SRI GURU CHARITRA - DAILY PARAYANA

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM
Om Sri Sai Nathaya Namaha
Om Sri Gurudeva Dattatreyaya Namaha
Om Sri Sripada Sri Vallabhaya Namaha

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Translated by: Shri Poojya  Acharya Ekkirala Bharadwaja

Shree Guru Charitra

Introduction

My contact with the spiritual tradition of Lord Dattatreya was quite fortuitous, a discovery by chance. When I was collecting material for the comprehensive account of Sai Baba of Shirdi, I came across the experience of one Kusa Bhav...
Shri Sai Baba insisted that unless Kusa Bhav chose to give up his weird practices and leave off the power at the holy river Godavari, he would not allow the latter to come to him.... Kusa Bhav vacillated for some time and, after much inner struggle, had to give in.... Henceforth, Sai Baba allowed him to visit him at the mosque and instructed him to study Sree Guru Charitra 108 times and visit holy Gangapur now and then....

This incident drew my attention to Sree Guru Charitra as a potent means of winning the grace of a Perfect Master. Soon I discovered that the marathi texts which devotees study at Shirdi are those of this holy work. But none of the devotees knew English and I had no occasion to learn its contents for quite some time....

Again, in the course of my study of the life of Sree Sai Baba, I came across incidents, which demonstrate the spiritual identity of the great fakir with his equally great contemporary saint, Sree Swami Samarth, more popularly known as Sree Akkalkot Maharaj (1856-1878). Naturally, I was drawn to learn more about the latter and then I came to know that his life was a continuation of that of Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi, the second Avatar of Lord Dattatreya in this age, celebrated in Sree Guru Charitra.
I stumbled upon the subtleties of the Dattatreya Tradition no less fortuitously. Ever since I visited Shirdi (1963) and studied the marvelous life of Sree Sai Baba, I traveled extensively in search of such a SadGuru so that I could dedicate my whole life to his service….

After a few months, I visited Shirdi on a proposed stay of seven days. I wished to obtain Sai Baba’s guidance and clarification in this matter. On the second day, I was very strongly impelled to visit my old student who was working in Pune....

My friend was away at the office. So I left my bag in his house and went out, wishing to spend the time in going round the city till my friend’s return. Quite accidentally, I enquired at a wayside flower shop whether there was any great saint worth visiting in Pune. The shop keeper directed me to see later Sree Gulavani Maharaja, direct disciple of Sree Vasudevananda Saraswathi.

As soon as I entered the mutt, aged saint greeted me saying, "Oh, the child of Sai Baba has come!" I at once realized that I could get a reliable clarification for my problem from him. He heard my question and said, "What that learned speaker said is true of only those who attained Enlightenment through their effort. But Sai Baba of Shirdi is not such a one. He is the Avatar of Lord Dattatreya. He manifests himself to his worthy devotees even today in his physical form and guides them. You are on the right track. Go ahead " When I took leave of him, I asked Sree Gulavani Maharaj to give me any books that might help me in my quest.

At his call, a devotee gave me a sanskrit translation of Sree Guru Charitra and a book of Sanskrit verses in praise of Lord Dattatreya. "These are the only copies left with us. You are fortunate in getting them", said the devotee. At once I realized that Sai Baba had blessed me with three things; the solution of my doubt, a version of Sree Guru Charitra which I could read and for which I was longing; and the darshan and blessings of an eminent saint of the Datta tradition.

I was all happier to learn later that Sree Vasudevananda Saraswathi used to read Sree Guru Charitra every day and that this, along with his other devotional practices, had won for him the darshan of Lord Dattatreya in a vision and His direct initiation with a mantra. The present work is a free English rendering of this work. I was more fully impressed by the value of the book when I learned that a large number of devotees were divinely directed to resort Sree Akkalkot Maharaj as their Guru as a result of their devout study of Sree Guru Charitra.

Contd....

