Verses taken from the work of Manu Svayambhuva (Only Begotten Son) entitled: Manusmriti, lesson two (fragments) of a systematic lecture by Rishi Bhrigu. The term Guru means a spiritual guide or spiritual master (Master Teacher of Dharma). The term aćarya means a teacher or messenger, an apostle of the Guru. Girding with a rope – initiation, dikshan. In quotes comments by Aćaryaćarya Layaćarya Lalit Mohan G.K.
[169] Revelation (Veda) states that the first coming into the world of the twice-born is of the mother, the second coming from being girded with a holy cord, and finally the third coming from sanctification to sacrifice.
“A person is born three times: the first birth with the giving of a name is literally the first coming into the world. The second birth takes place during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God, when, of our own free will, we join the ranks of spiritual disciples and begin practicing yoga by accepting initiation from the hands of the Aćarya (Spiritual Teacher). The third birth takes place when we complete basic spiritual work and achieve the first steps of holiness (sanctification to sacrifice), which is the most important moment in the process of spiritual development. The period of apprenticeship with the Teacher after the second birth is at least ten to twelve years. This cycle is needed to complete the spiritual work you have started. In fact, there are very few people who, after receiving initiation (dikshan) into yoga and following the Teacher’s instructions, remain in a deep relationship for at least this period of time. Then liberation is guaranteed. If we turn away from our Teacher or abandon the path, then we can count the time of working on ourselves from the beginning. The same applies whenever we start a new path of practice without the consent of the previous Spiritual Teacher. This rule does not apply to general religious practice.”
[170] When the birth of a Brahmin (spiritual man) is marked by girding with a rope, then his mother is called Gayatri. The teacher is his father.
“Gayatri is the essence of all spiritual knowledge and wisdom. From the recitation of Gayatri and contemplation on the meaning of Gayatri comes all spiritual wisdom and knowledge. We say that Gayatri Mantra is the nectar and essence of Vedic knowledge. In general, the practice of the rosary is the mother, and the person of the spiritual teacher is the father. It is difficult to undertake spiritual exercises when there is a conflict with the archetype of one’s own mother. It is difficult to follow the Guru (spiritual guide) if we are accompanied by conflict or even fear of our own father. A Spiritual Teacher is usually titled Baba, which literally means someone who is in the role of Father. The traditional commandment ‘Honour your Father and your Mother’ refers to respect and regard both for the person of the teacher and for the path of spiritual practice that one undertakes. Without these attitudes, it will be difficult to follow any path of spiritual development.
It can also be said that the period of reliance on spiritual practices is a maternal period, where the practice is like a mother taking care of us. The period of relying on the person of the teacher (Guru) is the period of formation and upbringing by the father. The second phase must always be preceded by the first, just as the baby is first in the mother’s womb and under her careful care. The fatherly aspect of spiritual development is called training in spiritual devotion. “Whoever is unable to offer himself as an offering to his Guru has certainly not completed the spiritual work to achieve the sanctification of the third birth.”
[191] Whether encouraged by the Guru or not, let him spare no effort in learning and in ensuring that the teacher (aćarya) lives well.
“The duty of a twice-born person (admitted to a spiritual school through initiation) is, first, study, study, and more study! Participating in spiritual courses, workshops and retreats, as well as individual practice are components of the pillar of learning! The second obligation that the adept undertakes upon initiation is to support his hierophant and ensure that the teacher lives well. This pillar can be implemented in many ways. Supporting your Guru is as important as learning in the form of mainly practice. We remember that learning is a motherly pillar, and caring for the teacher’s support is a fatherly pillar of the spiritual path. Traditionally, the first is understood as work on oneself, and the second as work and service for others (of which the Guru is the first person). If we do not care about the teacher’s well-being and we do not want to support the hierophant materially, we are breaking the basic rule on the path of spiritual development. Spiritual liberation has no price, although Eastern students often call maintaining a teacher the price of liberation. Caring for one’s Guru and his affairs is compared with caring for the nursing and maintaining of the Flame of Divinity in one’s own heart. As said in the teachings of Morya, supporting the life of the Teacher is an image of supporting the Life of Iśvara, God in the Heart.”
[192] Let the body, speech, mind, senses and heart be restrained and with both hands joined let him observe the face of the Guru.
“This verse tells us all about how to sit and what to do when meeting with your Teacher. Hands joined, folded, and the gaze directed directly at the Teacher. To restrain means to turn away from other interests and affects. Restraining the body means bringing the feet under oneself, and restraining one’s speech means the act of śravaka, listening to the teacher’s words and immersing the heart in the feeling of His Presence.
[193] Let him have a free hand, know how to behave well and control himself. When he hears: “Sit”, let him sit down with his face turned towards the Guru.
