Guru Purnima Special: What is Guru Tattva?

(Excerpt of a speech delivered by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj)

This is a question we must contemplate with the utmost seriousness. From the Vedas to the Ramayana, God and the Saints repeatedly declare that without the guidance of a true Guru, attaining Divine bliss, freedom from Maya, and life’s ultimate goal is impossible.

The Vedas describe only three fundamental Tattvas: God, the individual souls (jeev), and Maya. According to the Vedas, these three eternal realities are infinite and indestructible. Among them, the souls and Maya are the powers of God, while God alone is their Supreme Governor, Controller, Sustainer, and Inspirer.

Ved Vyas declares:

“There is no Divine existence equal to Guru Tattva.”

But what is Guru Tattva?

The Vedas speak of only three eternal realities – God, the individual soul, and Maya. So why is Guru Tattva referred to as the fourth existence?

Guru Tattva is called the fourth existence because the Guru is neither God, nor a soul bound by Maya, nor Maya itself. The Guru does not belong to any of these three categories. Rather, the Guru is Mayateet – beyond the influence of Maya.

The scriptures describe three distinct states in relation to Maya:

• Mayadheen  – the individual souls who are under the control of Maya.
• Mayateet –  the Guru or true Saint who has transcended Maya.
• Mayadheesh – God, the Supreme Controller of Maya.

Although each of these terms contains the word Maya, they represent three entirely different realities. The soul is bound by Maya, the Guru is beyond Maya, and God is the Controller of Maya.

Thus, the Guru occupies a unique and exalted position. He is beyond Maya, yet He is not the Supreme God. This is why Guru Tattva is spoken of as a distinct “fourth existence,” without whose guidance the soul cannot attain liberation or Divine bliss.

The soul (Mayadheen), while under the influence of Maya, wanders through countless births. But when that soul attains God (Mayadheesh), receives God’s Divine vision, and is blessed with His Grace, it becomes a Saint (Mayateet)—forever beyond the influence of Maya.

This is the true definition of a Saint.

A Saint does not become God, nor can he ever again come under the bondage of Maya. Once God-realisation is attained, he remains forever free from Maya.

Such a God-realised soul, who has transcended Maya, is called a Guru.

That is the true definition of a Guru.

There are many classes of Gurus. One class consists of those who have realised the impersonal (nirākār) aspect of God. Another consists of those who have realised His personal (sākār) form.

This truth has been clearly declared in the Vedas and affirmed by Adi Shankaracharya himself—that God is both formless and with form.

Accordingly, there are two broad categories of Gurus:

• The Guru who has attained the impersonal (nirākār) aspect of God.
• The Guru who has attained the personal (sākār) form of God.

Both have transcended Maya and are therefore true Gurus.

Within the second category, there are many further distinctions according to the particular form of God they have realised. For example:

• Maha Vishnu, the presiding deity of Vaikunth.
• Dwarikadhish Krishna, the Lord of Dwarika.
• Mathuradheesh Krishna, the Lord of Mathura.
• Vrindaban’s Shyām Sundar, the sweetest and most intimate manifestation of God.

These Gurus are further distinguished according to their bhāv (their devotional relationship with God):

• Dāsya bhāv — serving God as His servant.
• Sakhya bhāv — relating to God as His friend.
• Vātsalya bhāv — loving God as one’s child.
• Mādhurya bhāv — loving God as one’s Beloved.

Each succeeding bhāv represents a deeper and more intimate relationship with God than the previous one.

Even within Mādhurya bhāv, there are further gradations:

• Sādhāraṇī Rati
• Sāmāñjasya Rati
• Samartha Rati

Thus, there are many classes of Gurus, each according to the nature and depth of their Divine realisation. Yet, regardless of the particular aspect of God they have attained, they are all Gurus because they are all God-realised souls who have transcended Maya.

The word Guru itself is deeply meaningful. The syllable “Gu” signifies Maya, while “Ru” means the one who removes or dispels. Thus, a Guru is one who removes Maya from the heart of the soul.

