FOUR - The Need for a Guru
Question: I now understand the need for abhyas (repeated spiritual effort) and vichara (enquiry). But a larger question has now arisen being the need for a guru to guide my efforts towards attainment. Is a guru necessary, what really does a guru do, and where can I find one whom I can whole-heartedly believe and trust?
The heart and soul of Sanathana Dharma, or the eternal religion, found its origination and essence in the oral transmission of its Truths. Since the abiding nature of this dharma is Eternal, the foundation for those who today seek to cultivate these Truths must rely primarily on the oral tradition transmitted through the guru-disciple relationship, or through satsang (the company of sages, saints and seekers after Truth), which will lead one toward that relationship.
These traditions that were a Truth of old, remain Truth today. The primary difficulty universally faced by all who seek to cultivate the inner Life of the Spirit is the question of authenticity.
The primary choice to make in the beginning of spiritual pursuit is whether to seek the outward guidance of a guru, or find the path to the Eternal being prompted by the inner intuitive voice of the Self. Regardless of the chosen path, the uncertainty facing all who seek a practice of meditation that can produce purification is the question of authenticity of the teachers and their teachings, or the reliability of one’s own ‘inner voice’. The question of whether or not to trust this ‘voice of the conscience’ depends solely on the quality of sattva (purity of vision and habits) of the intellect.
The essential quality of intellect, in regard to the need for a guru, rests primarily upon a clear vision and understanding of exactly what a guru does. Therefore Bhagavan, who left ‘no stone unturned’ in the ongoing guidance of all who came before Him, gave precise clarification on this essential aspect of spiritual life to one of His close disciples, Arthur Osborne, who recounted Bhagavan’s teaching in his journal:
“The guru is the Spirit of Guidance. Ultimately this is to be found within oneself. Whatever awakens it is acting as guru. “The purpose of the outer guru,” the Maharshi said, “is to turn you inwards to the inner guru.” And yet in this regard there is no easy formula, no guarantee against error, for just as the aspirant may be mislead by false outer gurus reflecting undesirable qualities in himself, so he may dignify various inner urges with the same name ‘guru”. Constant vigilance and intelligent purity are necessary.” 1
The authenticity of spiritual teachers is now a decades old problem, as was noted by one of the close disciples living with Sri Ramana Maharshi:
“The rise of a new political ideology in the West after the first World War made men intolerant of all authority. The forces it released and the spirit of rebellion it disseminated everywhere had such extremely wide repercussions that its influence stamped itself on most of the new world literature. It invaded even the spiritual sphere and colored the views of the preachers, who became the Messiahs of the new age.
The truly-seeking minds were thus caught between the spirit of the new age and that of the venerable traditions and scriptures, which had, throughout the centuries produced spiritual giants who led millions “from the unreal to the Real and from death to Immortality.”
It is small wonder then that bewildered, earnest, truth-hungry men should anxiously visit Ramana Maharshi and seek his advice on the need or otherwise of a guru.” 2
Trusted Guidance
Historically, the guidance of a Master and the discipline of the disciple were to all religions essentially fundamental. Sri Ramana Maharshi could not have more clearly emphasized this truth when he was once asked:
“Is it necessary to have a physical guru?” The Master replied: “Is it necessary for a new born child to have a mother?”
