SATVIDHYA

JULY

Is a Living Guru Necessary?

Is a Living
Guru
Necessary?
P Venkatesh
Venkatesh
I have not said that a Guru is not necessary. But, a Guru need not always be in humanPform,
said Sri
Ramana Maharishi, the saint who lived at the footsteps of the Arunachala Hill in South India.
This was evident in the life of Dattatreya, the son of sage Atri and Anusuya, who was renowned as the
foremost among Gurus. Once a king asked Dattatreya to name the latters Guru. Dattatreya admitted to
having not one or two, but as many as 24 Gurus - Earth, water, re, wind, space, Moon, Sun, a ock of
pigeons, a python, ocean, a moth, a bumblebee, a honeybee, an elephant, a deer, a sh, a prostitute, a bird,
a baby, a young woman, a snake, an arrow maker, a spider, and a worm. Dattatreya learnt from the entire
nature, not just a specic human Guru.
Even an image of the Guru can be as powerful as the Guru himself. As per the epic Mahabharata, a tribal
archer called Ekalavya approached Drona, the best archery Guru or teacher of those times. When Drona
refused to teach him, Ekalavya went ahead and created a statue of Drona. Even though Drona was not
physically present, Ekalavya practiced his archery skills considering the statue itself as his Guru. His devotion
to the statue of the Guru was so intense that he even surpassed the students who had learnt directly from
Drona.
Gurus image, in the form of a statue or photograph, embodies the energy of the Guru. This is what a seeker
needs to attain the highest goal of life. Through grace, the Guru is able to transfer everything to you. You
can read books and gain understanding about the process of enlightenment. However, you will still remain
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SATVIDHYA

JULY

Is a Living Guru Necessary?

in the theoretical domain, reveals Dr. Baskaran Pillai, an international teacher belonging to the lineage of
enlightened Siddha Masters from Southern India.
Guru Parampara, the ancient Vedic tradition of knowledge
transfer, was itself rooted in the glory of the Gurus grace. An
anecdote from the life of Adi Shankara, one of the most
learned saints of India, shows this. Once Adi Shankara delayed
the start of his teachings until the return of Totakacharya, a
student who had gone to wash the saints clothes. The other
students felt it was no use waiting for someone as dumb as
Totakacharya. Adi Shankar decided to reward Totakacharyas
dedication. Even though they were physically far apart, Adi
Shankara mentally transferred all his knowledge to
Totakacharya. When Totakacharya returned, all students were
stunned to witness his brilliance. Time and distance are
not a factor to receive the Gurus blessings.
All Gurus themselves owe their knowledge to Shiva, who is
said to be the primordial Guru. In his form as
Dakshinamurthy, the south-facing Guru seated under a
Banyan tree, Shiva does not utter a word and teaches his
disciples in absolute silence. Once, when a ght of superiority
broke out between the Creator God Brahma and the Preserver God Vishnu, Shiva appeared as a column of
re and gave initiation to Brahma and Vishnu as their Guru. The same Shiva, when he forgot the meaning of
the cosmic syllable OM, humbly accepted his own son Karthikeya or Muruga as the Guru.
The word Guru means one who removes (Ru) darkness of ignorance (Gu). In essence, Guru symbolizes the
divine principle of light within us. Appo Deepo Bhava or Be a light unto yourself was Gautam Buddhas
last teaching to his disciple Ananda. Renowned philosopher J Krishnamurthi expressed the same when he
said, You must be your own light and not the light of another, nor can this light come through another. You
cannot light that light from the candle of another. If you once see the truth of it then you will not follow a
single human being, you will not follow any Guru.
You dont have to go and search anywhere else. God is sitting there in the midbrain as a ame of light. Let
this light get into your ego and dissolve it, so that you can become God, shares Dr. Baskaran Pillai. This inner
light can be the Universal Guru, guiding people of all faiths, cultures and nations into the Golden Age.

Author Bio
As a communications expert and creative consultant, Venkatesh has designed
and executed web campaigns, organized transformational seminars, and
produced radio documentaries for global audiences.
He has consulted respected NGOs on national-level projects on community radio,
climate change and education. He has written over 50 articles on
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diverse subjects for leading publications.