[Kavitaparna]

SHREE GURU CHARITRA

About the Work:

Sree Guru Charitra was first written by Sree Gangadhara Saraswathi in Marathi Language. The eminent Marathi scholar L.R. Pangarkar says that the first two incarnations of Lord Dattareya, Sree Sreepada Sreevallabha and Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi the two protagonists of the immortal work, had flourished in the 14th and the 15th centuries A.D. The original text recounts, in 53 chapters, the life and the teachings of the two incarnations in about 7000 verses. In the late nineteenth century, Vasudevananda Saraswathi, a famous saint of the Dattatreya Tradition, translated the work in sanskrit of equal numbers.

Later, he was told in a vision by Lord Dattatreya that details pertaining to matters of Hindu religious ritual, have infringed on the proper theme of the work, and was directed to abridge it into 2000 verses. The present translator and the Sanskrit pundit who had assisted in him in the reading the Sanskrit text were blessed with darshan and blessings of several great saints during and after the study and the translation of this Sanskrit work. This is quite in keeping with the subtleties of the Dattatreya tradition. The present English translator is still working hard to gather material about the historical background of the first two Avatars of Lord Dattatreya. He hopes to furnish the same in a more complete form in the subsequent editions of the work.

Contd....

[Kavitaparna]

SHREE GURU CHARITRA

The Purpose of Translation:

The present rendering into English is intended to serve a six-fold purpose.

Firstly, its study is a very effective means of contacting the deeper perennial springs of spiritual wisdom of all religions through proper attunement of our psyche…..

Secondly, in the form of Nrisimha Saraswathi, Lord Dattatreya has vowed to manifest himself amidst us in response to our loving call. In the modern age of cultural chaos and confusion of values, it will be of immense help to mankind, if a large number of noble aspirants for spiritual perfection, their own and that of their fellows come together in Spirit in a process self-attunement to the Eternal Spirit of Lord Datta through a widespread study of the work and, together all of them call upon the Spirit of the perennial Guru to manifest himself amongst us and guide us along the noble path.

Thirdly, as the life of Sai Baba of Shirdi, the latest, and the most complete manifestation of Lord Dattatreya, is the One Spirit that manifests Itself through all the Enlightened Spiritual teachers of today that belong to various nations and religions.

Fourthly, a diligent study of these works would educate the masses of devout souls to transcend the vicious, narrow barriers of religion and race and pray with the Vedic seers, "Let uplifting thoughts come to us from all directions."

Fifthly, these devotees would be sufficiently informed mic aspects are called Prakriti. The whole nature around us, from the distant nebulae and galaxies to the smallest "particles" and "fields" of modern Physics, constitutes Prakriti and its play.

At the end of active phase comes a state of total dissolution of all material existence and two states are figuratively described as the "sleep" and wakefulness" of Brahman, the Creator. In these are involved many sub-phases or cycles of time, called ‘Kalpas’, each bearing its own name.

The whole process of creation, of which man is a part, was presented as a spontaneous, joyful, creative process of self-fulfilling activity with no other aim or goal. Man can live in harmony with the rest of creation and with his own self (which is basically a manifestation of the cosmic or universal process). To the extent that he grows in this realization and he can thus transcend all those narrow, selfish concerns which shut out such understanding and which are, in their turn are products of lack of such an understanding.


Contd....

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

Continuation...

Guru and Disciple

As such man, with the help of this understanding has to inform and mould his every thought, word and deed with the urge to realize this wisdom. That is, understanding moulds thought, word and deed. Cultured thoughts, word and deeds actualize  understanding and thereby perfect it. Thus,…..

…….In the form of a chain reaction man enters the real relentless stream of divine creation towards self-harmonization and perfection, freeing himself from the cocoon of petty selfish drives or needs that are projected as natural and legitimate by his limited, clouded view of creation……

………It is on this basis that Sree Guru Charitra, maybe termed the glorification of the Guru, who is the Truth, the Way and the Life, and is worthy of being loved with all the strength of one’s soul and heart, as the Christ puts it. The proper conduct of a true disciple to the Guru, as depicted in the stories in Sree Guru Charitra would seem childish forms of self-enslavement, if this truth is not understood.