Nevertheless, in our ‘modern age’ our moods and suspicions concerning the authenticity of a guru’s teachings automatically come into question. This is not altogether blameworthy on the part of the seeker, for the ‘spiritual marketplace’ has for decades been overstocked with self-made masters who seek worldly benefits for themselves rather than spiritual benefits for their followers. Therefore, sincere seekers the world over ‘casting their cares upon the Lord’ have given the reins of power and practice to an inner guide. Though many take direction from their now so-called inner guru with faith, hope and reliance, they are simply unaware of a great danger- a powerful and destructive enemy within. The Lord Sri Krishna warns Arjuna of this great foe to the realization of the Self in the beginning chapters of the Bhagavad Gita: Arjuna said:
“By what is a man impelled to commit evil, Varshneya (an epithet of Lord Krishna), seemingly against his own will, as if urged thereunto by force?” The Holy Lord said, “It is desire, it is anger, that’s born of the rajo-guna: of great craving, and of great sin; know that to be the enemy…The senses, mind and intellect are said to here be its abode…thus restraining the self (here the use of ‘atman’ denotes the mind) by the Self, then destroy that enemy, that foe: desire.” 3
Sri Krishna is revealing not only the identity and nature of the enemy within; He is showing us the location of its fortress. Without the guidance of an experienced Master, ones own intellect might intuit inimical ‘desire’ to be simply another thought. The enemy is the ages-old ego; the desire emanating from it is its very life-blood. Its abode is three-fold, and its powers cannot be imagined away! Not only is the ego living within the senses and the mind, but also within the higher faculty of our intellect.
The Abode of Truth
Technically we are speaking of the vijnanamaya kosha, which is also the abode of our intuitional intellect. The scriptures speak of this kosha as being the dwelling place of the Goddess Saraswati, the Deity of our consciousness. This fact is for us the ‘wonder of wonders’ and at once our very dilemma.
For though the Goddess is our very own Divine Mother and greatest friend, caring only for Her children’s upliftment and highest Realization, we have permitted our greatest enemy to cohabitate in Her dwelling place - and these two are not friends!
Though our Divine Mother directs us upon a seemingly rugged path of discipline, vigilance and patient endurance, Her promised reward is eternal happiness and pure unselfish love. The ego impels us toward instant though fleeting and illusory satisfaction of craving. The choice between these two is not up to ‘fate’, but rather ours to decide.
Sri Krishna further ‘thickens the plot’ by declaring in the Gita that the odds of right discernment and effort by Arjuna (symbolizing each one of us), even with such a one as Sri Krishna himself as mentor and guide, were against him by a ratio of 11 to 7. The foot soldiers of the ego simply outnumber our virtuous tendencies.
Being against bad odds and being creatures of bad habit, our ego impels us even against our own will, to make a bad choice. In all honesty, such a bad choice causes critical damage resulting in lives of sorrow and misery from vainly seeking to appease an enemy whose appetite is insatiable.
The Voice of Truth
For God has said:
“O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), wisdom is clouded by desire. This constant enemy of the wise is as insatiable as fire.” 4
Admittedly, there is an entire school of religious thought that refutes this position as being of the less mature path of bhakti. They have voluminous advaitic (non-dual theism) scriptures of the jnana marga (way) that can be interpreted to support their claims. Regardless of this, there is universal agreement amongst all sects that due to adharma (unrighteousness of civilization) and the spiritual blindness ensuing from it, an embodiment of the divine state of perfection appears amongst us to establish dharma for the world.
In our times Sri Ramana Maharshi came forth as an embodiment of that Perfection. His teaching is recognized and accepted as the mahayoga (great path to union with God) through primarily the jnana marga. Although, he did say that to be a true jnani one would simultaneously become a true bhakti, and visa versa.
To know the truth regarding the need for a guru to lead one through the perils of engagement with an enemy that roams freely in a world ablaze with its ‘desire of unappeasable fire’, let us listen to the voice of the Maharshi, and the clarifying comments of one that lived by his side. Bhagavan said:
“The guru is the formless Self within each one of us. He may appear as a body to guide us, but that is only his disguise…the function of the outer guru is to awaken the inner guru in the heart.” 5 The guru realizes the ultimate truth that: “There is no being of the unreal and no not-being of the Real.” 6 … “And yet, paradoxically, it is also an impediment to assert that no effort need be made, on the pretext that, as “there is no being of the unreal and no not-being of the Real”, one is that now and has therefore no need to strive to become That.
