Guru Poornima Message 2023

Human history at all points of time, anywhere in the world, has had the need of a Guru, a teacher, or a mentor to show or lead a path. Whatever the status of a man or woman may be, the fact remains that he or she must have taken guidance, at some point of time, from someone and for some time. Of course, parents are the teachers or mentors of their offspring at the earliest stages of their life. This is followed by teachers in the nursery, school, college, university, and the fields of higher learning. In the Indian context, the Guru and Shishya relationship in the past carried a higher connotation in the Gurukul Ashramas. He was not only a teacher or mentor but also a defined personality who not only imparted knowledge both mental and practical but also played a role in elevating the soul to higher ethical standards and spiritualism. The Guru was held as a divine personality.

However, except for Sadgurus like Shirdi Sai Baba, Ramakrishna Paramahansa and others; the normal relationship in society is that of a teacher or mentor. Unfortunately, because of the changing social systems, the most vital role of parents as the first teacher has reduced as the peer group psychology is inviting the children coming as it does from outside elements. Nevertheless, keeping in mind critical and essential points of survivability and growth, there is no choice but for the parents to keep updating their approach and skills in a changing society.

Hitherto all of us have been thinking of Sai Baba as a Sadguru and looking toward Him as a Spiritual Role Model, with divine qualities to be imbibed. Most of us practice in our own limited way, certain practices exemplified by the Gurus through thoughts and conduct.

In bad times, most of us seek a Guru to protect, guide, advise and aid us. However, how many of us internally recall the Guru in our good times when the sordid reality of the mundane world engulfs us.

We understand and value the Guru in a limited sense. Roughly speaking, it is a matter of common mental frequency. One can understand what is in the other, if the same thing is in him. Each human being has the potentiality of the Guru, as each child has the potentiality to become a father or a mother. If they did not have the potential of the Guru, they could not be disciples either. Thus, it goes from generation to generation. The relationship between Guru and a human being may be like that of a mentor or teacher to a child. Thus, the perfection in that role of a Guru can lead their disciples to perfection. In short, a man who does not understand the Guru in himself will have difficulty understanding the Guru outside. This Guru Shishya tradition is passed on from generation to generation in a formal and structural way. It may be the formal institutional type or informal ethical, social, or spiritual type. This relationship is all the more sensitive in the field of spiritualism where the concept of divinity or divine sublimity and existence of overwhelming sovereign force called God is brought into consideration.

On the day of Guru Poornima let us pray to our Sadguru Shri Sai Baba, to bestow on us a purpose in life, towards God realisation.

May Shri Sai bless us all.

Dr C.B. Satpathy,

Gurugram