STORY - Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya - Part V

Only that person can enter into Siddhashram who has all the divine centres of his body activated. Outwardly the person might look like just another human being but he would be overflowing with divinity. Such a person has the capability of taking his disciples to this holy land and activating their energy centres when he so wishes.

Can one really find such a great Guru? Can one win the favour and grace of such an accomplished master? Can one rise high in life with the help of such an Divine Being? Can one fuse completely in the divine form of such a Guru? Can a disciple attain to divine powers through selfless service to such a master?

Shanker was never doubtful that one can surely do this. But for that it is necessary that the Guru must be a divine incarnate, who has appeared on this earth in order to lead people of this world to totality in life. Such a person appears to be an ordinary human to most, to the family man he appears to be a happy family man, to those in power he appears to wield a lot of power and to Yogis and Sanyasis he appears to be a great Yogi and Sadhak.

He shall live like an ordinary family fan. He shall have a wife, son, daughters, friends, wealth, fame respect and high position in life. Yet he shall not be affected by any of these. Just as a lotus flower rises from mud and remains completely untouched by the mud around similarly such a great Yogi lives in family but is not at all affected by the materialistic life. A lotus remains in water but not a drop wets it. Only such a pure flower is worthy enough to be offered to the deities.

The Guru appears to be very ordinary from outside. Can an ordinary human being pierce his outer form and realise his true divine form? Can an ordinary human be curious enough to delve into the ancient sciences which the Guru possesses and master them? Can an ordinary disciple free himself of passions and devote himself totally to the Guru in order to attain to success in Sadhanas? Can such a disciple fuse fully in the divine form of the Guru?

Even the gods, Gandharvas, Kinnars cannot be so devoted. This is why it is said that it is very difficult to offer selfless service to the Guru. The Guru is supremely divine and he is well above all gods and goddesses. It is not possible for an ordinary human being to fathom the depth of the knowledge of the Guru. But it is necessary that he know about the greatness of the Guru otherwise he will not be able to benefit from him.

If one fails to recognise a true Guru one shall lose a chance of getting rid of a life full of tensions, worries and problems. It is hence necessary to be unbiased and try to recognise a true master.

Of course for the Guru it does not matter whether he is recognised or not. He is a divine being who has incarnated upon the earth with a special purpose. Having accomplished the task for which he has appeared he would leave for some other place of existence.

And once he has gone then the ordinary human beings shall be left with no choice but to repent. Too late they would realise what they have missed and then they shall feel sorry and curse themselves for not availing the golden opportunity.

And then they shall have to wait for an other 2500 years before another such great Guru is born. Even then they might fail to recognise the new master and gain something worthwhile from him.

It is at this juncture that Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya feels very anxious when expressing his feelings in the verses. It is here that he seems to be perturbed at the thought that it would then be impossible for a disciple and a Guru to be one.

Still Shankaracharya expresses hope that some time or the other some true disciples shall appear on earth who shall be able to recognise a true Guru and gain precious knowledge from him. He hopes some Guru would surely be blessed with true disciples who would be able to completely fuse in the Guru element. And he says that when this happens his souls shall feel really joyous and satisfied wherever it might be.

It is with this very thought that Soundarya Lahiri was written that some day some person would be able to get to the real meaning of his words. Through the medium of these verses Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya has tried to explain about this world, about the Supreme element, Brahm, about Maya and about the divine land of Siddhashram.

Through the description of beauty of the Goddess Mother Parvati, Shankaracharya has gifted to mankind a unique and precious spiritual gem for which the entire humanity shall remain indebted to him for ages and ages to come and they shall always revere him and remember him as one of the greatest Gurus of all times!

I bless you all so that you could be true disciples like Shankaracharya and attain to totality in your lives.

Bless you from the heart!

- Revered Gurudev Dr. Narayan Dutt Shrimali.