Kartik Purnima happens to be the birth jayanti of one of the greatest Gurus of modern times, Guru Nanak. Processions and lightings are a visible galore. This year, I noticed that on the day of Kartik Purnima, a lot of people changed their Facebook picture to that of Guru Nanak. Some have removed it by now, some have retained it, not to mention the few who have given quotes of Guru Nanak, and few of Guru Gobind Singh also. Interestingly, I saw some quotes of Guru Gobind before he went to war next to the picture of Guru Nanak.
Being a Yoga Guru for the last twenty years, I have seen many aspirants who have come to me in a state of utter chaos, so goes the Guru mantra,
Om Gururbrahma Gururvishnu Gurudevomaheshwara
Gurursakshatah Parabrahma Tasmaii Shri Guruve Namah
Akhandmandalakaram Vyaptam Yen Characharam
Tadpadam Darshitam Yen Tasmaii Shri Guruve Namah
(Guru is Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar and all the devas, Guru is even beyond Brahma, to that Guru I pay my salutations.
The indivisible infinite form, that which manifests all movable and immovable, is visible at the lotus-feet of Guru, to that Guru I pay my salutations)
Here it is important to note ‘akhandmandalakaram’, implying that the physical form of the Guru holds, for the shishya, the entire creation in its totality, that which has manifested and also that which is unmanifest. That is, the shishya sees and is also shown all the lokas, gods and goddesses, surs and asurs, all forms of energy and, the good and the bad. After showing and making the shishya experience all the aspects, the Guru puts forth certain tests to assess the ability of the shishya to hold this energy and to take on the responsibility of the path and the place of the Guru.
Guru Nanak was fortunate to have found a deserving shishya. Guru Gobind, not having found anyone to hold the phenomenal force, put that force in the Granth…ending the lineage. Same happened with Paramhans Yoganand and Maharishi Datya, the list is long. Many came close to attaining the shakti of the great sages, but none had the ability to hold it. So a fraction was transferred and the rest went back to Creation.
Rishi Markandeya has mentioned in Markandeya Purana that in Kalyug, Gurus would disappear as no one will be able to hold the phenomenal energy of akhandmandalakaram. Many who try, have some experiences, but their karmas and attractions of the physical world put them back to their previous lifestyles of a basic physical life and the various pleasures associated with it. In my experiences, many have slipped at the first few stages, some at middle stages and a fraction at the final stages. The common denominator in all being wrinkling of the skin, greying of hair or fading away of hair…changing of Facebook pictures. The bottom-line being, in all beings, “I could not understand who a Guru is,” the enigma being the first teaching – do not try to understand, go with your experiences. And if you feel you do not have the capacity, then do not venture in the search of a Guru because the consequences of changing Facebook pictures with various Gurus would be disastrous, maybe not now, maybe in a little while…this is what the Vedas say. In my last twenty years of teaching, I am yet to see the Vedas go wrong…
Prove me wrong, at least someone, or come back to your senses before God changes your picture from His Facebook page.