India has been the sacred land where Gurus have taken birth for hundreds of years. It is the land of Ganga, Ganapati and Gita. It is in this sacred land that the Guru is worshipped like God himself. The date is set aside to remember, worship, and thank the Guru for having shown the disciple the path to salvation. In every spiritual tradition of the world there have been teachers who have lived and left teachings for mankind to follow.
India has the Guru-Shishya Parampara from the ancient times, and I feel that I am blessed in this life to have GuruMaa as my Guru. I have known GuruMaa for over three decades, as I changed from a single Mita Ghosh, to a married Mita Bakshi, to being a mother of 2 sons, and finally being initiated by GuruMaa as MokshPriya. I have also seen GuruMaa change from being Mrs. Lunavat to Didi to GuruMaa to Mahamandleshwar to Pratham Parvatyacharya. My love, affection and respect for GuruMaa has only grown over the years as we have transformed our lives. I am still living in material attachments, while pursuing my Bhakti and spiritual goals, whereas She has had an amazing journey in Her devotion to Hanumanji and building Vedic Heritage.
This Guru Purnima, GuruMaa was in India and I made one more journey to seek blessings from my GuruMaa. April 6th 2009 was celebrated by the disciples of Gurumaa around the world. She was initiated into her path by two Gurus. Her SatGuru was Acharya Vishwanathdev Sarma and her Sanayas Guru was Shri Shri Vedvyasnath Ji Maharaj of Rishikesh. Both blessed Gurumaa but the effort to reach Her goal was Hers alone. Single-minded effort and faith in Guru and Lord Hanuman is what enabled Her to reach Her destination to become the Guru to all of us. Since 2009 Gurumaa has decided to return permanently to India the land of Her birth and the Karma Kshetra of many enlightened beings. This Guru Poornima the venue for the celebrations was the Chandraloka Hotel in Lonavala. The stage was set for a beautiful evening of Guru Paad Puja, Music, Prasad and most importantly Guru Gyan and Kripa. Each year, Rajendra Jain comes with his musical entourage of musicians and he enthralled us with his renditions of Bhajans filled with Bhakti Rasa. He shared personal experiences with Gurumaa from the early days in Calcutta and New York. He is a disciple of Gurumaa and never fails to express his love and gratitude to Her. Rajendra sings the glory of Guru and God from the depths of his heart. We all wish to thank you for such a memorable experience. Followed by the music we proceeded to perform “Paad – Puja” which is an action of devotion where the disciples of the Guru worship the feet of the Guru with water, rice, flower and kumkum. The Lotus feet of our Guru is the repository of spiritual energy.
When the disciples worship the feet of the Guru they do so with humility and must leave aside their ego. When done with devotion, the sparks of divine energy flow from the Guru to the Shishya. While the Paad Puja took place Gurumaa was in deep Dhyana. Her right hand held in the Abhaya Mudra of blessings! A wooden Charan Paduka made of Sweth Ark wood was placed upon which She placed Her feet. Her eyes remained closed and She remained in Her inner world perhaps worshipping Gurudev in the Holy Heavens. The five recipients of this year’s initiation were Sangita Lunavat who was given the name of Gurupriya, Pawan and Minoo Shivastava who were given their names as Ayush Mitra and Ayush Priya. Saroj Makharia was blessed with the name of Anjanipriya and Pramila of Baroda was given her new name, Ahuti Priya. They all gave offerings of white pieces of clothing for their Guru.
Gurumaa announced that two people, although not her initiated disciples, but her loved ones who had already received Sparsh Diksha were Pushpa Khandelwal and Gulab Purohit. The Guru is able to look deep into your soul and can bless you either by look or touch or even in your dream state. Even after leaving the earthly body the Guru is able to infuse Her energy and grace into a deserving disciple. The spiritual energy of a realized Guru transcends space and time. Gurumaa received many phone calls and letters from devotees in India and abroad. Gunjanpriya, Marutipriya sent her letters and cards expressing their devotion and love. Even if She was unable to express Her thanks to those who called her on Guru Poornima this article is her mouth piece to say how touched She was with your love and devotion. The outer form of the Guru must fade in time. But the teachings, guidance, and direction given by the Guru is for the disciple to follow with sincerity. When you reach out to your Guru, the Guru’s hand is ever ready to help you cross the ocean of life. Guru is within your heart always, and this is what we must remember without fail. Seek and your will find. How true are these words spoken hundreds of years ago. They still ring true to all the blessed souls who seek the Lord through their Guru. Many younger people who have not known Gurumaa may like to understand and follow her teachings.
Gurumaa has taught us to how to live a disciplined life by following Her example. Rise with the Sun or even before the sun rises. Outer Suddhi or purification is very important. So we need to have a bathe before prayers. Puja Viddhi is simple. Just try to follow the Mantras she has outlined in her book. Vegetarian diet is very important and abstinance from alcohol and other drugs. If you have faith in any divine form, then worship that without flittering from one form to the other. Have implicit faith in the grace and guidance of the Guru. We can serve the Guru by service, self-surrender, and Sraddha. Without faith and devotion, worship is meaningless. It becomes a mechanical activity. Love God with all your heart and soul. Love until it hurts, said Mother Teresa. Surrender your actions to the divine and let him be your guide. In other words, tame your EGO. It is your EGO which usually is the stumbling block. Try to remove it. The easiest way according to Gurumaa is by chanting the Hanuman Chalisa as often as you can. It removes the dirt and dust accumulated in the mirror of your soul. See Baba in each one of his creations. Make him your best friend and speak your heart out to him. In short, just love God and he will respond to you surely. Lastly, Gurumaa has always believed in devotion and also Purusharth. We have to make the effort, and let God decide on the results. Make work an act of worship. Gurumaa's life is an example for us to follow. This is my personal humble offering to Gurumaa. Any failings are mine alone.
May Gurumaa accept us with all our frailties and help us seek the Lord in our hearts. Jai Sri Hanuman!