A Saint who has realised the formless Brahman removes Maya, and likewise, a Saint who has realised the personal form of God also removes Maya. Both have transcended Maya, and both are Gurus.

What differs is not whether they are Gurus, but the Divine Bliss they have attained. The bliss of Divine Love (premānand) is immeasurably greater than the bliss of the formless Brahman (brahmānand). Even within premānand, there are countless gradations according to the intimacy of the devotee’s relationship with God.

Yet, regardless of the level of Bliss they experience, all God-realised Saints are Gurus because they are capable of removing Maya from the hearts of sincere seekers.

The Vedānt further proclaims that upon God-realisation, the soul experiences the very same Divine Bliss that God possesses. In terms of Divine joy, the liberated soul becomes equal to God. Thus, whatever Bliss God enjoys, the God-realised Saint also enjoys.

Between the words Saint and Guru, there is only one practical distinction. Every God-realised Saint is a Guru because every God-realised Saint is beyond Maya and capable of removing Maya. However, the Saint to whom we surrender, whose teachings we accept, and whose devotional path we follow becomes our Guru.

Imagine there are four God-realised Saints. All of them are beyond Maya, and all are Gurus. Yet the one to whom we surrender and from whom we receive spiritual guidance becomes our Guru. Although we continue to honour and respect the others, we do not establish the same spiritual relationship with them.

If one desires the love of the personal form of God, one has no spiritual relationship with a Guru who has attained only the impersonal Brahman. Similarly, we do not aspire to attain Krishna as the Lord of Vaikunth, Dwarika, or Mathura. Our longing is for Vrindaban’s Shyām Sundar, and therefore we surrender to the Guru who has attained Him.

The principle is really quite simple. Whatever aspect of God you desire to attain, seek a Guru who has attained that very aspect.

For example:

• If your goal is the formless Brahman, surrender to a Guru who has realised the formless Brahman.
• If your goal is the personal form of God, surrender to a Guru who has realised that personal form.

Whatever you wish to obtain, go to the shop that sells it.

Someone may ask, “If all are Gurus, what difference does it make to whom I follow?”

The answer is that indiscriminately following every Guru will only create confusion.

Suppose you first approach one Guru and hear, “I am extremely sinful. I am merely the servant of God.” Later, you attend the discourse of another Guru, such as Shankaracharya, who teaches, “You are God. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, all-pervading. You are the eternal witness, the well-wisher of all, the omnipresent Self.”

Naturally, the seeker becomes confused. One teaching declares, “I am the servant of God,” while another proclaims, “I am God.” Although both teachers are Gurus, they are speaking from different spiritual realisations and guiding seekers toward different spiritual goals. Without understanding this, the mind becomes disturbed, faith begins to weaken, and doubt arises.

For this reason, once you have chosen your spiritual goal:

• Surrender to the Guru who has attained that goal.
• Practise devotion according to his guidance.
• Respect all other Gurus.
• Never develop negativity or criticism towards them.
• At the same time, avoid close association if their teachings are directed towards a different spiritual destination.

Maharajji beautifully illustrates this principle through a simple example.

Suppose you go to the market intending to buy a pair of sandals. The first shop you come across is a sweet shop. You do not stop and complain, “Why have you opened a sweet shop? I’m looking for sandals!” Instead, you simply continue walking. Next, you pass a cloth shop, and again, you walk on.

The shopkeeper would naturally say, “This shop is for those who want sweets or clothes. If you’re looking for sandals, continue ahead. There are shops for that too.”

In exactly the same way, every Guru serves seekers whose aspirations correspond to his own Divine realisation. Rather than becoming confused or critical, remain focused on your own goal and seek the Guru who can lead you directly to it. Simply move on without negativity or disrespect, for every path exists for those whose spiritual aim aligns with it.

This also reveals one of the unique glories of Sanātan Dharma. There is something in Sanātan Dharma for every deserving soul. Different seekers have different aspirations.

