ajñānatimirāndhasya ṅñānāñjanaśalākayā |
cakṣurunmīlitaṃ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ ‖
Salutations are to that guru who opened the eye of one blind due to the darkness (cover) of ignorance with a needle coated with the ointment of knowledge.
Who is Guru?
Guru is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of a certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple (or shisya in Sanskrit, literally seeker [of knowledge or truth]) or student, with the guru serving as a "counsellor, who helps mould values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge, an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student".
Gurus are as numerous as lamps in every house. But, O-Goddess, difficult to find is a guru who lights up everything like a sun.Gurus who are proficient in the Vedas, textbooks and so on are numerous. But, O Goddess, difficult to find is a guru who is proficient in the supreme Truth.Gurus who rob their disciples of their wealth are numerous. But, O Goddess, difficult to find is a guru who removes the disciples' suffering.Numerous here on earth are those who are intent on social class, stage of life and family. But he who is devoid of all concerns is a guru difficult to find.An intelligent man should choose a guru by whom supreme Bliss is attained, and only such a guru and none other.
— Kula-Arnava ( an ancient Tantric text of India)
Gurus who touched and turned my heart into gold
Maa
When I sit here in the coldness of Denmark, I travel deep inside my heart to remember my mother who with great effort gave birth to me, fed me, and gave me unconditional love and all her wisdom that I could hold with my little hands.
I remember my first learning from her, she taught me to learn to love “aloneness”.
One evening I was reluctant to do my homework, my mother usually never rude to her children, was very upset with me, that evening, maybe she had a very long day, (we were four children). She took me to a storehouse situated outside our house which had no lights. It was a popular little house for us children as a “ghost house”. She put me in the storehouse locked the door from outside, and said “Stay alone!”
First I struggled, tried to open the door, and felt afraid in the dark. Later I saw that there was an air hole in the wall and I could see the beautiful moon. I started to feel that the moonlight slowly entered the room and I could feel everything in the room. It was beautiful silence, I sat on the floor and immersed myself in that silence.
My mother was worried, she came and opened the door, I said to her ‘Maa, why did you open the door?’
I remember this as my first experience of meditation.
Didi
She made me feel my feet
I started to learn Kathak dance at an early age from Srilekha Mukherjee, a very renowned classical dancer and teacher living in Kolkata. I stayed at her house whenever I had a vacation in my school. She would make me practice my footwork 8 hours a day. We were a group of students who had to continue to place their feet with the right beat of 16.
We continued while she cooked, took care of her dog, had her bath and sacred offerings, she would greet the guests too, but if any of us made a wrong beat, she would be immediately there, catching the person who made the first mistake. Now when I think back I feel so grateful to her, and I am in awe of her attention to the minute details. In our ancient texts, it is said that the true Guru is the one who is constantly thinking about the good of the students. Today whenever I dance I offer my feet as flowers to her.
Phulmala Di
Who taught me to walk on the path of the Guru
Many years later when I went to study at Tagore’s University, I became familiar with Baul tradition. I was deeply touched by the Baul songs, I wanted to learn the songs.
Phulmaladi was a strict Guru with many conditions.
One Day when I was assisting her in cooking, my eyes fell on the bag she carried on her shoulders. The bag had a particular shape with four corners. I asked her, “Why does this bag have four corners?” She replied while stirring her moong dal curry, “This bag is called Siddhi (perfected one) Jhola, the four corners symbolise the four stages of Sadhaka. Sthula-ordinary, Pravarthaka- the seeker, Sadhaka- the practitioner and the highest stage Siddha- the master, perfected one.” I asked her, “What stage am I”? She said,” seeker”. “How can I become a perfected one?” She replied to me that the first step to becoming a perfected one is to become a Sadhaka, in order to become a Sadhaka I must find my Guru.
Her words lead me to seek my master. All my journey to find my Guru ended, when I reached the final station of my life, at the lotus feet of my Guru Shri Sanatan Das Baul.
On several occasions I have written about my Guru Shri Sanatan Das Baul and Shri Sashanko Goshai, today I will share a story of Ravi G, my Guru of life lessons.
Ravi G
The hidden mentor
Ravi means Sun, he was indeed a sun for many. He was a mentor to many, he called himself the “hidden mentor”. Twelve years of non-stop practice under the guidance of Ravi G, the presentation of Baul’s solo in the modern context and theatre space took shape, without diluting a single bit of the tradition. It is not only Baul, with the most difficult ritual-theatre of Kerala traditions he could manifest in the modern spaces of theatres.
He was a mask and a puppet maker, he did wood carving with his hands. I asked him why he chose wood. He could easily work with paper mache clay or any other material. I told him that wood had lots of risk and you could not add anything if you made a mistake. He replied to me exactly this was the reason for him to choose wood carving as his medium. He said it was a great spiritual process for him to be able to see the face in the wood and to carve out “what was not needed”
He said, “To arrive at the true Self it was essential to cast away all the unessential elements in us, be it in performance or in life”.
At my first presentation and talk at the Transit festival at Odin Teatret, I was asked to talk about the “family tree”. I said my family tree is my family of Gurus. Now sixteen years have passed since then, and there are new branches in that tree, and my family continues through my students.
You handed over the saplings
I planted them
They all bloomed in spring!
With the flowers from my garden
I made a garland of Love for you
My beloved Master!
It's important for one to recognize the Guru, and to understand what each Guru's role is. Thank you, Maa, for sharing your warm, meaningful stories of your Gurus! 💗🙏🏽🪷
how beautiful it is to read you ! Joy guru, joy Maa
Extatic fukl of devoción..lessons of love and gratitud.. in the relación Guru duscipke..humbleness serviré and strebght
What a beautiful garland it is. Thank you, Maa! Joy Guru! ❤️
Joy Guru!