Importance of a guru

[1]

Yogi Ashwini [1]

I am often asked why one cannot read all the Vedas and other books available and evolve? Why does one need a guru? People often say, “I cannot bow before another man”. Such questions and thoughts, asked so very frequently, made me write about the guru in great detail.
To grasp what is a guru imagine that the sadhak is a piece of very hot stone and that ultimate knowledge is like ice. If this ice melts and falls straight on the sadhak, the body of the sadhak would crack with the force and sudden change in temperature. The guru is the force that holds this ice cold water and very gently pours it on the sadhak’s body — very gently the sadhak begins to cool and ultimately becomes as cold as the ice, now he is also a guru.
Sir John Woodroffe, a famous tantrik from the West, impressed me greatly with his works, especially the ones in which he has explained, with quotes from various authorities, the guru. The following paragraphs echo some of his views and are dedicated to this great master.
The path of yog or any other sadhana cannot be traversed without a guru; a guru is not a physical being or a physical form but the embodiment of the ultimate guru who assumes human form to guide us through the journey of yog. For a sadhak, a guru is the basis and ultimate goal of his sadhana, for it is said that one is a disciple only so long as one is a sadhak, that is to say for as long as shakti is not fully communicated to the disciple’s body from that of the guru, through shaktipath. Till then there subsists the relation of guru and shishya. When a disciple is given shaktipath or diksha, siddhi is attained and on the attainment of siddhi this dualism (guru-shishya relationship) is surpassed and they are one.
In the Mundamala Tantra, it is said that the root of siddhi is in the Devta. The root of Devta in mantra, root of mantra in initiation and root of initiation lies with the guru. Just as it is impossible to attain liberation beyond the reach of attribute without worship of the Devta with attributes, so it is impossible to attain monistic knowledge without the worship of the guru.
For a sadhak there is no force higher than the guru. Such is the place given to the guru that no shastra speaks of anything which is superior to devotion towards the guru. A sadhak should place the guru and all that is around him or connected with him as the ultimate truth and most sacred; so much so that the place where the guru resides is considered the abode of Lord Shiva or Kailash; the house in which the guru lives is Chintamani house. The trees in the guru’s house are kalpa trees for they would fulfil all the desires of the sadhak. The creepers are kalpa creepers. The water, which flows in any form in the guru’s abode, is Ganga, which is also the tirtha of kalyug. In short, everything in that sacred place is sacred.
It is in this manner that a devoted sadhak should think of his/her guru. In the Rudryamala it is said, “The fool who commences japa and tapas by reading books instead of receiving it from the guru acquires nothing but sin, no one can save him. Guru alone can, in a single moment, destroy the mass of his sins…”
Shastras speak volumes about the greatness and importance of guru. Earlier yugs saw the transference of gyan only through one way, from the guru to the shishya, for if gyan could be imbibed by just reading books or listening to discourses, the guru would not have been given the supreme place in all the yogic and tantrik practices as these sciences and their principles are so deep and profound that they have managed to remain unaltered and unscathed till date.
Where there is no proof of the authenticity of the ancient texts available, the experiences of saints and rishis of yesteryears can be experienced today also, and the energies and gyan revealed to them is revealed today also, to sadhaks who have realised who and what a guru is, and take the word of their guru as mantra and follow it with dedication, as strict discipline or niyama. Their journey, which begins when they meet their guru, requires continuous and dedicated practice and must be followed as niyama culminates into yog.

— Yogi Ashwini is an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences. He is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation. He has recently written a book, Sanatan Kriya: 51 Miracles... And a Haunting.
Contact him at dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com [2]