[Advaita-l] Ishwara, Guru and Atman - All One

[V Subrahmanian]

Ishwara, Guru and Atman - All One

The Vedantic concept of the oneness of Ishwara, Guru and the Atman (jiva)
is brought out by Sureshwaracharya in the Manasollasa.

"Ishwaro Gururatmeti Murti bheda Vibhagine,
Vyomavad vyapta dehaya Dakshinamurataye namah.

(There is no difference between the Guru, Self and God. Obeisance to Lord
Dakshinamurthy who is the personification of the Supreme Self that
permeates through Space)

This idea is rendered beautifully in these two verses of the Kaivalya
Navneetam, an ancient Tamil Vedantic text, very dear to Bhagavan Sri
Ramana. When Ramana was new in Tiruvannamalai, some people, sensing his
realized state, used to come to him and read out books. This text was one
of them. From hearing the messages of such texts, Ramana came to know that
the realization that he had had was that contained in those messages:

ஐயனே எனது உள்ளே நின்று அனந்த சன்மங்களாண்ட
மெய்யனே உபதேசிக்க வெளிவந்த குருவே போற்றி
உய்யவே முக்தி நல்கும் உதவிக்கு ஒர் உதவி நாயேன்
செய்யுமாறு ஒன்றுங் காணேன் திருவடி போற்றி போற்றி!

Here the devotee thanks the guru for having remained as his innermost self
during all his countless incarnations.he wants to know how to repay for the
grace shown by the guru which helped him to attain realisation.

சிட்டனிவ்வாறு கூறத் தேசிகர் மகிழ்ந்து  நோக்கிக்
கிட்டவா வென விருத்தி கிருபயொடருளீச் செய்வார்
துட்டமாம் தடைகள் மூன்றும் தொடராமற் சொரூப ஞான
நிட்டனாய் இருக்கின் ஈதே நீ செய்யும் உதவியாமே

The master draws the disciple near and says lovingly,"to stay fixed in the
self without  the three obstacles [ignorance,doubt and knowledge derived
from false premises] obstructing your experience,is the highest return you
can render me.

-கைவல்ய நவனீதம்

- Kaivalya Navaneetham