Guru Pournima

 By Smt.Meera Tadipatri & Shri Kesava Rao


Rangoli by Smt.Padmini Rao, Coimbatore

Guru -- a very short word but a loaded one as it is dealt with in Mahabharata and other scriptures, and confirmed in the Brahma Sutra. Following this, Acharyaru and His followers have elaborated it, and Acharyaru has shown the maarga darshana in Sri Madhva Vijaya. Sri Vijayadasaru, Gopaladasaru, Jagannathadasaru have further explained this.

We loosely call every "elder" and /or "instructor" as Guru, but that is NOT correct.

In shastra, there are specific titles for:
1. one who has studied shastra 
2. one who knows
3. one who teaches
4. one who follows what he preaches
5. one who guides

However, Guru is one who NOT only has all these 5 laxanaas but should have the following:

1. The "guru" SHOULD have a valid guru, who in turn has guru and so on ending with Acharya Madhva [unbroken chain of guru-shishhya]. why so? Even in laukika we notice, when one gets elevated to a higher "position" "status" in life, it is easy to get puffed up with ego. Thus it is important that one's guru has a valid "guru". A "guru" not only imparts the above 5 as "dharma upadesha" but more importantly like an ideal mother will point, correct, AND remove the ahankaara. Ahankaara is a poison and God and devatas will switch off their sannidhaana in that person, so no use in having such "guru". The importance of having a "guru" is further explained in the Karuna Sandhi 2.19 wrt Rudradevaru getting asuravesha and how his guru Vaayudevaru comes to Rudra's rescue like how a cow goes to its calf [Go-Vatsa nyaya]. That being the case, what to speak of alpa maniushhyas like us? 

2. Guru anugraha should be there on this "guru". Actually, it is the guru who gives permission to his student to teach as "guru" as ONLY guru knows if his shishya has the capacity to handle the position. Similar to a University certificate. 

3. kshama and compassion/kaarunya towards ALL his students like a good mother with several kids -- each one is different and some may even have disability however, an ideal mother will treat ALL her children equally as per their capacity in EVERYTHING -- feeding, clothing, correcting. She will encourage if the child lags behind, and sad while NOT encouraging/pampering the BEST kid! Even in laukika we see good teachers bending backwards to encourage "back benchers" and not the already puffed up kids.

4. The "guru" should have guru bhakti in his immediate guru who has ALL the above 7 aspects.

In such a guru, all the guru parampara-s, devatas, Vayudevaru and His antaryaami Laxmi Narayana stays and impart dharmika jnana.
Guru Mahatame Suladi 1 By Smt.Nandini Sripad. Lyrics, behind the track in description

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