How should one receive the Guru at one's home?

Contents

• 1. Inviting the Guru to one’s home
  • 1.1 Whom does the Guru visit?
  • 1.2 What should one do when the Guru comes to one’s home?
• 2. One should not make the Guru an invalid
• 3. The behaviour of a disciple staying at a place of pilgrimage (tirthakshetra) along with the Guru
  • 3.1 The real place of pilgrimage (tirthakshetra) from the disciple’s viewpoint
• 4. One should not tell the Guru anything
• 5. A function in the Guru’s home
  • 5.1 The spiritual mission
• 6. The Guru’s illness and renunciation of His body
  • 6.1 Treatment during the Guru’s illness
  • 6.2 The inability of the disciple to do anything
  • 6.3 A disciple cannot undergo the Guru’s suffering
  • 6.4 Going to pay obeisance (darshan) to the Guru when He is ill
  • 6.5 The errors a disciple should avoid
  • 6.6 The gradual stepwise changes in the disciple’s attitude
  • 6.7 The Guru’s renunciation of His body
• 7. One should not sit on the Guru’s seat
• 8. Behaviour with the Guru after the disciple has attained Absoluteness (Purnatva)

1. Inviting the Guru to one’s home

1.1 Whom does the Guru visit?

‘Should the disciple visit the Guru or should the Guru visit the disciple? Why should Baba visit someone who does not visit Him for reasons like leave not being sanctioned at the workplace, crowded trains, family problems, etc. Baba feels like visiting only those who visit Him inspite of all such obstacles. Besides when one says “come over to our place” the emotion that “this house is mine” is in the mind. The Guru does not like that. One should harbour the spiritual emotion (bhav) that “this is the Guru’s home. He will come whenever He wishes”.’ ⁽¹⁾, and that ‘I am living in the Guru’s house’. If one maintains this spiritual emotion then the Guru Himself visits one without an invitation and even moves freely in and around the house. Harbouring the spiritual emotion that ‘this is the Guru’s home’ some disciples put the name plate of the Guru instead of one’s own on the main door of the house while others inscribe the Guru’s Name on home appliances. Still others name their house or even their children after the Guru’s organisation (sanstha) instead of His Name.

1.2 What should one do when the Guru comes to one’s home?

A. When the Guru comes home one should decorate the house with flowers, lit lamps and by elegantly drawing designs on the floor with special white powder and colours (rangoli). One should remember Saint Tukaram Maharaj’s quote, “The day saints come home is in itself the day of Divali or Dasara”. This also facilitates the development of spiritual emotion towards the Guru. Just before His expected arrival one should keep half a cup (vati) of milk, a tumbler of lukewarm water to wash His feet and a towel to wipe them, at the entrance. Similarly, a platter containing sandalwood paste (gandha), turmeric (haldi), vermilion (kumkum), consecrated rice (akshata), flowers, a lamp (niranjan) with clarified butter and an offering of some sweetmeat or sugar should be kept ready for performing His arti (the ritual of waving lit lamps).

    One should wait on the road to receive the Guru at the scheduled time of His arrival. When He arrives one should escort Him to one’s home with honour. One should enter the house before Him and request Him to step onto a wooden platform (pat) placed outside the threshold of the door. Then one should pour milk from the cup (vati), on His feet with the left hand and with the right hand rub the milk onto them. Keeping the cup of milk aside one should pour lukewarm water from the tumbler over His feet with the left hand and they should be washed with the right hand. In cities, due to tiled flooring there is a likelihood of collection of water. So instead of a wooden platform the Guru should be requested to stand on a big plate (parat). At such times His feet should be washed only with a spoonful of milk and then with water. Since there is a likelihood of the milk and water accumulating in the plate and of making the Guru’s feet greasy, less milk should be used. The Guru should then be requested to take one or two steps with wet feet and then they should be wiped with a towel. The big toes of both the feet should then be ritualistically worshipped in the usual way, with sandalwood paste, consecrated rice, flowers, turmeric powder and vermilion. This worship should be repeated on the forehead of the Guru, midway between the eyebrows and He should either be offered a flower or should be garlanded. Then He should be offered arti with a lit lamp (niranjan) waved around His head thrice. Finally a pedha or any other sweetmeat should be offered or fed to Him. Lastly, offering obeisance (namaskar) He should be escorted to His seat or room in the house.

    If the Guru looks tired after a long journey then instead of making Him stand at the doorstep He should be offered a seat in the house and then worshipped ritualistically. If He is very tired then instead of worshipping Him immediately one should allow Him to rest. Ritualistic worship can be performed after sometime.

    However, when doing all this one should remember the basic point that rather than external decoration, doing spiritual practice as advised by the Guru is more important. The Guru is appeased faster with internal decoration, that is with one’s spiritual practice rather than with external decoration. The importance of decorating the house when the Guru comes, preparing His favourite dishes, etc. is not even 1% in contrast to doing the spiritual practice advised by Him, which is of 100% importance.

