Date uploaded in London – 9 July 2024
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When I taught Tamil language at the SOAS, University of London, for twenty years, I always begin my lessons by telling something interesting from Tamil Literature or Tamil custom and the students laughed thinking that they are jokes.
I told them, Look students, if you were in India, you would have stood by the time I entered the class room, to show me respect. When I studied B.Sc. in Madura College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, we students used to stand up to show respect to the teacher. All my students laughed. Here in London, it happens only in Judicial Courts.
(When a District Judge or Magistrate enters the court room you can remain seated, but with a Circuit Judge you should remain standing until they have given you permission to sit.)
When I continued and said, in my Sanskrit class, we used to praise the teacher (Guru) as ‘three gods in one’ they laughed more. (ref. Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu……sloka;The Preceptor is Brahma, Vishnu, is the God Maheswara, is verily Brahma itself. Salutation to such a Preceptor)
And I added, if a wife worships her husband everyday without worshipping God, she can bring down rain from heaven any moment according to Tiru Valluvar, author of Tirukkural, they never stopped laughing.
தெய்வம் தொழாஅள் கொழுநன் தொழுதெழுவாள்
பெய்யெனப் பெய்யும் மழை—Kural 55
No God adoring, low she bends before her lord;
Then rising, serves: the rain falls instant at her word- Kural 55
It is in India only, they teach Teacher/Guru is God. Now in many Hindu schools in India, they do Pada (paada poojaa) Puja on Guru Purnima Day or Teachers Day on 5th September every year. (That is the birthday of former President of India Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, a teacher of philosophy.)
In Hindu India, all teachers/Gurus are respected, whether they teach science or Vedas, it doesn’t matter.
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Now let us remind again what Sankara said and continue.
Verse 8- Viveka Chudamani
अतो विमुक्त्यै प्रयतेत्विद्वान्
संन्यस्तबाह्यार्थसुखस्पृहः सन् ।
सन्तं महान्तं समुपेत्य देशिकं
तेनोपदिष्टार्थसमाहितात्मा ॥ ८ ॥
ato vimuktyai prayatetvidvān
saṃnyastabāhyārthasukhaspṛhaḥ san |
santaṃ mahāntaṃ samupetya deśikaṃ
tenopadiṣṭārthasamāhitātmā || 8 ||
8. Therefore the man of learning should strive his best for Liberation, having renounced his desire for pleasures from external objects, duly approaching a good and generous preceptor, and fixing his mind on the truth inculcated by him.
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Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says,
Human Guru and Divine Guru
*He who considers his Guru to be merely human, what good can he derive from his prayers and devotion? We should not consider our Guru to be a mere man. Before the disciple sees the deity, he sees Guru in the first vision of Divine illumination.
*The human Guru whispers the sacred formula (mantra) in the ear; the Divine guru breathes the spirit into the soul.
*The Guru is a mediator. He brings man and God together, even as a match-maker brings together the lover and the beloved.
He alone is the true teacher/guru, who is illumined by the light of True Knowledge.
*The Guru is like the mighty Ganges. Men throw all filth and refuse into the Ganges, but the holiness of that river is not diminished thereby. So is the Guru above all petty insult and censure. – Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
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Tamil Saints on Gurus
From Tirumanthiram of Tirumular
Who is a Guru?
*As soon as one thinks about the Garuda (eagle) the snake poison is nullified; as soon as one thinks about the Guru, all the bad things (Trimalas) vanish – Tirumular Tirumantiram in Tamil ( Garudan uruvam karuthum aLavil…….)
கருடன் உருவம் கருதும் அளவில்
பருவிடம் தீர்ந்து பயம்கெடு மாபோல்
குருவின் உருவம் குறித்த அப் போதே
திரிமலம் தீர்ந்து சிவன்அவன் ஆமே. திரு – 2611
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*One should see his Guru, listen to him, think about him and recite his name; that is the essence wisdom – Tirumular Tirumantiram in Tamil (TeLivu Guruvin tirumeni kaandal……)
“தெளிவு குருவின் திருமேனி காண்டல்
தெளிவு குருவின் திருநாமஞ் செப்பல்
தெளிவு குருவின் திருவார்த்தை கேட்டல்
தெளிவு குருவுரு சிந்தித்தல் தானே.
Clarity is (comes ) seeing the holy Body of guru;
Clarity is saying the holy Name of guru;
Clarity is listening to the holy Words of guru;
Clarity is contemplating on the holy Form of guru.
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*Like the philosopher stone changes everything that it touches into gold, Guru’s touch will change people into God – Tirumular Tirumantiram in Tamil (Parisanavethi parisiththa thellaam…….)
