Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 22 - Vidura-Maitreya dialogue (Maitreya ends the dialogue and Vidura replies back)
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 22 - Vidura-Maitreya dialogue (Maitreya ends the dialogue and Vidura replies back)
Maitreya thus ended his dialogue by telling that the ultimate reality of Lord has to be contemplated on by a seeker at all points of time. Hearing these words of Maitreya, Vidura replied back thus:
My doubts have been expelled by You and hence my mind is stable and concentrated on the ultimate reality of Lord. Whatever is present here is nothing but the Lord alone. Those are real fools who crave after the worldly objects and they suffer due to the craving for the external world objects. But the intelligent will search for the ultimate reality of Lord and contemplate on him. The Lord alone existed before creation and the creation is nothing but the Lord alone.
Explanation
A student when he learns from the Guru gets enlightened and thereby knowledge and experience dawns on him. This is what we generally term as realization.
Anybody cannot make another person realize the ultimate reality of Lord – but only a realized saint can make another person realized. As a lighted lamp alone can light another lamp, similarly a Guru alone can make a shishya another Guru or teacher. This is how the tradition of acharyas from ancient times & rishis from the Vedic period itself has continued till today. This is how the Guru Parampara continues and is still continuing through the various institutions like Chinmaya Mission, Ramakrishna Mission etc.
Now a very important question comes as to who is a Guru?
Anybody cannot become a Guru. A Guru is one who is able to enlighten the shishya through sight, touch and words the ultimate reality of Lord and thereby make the shishya realize his own very reality of God. This definition is what Yoga Vasistha speaks about a Guru. The scriptures speak about two main qualities in a Guru.
Srotriya – learned in scriptures
Brahma nishtaa – established in the ultimate reality of Brahman or God
“Learned in scriptures” doesn’t mean intellectual knowledge of the 108 Upanishads, the 4 Vedas etc. Narada went to Sanatkumara and asked him to teach about Brahman or God. Sanatkumara in turn asked Narada what he knew. Narada enumerated a number of topics (62 in total) and told that even though he had learned all this, he did not know the ultimate reality of God. This clearly shows that “learned in scriptures” is not mere intellectual knowledge of the various scriptural statements but it is experience of what the scriptures speak. It is also not enough to just preach or repeat the scriptures but what is required is to put the teachings into practice. Each and every word of the Guru arises not out of the intellect but out of his own very experience. The truth propounded by the Guru is not at all different from the scriptures but it will be put better than the scriptures or the various scriptural commentaries on the scriptures. Thus we find that most of the people understand the analogies and teachings of saints like Ramana and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa better than Sankara’s commentary on the scriptures.
As Swami Chinmayananda aptly describes the guru’s wordings as direct teaching and the scriptures as the indirect teaching while explaining about Sraddha or faith in the ultimate reality (in Aparokshanubhuti of Sankaracharya). The guru is the living embodiment of the scriptures. Scriptures become mere books or truths without any Consciousness except for the Guru and the lineages of the Gurus from time immemorial.
A Guru is not just well versed in the scriptures but he is always established in the ultimate reality of Brahman or God. It is because of this nature of the Guru that the scriptures become experience for the Guru and not mere intellectual words.
There is no other way to judge a real Guru other than the peace and bliss emanating from the presence of the Guru. As Sri Krishna says in Gita “Abhitah brahma nirvaanam varthathe vidhitaatmanaam” – one who is established in Brahman, around him BLISS dances (meaning that any person can experience bliss in the surrounding or in the presence of the Guru).
Ramana Maharshi mentions an incident in the life of Tattvaraaya swami, a Madhva saint. Tattvaraaya wrote a work in tamil praising his Guru – this work was a particular type of composition called Bharani which was normally written for warriors who are able to kill 1000 elephants. The people around Tattvaraaya opposed this and questioned him as to how a saint and that too a sanyaasin can be praised with a bharani (which is only used for those who kill 1000 elephants). Tattvaraaya said that he is unable to answer this and hence he will take them to his Guru whom they can question the same. Thus, they all went to Tattvaraaya’s Guru. The Guru was engrossed in meditation. The Guru opened his eyes and saw them – then he closed his eyes and went into Samadhi. These people who were sitting around him sat without any moment. Their minds were calm without any disturbance and thoughts. One day passed, yet another passed and yet another passed. Thus, after three days, out of compassion the Guru opened his eyes and only then the people were able to open their mouth!!! They proclaimed “we have no doubts now – that person who is able to control the mind of many people by his mere presence is greater as the mind is tougher than 1000 rotten elephants!!!”.
Any person who open-mindedly approaches a Guru can feel his mind becoming quiet and peace emanating. Many people have come to AMMA for asking many doubts and questions. But when the time comes for them to ask the question (when they go near AMMA) their mind becomes blank and they are unable to ask any question at all. Of course as mentioned, the person has to be open minded and pure in mind to experience this.
