“Gururbrahma gururvishnuh gururdevo maheshwarah Gurursakshath parabrahma tasmai sreeguravenamah” “I pay obeisance to the Guru who is Brahma, who is Vishnu, who is Shiva, who is the Supreme Brahman itself.” The full moon day of the Ashadha month in the Hindu calendar is dedicated to the Guru and is celebrated as ‘Guru Poornima’. This year it falls on July 25th. This day is also known as ‘Vyasa Poornima’ as it is the birthday of Guru Vedavyasa, who divided the scriptures into the 4 Vedas – Rik, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. He also wrote the 18 Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. Vedavyasa is considered as the Adi Guru. Since times immemorial the ‘Guru’ or teacher has occupied a prominent place in India. The Guru is considered greater than God Himself as he is the person who makes it possible for one to realise God. That is why he is worshipped with great fervour. In ancient India, the ‘Gurukul’ system of schooling was prevalent. The Guru’s house was the school and the students had to stay there till they completed their education. Even a prince who was under a guru’s tutelage had to stay with him leading a simple life. The concept of ‘Guru-bhakti’ or ‘devotion to the guru’ comes across strongly in the Mahabharata in the episode involving Guru Dronacharya and Ekalavya, the Bhil prince. Dronacharya was the Guru of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Arjuna, the Pandava, was his favourite student. Ekalavya had a great desire to learn archery from Dronacharya. When he went to Drona with his request, he was turned down as he belonged to a low caste. Ekalavya did not lose heart. He had an idol of Drona made and he considered it as his guru. He trained hard in its presence and soon excelled in archery. When Arjuna indicated this development to Drona, he was perturbed. He had promised Arjuna that he would make him the best archer. Drona however found a way out. He demanded the thumb of Ekalavya’s right hand as ‘Guru dakshina’ or the repayment due to a teacher. He knew fully well that Ekalavya could not … [Read more...]
All in the name of God..
Religion, they say, has killed more people than all wars put together. Irrespective of whether this statement is accurate or not, one has to admit that organised religion has caused at least as many problems as it has solved ; and if it takes the credit of having saved many souls, the blame of a large number of deaths also lies at its door. Ironically, the word ‘religion’ is said to have roots in the Latin word ‘religare’ which means ‘to bind again’. The very reason man developed something called religion was to bind all his fellow-men by a common thread – God. What turned out was quite different however. Religion instead, formed the basis for turning man against man and for fighting on behalf of their respective gods. We consider God to be omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent but rush to pick up cudgels on His behalf. Is this all-powerful God not capable of taking care of Himself? The Rig Veda says –“Ekam Sadvipra bahudha vadanti” meaning ‘There is one truth, sages call it by different names.’ In the Old Testament when Moses asked God his name, the reply was “I am who I am”. So the Supreme Power pervading the universe has no name. But since ancient times, man has foolishly fought over the different names and forms which he has attributed to this Being. Leave aside history; we are committing the same mistake even now. We usually classify people on the basis of religion. We absurdly feel –“My religion is the best”, “my God” is better than yours or “my God” is the only God. We are quick to point out the shortcomings of other religions but not interested in reforming our own. We look down on people of other religions denouncing them as pagans, ‘kafir’, ‘mlechcha’ and so on. Many laws laid down in texts of various religions are archaic. They were probably suited for the times when the religion came into being and are not relevant today. Yet we wish to cling on to them and fight for them. Instead of doing our utmost to contribute positively to society, to meet the basic needs of the deprived, we would rather waste valuable time putting down other … [Read more...]