“You always sit with your face (torso) turned towards the teacher. We never sit sideways or backwards during meetings. The hands must not be occupied with holding any objects. One is sitting in the presence of a spiritual teacher. A lying position is absolutely excluded. Similarly, entering or leaving during classes and meetings without the permission of the Guru must never take place.”
[194] In the presence of his Teacher, he should always have inferior food, dress and apparel; he should rise before him, and go to sleep later.
[195] When he listens to Him or speaks to Him, let him not do so while lying down, or sitting, or eating, or while standing with his face turned elsewhere.
“There are no discussions on spiritual matters during meals or while lying down. This is not an appropriate period for broaching spiritual subtleties or for practice consultations. You should not consume any food or drink while listening to instructions on spiritual practices and teachings.”
197] When the Guru is turned away, let him turn his face towards him. When he is far away, let him come closer. When he is lying or standing nearby, let him first bow to him.
[198] Let him always, when he is with the Guru, lie lower than him and sit, and let him not sit freely within the sight of the Guru.
“A relaxed sit is a sit with your legs straight in front of you. You never point your feet towards the teacher, or towards the centre of the circle if everyone is sitting in a circle, or towards other practitioners.”
[199] Let him not call him by name, even when he is absent. Let him not imitate his step, speech or gesture.
“Traditionally, when we talk about a Teacher or a Spiritual Guide, we use terms such as Swamiji, Guruji or Babaji. The ways desired by the Teacher are also used. The names of spiritual Teachers or Guides are never diminutive in conversations or disputes with others. These titles go beyond personal relationships and should always be pronounced with dignity and respect. We remember that every teacher is God’s Messenger and His employee. External imitation in the form of imitating the gestures and habits of the Teacher is recognized by adepts of the Eternal Path of Righteousness as a manifestation of demonic and dark tendencies of egotism.
[200] Wherever people gossip about the Guru or criticize Him, let them go away to another place, covering their ears.
“In our culture, people are accustomed to gossip and sensational stories, as well as to finding faults and weaknesses in their neighbours. The rule of brotherly love requires staying away from anything that destroys brotherly love and sympathy of the heart or soul. The first duty is to stay away from those who speak ill of our teacher. Otherwise, by listening to gossip and participating in it, we will destroy the potential of the second, fatherly pillar, without which achieving sanctification will not be possible. Avoiding the company of people who speak ill of the Guru or spiritual teacher is one of the most important points of the spiritual path, intended to protect the adept from losing a pure bond and falling. People with a dark, demonic nature, bound by the bonds of egotism, always tend to say everything bad about those who destroy egoism with the power of spiritual blessing and lead to sanctification by Divine Grace. One should not engage in polemics, discussions or arguments about the Guru. The emotions that arise then will do more harm than good to anyone. Angelic, enlightened and pious souls always have reverence and respect for every spiritual teacher or guide. This is how we distinguish light from darkness. Closing our ears against the darkness of gossip and slandering the Guru means that we never accept any of such things into ourselves and always keep our hearts pure. This is how the fatherly pillar of the spiritual path is nurtured.”
[201] Gossip makes a man into a donkey. The one who scolds becomes a dog, and the one who exploits the Guru will be born as a roundworm. As a worm – one who is envious (towards the Guru).
“It is not necessarily about rebirth in subsequent lives, but only about the state of consciousness achieved by a person who commits, as it were, certain sins against the Holy Spirit. The Brahmin, a sanctified man, is a representative of the archetype of the Holy Spirit, Brahman. Every aćarya (apostle), spiritual teacher is in fact a Brahmin. It’s good to study these sins, to then know where the bad fate comes from, the donkey’s consciousness, and everything in the most demonic aspect. The donkey in the negative archetype is a stubborn ego that denies the spiritual path and does not want to follow it; a dog is the nature of an erotomaniac who is bound by his passion; the roundworm symbolizes the character of a vile and primitive person; a worm is a feature that causes the best fruit to be worm-infested and rotten.”
[202] Let him not worship him when he is away from him, or angry, or among women. When a disciple is riding in a cart, let him come down first before greeting the Guru.
“Many believe that spiritual teachers are not allowed to express anger or many other emotions. Rishi Bhrigu’s lecture shows that the anger of a Teacher or Spiritual Master is ordinary. The disciple should remember that saints must not be worshiped when they are angry. Also when they are in an intimate or family-private situation. Eastern greetings traditionally include a bow with the forehead touching the ground while kneeling. This would be a difficult and risky stunt to perform in any vehicle, and the rule requires one to stand lower than the Guru when offering greetings.”
[203] When sitting with the Guru, let him not sit on the leeward or windward side of the Guru, and let him not say anything that the Guru would not hear.
[204] But he can sit with the Guru on a cart drawn by oxen, horses or camels, on terraces, sofas, mats and stone benches, and in boats.