The details of a disciple’s conduct are not something that can be formally implemented, but they constitute the spontaneous experience of love. The joy of such love consists in acting it out, leaving it out. It is not the veneration of an individual called the Guru; it is the spontaneous realization of the essence of the Guru; it is wisdom-in-action that is the ultimate object of one’s own life’s struggle. In short, only such a one is a disciple and, to him, the Guru is all the Gods, all the holy places and the rest….

…….. We can see the parallelism between the ways of lives enjoined on a disciple and on an ideal wife (Pativrata) briefly in Sree Guru Charitra, and more elaborately in the Puranas and Smriti texts………


OM SAI RAM
Contd...

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

Continuation...

The assurance of Sree Guru that he would forever abide at Gangapur and go around the village for bhiksha at noon is literally true even today. It is customary for devotees visiting the holy place to go for bhiksha too. On my second visit to the place in 1975, while partaking of it under a tree, I remarked to a South Indian Sadhu who sat by me, that Sree Guru’s eternal presence there might be well-meant fabrication. At first, he seemed to doubt whether it would be worth the while to try to enlighten me.

Later, his attitude changed. He said, "Listen, I have been visiting this place for a few decades. Once, as I was devoutly reading Sree Guru Charitra at the Sangama, I suddenly felt that I should try or recognize him some day when he comes for bhiksha and seek his personal blessing. Accordingly, I studied the holy book with ever-greater zeal. At the same time, I began to observe every devotee that arrived there on days and visitors were the fewest, so that I can identify any other form in which Sree Guru might turn up for bhiksha. Day by day, my expectation grew to a high pitch, when at last it was like an ecstasy that gripped my being throughout the day. One night Sree Guru appeared in my dream as a pious brahmin and said in a stern voice, "Fellow, Don’t try to catch me amidst crowd of devotees. It is my secret and it does not behoove you to probe it." The next minute, I woke up and reflected on the dream. I could vividly remember that despite his form and appearance, I was sure that he was Sree Guru. Evidently, my zealous prayer and trail have evoked a response from him. Having come thus far in my effort, should I relent? I decide to press on till I achieved my object. Strangely enough from that day onwards, I never again experienced that sense of his presence, which swayed my whole being earlier. I was only quietly happy and assured that I was in sight of my success.

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURUCHARITRA

One day, the devotees at Gangapur were unusually fewer, and it was my best opportunity to observe and note them individually. At about 7.30 am, the moment I finished my dip in the river and came on the bank, I had a severe headache and high fever. I was feeling giddy and extremely weak. At once, I laid down under a tree and fell asleep. When I woke up at about 3.00 pm, I was quite well and very hungry. It was long past the hour of bhiksha.

Yet, as it was mine vow to live only on bhiksha I at once proceeded to a few houses and called out for the same. At all the places, I was told that there was nothing left to give me. At one house, when I doggedly pleaded, the master of the house was furious and said: "You seem to have come here only to fill your belly, you are a worthless Sadhu! When you came for the noon-bhiksha, I gave you a roti!".

I professed that I did not come for bhiksha that day at all. But a few passers by confirmed the man’s accusations. I had to give in and quietly walk away, crest-fallen and weak. I knew that something had happened that I should face such a ridiculous situation. That evening, I felt weak and lost all my appetite and slept very early. Again, the same brahmin appeared in my dream: Amidst laughter, he was telling his companions, how he had fooled me. At last, he said to me, ‘Yesterday, as you were asleep, I went in your form for bhiksha!’. Henceforth, I gave up my foolish attempt. Now I know that Sree Guru is hear and is quite responsive".

