Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Guru Puja/Purnima from Anj

Guru Puja is a thanksgiving ceremony remembering all the ancient rishis, seers, sages who have brought this knowledge of self. Puja means that which comes from the fullness and the five elements, which are used.

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FIRST POINT
5 signs of a Guru

1. Dukha Kshaya
Sorrow Diminishes. Just give you all the botherations to Guruji.

2. Sukha Avir Bhaava
Without any apparent reason, joy wells up.. happiness simply wells up. If it does, know that either the Guru is in your thoughts or you are in Guruji’s thoughts. Whenever there is a satsang or course, go and help out. Samvridhi and Samvardhan(see below) happens on their own.

3. Gyaan Raksha
Knowledge gets reserved. You know many things but suddenly when you sit in the course, it comes back. Protecting the knowledge that you already have

4. Sarva Samvridhi
There is no lack or dearth. The feeling of lack diminishes. With a child, if you go and ask them ‘what do you want?’. They will say ‘nothing’. For babies.
Abundance starts happening… in mind and heart. This indicates you are getting closer to the Guru.

5. Sarva Samvardhan
Talents start coming out. People who have never written poems start writing… skills, which you never have had before start coming out. If you do TTC, all these skills start coming out. For example, in TTC, you are given half-hour to go cook for 100 people. << Guruji gives example of how volunteers are running this organization…. amateurs, not professional>>. This indicates Samvardhan
These are the five characteristics of the Guru…. five qualities.
And coming near the Guru doesn’t mean just sitting near the Guru. In the heart you need to feel close.

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POINT TWO
Each one of you must play the role of the Guru to someone or the other. Unconditionally be with the person, be in the knowledge. Each one of you is Guru to someone. And each one of you must play this role for someone. When you are nobody, then you become a Guru.
And being nobody is not a difficult job as far as I am concerned. When you are nobody and you care for someone or everybody, then you become Guru to someone.

Everyone can play this role… by giving unconditional space.
You know, Guru is not stuffing someone with knowledge. No Guru does not stuff you knowledge. Instead, He makes you hollow and empty. You don’t have to be a scholar to help.

Guru means the ‘expert of life’, the one who knows how to handle the mind… because the one who has no mind can handles another’s mind. One mind cannot handle another because they fight with each other.
For you, having no mind in at least some occasions makes you a Guru.

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POINT THREE
There are two aspects to Divine/Shiva: knowledge you desire from Shiva, and liberation you desire from Vishnu. This is a dichotomy to show they are both the same. And then, desire victory from everywhere. And defeat at the hands of the disciple.

The teacher really expects to be defeated by the disciple. The teacher wants the student to excel. So scriptures say that if at all you must desire, not that you must, then desire defeat at the hands of the disciple.. so that knowledge goes on.
DDD- DESIRE DEFEAT at hands of DISCIPLE

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Imagine if a professor thinks what he has formulated should be the end and nobody should question or develop from there!! But when can you develop? Feel the presence of the master. Me and my Master are the same…. this oneness then spreads through the whole life… to everyone around.

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Move in the path with perseverance and patience. Guru Purnima is an occasion to remind you of your sacred journey. Your life is not about eating, sleeping, gossiping and dying

Even eating, I am not sure about. Not only do we eat wrong food, we force everyone else to eat it. People bring me fried food.. “Oh Guruji, I made it.” Imagine if 200 people make fried food and ask me to eat a bit of it!! This sofa wouldn’t be enough for me! We had a Swami in India. Devotees would make food for him, and he kept growing!!!

We need to know how to eat well, sleep well, meditate well, and serve well. And constantly remind oneself that ‘I am on a sacred journey. I am on a path that is so precious’

There is another verse in Sanskrit… among the million species, getting a human life is so precious. The size of an elephant and ant’s soul is the same. And in human beings. But to be born as a human being is so precious… do not waste the human birth. And even being born as a human being, it is very difficult to get on a path. With so many spiritual shopping, one does not know where to go. Knowledge, the desire to be free is even rare.

There are 6.5 billion people on the planet… how many are seekers? Just a handful.

SO, those of you who got this yearning are so lucky… because you got the second blessing. First blessing is human birth, and the second blessing is this yearning. The third is the company of the wise. Maha Purusha Sanga. These three are the signs of luck.

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The passion for small little things like marriage, children, change of jobs, health… the same passion you must have for knowledge.
You know there are 4 baskets that I can keep and all your questions will be there. From these questions, move to space of wonderment! The WOW!

This is the whole point of Guru Purnima. The Guru is full. Moon is full. Let me also be full. When mind is filled with Guru, then it is also full, and is synonymous with the moon.

When you are filled with wisdom, love and the Guru’s presence, then life cannot be anything but celebration.