When we begin to know a Guru, we realize that their vastness is beyond words or description. The space the Guru occupies within us keeps expanding, beyond measure. With each moment, we realise how insignificant and distant we are, and that we are nothing. This awareness deepens with each moment. We grieve, thinking, I know nothing. We understand that all these years of life have been meaningless. There is nothing to ask or say, no desires, no wishes, no complaints, no worries. Whatever the Guru gives, we accept with gratitude. If we are reprimanded, we understand it is to make us aware of our mistakes. To receive all these blessings, what qualification do I really have? this question will remain within, time and again.
We do not even know how to express our respect, honor, gratitude, commitment, and devotion to the Guru. Because, in this material realm, words and expressions are inadequate. Silence alone is enough. One must experience that feeling to truly understand it. It reminds me of a phrase often said in the past: “Farther than the farthest, yet closer than the closest, that is the wonder.” Gurus are at such an unreachable height, but their words (Guru Tattva) remain as a guiding force throughout our lives, in everything we do.
Through Guru Tattva, we merge into the universal principle, dissolving completely. Just like salt dissolving into the ocean and disappearing. In that state, the thoughts of I and mine vanish. We won’t even feel the presence of our body. We continue our actions without expectations, without worrying about the results. As we journey through Guru Tattva, the Guru guides us toward the inner knowledge that shines within us (Atma Chaitanya), showing us the path to reach it. The Guru makes us experience who we truly are. He makes us realize that you, I, and all living and non-living beings in this universe are the same knowledge. The entire universe exists within us. He removes the darkness of ignorance within us and fills it with the light of wisdom.
The two syllables “Guru” hold everything within them. There are no forms, no individuals, nothing. When we think, utter, or hear the word Guru, all we feel is a deep yearning, gratitude, devotion, and respect for our great lineage of Gurus. And a single thought remains — how can we ever repay this debt to them and to the universe.
One will realize through experience that the Guru is not a person but a principle (Tattva). The Guru is beyond all boundaries. There is no sense of I, mine, my family, my land or my country. They can only see the entire world as one. At the same time, Gurus also have families. They, too, have duties to fulfill (as a son, a husband, a father, a brother, or any other role they are engaged in). That means Gurus are neither attached to anything nor detached from anything. Just like how water stays on a lotus leaf without wetting it, they do their duties selflessly. They, too, only have 24 hours in a day, just like us. Living in this world, engaging in worldly affairs, they also experience bodily suffering.
The wisdom (Guru Tattva) they have attained through their intense penance is their gift to the world. The moment we deviate from Guru Tattva, we lose both the Guru’s and the universe’s grace. That is why each of us must hold onto Guru Tattva firmly and continue our life’s journey.