B. Throughout the duration of His stay at one’s place the Guru should be worshipped every morning just like other deities. If not the entire ritual atleast sandalwood paste (gandha) and vermilion (kumkum) should be applied to the Guru’s forehead. Since it is important to serve the Guru when He is staying at one’s place one often does not find time to ritualistically worship the Guru’s photographs and deities as usual. Then it does not matter if one does not perform that worship. If possible one may also ask someone else to do so. When the Guru is departing from one’s home vermilion should be applied on His forehead and He should be offered arti with a lit lamp (niranjan). Whatever offering one makes to the Guru should be preferably done when He is worshipped either on arrival or before departure. If that is not possible then it may be done during worship on any other day during His stay.

C. One should take leave from the workplace and remain with Him constantly.

D. Water for His bath and His clothes should be kept ready. After His bath He should be ritualistically worshipped as described above by applying sandalwood paste (gandha) to His forehead and offering flowers and consecrated rice (akshata) at His feet.

E. Separate towels for wiping His face and hands and feet should be kept. After He washes His face and hands, He should be offered the towel meant for wiping His face and hands. His feet should be wiped outside the bathroom if He happens to stand there or otherwise after He sits down.

F. The meals prepared for Him should include His favourite dishes and should be in accordance with the dietary restrictions that He follows. If one is unaware of what they are then one should ask one of His close disciples. After the meal He should be offered water to wash His hands and a towel to wipe them.

G. One should wash the Guru’s clothes oneself and iron them as well. One should not get them washed from a servant or ironed in a laundry.

H. When fanning the Guru it should coincide with His or one’s own breath and should not be mechanical like the electric fan which operates without any spiritual emotion.

I. One should welcome everyone accompanying the Guru cordially.

J. When the Guru comes home, with His permission one should invite the other disciples of the Guru and also those who like to pay their respects (darshan) to saints. All those coming for the Guru’s darshan should be offered tea, snacks and meals courteously. Their accomodation, etc. too should be looked after. This is because they have come to visit the Guru and are not one’s unwanted guests! [Refer to the point ‘Visiting a disciple’ in ‘Science of Spirituality : Chapter 6 - Path of Guru’s Grace (Gurukrupayoga)’.]

2. One should not make the Guru an invalid

Bringing the car to the doorstep, keeping a toothbrush and water for brushing teeth by the bedside, fetching water to wash hands after a meal, lifting His luggage, etc. make the Guru become physically inactive and weak. The disciple should see that the Guru gets atleast some exercise. Thus, He remains healthy and there are less chances of His falling ill. Though the Guru is unaffected by His illness, if He remains in good health it proves beneficial to the disciple itself!’
                                        - H. H. Jiji (wife of H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj)

3. The behaviour of a disciple staying at a place of pilgrimage (tirthakshetra) along with the Guru

Never embark on a pilgrimage to a holy place
like Kashi or visit a temple of The Lord without serving
the Guru. - 2:203.

Do not go on a pilgrimage, to a temple, care for the
physical body or pay a visit to someone. Serve none
other than the Guru as The Supreme Brahman,
incessantly. - 2:204.
                                     - Shri Gurucharitra

3.1 The real place of pilgrimage (tirthakshetra) from the disciple’s viewpoint

‘When an average person who has incidentally realised the importance of fulfillment of human life acquires the satsang (holy company) of a devotee of The Lord and thus undertakes spiritual practice he progresses from the gross dimension to the subtle study of Spirituality and acquires pure spiritual intellect. At such a moment he develops an intense yearning for Liberation and realising that without the acquisition of a Sadguru there is no salvation, he sacrifices everything and goes in search of the Guru. During this process there comes a moment when the seeker gets very exhausted in his search and The Lord fearing that he will die if he does not meet the Guru assumes the form of his Sadguru and appears before him. On seeing the much desired Guru he feels gratified, that is he achieves quiescence. Feeling gratified is the very nature of the mind. His embodied soul disappears and his life gets transformed. Such a disciple himself becomes a holy place (kshetra)’.
                                                   - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon

4. One should not tell the Guru anything

‘A disciple should listen to the Guru and not tell Him anything. If one expects the Guru to listen to oneself then it is as if one feels one is superior to Him.’⁽²⁾ One should not tell the Guru anything regarding his food, medicines, rest, etc. A seeker had printed ‘no presents please’ on his wedding invitation. However, it was cancelled on the card offered to the Guru. On being questioned about it he replied, “How can I tell the Guru what He should do?” (This probably expresses the spiritual emotion that the disciple wants everything from the Guru!)

5. A function in the Guru’s home

If there is some function like a wedding, etc. in the Guru’s home, one should consider it to be one’s own.

