Generally, Gurupurnima is celebrated between July and August when the monsoon season begins in India. At that time, Gurupurnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima. Bhagwan Ved Vyasa wrote and dictated the Vedas and many Holy Scriptures of ancient India. His works include writings on the sciences such as: Yoga, Mantras, Tantras, Yantras, and writings aboutParavidya and Aparavidya. Because he wrote the Vedas, modified them into four parts, and because he possessed the knowledge of the Vedas, he is therefore known as Vedvyasa.
It is said that Gurudev is Brahmanishtha Shrotriya – the knower of the Brahman – not merely theoretically, but with the realization of Eko Brahman Dvitiyo Nasti. The Supreme Truth and the Ultimate Reality is BRAHMAN – the ONE and only God, the Supreme Truth, light, love, and so on. That is called advaita. There is no dvaita, no dualism. And our aim in this life is to achieve that state of non-dualism: Atma so hi Paramatma.
There is no difference between Atma, Paramatma and Brahman. Atma is universal but the soul is individual, not universal. Duality is there where the soul is, and the soul is not the Self. The soul is not the Atma, but the individual. As long as we see the differences among people and other creatures we are in duality.
Adi Guru Bhagwan Shankaracharya said: The first step of self-realization is when you see yourself in every living being.
Just as God Krishna said in Bhagavad Gita, “I am in everyone – in the cow, the elephant, humans, animals – in all!”
If you see dualism then there are two. If you see the Atma, then there is ONE! Our knowledge is limited to the form. We see the material world with our physical eyes. We see the forms, the colors. We perceive the smell, touch and sound. But the Atma has no physical senses.Brahman has no eyes, yet sees everywhere and everything. Brahman has no nose, but smells everything. He has no ears, but hears everything.
To come to know this non-dualism, you first have to establish harmony within yourself and to develop love for all creatures.
At the time of Mahabharata, Ved Vyasa was also a part of that story. He was the ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas. The battlefield Kurukshetra, is lying now in Haryana, near the border of Punjab. When the Great War was over, Bhishma was laying on a bed of arrows. At that time hie he received his final realization. The Pandavas came to take this blessing away from him. It was Arjuna who shot all the arrows into the whole body of Bhishma, from the feet to the neck. Bhishma had a siddhi, the blessing of iccha mrityu, to die only with his free will. In Yoga, this is very common. People speak about that as “living samadhi.” A person makes a hole in the ground, sits inside, lets the hole be covered, and then leaves the body. That person has iccha mrityu and has told beforehand: “Please do not open the samadhi!” But sometimes people feel pity for that one because they think that he does not have enough oxygen in the hole. So they open the hole and take the stone away and what do they see? There is nobody inside! Dematerialized! And in certain places a sound, an oracle came, “I told you – don’t make this mistake!”
Bhishma had this blessing. It didn’t matter who would cut him into many pieces, he would not die. Because he wanted to know who will be the winner, what will happen with the kingdom of Hastinapur, with the abode of the king.
Well, therefore he couldn’t die - desire, wish! For that he was peppered with arrows.
So at the end of the battle, the Pandavas went to him to pay their respect and, being their grandfather, to ask him for his blessings and pardon.
When Dharmraj Yudhishthira came to Bhishma, he bowed to him, having great pity for his condition, and asked for his pardon, blessings and instructions how to lead his life now. Though he was known as Dharmraja, he asked for guidance!
Bhishma had tears in his eyes. He realized his mistake and received the knowledge that millions of soldiers lost their lives in vain, how many children lost their mother and father, and so many wives became widows – just for nothing! There was no mercy, no compassion in the war, but when Bhishma got this knowledge he said, “Oh Dharmaraja, Ahimsa Paramo Dharma! Lead your life according to ahimsa. The highest principle is ahimsa.”
And that was when the word “ahimsa” was spoken for the first time.
To live a life of ahimsa does not just mean physically, it also means to follow the principle also mentally, emotionally and materially. It is a very hard principle to follow, but follow it! Whenahimsa enters your heart and consciousness, then love, mercy, and compassion awaken.
That is called the first step of realization – to see Thy Self in all.
Mahaprabhuji said, “Love each and every entity as much as you love yourself.”
If you did something wrong to someone then you did it to your own self. This is the first step of realization!
