurupurnima at Amritapuri

When Gurupurnima was celebrated at Amritapuri on 7 Jul 2009

Swami Turiyamritananda is perfoming Guru Paduka puja

Sacrifice and service are the real worship

Guru Purnima
18 July 2008 – Marlboro, Massachusetts, USA

Throughout the world, Amma’s devotees and disciples offered their heartfelt worship and prayers to their beloved Satguru today. In Marlboro, Massachusetts, where Amma was concluding her 21st annual tour of the United States, Sri Guru Pada Puja was performed, as well as the chanting of Amma’s 108 Names.

Upon conclusion of the ceremony, Amma delivered a message, saying, “Selfless love, self-sacrifice and selfless service to humanity and the entire creation are the real worship of the Guru. Only when Amma’s children practice this will Amma be happy.”