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURUCHARITRA

The Sadhu met me the next day and incidentally told me that a few decades ago, the priests at the Mutt on the eve of an important festival were cleaning the padukas of Sree Guru with water and coconut fiber. The later contained a small piece of coconut- shell. When the priest rubbed a little harder, there was a scratch on one of the padukas and blood oozed out of it. The priest were all scared and tried to stop it, but in vain. They panicked and sent word to His Holiness, Sree Vasudevananda Saraswathi who was then camping nearby. The holy one rushed to the Mutt and, when he chanted a few verses glorifying Sree Guru, the bleeding stopped.

"Would the padukas bleed again, if….", I asked. "Perhaps they would if the Lord chooses to bless you with such an experience!", the Sadhu replied. Indeed, experiences are personal and cannot be thus argued about. If we have such an experience, would it suffice another? Should we not put our hand to the plough and never turn back?

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURUCHARITRA

TO SPIRITUAL ASPIRANTS

Identifying and contacting a SadGuru, a Perfect Master, is a crux of the problem of spiritual evolution of man, both collective and individual especially in the present times, when the mass media and fanfare have made it more of a craze than a serious pursuit. Yet, fortunately for the serious-minded, there is hope and a clear way: the devout study of Sree Guru Charitra.

The phenomenon is analogous to that of remote control initially, leading to immediate personal contact: the gadget must be capable of receiving the remote commands; the seeker too has to evolve in himself, some potential which can respond positively to the subtle, all pervasive spiritual field of the Master. The study of Sree Guru Charitra does just this for us.

The Perennial Wisdom, as Aldows Huxley puts it, has affirmed with one voice, that Man is potentially the Spirit- ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within’. And it can be developed ad infinitum.

The study of Sree Guru Charitra focuses our inherently extrovert awareness on that spiritual potential in us, of which Sree Guru is an objective manifestation, and Archetype, a sort of reflector of our awareness on its original self. As we persevere diligently, our awareness gets oriented to his presence every moment of our life. At one stage, the message is strong and unmistakable: the goal, the Perfect Master is sighted. In its perpetual immediate presence, our potential matures and the seeker and the Sought, become One. Till then, Sree Guru Charitra is the Master, this end of this innate tie. And such a One never proclaims himself to the world. For him there is no world apart from his master, no seeking for disciples, and no need of constant reassurance of his credentials to anyone. The path may seem too long for some. But if one is genuinely interested in it, the pleasure of it is the journey; only such a one which is the goal. For it is not an outward journey spatial and temporal implication, but is an invert ripening. The fruit ripens through contact with the tree.


SAI RAM

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURUCHARITRA

The proper method of studying the text is to begin it on Thursday and to conduct it as below:

1) Keep a beautiful picture of Sree Dattatreya and/or of Sree Guru. Offer a light or a candle, joysticks, flowers and sandal paste.

2) Invoke His presence by chanting the verse in praise of the Guru, i.e. "Gurur Brahmaa…" meaning, "Guru is the creator (Brahma), the preserver (Vishnu) and the annihilator (Maheshwara): Guru is the Absolute Himself. Adoration’s to such a Guru".

3) Then offer a few pieces of candy to him, then read the book as follows:

4) The first day 7 chapters; second and third days, 4 chapters each. There after 2 chapters per day.

5) On the concluding day, feed three or at least one pious brahmin, Sadhu or a poor man.

6) We must look upon him as the form of Sree Guru. We keep reading like this over and over again.

7) One may read it once in three days or even a day, ardently seeking His guidance.

om sri sai ram

Dear Sai Bandhus,

The leela of Shree Guru has started in posting this it self

Without planning it self, we are going to start the actual text from tomorrow that is on Thursday. Let Shree Guru bless all us of always.

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

Om Shree Maha Ganapathaye Namaha
Shree Guru Charitra

Chapter 1

As long as we do not realize, the Supreme Self the universe looks frightening as a snake that is illusory projected onto a rope in darkness. The moment the self is realized, the illusory nature of phenomenon universe is experienced. Let us bow to the Guru who is the Reality, of the nature of Reality- Awareness-Bliss. The non-dual reality which manifests itself as the many to erring intellect, but which is realized to be One is indeed, the parabrahman and Lord Datta is it-the One who in His mercy, manifested Himself as Lord Datta, the son of sage Atri and Anasuya, to enable His devotees, Kartaveeryarjuna and King Yadhu, to realize the Self.

