Hari Aum.
As we know, a spiritual guru is a god-realised being. S/he is one with God. Such a person should be rightly placed on a pedestal as they are one with God Him/Herself who is perfect.
However, before a person becomes a guru, they are an 'ordinary' person. They had to do sadhana too. If they were born perfect, without any flaws such as lust, anger and greed, then there would have been no need for them to do any sadhana.
Many disciples write biographies of their gurus as if they never had any flaws at all. This is doing a great disservice to the mission of the guru. The whole point of the the guru's teaching is that we should do intense sadhana to overcome the flaws in our mind and character as he/she did, and thus attain god-realisation. We are meant to take inspiration from the example of the guru him/herself.
If the guru is portrayed as perfect and flawless right from the beginning, it is difficult for us to relate to them and be truly inspired by them (and this is also a false portrayal, as the guru was not perfect before doing sadhana). Sivananda used to say that if one person can become a saint, then anyone else can too. It just requires the right attitude and effort.
Recently a Swami who set up many yoga centres around the world has been accused of not being celibate when he portrayed himself as such. We are all human and frail. If a Swami/Swamini cannot keep his/her vow of celibacy, that is okay. We can accept that they are human too. What is absolutely unacceptable, however, is pretending to be celibate in public, and not being celibate in private. That is hypocrisy.
This is what this Swami has been accused of (I will not name him here as he has passed away and some investigation is being conducted into these allegations which involve various women). Sadly, many Swamis have been found to behave in this way. This is similar to a married man/woman having multiple partners without the knowledge of their spouse. It shows a serious lack of ethics and is an example of falsehood. The edifice of spirituality requires strict adherence to truthfulness as its foundation (as far as possible). There can be no real spirituality where falsehood is practised.
Yogis describe God as Truth. For the attainment of this great Truth, to know this Truth, we have to first practice truth in our ordinary lives. We have to try our best to avoid telling falsehoods as far as possible. This also forces us to think carefully before we act. If we act nobly, there is nothing to lie about. We can live peacefully. If we act wrongly, we will feel a desire to hide it, cover it up. This will lead to falsehood.
It is good to recognise the human element in gurus before they became gurus. Their weaknesses and frailties, not only their great strengths. This does not reduce our faith in them. Rather, this reminds us, gives power to their message to us, that we can do it too. They ask us, their disciples, to practice sadhana and attain God like they did. They tell us this is our birthright-- because we too are the children of God. We too have God residing in our hearts. We were born for no other purpose except to realise this fact and experience it fully.
Sivananda used to say "Onward, Godward". Vishwamitra, the great rishi and seer of the Gayatri mantra, fell prey to the apsara Menaka's charms. He conquered the desire in his mind and became a great rishi. Sivananda says the rishis, male and female, are the ancestors of all humankind. He declares that their blood runs in our veins. We are their children. He therefore asks us to practice sadhana and reclaim our heritage, the spiritual knowledge that we have been born to attain.
May God bless us with constant remembrance of His/Her holy name. May we, through His Grace, speedily overcome the flaws in our minds, and attain Him in this very lifetime.
May the coming year, 2020, be a year of great spiritual progress for us all. May all the rishis and true Gurus bless us in this worthy endeavour.
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
As we know, a spiritual guru is a god-realised being. S/he is one with God. Such a person should be rightly placed on a pedestal as they are one with God Him/Herself who is perfect.
However, before a person becomes a guru, they are an 'ordinary' person. They had to do sadhana too. If they were born perfect, without any flaws such as lust, anger and greed, then there would have been no need for them to do any sadhana.
Many disciples write biographies of their gurus as if they never had any flaws at all. This is doing a great disservice to the mission of the guru. The whole point of the the guru's teaching is that we should do intense sadhana to overcome the flaws in our mind and character as he/she did, and thus attain god-realisation. We are meant to take inspiration from the example of the guru him/herself.
If the guru is portrayed as perfect and flawless right from the beginning, it is difficult for us to relate to them and be truly inspired by them (and this is also a false portrayal, as the guru was not perfect before doing sadhana). Sivananda used to say that if one person can become a saint, then anyone else can too. It just requires the right attitude and effort.
Recently a Swami who set up many yoga centres around the world has been accused of not being celibate when he portrayed himself as such. We are all human and frail. If a Swami/Swamini cannot keep his/her vow of celibacy, that is okay. We can accept that they are human too. What is absolutely unacceptable, however, is pretending to be celibate in public, and not being celibate in private. That is hypocrisy.
This is what this Swami has been accused of (I will not name him here as he has passed away and some investigation is being conducted into these allegations which involve various women). Sadly, many Swamis have been found to behave in this way. This is similar to a married man/woman having multiple partners without the knowledge of their spouse. It shows a serious lack of ethics and is an example of falsehood. The edifice of spirituality requires strict adherence to truthfulness as its foundation (as far as possible). There can be no real spirituality where falsehood is practised.
Yogis describe God as Truth. For the attainment of this great Truth, to know this Truth, we have to first practice truth in our ordinary lives. We have to try our best to avoid telling falsehoods as far as possible. This also forces us to think carefully before we act. If we act nobly, there is nothing to lie about. We can live peacefully. If we act wrongly, we will feel a desire to hide it, cover it up. This will lead to falsehood.
It is good to recognise the human element in gurus before they became gurus. Their weaknesses and frailties, not only their great strengths. This does not reduce our faith in them. Rather, this reminds us, gives power to their message to us, that we can do it too. They ask us, their disciples, to practice sadhana and attain God like they did. They tell us this is our birthright-- because we too are the children of God. We too have God residing in our hearts. We were born for no other purpose except to realise this fact and experience it fully.
Sivananda used to say "Onward, Godward". Vishwamitra, the great rishi and seer of the Gayatri mantra, fell prey to the apsara Menaka's charms. He conquered the desire in his mind and became a great rishi. Sivananda says the rishis, male and female, are the ancestors of all humankind. He declares that their blood runs in our veins. We are their children. He therefore asks us to practice sadhana and reclaim our heritage, the spiritual knowledge that we have been born to attain.
May God bless us with constant remembrance of His/Her holy name. May we, through His Grace, speedily overcome the flaws in our minds, and attain Him in this very lifetime.
May the coming year, 2020, be a year of great spiritual progress for us all. May all the rishis and true Gurus bless us in this worthy endeavour.
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