It sounds plausible, but it is an impediment because it is the pseudo-self, the illusory unreal, that is saying it. The Master can say that there is nothing to achieve because one is That already; the disciple can’t…Bhagavan expected the devotee to make effort, even while appreciating the paradox that there is no effort to make. In the same way he would say that for the Realized Man there is no guru-disciple relationship but added that for the disciple the relationship is a reality and is of importance.” 7
The Enemy Within
We cannot maneuver and progress towards victory over an enemy that outnumbers us, in such an inimical battlefield called the human mind, without soliciting real help. Without an experienced guide as the General of our forces, we may court even a fatal consequence. By legitimizing and even deifying our ego’s habitual heedless indifference to God by labeling it’s urges as the ‘inner guru’ or ‘voice of our spirit’, we inevitably fall into the death grip of pramada.
In the Sanat Sujateeya Upanishad the blind King Dhritarashtra (symbolizing the blindness of the ego) cynically asked the Rishi Sanat Sujata: “What is death?” The Rishi replied, “Pramada is death!” In Sanskrit grammatical rule, definitions are deemed correct if they are derived from their usage in the scriptures. The definition of the word pramada comes from its usage in this Upanishad. The root words of its etymology are ‘mada’, ‘a’ and ‘pr’. Mada means a special type of intoxication exemplified in the scriptures as a mother’s attention to her newborn child that is so intense that she is unaware of the rest of the world as if intoxicated. Secondly it is seen as a cow’s intense attention to her newborn calf to the extent that she will not even notice her keeper as a friend through her intoxication towards the baby. The placing of the ‘a’ before mada shifts the meaning to the exact opposite. Thus the mental attitude is now one of complete and utter indifference, inattention and unconcern. The use of ‘pr’ designates the object to which this extreme indifference is directed; it signifies towards God. This is not to be deemed as forgetfulness, unless one admits to a willful and belligerent forgetfulness. There is a secondary meaning of procrastination, in regards to not taking any action to do anything about this most soul stripping heedlessness.
One may say: “God’s grace is always there, so somehow I will get back on my spiritual feet.” But the fatality of staying ‘dead level’ and unable to rise up comes upon us as pramada gives birth to its only begotten son. This offspring of pramada is known in Sanskrit as duragra. Duragra means the ‘up and ready willingness to do that which you know you should never do’!
The compound spiritual fracture of being indifferent to God and habitually partaking in negative action with profound disregard for the negative consequences creates a ‘karmic bloodletting’ fatal even to the strongest constitution.
Seek and you Shall Find
We can believe the Saints when they say: “Our fate is simply a bundle of habits; if you want to change your fate - change your habits.” 8
We now understand that a guru is necessary. But for so many sincere people longing for spiritual attainment, the dilemma of “Where is my guru, amongst so many who are not?” still remains looming before them! Sri Ramana Maharshi spoke precisely to them by declaring that one should first understand:
“What is a guru? Guru is God or the Self. First man prays to God to fulfill his desires. A time comes when he will no more pray for the fulfillment of material desires but for God Himself. God then appears to him in some form or another, human or non-human, to guide him to Himself in answer to his prayer and according to his needs.” 9
A devotee inquired of Bhagavan:
D.: “Is there any way to meet the appointed guru for each?”
Maharshi: “Intense meditation brings it about.” 10
Therefore the search for a guru is only the search for God. We need not search in vain for the place to knock, for it is within. Sri Krishna said: “My glory is within”, Jesus also assures us of the direction to find the guru as the ‘pearl of great price’ saying:
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else shall be added unto you”
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1. Be Still, It Is The Wind That Sings, Arthur Osborne, Sri Ramanashramam 2000. p. 62.
2. Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, p. 68.
3. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, sections of verses 36-43.
4. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, verse 39.
5. Be Still, It is The Wind That Sings, Arthur Osborne, Sri Ramanashramam 2000, p. 80.
6. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, verse 16.
7. Be Still, It is The Wind That Sings, Arthur Osborne, Sri Ramanashramam 2000, p. 76.
8. Quoted from the talks of Swami Sivananda, of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India.
9. Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, p. 70.
10. Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, recorded by Sri Munagala Venkataramiah, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, Talk 135. p. 125.
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