Worshipping the Sadguru

Om Shri Sai Nathaya Namaha! Many question the reason behind worshipping a Sadguru. Several people see this as blasphemy. Several other people think that it is arrogance on behalf of a guru to proclaim that "I will ease your burden. I will remove your sorrow". It is natural that such a question should arise. And their arguments are valid in case the guru in question is himself a seeker. But such Gurus do not qualify to become Sadguru. A Sadguru is one, who has realized the truth. He has realized that he is the truth. He is one who is capable of making his devotees to realize their inherent divinity. Only such a one is a Sadguru. Let us take the example of Samartha Sadguru Sainath Maharaj. Sai Baba lived the life of a fakir and claimed that he was a humble devotee of god, and had the words, "Allah Malik" (God is the sole owner) on his lips. However, when his most intimate devotees came to him for solace and guidance, he revealed his vast and unfathomable powers and revealed that he is god, and god is he and god alone is real, and all else is unreal. He said "By chanting the name of Hari I have become one with him". He also said "When you see with your inner eye, you realize that you are god, and none else". He also appeared to people as Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Lord Dattatreya, Akkalkot Swamiji and Guru Gholap Swami. Thus proving that all are one. Santha (Saint) and Anantha (God) are one. All saints, all forms merge into the one, the only Sai.

Some people, belonging to religions other than Sanathana Dharma claim, it is against their scriptures or their religion to worship a person. Let us verify if this claim is valid. In Christianity, Jesus Christ has said "Within your heart, lies the Kingdom of heaven" (Proclaiming the inherent divinity in every person). In Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, an outstanding example is the Sufi Saint from Bhagdad called Mansur Al Hallaj. He was an austere Sufi, who had as a Dervesh (Seeker), given up his cravings of the senses and when he danced the sema (A sufi dance, which is done, when one is in the blissful presence of divinity) and did the dhikr (Chanting the name of Allah and praising the prophet Muhammed (Pbuh), he used to reach a trance like state where his ego was absent, the ego being the false identification with the mind and the body. What remained was pure divinity and in such a state, he had once declared An-Al-Haq (I am the truth). However, the narrow minded religious bigots of the time, who did not like Hallaj's popularity saw a loophole in this statement. They said "Al-Haq" is one of the 99 names of Allah. Hence they claimed Mansur Al-Hallaj had committed a great sacrilege. For this he was under close observation of the Caliph of Bhagdad. However, having reached the final stage of self realization, being unperturbed and unafraid of worldly things, Mansur Al-Hallaj went into a trance like state again and declared, "There is nothing else within these robes, save god". For the bigots, this was the last straw. They held a long trial, and when they saw that Al-Hallaj would not change his opinion, they tortured and crucified him.

Almost three centuries later, the famous sufi saint Jalaluddin Rumi spoke thus on the claim "I am god" of Mansur Al-Hallaj. He said it bespeaks of humility to say "I am god" than "I am a slave of god". This is because the one who claims "I am a slave of god" affirms to two existences, his own and that of god's. But the one who makes the statement that "I am god" says I am naught but only god is! In reality he really affirms the existence of god and god alone, and the non-existence of all else. All else being, god's projection into the universe, also called as Maya in Sanathana Dharma.

Thus, the tenet of advaita (non-dualty) of Shree Adi Shankaracharya says "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am verily that Brahman). This statement is most misinterpreted by people. They ask, "Are you suggesting that I am god?". But who is this "I" that they are alluding to? The answer to their question depends on that. If by I, they mean their identification with their mind, which is a bundle of past experiences, desires and future expectations, then the answer is an absolute no! But if they mean by "I", the present moment, the silent observer, who observes the body, the mind, the thoughts and is above and beyond all of them, something whose presence is not bound by space or time, then the answer is yes.

Our ego is like a firefly. On a cold winter night, when we see the warmth of the fire called Sadguru, we are drawn towards it. When we go closer and closer to the fire, we ultimately fall into it, and then there is no more the firefly and only there is the fire. This means the ego once gone, all that remains is god, and god alone and nothing else. or like the moon shines and gives light in the night. But is it not an illusion to think that the moon is self luminous? It is the sun light that is reflected from the moon.

Likewise, we are all living,standing divinity, but this fact is clouded from us by our ego or false identification with our mind and body consciousness.

I too am a dullard, who identifies myself with my ego and thinks the ego and the world to be real. hence I offer my ego at the lotus feet of my Sadguru, and beseech his help in guiding me to the truth. Oh Sadguru, please bless us, your ignorant children (The egos) and remove the ego as darkness is removed by the rising sun, and take us to peace and beatitude, which is your abode.

Bow to Shree Sai! Peace be to All!