He again manifested Himself, as Sreepada SreeVallabha, and Sree Nrisimha Saraswathi to uplift His devotees. Even now, he responds to the calls of his loving mortals at the confluence of rivers, Krishna and Bheema has been perpetuating His mission. The One Self who manifested Himself as the multiple universe and entered its form is Lord Datta Himself. He can be realized through Gnana or knowledge. Those who transcend the duality of likes and dislikes born of sensory experiences of objects, through the power of discrimination get liberated from the strangle hold of ignorance. To such a one, only the Supreme Lord is the object of love. It is for the sake of such discriminating ones, that the Lord assumes the sporting form of human being. In every age, He thus manifests Himself and restores righteousness through the adherence to His own duties enjoined by the scriptures and then shuffles off His form.

In the cosmic cycle of the Day of Brahma, twenty-eight cycles of four Yugas (cosmic epochs) had passed in the Swetavarahakalpa. Having known that the cosmic deities become unresponsive in the wicked age of Kali, He again manifested Himself. He exists in the subtle form of a renunciate sage, manifesting His miraculous and divine sport at the confluence of the rivers Krishna and Amaraja. The glory of the manifestation of the divine is indescribable.

Even at the moment of his birth, He uttered the mystic syllable "Om" and by the mere touch of His hand he transmuted iron into gold. Even before he learnt alphabets, he taught the Vedas to his disciples and expounded the Vedanta to his parents in his childhood. Even at that young age, he visited the holy places of pilgrimage, practiced yoga and restored the tradition of renunciation to its pristine purity by his own practice. He cured the intestinal illness of his devotee by making him partake of the very food which is prohibited to such by medical science. He transformed a tongue-less man into elegant expounder of wisdom. He terminated the poverty of a Brahmin, by his mere blessing and he enabled him to visit three holy places in the wink of eye.

He revived the dead, made a barren cow yield milk. He conferred the vision of His cosmic form on his devotee, Trivikrama and humbled the pride of the learned. He made a devotee of low caste recite the Veda by his mere blessing. He terminated the widowhood of a lady and expounded the subtleties of karma yoga to a devotee. He made a withered twig grow into a tree and blessed a barren woman with offspring by his mere look. He cured one of leprosy.

He presented Himself in 8 forms simultaneously at the houses of His devotees on the holy day of Deepavali (the festival of lights). He transformed a farm that was prematurely harvested into one of plentiful yield. He performed and has been performing such miracles.

It may be possible to count the stars in the sky, the grains of sand on earth and the drops of water in the ocean, but not the infinite divine attributes of the Lord. Though He is a spirit without any form, he miraculously assumes a form and enters His devotee’s hearts through the gateway of his hearing and cleans his heart and liberates him in this very life from Ignorance.

Jai Sai Ram
Jai Gurudeva Datta

Contd....

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURUCHARITRA

Chapter I continuation....

The devotee who has transcended the dualism of joy and sorrow, whether he is free from his body or not, will surely attain perfection, the moment he works out the store of his karma called Prarabdha. This is a truth, which cannot be understood by those who do not bask in the association with the will, and who are thus blinded by the force of their infatuation and preoccupation with sensory pleasures.

Those who lead their lives according to the form of righteousness that is enjoined by scriptures; in accordance with their innate tendency; and those who have faith and devotion in the deities and saints; those who thus ever live in the light of their discrimination, are free from the false sense of agency in actions and free from craving for the fruits of their actions, are true renunciates who attain both divine security in life and liberation afterwards.

