[Advaita-l] Jagadguru Speaks: Resort to a Self-realised Guru

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
 
https://www.tattvaloka.com/uploads/jagadguruSpeech/pdf/472878938JSeaks%20TATT%20NOV%202022.pdf
 
 
The aim of a man should be the realisation of the
highest truth – Brahma Sakshatkara.
The instinct of all human minds is to shun
suffering and seek only permanent peace. So, after
knowing that there is no lasting joy in this world,
man in his quest for peace, tries to disentangle
himself from this mess of fleeting joy and repeated
suffering.
 
Amongst those men who work for their progress,
some will develop intellectual abilities, and with
time, a spirit of enquiring on the higher Truth
blossoms forth. The path to be tread and the goal to
be achieved become evident.
 
Our sastras show the way to reach the goal. But
attempting a proper study of all the sastras and
trying to understand them by oneself is quite
difficult owing to the paucity of time coupled with
the obstacles that impede progress.
 
  anantashAstraM bahuveditavyam.h alpashcha kAlo bahavashcha vighnAH .
 
Such being the circumstances, man must
resort to a Self-realised Guru for guidance.
Our sastras cite the example of a chataka
bird. Though water can be obtained from
elsewhere, and though the wind is the
impelling agent for that, the chataka bird
overcome by thirst looks out for the rain
from the clouds.
 
  yadyapi jaladherudaka.n yadyapi vA prerako.anilastatra .
  tadapi pipAsAkulitaH pratIkShate chAtako megham.h ..
{Prabodha Sudhakara 87)
 
Similarly, though theories of Self-knowledge
is available in books, the
seeker of Truth should imbibe it from a
Self-realised preceptor alone.
 
  sa bhavedgurUpadeshAttasmAdgurumAshrayet.h prathamam.h .
 
So, let one resort to a Guru first.
 
We bless everyone to understand this and
progress in life spiritually.