‘Sadguru’ is one of the most widely used metaphysical terms. Its definition and importance in spiritual life are almost ‘inexpressible‘.

I, at least, find myself without words. It is not easy to find such a one and even if one does, it is not easy to recognize him truly until celestial vision is bestowed. Even when recognition comes, it is not easy to walk in his compassion or to prove oneself a worthy disciple of an enlightened and fully accomplished sage. One who has perceived the Truth abides forever in Truth.

In Chapter 11 of Bhagavad Gita known
as
‘ REVELATION OF THE OMNIPRESENT ‘
Lord Krishn says to Arjun:

In Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita, entitled ‘The Revelation of the Omnipresent,’ Lord Krishn addresses Arjun:

na tu mām śakyase drastumanenaiva svacaksusā
divyam dadāmi te caksuh paśya me yogamaiśvaram

“But since you cannot see me with your physical eyes, I grant you divine vision with which you may behold my magnificence and the might of my yog.’’

In that same chapter, Arjun humbly prays:

pitāsi lokasya carācarasya
tvamasya pūjyaśca gururgarīyān
na tvatsamo’styabhyadhikah kuto’nyo
lokatraye’pyapratimaprabhāva

“Since no one in the three worlds can even equal you, who are father of the animate and inanimate worlds, the greatest of all Gurus, most venerable, and of immense magnificence, how can anyone else be superior to you?”

Truth is never extinguished – whether in the past, the present, or the future and the unreal has no existence at any time. God alone is the eternal and immutable Reality. This is what Lord Krishn preached in the Bhagavad Gita. “Sadguru” is the living embodiment of this truth – simply inexpressible and beyond all discussion.

There are many gurus in every discipline. When one learns something from another, that person becomes one’s guru for that particular knowledge. But to know and realize the one ultimate Truth – the Supreme Power – one needs a Sadguru. Such a being is very rare and exceedingly difficult to find, one who has the capacity to lead another to the realization of the greatest secret of the universe and to enable direct perception of God. Such a person is the Sadguru, and the attributes of such a realized being have been extensively described in the scriptures.

Ramcharit Manas says:

“The Vedas, the Tantras, and the Purans are unanimous on this point, and the siddhas and sages declare it in various ways, the fellowship of genuine saints is attained only by those upon whom Lord Ram bestows His grace. It is solely through Lord Ram’s favor that one is blessed with the vision of a perfect sage, and through the blessings of such a sage, all doubts are dispelled.”

It further adds:

“Without a treasury of merit, devotion is not attained, except through the fellowship of true saints. Saints, too, are inaccessible without a stock of merit; yet association with the Lord’s devotees surely brings the cycle of birth and death to its end.

There is but one supreme meritorious act in this world, and none other: to worship the feet of enlightened sages in thought, word, and deed. To one who serves the twice-born with pure and guileless heart, both the sages and God are ever gracious to them.”

The Ramcharitmanas clearly declares that without the guidance of a spiritual master, none can cross the ocean of mundane existence, even if one were the equal of Viranchi, the Creator, or Lord Shankar.

The Ramcharitmanas further adds:

‘Rarely does God—who loves the jīva without any self-interest, graciously bestow upon it a human form. This human birth is a veritable raft by which one may cross the ocean of worldly existence, with His grace as a favorable wind and a worthy preceptor as the helmsman to steer this sturdy vessel. Though such a combination is difficult to obtain, it has, by His compassion, been made readily available.’

In the final chapter of this great scripture, it is declared that only those are qualified to hear the narrative of Lord Ram who are deeply devoted to the fellowship of enlightened sages. Only those are fit to hear it who are devoted to the feet of their preceptor, who cherish propriety, and who are devoted followers of fully accomplished sages.

This scripture affirms that a Sadguru can save one even if one has incurred the wrath of Brahm but if one falls into conflict with one’s preceptor, there is no one in the world who can offer protection.

Great sage most revered Kabir has preached:

“The Guru is the washerman, the disciple the cloth;
the Name of God is the soap.
Upon the firm foundation, wash the mind,
and realize the radiant glow of Truth.”

He further adds:

The Master is an expert Dyer, He has colored my veil.

Removing the dark stains, He bestowed the hue of love –  a color that does not fade by washing, but grows brighter with each passing day.

Using the water of affection in the tub of feeling, He poured the dye of love. Rinsing away bodily sorrow and impurity, the Expert dyed it with perfect skill.

The Master who dyed this veil is wise, beloved, and great. To Him I surrender everything – body, mind, wealth, and life.

Says Kabir:

The Beloved Dyer is gracious to me; clothed in this cool veil, my being is blissfully fulfilled.