Having listened to such a noble and glorious account of the manifestations of Sree Guru, a brahmin by name Namadharaka Sharma who, disillusioned with the cravings of mundane existence, ever lived, devoting all his life to contemplation and glorification of the noble qualities of the Guru, arrived at the confluence of the rivers Beema and Amaraja, Thereby he realized the Lord. With the single object of directly contacting the Divine self of the Guru, he worshipped Lord Ganeswara in order to ward off impediments in his endeavor and Goddess Saraswathi, in order to obtain right knowledge. Then, he at last succeeded in achieving his object by glorifying the Guru who reached out to him in the form of the story of his Divine Sport, recounted by a living human form.

JAI SREE GURUDEVADATTA

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURUCHARITRA

Chapter I
Continuation....

Namadharaka glorified the divinity of Sree Guru thus:

"Oh, All-knowing one! Don’t you know me? Oh, witness of the whole universe, don’t you see me? Oh, all - pervading one, don’t you hear my cry? Or, even though you have heard me do you choose to ignore me? If you know what I am, why does my despair still persist? If you have listened to my cries, why does my misery persist? In case you ignore me, is it proper for you to ignore your devotees? It is not proper for you to mean that I should resort to some other deity; for you are the One Spirit and Lord of all deities. Moreover, you are our ancestral deity, how could I leave you and seek the protection of some other deity?

I know that you are my Lord. Or, you being the Supreme, do you ignore me, because I am one, but one among thee myriad creatures-just as a king is known to all his subjects, but he does not know everyone of them individually? This may be possible in the case of a little-knowing mortal of a king, but it cannot be so in your case. For oh!Lord, you are all knowing. If you say that you would grace me in return for my service or through offerings of charity, it is not proper. He who does well only in return for some service cannot be a true giver. Such a one is indeed a selfish giver. Just as the Sun affords light and the Lord of clouds showers rain without expecting any return, you have bestowed your grace on sage Dhruva and Vibheeshana and bestowed the highest spiritual state on them. In a similar fashion, may you bestow on me your blessed vision!

The nine types of treasures and the eight super natural powers are your servants. Can you need anything? What is it that I can offer you? You are ever full. What can I do for you? Even ordinary kings on earth ever protect their servants. Oh you, sustainer of the whole universe, you have already received my worship. Why do you ignore me? Oh, Lord of all deities, are you pained at some failing of mine, it is not proper for you who are the abode of grace, to be so. Even a human mother does not mind if a child kicks her with his feet. Always the one or the other of the human parents protects their parents. You are the Father and the Mother of the whole creation. If you, who are my Father and Mother, are not merciful to me, I am helpless.

It is not proper for you to say that you have withheld your mercy from me owing to my failings. For, all my actions are prompted by ignorance. Such is my innate nature. I am doomed to do all those things, which I condemn as bad. Do you say that I should undo them by contrary righteous action? If most of my actions are holy and only a few of them are unholy, it is not possible for me to rectify them through praayaschitta (penitentiary actions). Indeed, even such penitentiary actions are afraid of me. Even as a cow is afraid of a tiger, how is it possible to remove the blackness of blackgram? Even, so how can japa and Dhyana purify me who am the very form of sin?

Oh Lord, there is no sinner like me and there is no destroyer of Sin like you. Therefore, give up your indifference towards me. Oh Lord, and protect me who have no other refuge. Even flint seems to melt with kindness at my cry of despair. What happened then, to your mercy, Oh merciful Lord? Why don’t you protect me, who am a slave of death?"

He started fasting unto death. One day he wandered about and, finally fell asleep under a tree. He had a blissful dream in which he saw a great wandering yogi. He had matted hair and besmeared his body with holy ash. He wore a tiger skin and he wore rosaries of Rudraksha in his neck and on his arms. The very sight of the holy one had completely quenched the blazing fire and his longing to see Sree Guru. With tears of joy Namadharaka prostrated before the holy one and bathed his sacred feet in his tears of joy and wiped with his own long hair. The yogi raised him up, blessed him by keeping his hand on Namadharaka’s head and put holy ash on the latter’s forehead.

