KARMA YOGA 28 [EDITED]

KARMA YOGA 28 : [EDITED]

The Deeksha Guru or the spiritual preceptor, the one that gives spiritual initiation to the disciple, at the time of initiation absorbs much of the worldly tendencies of the latter and sets him on the spiritual path. The Guru quickens the spirit of the disciple by infusing spiritual energy into him by an act of divine grace and deepens his location in the cosmic field.

The spiritual power flowing through the Guru has come down to him through the unbroken chain of Guru-shishya parampara (teacher-taught sequential chain). The mantra (seed word) he imparts to the disciple is live with the power of realised sages of yore, the power reinforced in every age by the austerity of saints and divine incarnations. This is the force that is received by the spiritual aspirant at the time of initiation which sets his direction right in the spiritual path and gives a fresh impetus to his spiritual efforts.

The Guru takes upon himself the burden of the disciple's past sins or evil karma and suffers the consequence of such misdeeds of his protege. This is verily vicarious atonement by the Guru for the sins of the disciple. The disciple is released largely of his sins by the grace of the Guru and is positioned ideally for sadhana (spiritual practice) by his divine Guru who silently suffers the effects of the transferred karma. Such an exchange of karma is possible in the spiritual universe as is the exchange of material energy possible in the physical universe. This clearly indicates that the world is one, that communication links are there between souls, that we are connected to each other by bonds of love and sympathy, that integration is the divine plan and that transmission of spirituality and absorption of another's karma is possible.

The enlightened ones after Self-realisation live to guide others -- who they now envision as their very selves -- to the goal that is the common inheritance of all.

Divine we are by our very nature but we have forgotten our real status owing to primeval ignorance.The illumined one clearly sees that all of karma that binds the self-oblivious soul is but a cloud hiding the effulgent sun, the Atman, and may be blown away by the wind of discrimination any moment. But the enmeshed soul cannot find its bearings, cannot locate the open door of the house that is on fire, and is about to perish. The sage cannot bear this for his universal heart knows not any law but the law of love and he gladly takes upon himself the karma of the fallen soul and helps liberate him even as he had received the grace of his own divine Guru. Thus, the Guru-shishya parampara is fraught with the flow of the nectarine love of God manifesting in the divine heart of the Guru and is the very fulcrum of the spiritual process. The disciple is absolved of his sins by his Guru.

Is this not the violation of Karma Theory which is said to be inexorable, that one has to suffer for one's own karma and there is no escape from it ? Throughout history we see numerous instances of such expiation of other's sins by prophets and divine incarnations. This apparent contradiction may be harmonized in the light of the oneness of existence as expounded in the Vedanta. All of Nature despite apparent differentiation at the surface is at the very base integrated, homogeneous, one. It is absolute existence, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss at the cosmic centre which is also the centre of each soul's being, its very essence. Now the Guru is a realized soul who has plumbed the depths of reality. He is thus in contact with the cosmic centre whence all souls have sprung and he is thus able to enter the system of his disciple through this core-consciousness link and vicariously atone for him thereby loosening his karmic chain a little for him to make rapid spiritual progress. Without this grace of the Guru spirituality is hard to come by for the maze of Maya is intricate and confounds the soul. In the spiritual path the Guru is thus worshipped as God Himself for as the Vedas say, 'Brahmavida Brahmaiva bhavati.' (The knower of Brahman is verily Brahman Itself.) His position is preeminent in the disciple's life. The disciple must endlessly strive to please the Guru by his strict observance of his Master's spiritual directions and also by his heartfelt devoted service to his preceptor. The Guru pleased, liberation is at hand, for the Guru is none other than God incarnate, manifest on the earthly plane to deliver the fallen soul. He is not a person but is the Self appearing in the deluded vision of the disciple as an embodied being. Verily, he is the infinite Self and must be given reverence befitting the Divine.

The disciple's struggle for liberation becomes softened by the Guru's initial and continuing grace even unto the final act of liberation. In this way, the spiritual journey is not a lonesome experience for the aspirant but is rather a constant companionship with his Guru. The journey begins with the receiving of the Guru's grace in initiation. It proceeds at every step with his counsel, direction and commandment as to the right course to be followed. Eventually, it ends in the Guru's grace helping the aspirant in realising his own divine essence as the trinity dissolve in the homogeneous Brahman. The disciple, the Guru and the Ishta (the Chosen Ideal) all dissolve in the unutterable essence of existence from where thoughts and words reflect back -- the vast void/shunya, the great fullness/the poorna. Karma has been left behind as has the universe been like an old garment, worn and tattered, and the freedom which has always been, has been entered into by a sudden dispelling of ignorance by a flash of an insight into reality. The game is over, the battle is won, but lo, the battlefield vanishes into nothingness and the embattled soul with it ! The aspirant is drawn into the Guru's form which dissolves in the form of the Ishta (the Chosen Ideal). The Ishta dissolves in the formless One and the formless One dissolves in the attributeless nirguna nirupadhik niranjan Brahman. 🕉 Tat Sat !

Written by Sugata Bose