For example:

• Some seek heavenly pleasures and the celestial abodes.
• Some seek liberation from Maya.
• Some long for Divine Love and God-realisation.

The scriptures prescribe an appropriate path for each of these aspirations.

Maharajji illustrates this with a humorous example. Once, a drunkard asked a fakir, “Tell me, are there more people in God’s abode or in hell?” The fakir replied, “Very few attain God’s abode because very few sincerely remember Him. But hell is crowded.”

The drunkard laughed and said, “Then I’ll go to hell! It sounds much livelier!”

Everyone has different preferences. Even today, people know that alcohol damages the body, yet they continue to drink. They knowingly choose habits that lead to suffering because of attachment and weakness of mind. In the same way, one person may prefer worldly enjoyment, another heavenly pleasures, another liberation, and yet another Divine Love.

Such is the greatness of Sanātan Dharma that it provides a path for every sincere seeker according to his or her spiritual aspiration.

Now consider this from another perspective.

In Christianity, it is said that Jesus taught, “If someone slaps you, offer him the other cheek.” This is presented as the ideal of forgiveness and humility.

What is the ideal presented in our own scriptures?

When Bhrigu Rishi kicked Bhagwān Vishnu on the chest, Bhagwān did not say, “Please kick Me again on the other side.” Instead, with folded hands and filled with compassion, He said, “Your tender feet must be bruised. My chest is very hard. Please forgive Me.”

Such is the depth of humility and Divine Love revealed in our tradition.

Now reflect for a moment. How many people in this world are truly capable of living such an ideal? How many can genuinely offer the other cheek, or respond with such humility, compassion, and love?

In the same way, how many people are truly qualified to follow the path of jñān?

To even begin walking that path, one must first possess the four essential qualifications known as Sādhana Chatuṣṭaya Sampatti. Yet, not only in our country but perhaps among billions of people in the world, only a handful may possess these qualifications.

Let us consider a practical example.

Imagine you are sitting here listening to a spiritual discourse. Suddenly someone arrives with devastating news: “The roof of your house has collapsed. Both your husband and your child have died.”

What would happen?

Most people would immediately cry out, “Forget the discourse!” and rush home.

But if you truly possessed the qualifications of a jñānī, you would calmly say, “Go. I will attend to it later. At this moment, I am listening to this discourse.”

Such is the extraordinary level of detachment, mental stability, and one-pointedness required for the path of knowledge.

One must first become highly qualified even to understand teachings concerning the formless Brahman.

This once again demonstrates the greatness of our scriptures. Every path has been described, and every path is valid for those who are qualified to follow it. Yet whatever your chosen spiritual goal may be, you should surrender to the Saint who has attained that very goal and make him your Guru.

At the same time, avoid becoming closely associated with Saints whose teachings are directed towards a different spiritual destination. Such conflicting associations may gradually become bad company for your own spiritual progress.

One Saint may teach: “Remain humble.”

Another may declare: “You are God. Repeat, ‘Soham, Soham’ (I am He).”

Yet another may instruct: “Repeat, ‘Dāso’ham’ (I am God’s servant).”

And still another may teach: “Repeat, ‘Sadāso’ham.'”

Each Saint teaches according to his own Divine realisation.

But what is the ordinary soul to understand?

Even a great scholar cannot reconcile these seemingly contradictory teachings merely through intellectual study. The scriptures themselves appear to say one thing in one place and the opposite elsewhere.

Only the God-realised Saints possess the direct experience necessary to reconcile these apparent contradictions and reveal the deeper harmony underlying them.

Without the guidance of a Guru whose realisation corresponds to our own spiritual aspiration, confusion and doubt inevitably arise.

For this reason, the true meaning of Guru is beautifully simple.

The one who, according to our spiritual goal and our inner longing for devotion, can bestow Divine benefit to us –  He is our GURU!

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education. To stay updated with all the news and events of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, visit www.jkp.org.in/jkpwhatsapp.