JAI SAI RAM
END OF I CHAPTER

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

Shree Guru Charitra

Chapter 2

When Namadharaka woke up, his dream had infused in him a determination to contact that avadhuta on the physical plane. He wandered about, deeply meditating on the form he saw in his dream. At last, He saw a yogi who was merciful and who transcended the dualities like joy and sorrow. Indeed, he was the same yogi who appeared in his dream.

Namadharaka was thrilled to see him and the hair on his body stood up on end. With a quivering voice, he hailed the holy one thus: "Lord! You are my father, mother, protector, teacher, and dispelled of fear. Whither are you going? It is my good fortune that you have appeared to me now. Fellow human beings flock around one only in time of his prosperity and desert him in times of misery. Only the holy ones come, when he is in distress to his rescue. You are my all in all. And I am disillusioned with all worldly ties. I have realized the five miseries that afflict the mortals. I am one Namadharaka.

I am desperately in search of Sri Guru and I am determined even to lay down my life in the search. It is not possible for every one to dispel my deep despair. But at the very sight of you, my heart is filled with bliss. I therefore knew that only you could ward off my misery". The Siddha (the perfect one) replied " I am the disciple of Sree Guru whose devotees are ever assured of both physical sustenance during their life and spiritual liberation. He ever abides later on the bank of the river Bheema. He is beyond the reach of the three modes of existence (thrigunas) and his true nature can be perceived only by yogis in their meditation. I have attained realization by the grace of Sree Guru and wander about this earth for the welfare of all beings. I am known as Siddha, (the perfect)."

Namadharaka said, "Lord! Your teacher Sree Guru is indeed our ancestral deity. I have been serving him with faith and devotion. How is it that he has been throwing me in this ocean of misery?" Siddha replied, "My son, even when others are angry with us, the Guru ever protects us, His devotees. If, indeed as you say, He were ever to get angry with us, there is none who can protect us from his wrath. Even when an ordinary mortal of a Guru is angered, none can protect us. It looks as though you are estranged from the Guru for such a breach in your trust. He who is doubting and faithless is never accepted by anyone as a disciple. Then who can grace him who has no faith in Sree Guru himself and who is therefore ignored by Him".

JAI SAI RAM
Contd....

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

Shree Guru Charitra

Chapter 2 Continuation....

Siddha replied at length, "Long long ago, the non-dual Supreme Self wished to manifest Himself as the many. That wish is the Lord’s Maya, the divine creative power. When he was in the sleep of yogic trance, the whole cosmos was created by the power of maya.

From the navel of Lord Vishnu emanated a divine lotus, from which sprang Brahma, the creator. Knowledge of vedas was bestowed on Him by Vishnu. In accordance with the vedic wisdom, Brahma projected the Universe. He also created the natural classification of the various codes of conduct for castes (varna) and the four stages (ashrama) of human life, to suit the human beings endowed with different propensities. He also created the cycle of the four yugas or universal epochs.

Of these Kritayuga is symbolized by the principles of truth, dispassion, wisdom and religious sacrifice. The intricacies and details of yagna or religious sacrifice characterize the Tretayuga (the third, when counted in the reverse order from the age of kali, and which is thrice as long as the age of kali). The Dwapara epoch is weapon-wielding. Kali age has its tongue and genitals prominently displayed signifying the preoccupations of the age. He is dirty as a ghoul.

The krita or Satya yuga is 17,28,000 years long.
The Treta is 12, 96,000 years.
The Dwapara is 8,64,000 years.
The Kali age is 4,32,000 years in extent.

So did the Lord ordain. Now listen to the story of the Guru, which was narrated by Brahma, the creator, to Kali, the spirit of dark age, on the eve of its advent on earth.

Kali said, "Lord! How can I ever hope to enter the earthly realm of existence which is inhabited by those who are righteous? My mind despairs even on hearing it. I am the breaker of the bridge of righteous. I am the inspirer of grief, dispute, hate and the fire of craving. Even my brother is ever allied to lust and anger and he is dear to me as my very life. The godless, the unrighteous and the non-observer for religious vows are my very life. All the righteous ones in the Indian peninsula are my enemies. My very life is threatened at the sight of those who serve the Guru, the deities, righteous brahmins and their own parents. Even the very sight of a yogi or a sage is as unbearable to me".