He has preached that without a Sadguru, Man remains ignorant and lost.

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishn preaches in Fourteenth chapter:

“For I am the one in which the eternal God, immortal life, the imperishable dharm, and the ultimate bliss all abide.”

Lord Krishn is the abode of the immortal God – through single-minded access to Him, the seeker is healed of all worldly maladies – He is the source of everlasting life, eternal Dharm, and the unblemished, pure joy that arises from attaining the Supreme goal.

In other words, a God-oriented saint is the abode of all this bliss. Therefore, if we seek the ineffable and indestructible God, eternal Dharm, and the pure, ultimate bliss, we must take refuge in a great soul who dwells in the incommunicable essence. Only such a sage can enable a devotee to attain that for which he is truly questing.

Shri Krishn is also a noble teacher and preceptor – a Guru – who is the Giver of Yog, the Yogeshwar.

According to the Yogeshwar, the knowledge of the path that leads to the ultimate good, the means of entering upon it, and the attainment of its goal are all received through a noble mentor. Mere wandering from one holy place to another, or engaging in similar arduous practices, cannot bestow this knowledge upon us in the absence of a Guru who is capable of imparting it.

In the thirty-fourth verse of Chapter Four, Arjun is advised to acquire this knowledge from sages through reverence, sincere inquiry, and guileless submission, for only those wise souls who have realized the Truth can initiate him into it. Close association with an accomplished sage, earnest questioning, and humble service to him constitute the true means of realization. Only by following this path can Arjun ultimately bring his spiritual quest to fulfillment.

The vital importance of an accomplished teacher-preceptor is once again emphasized in Chapter Eighteen of the Bhagavad Gita:

“Whereas the way of securing knowledge, the worthwhile knowledge, and the knower constitute the three fold inspiration to action, the doer, the agents, and the deed itself are the threefold constituents of action.”

According to Shri Krishn’s injunction, therefore, an enlightened sage is the primary medium through whom true action is accomplished.

A real sage cannot be found unless God Himself looks upon the seeker with grace – grace that arises from sincere dedication and deep devotion, bestowed through His boundless compassion. The attainment of a Sadguru is thus an exceptional gift granted by the Supreme Power to a devotee.

One may easily find commercial gurus, preachers, social reformers, or scholars; but to find a true Sadguru is exceedingly rare and difficult.

This becomes possible only when righteous impulses accumulated through many births and rebirths. Such a vast store of merit, strengthened by well-earned spiritual austerities, culminates in the finding of a Sadguru. And once one finds such a master, one neither loses him nor remains in doubt upon the true spiritual path.

The celestial vision required to recognize an accomplished sage is bestowed by these noble mentors themselves, for they alone possess the power to grant it. They stand as the living representatives of the Supreme Power and abide eternally in ultimate bliss.

Lord Krishn teaches in the Bhagavad Gita:

“The one who perceives that in all actions – whether hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing, relinquishing or grasping, opening or closing the eyes – it is only the senses acting upon their respective objects, and who knows himself to be the non-doer, is truly a person of right knowledge.”

He further adds:

“Those who have attained equanimity conquer the entire world even while living in the mortal body, for they abide in God, who is Himself untainted and impartial.”

Sages whose minds are perfectly poised are freed from material nature even while living in the world. But what is the relationship between an even mind and the conquest of nature?

And when the world itself is transcended, what then is the position of the Self?

In Lord Krishna’s view, since God is immaculate and impartial, the minds of sages who have known Him are likewise freed from all blemish and inequality. Such a sage becomes one with God. This is the ultimate birthless state, attained when the capacity to overcome the enemy – the world of appearances – is fully developed. This capacity arises when the mind is under control and equality has been achieved, for the world of appearances is nothing but an extension of the mind itself.

The worshiper, freed from desire through selfless action, comes to know the Supreme Power and realizes Him the moment this knowledge is bestowed. This state is called peace; and one who attains it becomes established in the Divine, a living embodiment of the Supreme Will. Such perfection is the state of a Sadguru.

Lord Krishn sings in Bhagavad Gita:

“Only through worship continued over innumerable births does a sage attain identity with Him. Then the worshiper abides in Him, and He abides in the worshiper; there remains not even the slightest distance between them. Yet this attainment is realized while still living in the physical body.

When the Soul no longer has to assume another body, that is the true end of embodiment. This alone is real death – after which there is no rebirth. By contrast, there is the physical death that the world commonly accepts as death, but after which the Soul must be born again.”

Lord Krishn says:

“To extend my grace to them, I dwell in their innermost being and dispel the gloom of ignorance by the radiance of knowledge.”

