II श्रीराम जय राम जय जय राम II

गुरू नाम है गम्य का, शीष सीदा ले सोय I

बिनु पद बिनु मरजाद नर, गुरू शीष नहिं कोय II

"Kabir says, the essence of the Guru is to remove the ignorance that is the cause of bondage, sorrow and suffering. And the essence of the disciple is a keen eagerness, a great desire to be free from ignorance- the essential nature of which is ego- and attain illumination. Unless there is this willingness, this deep eagerness to attain illumination, then the disciple is no disciple. A hundred Gurus cannot help unless the disciple has a great desire for liberation and is seeking to get rid of that which stands in the way.

Whether it is selfless service, devotion or prayer, concentration and meditation, inner discipline in the form of japa and kirtan, the spiritual presence of Guru draws us from all sides towards our highest blessedness, our greatest good, the supreme and successful fulfilment of our earthly life. His presence also prompts us from within to a life of goodness, prompts us, urges us, inspires us towards a life of truthfulness, purity of conduct and character, and of compassion and kindness. And by the power of His own lofty and inspiring example as well as His dynamic, awakening teachings, to be saintly, to be holy in our thought, word and deed.

The essence of discipleship, the essence of being a true follower of any great teacher, is, therefore, the awareness of the presence of that teacher- both as an ideal as well as a teaching, both as a light upon the path as well as the path.

The Guru is never absent. He is never remote. He is always immediate, both in space as well as in time. He is even more immediate in consciousness that does not relate either to space or to time. He is always there. You are always in it and it is always within you. It is something that does not need support of space or time. And therefore cultivate the consciousness of the permanent and perennial presence of the Guru: "He pervades all my life. He prevails throughout my being and throughout the being of my life. He always prevails. He is with me morning, afternoon, evening and night. He is with me wherever I go, not merely when I go to His temple or His Samadhi. I am myself a living temple of His presence, and in and through me He continues to live and to shine. He draws me in the right direction from without, and he urges me in the right direction from within." This indeed is the key to true discipleship and to a successful spiritual life.This is the inner spiritual truth about the subtle and unparalleled relationship of a sincere seeking soul and the Guru that is sent in order to put the individual soul into contact with the Great, Eternal, Infinite, and all perfect Universal Soul that is at once our origin, our destination, and our destiny as well."

II श्रीराम जय राम जय जय राम II

II श्रीसद्गुरूचरणार्पणमस्तु II