[205] If, however, he finds himself near his master, the Guru, let him treat him as his Guru, but without his consent let him not dare to greet the elders of his family.
[206] This should always be done towards scientific Gurus, relatives and those who forbid living unworthily and give salutary advice.
“A scientific guru is a person who imparts spiritual knowledge based on the Holy Scriptures and inspired books, or Pandita. Every scholar in secular wisdom cannot be treated as a scientific Guru, however, the giver of saving spiritual advice and the guardian of spiritual knowledge is privileged in this point as is the Guru.”
[207] Let him always behave towards people better than him, towards the Guru’s son who is also an aćarya, and towards the Guru’s relatives as towards his Guru.
“The term ‘better’ refers only to spiritual improvement through spiritual development. One could say ‘towards the sanctified’ or perfect in the spiritual path. A relative of the Guru is, above all, one who has followed in the footsteps of His teachings and risen to the heights of sanctification. It is said that whoever does not treat his Guru and his senior disciples who are aćaryas equally, does not respect his Guru or God.”
[208] And the son of a Guru who teaches, even if he be a boy or a peer or only an adept of self-sacrificing work, is worthy of being honoured as a Guru.
[209] Only that he should not anoint his body himself, nor help him bathe, nor eat what he left behind, nor wash his feet.
[210] As a Guru, he should devoutly honour every wife of His who is equal to Him in status. Her who is of other state than Him, he must honour by standing up and greeting appropriately.
“In the era of the disappearance of aristocratic civilization, the second sentence loses its former use. However, we should remember that the feelings and thoughts directed towards the wife (partner) of our Guru or Aćarya are nothing more than a screen on which we can see our own attitude towards the teacher or spiritual guide. We can learn a lot about our relationship with the Guru if we see what emotions and thoughts we have towards the Guru’s wife (partner). If we develop devotion towards a Guru, the same should be done towards His partner if the Guru is a woman.”
[218] Just as a man can dig out water with a shovel, so an obedient person can gain the knowledge that the Guru has.
“It is an idyll about how to acquire God’s Wisdom. The secret is that no spiritual exercises can fully bring it. Only obedience to the Guru, to the spiritual guide, proven by many tests. Obedience serves only the adept who, thanks to this thread of connection with the Guru, inherits the Wisdom of God, which His teacher previously received in succession. The fatherly pillar of practice, slightly deepened in the aspect expressed by the virtue of obedience, is the proper practice thanks to which one finally receives the charisma of Spiritual Wisdom. If you admire someone for his spiritual knowledge and insightful wisdom, then he is certainly a person who has undergone such training with his Guru. And if this is the case, you can safely entrust yourself to the spiritual guidance of the Guru you have found in this way.
Iśvarapranidhana is the proper term for this charismatic spiritual training. Dhana means surrender with complete obedience. A pranin is a living, physically breathing person. Iśvara is someone who has realized God. The basic minimum is Divine Wisdom, a thorough knowledge of heavenly matters and the subject of the spiritual path inherited through the succession of lines of transmission, from Master to disciple, who is thus perfected and sanctified. Obedience training is likened to digging a well to produce water. This is hard work for the ego and people obsessed with egoism curse this type of spiritual practice as best they can. Souls enlightened by the Grace of Wisdom call it the sweetness of devotion and therefore belong to the Lodge of Eternal Wisdom Śigatse (Iluminati).”
[219] Let him be shaven or have his hair matted or only the top of it tied up, but let him not watch the sunrise or sunset in the village.
“It is an encouragement to get up early in the morning and to fully use the day for any activity. Enlightenment does not come to the lazy. Hairstyle rules generally apply only to monks and nuns.”
[220] If he, sleeping in bed as much as he likes, is surprised by the sun rising or setting, even if he is not aware of it, let him spend the whole day in praying the rosary and fasting.
“Sleeping through sunrise and sunset are, as you can see, two cardinal mistakes of practitioners, requiring some penance and compensation, which is fasting and the rosary. These periods are the most convenient for spiritual practice. We say that sleeping through sunrise and sunset is sleeping through an opportunity for spiritual development.”
[221] If the one whom the sun finds in his bed while rising or setting fails to do his penance, his soul will be stained with a great sin.
[222] First, let him rinse his mouth and control himself, gather his scattered thoughts, and at dawn, and at dusk, let him sit in a clean place with a rosary, according to the rule.