Sri Krishn stands inseparably beside the worshiper’s Self, like a charioteer, to dispel spiritual ignorance. Worship does not truly begin until – through a sage who has realized God – the Supreme Spirit Himself awakens within the worshiper’s soul and assumes the task of guidance from moment to moment, restraining and disciplining the seeker, and safely leading him across the complexities of nature.

At this stage, God begins to command from every direction. In the beginning, however, He speaks through an accomplished sage. If a seeker is not fortunate enough to have such a sage as a guide, the voice of God remains only faintly audible to him.

The charioteer – whether worshiped as the chosen deity, revered as a teacher-preceptor, or realized as God Himself – is, in essence, one and the same.

When the charioteer awakens within the worshiper’s Self, His guidance is received in four distinct ways.

At the first level, the experience is associated with the gross breath: a thought enters it that was not present before. When a worshiper sits in meditation, he finds himself confronted with a succession of questions.

When will the mind become truly absorbed? To what extent is it already absorbed? At what moment does the mind yearn to withdraw from nature, and when has it strayed from the path?

The answers to these questions are conveyed at every moment by the adored God through subtle physical reflexes. The twitching of the limbs is an experience associated with the gross breath, and it can arise simultaneously at more than one point within a single moment.

If the mind has deviated, these signals are transmitted moment by moment. But they are received only when the devotee holds firmly and unwaveringly to the form of the worshiped, God-realized teacher.

Reflex actions such as the twitching of limbs are common experiences among ordinary beings, arising from the conflict of contradictory impulses within them. Such reactions, however, have no relation whatsoever to the signs conveyed to worshipers who are wholly dedicated to the sublime object of their worship.

Another experience is connected with the awakening of breath in dreams. Ordinary people dream according to their desires, but when a worshiper cleaves to God, even dreams are transformed into divine instruction. Rather than merely dreaming, the yogi perceives the process of becoming itself.

These two experiences are preliminary in nature. Association with a sage who has realized the Truth, faith in him, and even the offering of a token service are sufficient to give rise to them. The subsequent two experiences of the worshiper, however, are far more subtle and dynamic, and they can be attained only through active practice – only by truly walking the path.

The third experience is that of awakening within profound sleep. In truth, all of us in the world lie, as it were, immersed in slumber. We exist in a state of insensibility, enveloped in the dark night of ignorance, and whatever we do – by day or by night – is but a dream.

Here, profound sleep refers to the state that follows when the remembrance of God flows through the worshiper like a perennial stream, so steadily that the vision of God becomes permanently established in the mind. This is the serene and blessed condition in which the worshiper is gently carried forward by divine affection. In this state, while the physical breath is suspended and the body lies in sleep, the worshiper awakens inwardly and becomes a ‘Living Soul.’

This is the state of harmony and deep joy in which the worshiper is blessed with insight into the very life of things. In such a condition, the worshiped God conveys yet another form of guidance, manifesting as an inner image aligned with the yogi’s prevailing disposition. This image provides the correct direction and acquaints the seeker with both the past and the present.

Revered Gurudev often explains this through an analogy: just as a surgeon first renders a patient unconscious and then heals him by applying the appropriate remedy, so too does God – when the flame of worship burns strong and steady – grant the devotee awareness of the true state of his faith and practice, in order to cure his spiritual ignorance.

The fourth and final experience is that of spiritual awakening, which culminates in complete evenness of breath.

In this state, the worshiper attains parity with the God upon whom his mind has been fixed as upon a tangible reality. This realization arises from within the Self. Once this awakening has occurred, whether sitting in stillness or engaged in activity, the worshiper gains an intuitive fore-vision of what is to unfold and thus attains an all-encompassing clarity of awareness. In this state there also dawns a profound sense of oneness with the embodied Self.

This final experience arises when the darkness of ignorance is dispelled by the light of knowledge, transmitted through the agency of a timeless and unmanifest sage who has fully awakened within his own soul.

All of this unfolds under the guidance of the Sadguru; without his support and supervision, nothing can truly be accomplished.

The spiritual path is result-oriented. If no transformation or realization arises, one has not even reached the threshold of the radiance of the Supreme Power.

Therefore, to attain this state and progress through these stages on the spiritual path, the indispensability of the Sadguru becomes self-evident.

And what is truly remarkable is that one need not go in search of a “Sadguru.”

One has only to engage in the ordained actions prescribed in the scriptures, with unwavering dedication and exceptional devotion to the Supreme Power. The moment a seeker reaches the qualifying threshold on this path, the Sadguru himself seeks out the seeker – through divine arrangements made by the Supreme Power.

Bow down in lotus feet of most revered Gurudev
for
such teachings to me.

_/l\_
“Humble Wishes”