5.1 The spiritual mission

A month before the 1993 Gurupournima, a Guru told His disciples about the expense they would incur at the Gurupournima celebrations. The expenditure was estimated to be sixty-five thousand rupees but there were funds of only forty-five thousand rupees. The very next day a disciple sent ten thousand rupees with the feeling, ‘From where will the Guru fetch so much money? I should do whatever I can to help.’ Others merely listened to the statement of accounts and forgot about it.

6. The Guru’s illness and renunciation of His body

6.1 Treatment during the Guru’s illness

If a Guru is in a coma during an illness, one should give Him the treatment prescribed by allopathic or Ayurvedic doctors. However, if He is conscious and refuses to take treatment or refuses to follow the dietary restrictions, one should listen to Him (the Guru).

6.2 The inability of the disciple to do anything

‘Once when Baba suffered a heart attack disciples of His who were doctors made three attempts to record His electrocardiogram (E.C.G.), against His (Baba’s) wishes. The machine failed all the three times. Thus, Baba taught that none of His disciples could do anything against His wishes.’⁽³⁾

6.3 A disciple cannot undergo the Guru’s suffering

When a disciple says, ‘I will undergo Your suffering’ the Guru tells him -

My sins are mine; they are not for my sons and disciples,
If I do not undergo them with this body they
will not get nullified. -Shri Gurucharitra 2:177

6.4 Going to pay obeisance (darshan) to the Guru when He is ill

When the Guru falls ill both, going to pay respects to Him in the ashram or waiting outside the hospital, both are meaningless. When H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj fell ill, everyday about five hundred people had to be served meals in the ashram. When He was admitted to a hospital, arrangement of meals had to be made for about two hundred people. This causes unnecessary strain on the seekers serving in the ashram. Besides, the Guru does not get sufficient rest required during the illness due to the flow of visitors and His worrying whether each one has had a proper meal. To avoid this, with the faith that curing His illness lies in His hands alone, one should continue one’s spiritual practice wherever one is. At the most, one may inquire about His health on phone or through letters.

The reasons why most people go to pay respects (darshan) to the Guru when He is seriously ill are:

• If the Guru passes away, one will not be able to pay respects (darshan) to Him again.

• What will happen to me?

Both these thoughts are erroneous. The Guru exists and will continue to be so. He will certainly meet one in future. The Guru refers to the Guru principle. The Guru principle is eternal and will definitely take care of all disciples.

6.5 The errors a disciple should avoid

When the Guru was ill an individual wrote a letter to the Guru, just as he would write to any other person. It said,

• ‘One has to undergo one’s destiny’(!) How will the disciple know whether the Guru’s illness is due to His destiny or due to some other cause? One cannot decipher the cause-effect relationship in one who is more evolved than oneself.

• ‘I pray to The Almighty for Your speedy recovery’(!) The Guru and God are one and the same. Since he had no faith in this, he wrote in the above manner. If one does write at all, then instead of this, one may write: ‘You are Omnipotent. Grant me the strength to endure the grief of Your illness’.

6.6 The gradual stepwise changes in the disciple’s attitude

A. Repeatedly telling the Guru the importance of taking medicines prescribed by the allopathic or Ayurvedic doctors, about following dietary restrictions, etc.

B. If the Guru refuses to take medicine or refuses to follow dietary restrictions, one should observe His illness and treatment with the stance of a spectator (sakshibhav), realising that He is Omniscient and Omnipotent.

C. Giving medicine by analysing through meditation, that is analysing in the subtle dimension: During Baba’s illness doctors who were His devotees were treating Him. Dr. Jayant Athavale used to request Baba to take the medicines prescribed by them. However, Baba continued to become frail day by day. One day Baba said, “You treat me like a stranger. Treat me like a family member. You administer medicines to me like a nurse. You should give them to me taking my constitution into consideration.” Then analysing through meditation Dr. Athavale reduced the dosage of the medicines. From that day Baba’s condition started improving. (The doctors thought that He had recovered with their treatment!) This is as though Baba had worsened His illness just to teach him!

D. Realising that ‘one cannot do anything' and praying to Him to recover: Once Baba was very seriously ill. He was not responding to any kind of treatment. Then Dr. Jayant Athavale silently prayed to Him, “Baba, You had once prayed to Purnapurushottamacharya whom You considered Your Guru, to recover from His illness and He had recovered. I am praying to You in the same way. Please get well.” The next morning onwards Baba’s condition suddenly started improving and on the third day Baba had recovered completely.

6.7 The Guru’s renunciation of His body

A. After getting the news that the Guru has renounced His body the disciple should leave aside all his chores and as an expression of his gratitude should go to pay his last respects to the Guru. This is akin to a son who goes for the last rites of his father.

     The disciples attending the Guru’s last rites are classified in the following three categories.

• Those attached to the Guru’s physical body.

