As we go towards Light – Guru

It’s the month of Aashada and slowly the Moon is transiting to its Full Moon phase.

On 29th July, the Full Moon will shine gently upon the Earth, illuminating the darkness—much like a Guru who lovingly lights the path hidden by our ignorance.

The word Guru is made from two syllables – “Gu" means 'darkness of ignorance’ and "Ru" means 'the divine light of knowledge’. A person who removes darkness & illusion with divine light of true knowledge is called Guru. The Full Moon of the month of Aashada is celebrated as Guru Purnima. A day to pause, reflect on the importance of our Gurus, and offer sincere gratitude to the enlightened Masters who have guided humanity for centuries.

As I look back a little at my life so far, I realized that the importance of Guru was imbibed quite early on. My parents are devout Guru bhakts and they have constantly told us the importance of having a teacher for navigating the maze of this mortal life. A young me didn’t understand much about what they said but I continued to do as I was told. 3 decades later I know now how much a Guru is necessary. Looking back, I now recognize that there was always a guiding presence beside me, quietly leading me in ways I could neither understand nor explain at the time. I always yearned to hear from a living enlightened teacher, and only recently did I finally understand and acknowledge that I am yet to reach that level of receptivity and discipline to absorb the enormous radiance a Guru shines. I have read much about Gurus, I have heard much but I know little. I have been fortunate to have some beautiful experiences but I’m still way below the mark to consider myself as a devotee. I'm still a student, constantly making mistakes and learning from them.

As Guru Purnima approaches, I heard a beautiful song which started with the following lines

Guru Govind dou Khade

Kaake Laagun paay?

Balihaari guru Aapne

Govind Diyo bataye.

Both Guru and Govind (God) are present

Who shall I bow down to?

I will choose to bow down to my Guru

Who helped me realize God

I have come across many enlightened people who have directly or indirectly guided me through my journey of knowing the self, but today I want to talk about people who have left and continue to leave a lasting impact on us. These may not be the enlightened ones, but they are no less as they gently guide us away from the distractions and lead us to the path, we are supposed to take. They may come as our parents, a dear friend, a teacher, a colleague, or even a stranger we meet only once. They may never call themselves spiritual teachers. Yet through a simple conversation, a timely correction, or an act of kindness, they quietly illuminate a path we were unable to see. But what is important is have you learnt from them? Have you accepted the guidance they have given to you? More importantly do you see the guidance, or do you just see the talk? We are surrounded by many such people who actively help us to stay away from the distracted path, but we are too ignorant to see the teaching, the guidance.

Perhaps the greatest blessing we can ask for this Guru Purnima is not merely to find a Guru, but to become worthy of the guidance already present in our lives. May we recognize those who lovingly shine light upon our path, learn from them with humility, and in time become a gentle light for someone else.