Brahma replied "You enter the mundane life of men through their instinctive propensities for sense-pleasures. The average life span of a human being in the Kali age is 100 years. Anyone can attain perfection at any time during his lifetime. So, don’t leave him. But your evil tendencies will not be able to touch those who are devoted to the Guru, God, deities and righteous Brahmins, and especially those who are devoted to the Guru, just as water cannot moisten a lotus leaf. Even the gods cannot harm one who is devoted to the Guru".

Jai Sai Ram
Contd....

[Kavitaparna]

OM SRI SAI RAM

SHREE GURU CHARITRA

Chapter 2......

Even Kali asked him surprised, "Lord! Why is the Guru superior to the gods and why is the devotee of a Guru unconquerable even for the gods? Has this truth been ever demonstrated? If so, may you narrate the incident". Brahma said: "Oh Kali, it is impossible to acquire wisdom without a Guru. Even the gods achieve their objects through devotion to the Guru. Once upon a time, there lived a sage named Vedadharma, on the banks of river Godavari. He had numerous disciples. Once he wished to test their devotion and said, "My beloved disciples, I have burnt out a major portion of my previous sins through my austerity. Yet a little of it remains. And I have to patiently bear its consequence in the form of a disease and live at the holy city of Kasi. Who among you is willing to attend on me during that period? He who is willing has to wash body every day and ward off flies, as I will have to suffer from severe leprosy. All the disciples were afraid and kept silent. But one of them by name Deepaka, came forward and said, "Oh, my Guru! No impurity should be allowed to impede you from attaining liberation. I shall willingly undergo that suffering in your stead. May you permit me to do so." "No my son, I alone shall suffer for my sins. It cannot be taken over by my disciples. If you can, you serve me, said the Guru. Deepaka assented and accompanied his Guru Vedadharma to Kasi.

There the Guru was overtaken by leprosy and the disciple started serving him. The sores covered the whole of the Guru’s body and he became blind. Also, he lost all sense of propriety in his actions. Often he used to get angry with the disciple and beat him. He used to demand food and service at odd hours. and he used to trouble Deepaka if he failed to furnish the same. In his agony, the Guru often got wild and threw away the food , Deepaka got by begging, saying that it was bad and demanded good food. When the disciple set out for alms, the Master used to call him back saying, ‘My body is covered with filth and urine and flies will trouble me. Stupid, where do you want to go, leaving me like this?" When Deepaka got ready to wash his body, the Guru prevented him saying, ‘I am dying of hunger, you wicked fellow! Don’t you know that you have to feed me first?’ Sometimes, after partaking of the food brought by his disciple he would tenderly say, ‘Son, you are worn out in serving me; lie down and sleep for a while.’ But by the time Deepaka fell asleep, he would yell, ‘You rascal, get up! How dare you sleep peacefully when I am hungry? Go and get me food!’ In spite of such severe testing, the disciple served him; cheerfully for he believed that his Guru was the supreme Lord incarnate. He willingly sacrificed his sleep and food in serving his Master. He believed that the washings of the Guru’s feet were as holy as Ganges water and he never thought of anything else even for a moment.

Charmed by the devotion of Deepaka, Lord Vishvanadha (Shiva) of Kasi appeared before him and volunteered to offer a boon and commanded him to ask for anything he liked. Deepaka said, "Lord, What do I gain by seeking a boon for myself? I shall find out from my Guru whether he would be pleased to allow me to pray for his health", and promptly reported the matter to Vedadharma. The latter grew wild and said, "I shall work out my sins only through suffering and I do not need any other means. Have you adopted this strategy in order to spare yourself the trouble of serving me?"

Contd....
Jai Sai Ram