Guru Purnima: Honouring the master

A student goes to a teacher and learns something, gets some information and then he walks out of the school, just like looking at a guidebook, like a tourist guide. You go with the tourist guide to see a place, and the guide shows all the places, or like a traffic police, sometimes he directs you or like you ask someone for directions and they’ll give you some information. You went to primary school, middle school, and whatever grade you call it, you collected information. 

The student is one, who collects information, but the information is not knowledge, it is not wisdom. Then there is the disciple who comes to be with the master for the sake of learning wisdom, for the sake of improving his life, for the sake of attaining enlightenment. He has a purpose, a cause, so he is not just collecting information, but he goes a little deeper. He is trying to bring a transformation in his life. He wants to make sense out of his life. And then there is devotee. 

A devotee is not there even for wisdom. He is simply rejoicing in love. He has fallen in deep love with the master, with the infinity, with the god. He doesn’t care as to whether he gets enlightened or not. He doesn’t care as to whether he acquires a lot of knowledge or wisdom or not. But that very moment, and every moment, he is immersed in divine love that is enough for him or her. A devotee is very rare to find. Students are in abundance, disciples are a few, but the devotees are rare. Devotion is very beautiful. A student comes to a master, teacher, and guru with tears in his eyes. There are so many problems, and when he leaves, he is carrying the same tears, but the quality of the tears is different, it is of gratitude. 

Still tears flow, but those are of gratitude, of love; it is so beautiful to cry in love. One, who has cried even once in love, knows the taste of it, of surrender and of devotion and the entire creation rejoices it. The entire creation is longing for only one thing, the transformed tears, from salty tears to sweet tears. When Krishna was leaving his body, he spoke to Uddhava. With tears in his eyes, “I can’t stand the amount of devotion these gopis have for me, go and tell them, these devotees of mine that only they can free me of their gratitude and of their love.” It is so beautiful, he rejoices, “Go, tell them that is the glory of devotees, I am not in heaven, I am not in temple, but where my devotees sing, I am right there”. 

Devotion is something that can move even rocks. Like fatherhood and motherhood, there is Guru-hood. We all have to play Guru-hood at least to somebody. Consciously or unconsciously you are all guru s to somebody. You keep giving advice and guiding people, giving them loving care! You all do this, but do it 100 per cent, without expecting anything in return: that is living the guru principle. There is no difference between the divine, the self and the guru. They are all one. Think of all the things to be grateful for and ask what you want for the future and bless everyone. We receive so many blessings and we should also bless all those who are in need.