Sri Guru Gita – 19 July 2014 – Episode 209

Jai Guru Datta Swamiji.

Jaya Guru Datta. Episode summary:

Jaya Guru Datta.

We discussed the way Guru Sankara waited for Giri to come to class and the way the disciples wondered why the Guru was waiting for Giri with so much compassion. The omniscient Sankara comprehended the thoughts of his disciples. He knew what they were whispering to each other. He understood the ridicule they had for Giri. He decided to correct their behavior and show them Giri’s devotion to Guru.

Immediately, Guru Sankara who was an ocean of compassion filled his disciple Giri with his grace. By the power of Guru’s will, Giri became very scholarly. He became proficient in all forms of knowledge. Giri who was walking back from the river with the cleaned clothes of the Guru on his shoulder, approached his Guru with devotion, sang glories of his Guru with “Thotaka” hymns and prostrated to the Guru. Listening to the hymns bearing beautiful poetic ornamentation and sound, flowing in perfect and incomparable beauty from Giri’s lips, his fellow disciples were amazed at this scholarliness and poetic abilities.

“We thought he was stupid, but what a deed has taken place here!” The pride in them vanished. They realized their mistake and pray to Guru Sankara for forgiveness. “We thought he was dim-witted, but we see what has happened now”. Sankara initiated Giri into Sanyasa (renunciation) and christened him “Thotakacharya” and made him one among his primary disciples. By eloquently reciting the Thotaka hymns with the Guru’s grace, the name “Thotakacharya” became very popular.

This story about how, with the Guru’s grace, even the most dim-witted person can, within a second, become a scholar is only a small example to show that service to the Guru confers the greatest results.

Without any devotion or service, some people approach the Guru, offer a prostration and after four days and after performing 5 or 6 homas wonder, “Why did I not get liberation?” They cannot even pronounce “liberation” correctly. Will liberation come that quickly? I don’t know. You’ve come to me because of good karma over many births. You must try to strengthen this as long as you are alive. But, you should not think you will get liberation right away. You experience all your karma elsewhere and come here and demand, “Why am I still not completely healed?” What is this? You come and ask all these questions of the innocent Swamiji. “What are you saying? I placed my faith in Swamiji”. What is faith? Does faith mean just visiting the Guru 4 times. Just because you have difficulties and illnesses back home, you come here and demand, “I’ve been asked to come. I’ve been waiting since this morning. I still haven’t received anything”. What is this? Will things happen in a second? Are you as devoted as Thotakcharya? Do you have that much devotion to Guru? Tell me. We learned so far that with the Gurus’ grace, even a fool becomes a scholar within a second, but why are we applying that to ourselves? We discussed a small example over and over again to understand that great results are obtained by the grace of Guru.

Jaya Guru Datta.