Guru Poornima Satsang, Swami Niranjan Saraswati
Rikhiapeeth, India, 23 July 2010

Namo Narayan.
This year Guru Poornima 2010 is dedicated to our beloved Guru Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati, whose presence, energy and inspiration are a constant guiding flow of light, without which none of us would be here, neither as a practitioners of yoga, nor as disciples, wellwishers or sannyasins. His grace has touched and transformed lives of countless people, in ways which are inexplicable, subtle, deep and permanent.

I have lived in the proximity of Sri Swamiji for fifty years, and for all fifty Guru Poornima he has been present. This will be the first Guru Poornima in which Sri Swamiji is not with us physically but if we can tune ourselves with his spiritual energy field then we shall be able to experience his presence.

Sri Swamiji the Disciple
On this Guru Poornima day we pay homage to Sri Swamiji as the true disciple of his Guru Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati. According to our perception and understanding Sri Swamiji is the Guru to many, but he never identified with Gurudom. Rather he identified with discipleship and right to the end he was a true disciple to his Guru. Sri Swamiji has said that "the most precious moment of my life was when I placed my head at the feet of my Guru and surrendered my life to him. After that, everything changed and I was not the same. My Guru shaped, sculpted and transformed me - he made me what I am today."

The total dedication of Sri Swamiji is our inspiration, guiding us to realize the Guru Tattwa within. When you dedicate yourself head, heart and soul to God or Guru you come out of your shell and connect with that grace and energy. That is the most precious moment in anyone's life.

Guru Tattwa
The word guru means dispeller of darkness and this darkness is removed from life by the grace of shakti which is the Guru tattwa. Guru is not a person, Guru is a power, a realization of an inner state of purity, harmony and oneness. The outer person is the catalyst and guide, who tells us how to come into contact with the source of inspiration and strength. This is how we have to understand the concept of guru. It is the energy of guru that never dies, decays or changes.

Only that person who has a special mission, destiny and purpose in life, and is an emissary of the higher consciousness is a Guru. In such people the presence of spiritual consciousness is seen right from birth in their thoughts, character and behavior. Swami Sivananda and Sri Swamiji had a destiny, a direction and a mission which manifested and was fulfilled naturally and spontaneously without any effort. Each stage of their lives was guided by the divine providence and higher force. Sri Swamiji has said that, 'Every step of my life I have been guided by God and Guru.'

During Guru Poornima, we try to connect with the energy field of the guru which is spiritual in nature. Sri Swamiji has told us that the electrical current which flows in the wires illuminates the bulb. It is the duty of the current to light up the bulb, but it is the capacity of the bulb that determines how much light will be seen. In a zero watt bulb, the light is minimum. In a hundred watt bulb, the light will be more. Each one of us is a light bulb, but in our connection the current is not flowing, due to accumulation of carbon called mal, or impurity which covers the wire. Once these impurities are cleaned, the current will flow and the bulb will be illuminated.

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