Thus the mere presence of a Guru is useful and helpful to the society as a whole. Our country India is well blessed as it is always with the presence of a Guru (at all times). Another incident may be quoted here about AMMA’s senior sanyaasin disciple Swami Paramaatmananda (who is a foreigner). He initially came to India and did meditation for 2 years in Tiruvannamalai (the place where Ramana Maharshi spent most of his time). He was well established in the ultimate reality of God and rejoiced in the eternal bliss. Then time came for him to return to his country (some western country). He went there and stayed there for 6 months. He returned back to India after that and he found that he could not concentrate at all. It then took him another 1 year to get back the level of concentration and contemplation which he had already developed while in India!!!!
Swami thus states that even though India has all the social problems like poverty, corruption, rape, murder etc. but still the Indian soil is filled with the presence of great Mahatmaas (at all points of time).
A shishya can thus realize his Self only when he gets the knowledge from a real Guru. Maitreya was such a Guru who was established in the ultimate reality of God. Vidura also was a good disciple and hence when Maitreya imparted the knowledge to Vidura, Vidura could apprehend it and realize the ultimate reality of Lord.
We find the same thing in Gita where Arjuna says after Sri Krishna teaches him
Nasto mohah smrithir labdhaa tvat prasaadhaan mayaachyutha
Oh Achyuta (Krishna)! My delusions have vanished and I have regained memory (about my real nature of the ultimate reality of God) through your grace.
Here the emphasis is on “through your grace”. The disciple gets the knowledge only through a Guru whether it be a physical living Guru or the Adi Guru of Dakshinamurthy or Jagadguru of Sri Krishna. Hence only through the grace of the Guru does the disciple realize his own very nature of God or Brahman. Here the disciple also doesn’t give way for the Ego to take pride in achieving something very great.
The most important thing for seekers like us is to try to be a real disciple.
Who is a real disciple?
A real disciple is one who completely and totally (unconditionally) surrenders to a real Guru. A disciple is one who should always be open minded to anything and everything in the mind whether it be various philosophies of Dvaita, Vishista advaita, Advaita or Bauddha and Jaina or the various paths of Bhakthi, Yoga etc.
A disciple is one who is always focused on the goal of ultimate reality of Lord or Brahman or Self. Such a disciple will always be finding time to read about the reality, hear about the reality, discuss about the reality and mixing with mahatmas or realized saints (SATSANGA or association with the saints). A disciple will always have the thought of Lord in his mind – he will always be contemplating on the ultimate reality of Lord.
Isn’t the realized saint also always thinking of the Lord? Then what is the difference between the realized saint and the seeker?
A realized saint thinks about the Lord because he cannot remain even for a single second without the thought of Lord – the contemplation is natural and not effortful (it is effortless). But in the case of the seeker, contemplation is for realizing the ultimate reality of Lord and hence effort is required in this case.
Maitreya thus ended his dialogue by telling that the ultimate reality of Lord has to be contemplated on by a seeker at all points of time. Hearing these words of Maitreya, Vidura replied back thus:
My doubts have been expelled by You and hence my mind is stable and concentrated on the ultimate reality of Lord. Whatever is present here is nothing but the Lord alone. Those are real fools who crave after the worldly objects and they suffer due to the craving for the external world objects. But the intelligent will search for the ultimate reality of Lord and contemplate on him. The Lord alone existed before creation and the creation is nothing but the Lord alone.
Explanation
A student when he learns from the Guru gets enlightened and thereby knowledge and experience dawns on him. This is what we generally term as realization.
Anybody cannot make another person realize the ultimate reality of Lord – but only a realized saint can make another person realized. As a lighted lamp alone can light another lamp, similarly a Guru alone can make a shishya another Guru or teacher. This is how the tradition of acharyas from ancient times & rishis from the Vedic period itself has continued till today. This is how the Guru Parampara continues and is still continuing through the various institutions like Chinmaya Mission, Ramakrishna Mission etc.
Now a very important question comes as to who is a Guru?
Anybody cannot become a Guru. A Guru is one who is able to enlighten the shishya through sight, touch and words the ultimate reality of Lord and thereby make the shishya realize his own very reality of God. This definition is what Yoga Vasistha speaks about a Guru. The scriptures speak about two main qualities in a Guru.
Srotriya – learned in scriptures
Brahma nishtaa – established in the ultimate reality of Brahman or God
“Learned in scriptures” doesn’t mean intellectual knowledge of the 108 Upanishads, the 4 Vedas etc. Narada went to Sanatkumara and asked him to teach about Brahman or God. Sanatkumara in turn asked Narada what he knew. Narada enumerated a number of topics (62 in total) and told that even though he had learned all this, he did not know the ultimate reality of God. This clearly shows that “learned in scriptures” is not mere intellectual knowledge of the various scriptural statements but it is experience of what the scriptures speak. It is also not enough to just preach or repeat the scriptures but what is required is to put the teachings into practice. Each and every word of the Guru arises not out of the intellect but out of his own very experience. The truth propounded by the Guru is not at all different from the scriptures but it will be put better than the scriptures or the various scriptural commentaries on the scriptures. Thus we find that most of the people understand the analogies and teachings of saints like Ramana and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa better than Sankara’s commentary on the scriptures.