“The practice should be performed in a clean and tidy place. Therefore, clean and organize the room in which you intend to perform spiritual practices. Chastity is a silent witness to your intentions (or a prosecutor!). Use japamala, rosary to recite your prayers and mantrams. The simplest ablution in the form of rinsing the mouth and throat is necessary. Even better is a full body bath, or at least washing the face, hands and feet, which helps balance emotions and cleanse the aura. You must not practice in a state of bewilderment or emotional arousal. Only with focused thoughts and calm emotions, which can be helped by a few minutes of relaxation, one begins to perform spiritual exercises. Practices for spiritual development are always performed in a sitting position, with your legs tucked under you, your back straight, and your chin slightly drawn towards your neck (as in the presence of the Guru).”
[224] Dharma (Virtue) together with Prosperity, or Prosperity (Artha) together with Love (Kama), or only Virtue alone or Prosperity alone is considered to be right, but it is a fact that the whole triad is right in the world.
“Dharma is a spiritual duty related to the divine purpose hidden deep within the soul, within the self. It is a spiritual tendency that lies dormant in us, waiting for favourable conditions for manifestation. No soul was created without a purpose and each one is needed. Discovering one’s spiritual pursuit and fulfilling it is the most important duty of human beings towards God the Creator!
Artha is a duty towards one’s neighbours, striving for universal well-being and improving the existence of all beings. We can do a lot by protecting life and ensuring the comprehensive development, especially of those who depend on us. Artha is a duty towards the planet, living creatures and neighbours, which involves care and protection and creating conditions for development.
Kama is the sphere of realizing passions related to personal love and passion. To some extent, it is also a duty towards the species and its wave of life. It also requires enlightened discernment.”
[226] Shape of Prayer – the teacher; the form of the Lord of Creations – the father; the mother is again the shape of the earth, and the brother is the shape of our self.
[233] Man, by devoutly worshiping his mother, gains the world, by worshiping his father he gains this heavenly intersphere. And he gains the world of Prayer (Brahman) when he obeys the master (Guru).
“The maternal aspect leads to overcoming the conditions of material nature and gaining mastery over the conditions of the world. By directly honouring the mother archetype, one achieves prosperity and success. The world serves man. An improper maternal relationship causes life in the world to be perceived as burdensome and miserable. This is what it means to create a pure bond with the mother archetype. When you stop fighting with your mother, you will stop fighting for your existence on earth. A pure relationship with the father means the favour of the cosmos and the impression of being born under a lucky star. The forces of the cosmos, planets and stars manifest themselves in their positive aspects. An improper relationship with the father means a lack of living space and generally unfavourable planetary systems. The mother is closer to earthly matters, while the father is closer to heavenly matters. Realization in the maternal aspect is the planetary consciousness encompassing the earth. In the fatherly aspect it is cosmic consciousness, the realization of the vastness of the space of the universe. A proper and devoted relationship with the Spiritual Master is the realization of God, the Unlimited All-Spirit from whom all universes are born and in which they have their end.”
[238] But he who is full of faith will gain incomparable knowledge even from the base man, from an outcast – he will gain great virtue, and in a disgraced family he will find a wife like a jewel.
“Having full trust in his heart in his own Guru as in God, which is a direct reflection, he will receive the knowledge and wisdom, honesty and faithfulness he needs everywhere. The environment becomes a reflection of his own virtues. The superior dharma can be received from everywhere, not necessarily only from the righteous, but a proper relationship with the Guru principle is needed.”
[239] He will gain nectar from poison, gold from an impure spring, a child will give him a good word, an enemy will give him an example of life.
[244] When a Brahmin obeys the Guru until the end of his life, he immediately goes to the eternal home of Prayer.
“Fidelity to one’s own Teacher or Spiritual Master from whose hands we received initiation (dikshan), faithfulness until the end of one’s life is the only guarantee of achieving the spheres and lands of liberated beings. Only the one who endures the test of loyalty to his Guru will achieve the grace of salvation and will be raised to Heaven. Such one no longer lingers on any intermediate worlds or wanders on any astral or mental planes of intermediate entities. Through fidelity to the divine person, one returns to the Paradise of God, to the Kingdom of Heaven.
[247] When his teacher dies, let him treat his noble son or his wife or relative as he treated his Guru.
[248] And if there are no such persons, let him mortify his own body, practicing obedience to the Sacrificial Fire, having sleeping, walking or sitting as his only joy.
[249] The Brahmin, whose life so rushes towards Prayer (Brahman), striving confidently, enters the Tabernacle of the Supreme, so as not to be born again in this world!
“Remaining in a deep devotional relationship with one’s Guide and Hierophant is the only guarantee of complete liberation from the cycle of reincarnations. All those who lack perseverance and easily break the bonds of devotion with their Gurus, whom they declared to follow, do not have such a guarantee, although it is not impossible. Heaven values loyalty to the living Iśvara of one’s own Sadguruji.” Hum!
Many Blessings on your Path to Awakening and Realization!
Om Namaśśivaya! Hum!
Aćaryaćarya Swami Lalita-Mohan G.K.
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