பரிசன வேதி பரிசித்த தெல்லாம்
வரிசை தருவான் வகையாகு மாபோல்
குருபரி சித்த குவலய மெல்லாம்
திரிமலம் தீர்ந்து சிவகதி யாமே
By His Alchemic Touch Jiva Becomes Siva
All that the alchemist touches
Turns into gold;
Even, unto it,
The Jivas blessed by Guru
Siva become,
Freed from Malas Triple.
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கறுத்த இரும்பே கனகம் அது ஆனால்
மறித்து இரும்பு ஆகா வகை அது போலக்
குறித்த அப்போதே குரு அருள் பெற்றால்
மறித்துப் பிறவியில் வந்து அணுகானே. திருமந்திரம் 2051
2051 He Takes Them to the Bourne
From Which They Return Not
The black iron, transmuted into gold,
To black iron returns not;
Even unto it,
He who once the Guru’s grace received
Does not to birth return.
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2045. மந்திர தந்திர மாயோக ஞானமும்
பந்தமும் வீடும் தரிசித்துப் பார்ப்பவர்
சிந்தனை செய்யாத் தெளிவியாது ஊண்பொருட்டு
அந்தகர் ஆவோர் அசற்குரு வாமே.- Nitivenba by anonymous author
*A good teacher (Guru) is one who knows the inner meaning/secret of the Mantras, Yoga, Rules laid in the scriptures, wisdom and the power of discriminating attachment and non attachment; one who hasn’t these virtues, but live for eating he is blind. –Tirumular Tirumantiram in Tamil (Manthira thanthira maayOga njaanamum……..)
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Bharati on Guru
The greatest Tamil Poet of modern age Subrahmanya Bharati sang about many Gurus he met in his life and says,
பாரதி அறுபத்தாறு – Bharati’s Autobiography
எப்போதும் குருசரணம் நினைவாய், நெஞ்சே! -20
Feet of Guru, O heart, ever meditate- 20
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வாயினால் சொல்லிடவும் அடங்கா தப்பா;
வரிசையுடன் எழுதிவைக்க வகையும் இல்லை.
ஞாயிற்றைச் சங்கிலியால் அளக்க லாமோ?
ஞானகுரு புகழினைநாம் வகுக்க லாமோ? -22
No human tongue can his praise contain
Way there is none to inscribe it either
Can ever the sun be with a chain measured?
Can we the Gnana Guru’s glory descant?- 22
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காற்றுள்ள போதே நாம் தூற்றிக்கொள்வோம் கனமான குருவை எதிர் கண்ட போதே
மாற்றான அகந்தையினைத் துடைத்துக்கொள்வோம் மலமான மறதியினை மடித்துக்கொள்வோம்
கூற்றான அரக்கர் உயிர் முடித்துக்கொள்வோம் குலைவான மாயைதனை அடித்துக்கொள்வோம்
பேற்றாலே குரு வந்தான் இவன்பால் ஞானப் பேற்றை எல்லாம் பெறுவோம் யாம் என்று எனுள்ளே – 58
Make hay; the sun shines; when mighty Guru
Is present, have arrogance vile expelled;
Have the demise of negligence wiped out;
Have the Asuric life hostile put out;
Have the Maya extirpated;
It is by our boon Guru is come; from him
We will truly receive all beatitudes. 58
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From Guru Gita
Guru Gita
*All harmful desires and past deeds will be completely washed away by service at the feet of the Guru — Guru Gita
*Any place where the Guru dwells is the holy place Varanasi/Kasi; the water that washes his feet is the Ganges – Guru Gita
*Gu is the symbol for darkness; Ru is the remover of darkness. The Guru is supreme knowledge indeed, the swallower of darkness. – Guru Gita
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Kanchi Sankaracharaya (1894-1994) says
We do Puja (poojaa) every day in the Mutt to our past preceptors whose Padas( wooden chappal/shoes) are kept in our Mutt. If one offends God one can be easily pardoned by Him. But if one offends a Guru/preceptor God can’t help you. One must beg to Guru to get his pardon. God himself asks him to go to his Guru.
In the next part we will see what Tiru Valluvar, author of Tamil Veda Tirukural, Ramana Maharishi, Ambalavana Desikar, Swami Ramtirth and others say about Guru
–subham—
Tags – Guru, Preceptor, Bharati, Tirumular, Tirumantiram, Definition, Niti Venba, Notes on Viveka Chudamani, Part 8, My Jokes , London University Tamil Class ,
Tamil and Vedas 