• Those going to express gratitude.

• Those going to set an example to others.

B. H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj has said:

• ‘If you are compassionate to even those who abuse, beat or murder Me then I will think that My Guru has prepared you well.

  The implied meaning: Abusing, beating, murder, etc. are all from the Great Illusion (Prakruti). Realising this, instead of expressing anger towards the doer if one feels compassion for him just like the compassionate Lord then it is an indicator of a disciple’s real progress.

• What is the identity of the disciple who weeps when the Guru renounces His body?

  The implied meaning: A disciple attached to the Guru’s gross body will weep when the Guru renounces His body but the one who loves the Guru principle continues to do spiritual practice and makes spiritual progress even after the Guru’s renunciation of His body.’⁽⁴⁾

C. Normally after touching a corpse one has to bathe because it amounts to the act of seeing a corpse (shavadarshan). However, when one touches the Guru’s dead body, one does not have to bathe as it is a vision of The Supreme God (Shiv) itself (Shivdarshan).

D. Information on how energy is expelled from the Guru’s body when He is renouncing it, what happens to it, etc. is given in ‘Science of Spirituality: Chapter 6 - Path of Guru’s Grace (Gurukrupayoga), point - Guru’s renunciation of the body’.

7. One should not sit on the Guru’s seat

‘Baba used to spend at the most fifteen to twenty days every year in Kandli. At times, Baba sat on the swing over there. When Dr. Jayant Athavale visited Kandli five years ago, he felt like sitting on the swing. Two to three minutes after doing so, he felt nauseated. He thought that this was because he was unaccustomed to sitting on a swing. The next time, no sooner did he sit on the swing (without swinging it) than he developed heaviness in the head and slipped into meditation. Instead of narrating what he felt after sitting on the swing, he asked seven to eight seekers attending his spiritual workshops to “describe their experience after sitting on the swing”. Each one experienced some sort of distress. From that spiritual experience, all were convinced that if a swing that the Guru uses so rarely can have so much energy that a seeker with the ability to perceive sensations of the subtle dimension is unable to tolerate, then how great the one who can ascend the seat which is constantly used by the Guru will have to be!’⁽⁵⁾

8. Behaviour with the Guru after the disciple has attained Absoluteness (Purnatva)

A. ‘One disciple, after being fulfilled by serving his Guru, became steady in the natural state of communion with The Lord (sahajavastha). When the Guru and disciple were all by themselves, Shri Guru asked the disciple, “First you were ignorant. Was it not I who vanquished your ignorance and endowed you with the realisation of Brahman?”. The respectful disciple did not speak as he felt that his statement of truth would offend the Guru. Then Shri Guru said, “Do not bother about being respectful towards me now. There is no one around here. Speak the truth. That will please Me.” After the Guru’s repeated coaxing, the disciple was convinced that Shri Guru expected him to express his true feelings and that only that would please Him. So the disciple replied, “You have not done anything. I am originally Brahman”. Upon hearing these words the Guru was overwhelmed. Then He opened the door of the ashram and told the disciple, “Now people have started coming. Begin performing my ritualistic worship (padyapuja), etc. as usual because when by the grace of Shri Guru I attained the realisation of Brahman, I was doing the same. This itself is the sign of Absoluteness (Purnatva) and the culmination of one’s life”.’
                                                          - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon

B. It is benevolent rather than malevolent for a disciple to ritualistically worship His Guru after he (the disciple) has attained Absoluteness (Purnatva) because this itself is a feature of Absoluteness. The Guru and disciple are merged into the state of The Supreme God (Shivdasha). So, there is no question of worshipping the Guru.On the other hand, when the disciple is in the state of the embodied soul (jivadasha) the spiritual emotion is that of a disciple; so he worships the Guru.

Reference:

‘The Disciple’, published by Sanatan Sanstha.

Sant Bhaktaraj Charitra, First edition: H.H. Shrimat Sadguru Bhaktaraj Maharaj’s Platinum jubilee celebrations, Magh Shukla Navami, Shake 1916 (9^th February 1995), Indore. Compilers: Dr. Jayant Balaji Athavale, Dr.(Mrs.)Kunda Jayant Athavale. Publishers: Sanatan Bharatiya Sanskruti Sanstha, Mumbai.
[1]. Pg. 128            [2]. Pg. 128
[5]. Pg. 128

The Teachings of Saint Bhaktaraj. Second edition: H.H. Shrimat Sadguru Bhaktaraj Maharaj’s Platinum jubilee celebrations, Magh Shukla Navami, Shake 1916 (9^th February 1995), Indore. Compilers: Dr. Jayant Balaji Athavale, Dr. (Mrs.) Kunda Jayant Athavale. Publishers: Sanatan Bharatiya Sanskruti Sanstha, Mumbai.
[3]. Pg. 181            [4]. Pg. 63