Therefore, Eko Brahman Dvitiyo Nasti! Where there is non-dualism, there is Brahman. Where there is dualism, there is maya. Reality is that which never changes, but the non-reality does change. Our body always changes but somehow it is immortal. This is because the tattvas(elements) will merge into the tattvas, into the universe, into oneness, into Brahman. Water in water, air in air, earth in earth, fire in fire - it is a recycling process. Reincarnation is a cosmic system and recycling is a biological system but in essence, they both are the same.
Therefore, Ved Vyasa was known as a Brahmanishtha and Shrotriya. Not only that he knewBrahman and could speak about it, he could also describe, inspire, and motivate.
Motivation is very important in every aspect of life. Children get motivation to study from their parents. If there is no motto, no motivation, you fail in your life. Laziness comes and you give up the hope of life. Suddenly, you feel alone and that no one loves you. But why? Why should someone love you?
Love is just your imagination. Yet we still hope and wish for an object toward which we can transport our love. But that only ONE is God and only God!
Without motivation you will have no money. Why? Work, then you will have money. From where will money come if you do not have the motivation to work?
Many people earn billions of dollars a year and also pay lots of tax. If you don’t want to work, you don’t pay taxes - then you will live off of public money, which others paid for by paying their taxes. That means you are living from someone's else money which is a bad karma. The system should function.
The entire system in India has collapsed. One man had to pay 50 crores in tax (equivalent to 500 million Rupees). Some official said, “Give me 25 crores and you the other half you need not to pay.” This is greediness and corruption. That greed brought the civilization into conflict and collapse, causing fighting and wars among cultures, religions, and nations.
Gandhiji said, “Mother Earth has enough for the people's need, but not for their greed.”
India was a rich country. At the time of the English Empire, they called India a “Jewel in the Queen’s Crown.” India is the master of the whole world, the Vishwa Guru. Every religion has its roots directly or indirectly from India.
One European came to Mahatma Gandhi and asked, “What do you think about the European culture?” And Gandhiji answered, “Would be good!” Which means that the European culture does not exist at all.
We need motivation and inspiration for knowing Brahman.
Samadhi means ‘three merge into Oneness.’ The knower of Brahman is a Shrotriya who can lead and guide us. That is why Gurupurnima is dedicated to the birth anniversary of Ved Vyasa.
We call the seat on which somebody is sitting or standing or speaking a stage or podium. In the spiritual language, when someone speaks about God, this seat is a the ‘Holy Seat,’ – aVyasa Pith Gadi. From the chair where I am sitting is coming Vyasa's knowledge. To research that wisdom was, at that time, a great tapasya and hard sadhana. Because it was a “re-search,” meaning it already existed but again had to be revealed. Believe and trust is good, but to have control is much better. The “re-search” took place through meditation. The Yogis have opened the door for all sadhakas who are searching for the answer to the question, “Who am I?” by giving them meditation and mantras. Practice is much more valuable than theory.
Guru is that one who removes the darkness and guides us to the light. “Gu” is the ignorance and darkness, and “Ru” is the light.
Who is enlightened and has become one with Brahman, that one you can call God. His consciousness is still in an individual form, but now, what the body is doing has less meaning and value to him. Most important is the consciousness. The sheath does not matter, only the sword. For that we have to make seva and abhyasa for many lives.
Don’t waste your time in gossiping. Bhai tuma jago re! “Wake up, brothers and sisters!” You are sleeping in the sleep of ignorance and what is the end result of that? In every life you will have to suffer as the result of your avidya, ignorance, and laziness. Who does not meditate, does not repeat mantra, and is not working with devotion, has lost the time!
The human life is a most precious diamond. And you will not get it again and again! Therefore a thousand things can wait, but not your meditation and mantra. Your devotion should not wait.
The Thursday, Guruvar also means the day of Jupiter. Jupiter is also known as Gurudev. When your Jupiter is very strong, then all other planets are below this.
"On whom the mercy of Gurudev is flowing", Guruji said, “that person has harmony and happiness." -Guru kripa hi kevalam, shishya ananda mangalam.
Seek the shelter of Gurudev and then your life will be successful.
“Manushya tana se Atma kojo” - search for God and you will find Him in your heart. In everyone, God resides. But adoration should be given to that one in whom God himself is speaking. Otherwise moving here and there has no sense.
SHRIMAN NARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYAN ….
SHRI DIP NARAYAN BHAGWAN KI JAY
DEVESHWAR MAHADEVA KI JAY
ADI GURU BHAGWAN SHANKARACHARYA MAHARAJ KI JAY
SATAGURUDEV SHRI SWAMI MADHAVKRISHNA BHAGWAN KI JAY