As Swami Chinmayananda aptly describes the guru’s wordings as direct teaching and the scriptures as the indirect teaching while explaining about Sraddha or faith in the ultimate reality (in Aparokshanubhuti of Sankaracharya). The guru is the living embodiment of the scriptures. Scriptures become mere books or truths without any Consciousness except for the Guru and the lineages of the Gurus from time immemorial.
A Guru is not just well versed in the scriptures but he is always established in the ultimate reality of Brahman or God. It is because of this nature of the Guru that the scriptures become experience for the Guru and not mere intellectual words.
There is no other way to judge a real Guru other than the peace and bliss emanating from the presence of the Guru. As Sri Krishna says in Gita “Abhitah brahma nirvaanam varthathe vidhitaatmanaam” – one who is established in Brahman, around him BLISS dances (meaning that any person can experience bliss in the surrounding or in the presence of the Guru).
Ramana Maharshi mentions an incident in the life of Tattvaraaya swami, a Madhva saint. Tattvaraaya wrote a work in tamil praising his Guru – this work was a particular type of composition called Bharani which was normally written for warriors who are able to kill 1000 elephants. The people around Tattvaraaya opposed this and questioned him as to how a saint and that too a sanyaasin can be praised with a bharani (which is only used for those who kill 1000 elephants). Tattvaraaya said that he is unable to answer this and hence he will take them to his Guru whom they can question the same. Thus, they all went to Tattvaraaya’s Guru. The Guru was engrossed in meditation. The Guru opened his eyes and saw them – then he closed his eyes and went into Samadhi. These people who were sitting around him sat without any moment. Their minds were calm without any disturbance and thoughts. One day passed, yet another passed and yet another passed. Thus, after three days, out of compassion the Guru opened his eyes and only then the people were able to open their mouth!!! They proclaimed “we have no doubts now – that person who is able to control the mind of many people by his mere presence is greater as the mind is tougher than 1000 rotten elephants!!!”.
Any person who open-mindedly approaches a Guru can feel his mind becoming quiet and peace emanating. Many people have come to AMMA for asking many doubts and questions. But when the time comes for them to ask the question (when they go near AMMA) their mind becomes blank and they are unable to ask any question at all. Of course as mentioned, the person has to be open minded and pure in mind to experience this.
Thus the mere presence of a Guru is useful and helpful to the society as a whole. Our country India is well blessed as it is always with the presence of a Guru (at all times). Another incident may be quoted here about AMMA’s senior sanyaasin disciple Swami Paramaatmananda (who is a foreigner). He initially came to India and did meditation for 2 years in Tiruvannamalai (the place where Ramana Maharshi spent most of his time). He was well established in the ultimate reality of God and rejoiced in the eternal bliss. Then time came for him to return to his country (some western country). He went there and stayed there for 6 months. He returned back to India after that and he found that he could not concentrate at all. It then took him another 1 year to get back the level of concentration and contemplation which he had already developed while in India!!!!
Swami thus states that even though India has all the social problems like poverty, corruption, rape, murder etc. but still the Indian soil is filled with the presence of great Mahatmaas (at all points of time).
A shishya can thus realize his Self only when he gets the knowledge from a real Guru. Maitreya was such a Guru who was established in the ultimate reality of God. Vidura also was a good disciple and hence when Maitreya imparted the knowledge to Vidura, Vidura could apprehend it and realize the ultimate reality of Lord.
We find the same thing in Gita where Arjuna says after Sri Krishna teaches him
Nasto mohah smrithir labdhaa tvat prasaadhaan mayaachyutha
Oh Achyuta (Krishna)! My delusions have vanished and I have regained memory (about my real nature of the ultimate reality of God) through your grace.
Here the emphasis is on “through your grace”. The disciple gets the knowledge only through a Guru whether it be a physical living Guru or the Adi Guru of Dakshinamurthy or Jagadguru of Sri Krishna. Hence only through the grace of the Guru does the disciple realize his own very nature of God or Brahman. Here the disciple also doesn’t give way for the Ego to take pride in achieving something very great.
The most important thing for seekers like us is to try to be a real disciple.
Who is a real disciple?
A real disciple is one who completely and totally (unconditionally) surrenders to a real Guru. A disciple is one who should always be open minded to anything and everything in the mind whether it be various philosophies of Dvaita, Vishista advaita, Advaita or Bauddha and Jaina or the various paths of Bhakthi, Yoga etc.
A disciple is one who is always focused on the goal of ultimate reality of Lord or Brahman or Self. Such a disciple will always be finding time to read about the reality, hear about the reality, discuss about the reality and mixing with mahatmas or realized saints (SATSANGA or association with the saints). A disciple will always have the thought of Lord in his mind – he will always be contemplating on the ultimate reality of Lord.
Isn’t the realized saint also always thinking of the Lord? Then what is the difference between the realized saint and the seeker?
A realized saint thinks about the Lord because he cannot remain even for a single second without the thought of Lord – the contemplation is natural and not effortful (it is effortless). But in the case of the seeker, contemplation is for realizing the ultimate reality of Lord and hence effort is required in this case.
# posted by vedanta : 9:56 AM
