Guru Poornima -3

Guru Paduka Strotram.

Strotram means glorification. The sandals of the teacher glorification. A Guru is respected like a Lord (Bhagawan) in our tradition. And Guru’s feet is very much respected. The feet represent the path taken by the teacher. Since we respect the path of Vedanta Marga, we worship the feet of the teacher as a symbol. The two feet of the Lord represent Para Vidya. Different Gods have different number of heads (Brahma has four heads, Subramanya six), different number of hands (Vishu has four hands) and different number of eyes (Shiva has three eyes). But the number of legs is only two representing para vidya and apara vidya. Therefore, we worship the feet of the Lord and also the feet of the teacher. From the teacher, the feet become glorious and from the feet, the sandals become glorious.

Here in these nine verses, a student is extolling the glory of Guru’s padukas. The first three lines of every verse gives the glory of Guru’s padukas. Indirectly it glorifies the Guru’s feet, then the Guru and his knowledge. The last line is the repeated prostrations to that sacred paduka.

Verse one: our human pain or problem is compared to a huge ocean. Samsara Sagaram. It is endless. Samsara represents anadhi and it is eternal. Punarapi Janma and Punarapi Marnam. If a person wants to reach the shore (cross the samsara sagara), he needs a life boat or a raft. There is only one boat – the teacher’s paduka serves as nauka (boat). I offer prostrations to those sandals which help me cross the samsara sagara.

If we worship the Guru’s paduka, it might be too mechanical. Why should we do namaskarams to another’s sandals? Doing namaskaras itself to another human being is difficult and that too to a sandal. But even if we do it mechanically, it is okay. But later, this will help us to develop devotion to the Guru.

The Guru can bless a devotee with both preyas and sreyass, Bhukti as well as mukthi, both materialism and spirtual knowledge. The sandals of the Guru is so powerful that it bestows both kinds of wealth to the worshipper. To such a glorious and sacred sandals of the teacher, I repeatedly offer my prostrations.

Verse two: Here the poetic ability of genius is compared to an ocean. The sandals are like the moon rising from poetry. Moon rises in the ocean (according to our mythology). The sandals are great poets as it were. The main essence is my Guru is a great poet who has risen from the oceans of poetry. All our Acharyas were great poets with lots of creativity and imagination. Writing commentary, brevity and logic is essential. Shankara was both a logical reasoner and also a creative genius.

All calamities/adversities/crisis/misfortunes are compared to a forest fire. It is very vast like bush fires in Australia and Idaho in the USA. It spreads very quickly. You cannot even determine its direction as the wind keeps changing its course. Our misfortunes are like that: vast and in any direction. In a hospital the patient will be serious but the helper might die earlier. The forest fire cannot be put out easily. There is only one parihara- Rain. When two dry twigs rub against one another, there’s a spark due to friction and that starts of a bush fire. The sandals of the Guru is the rain or rain bearing clouds. Therefore, the sandals of the Guru is the rain which remedies all the forest fires of adversities.

A series of adversities/danger/pain/difficulties are thrown/pushed away by the sandals of my Guru. Whose calamities? Not everybody but that of a devotee/surrenderer. And to those sacred sandals, I offer my repeated prostrations.

Verse three: the worshippers of the padukas, if they are exalted daridras (the poorest of the poor) will attain the status of Sripathi (the Lord of wealth). They will be the richest one in the world instantaneously/immediately even if they worship the sandals once. Not only does the sandals bless the devotee with wealth but they also bless him to gain knowledge.

Even the most dumb people who are ignorant become vachaspathi/Brahspathi by worshipping Guru’s sandals. Not Tamil Brihaspathi but Sanskrit Brihaspathi – the teacher of the Devas. So by worshipping the sandals the poorest will become Sripathi and the dumbest will become Brishpathi. To such a glorious and sacred sandals, I offer my repeated prostrations.

Verse four: Our repeated prostrations to the sacred sandals of the teacher. The nature of the sandals is described in the first three lines. The feet of the Guru is compared to a lotus. The sandals carry the lotus like feet of the teacher. This dispels/destroys/removes the Mohah (delusions). Delusion with respect to Jiva, Jagat, and Eshwara. Whenever there is delusion, they will be pain. The sandals destroy various delusions and the consequences of delusions of the student.

The worshipping people (devotee) or students are blessed with Abhishttanam (boon). A series of boons or favours – like Artha, Kama, Dharma and even Moksha are conferred on the student. These sandals bestow upon the devotee a series of favours just like Bhukthi and Mukthi that we have seen earlier.

Verse five: The author imagines his Guru as a Raja Guru. Like Adi Shankara or any Mahatma. Rows of kings are lined on both sides and are standing. As the Guru is walking in between, the kings do sasttaga namaskara. As the kings prostrate, their crown studded with gems radiate the feet of the guru. All over there is brilliance which looks like the flow of the river. A river of brilliance. The two rows of kings are like the two banks of the river. A jalam is the kanthi (knowledge of the guru). The student is enjoying the spectacle and is watching the padukas. They look like fish (matsya kanya) or mermaid. When is the guru is watching, the fishes are swimming through the kanthi river. The idea conveyed through this figure of speech is: my guru is so great that many kings come and fall at his feet. Therefore, imagine the glory of such a teacher. He is jagat guru. The sandals which bless the devotees with sovereignty (royalty/kingship/overlordship) as rows of kings offer their prostration. To those lines of devotees, the sandals will bestow samrajyam itself.

Verse six: Here all the sins of the devotee are compared to darkness. The darkness of sin. And if darkness is to be eliminated, there is one thing required. That is, the powerful light of the sun. the guru’s padukas is compared to the sun. not one sun but a row of suns. One ordinary sun itself is so brilliant and this row of suns are capable of destroying the thickest darkness (sins) of the student. The idea conveyed is just as sun removes darkness, the guru’s padukas will remove all the sins of the devotees.

The devotee suffers from three kinds of pain. Adhyatmika – the pain caused by one’s own body and mind. That is pain coming from oneself. Adhibutika- the pain caused by immediate surroundings over which we have some control. Like mosquitoes. adhidevika- the pain arising from supranatural things like earthquake, floods, cyclone etc. the scientists can only predict the danger areas and issue a warning for people to vacate. They cannot change anything. All these three sufferings are compared to a large snake. And for the snake, the enemy is Garuda. The snake sitting on the shoulder of Lord Shiva asks,’ Garuda, saukyama.’ Confidence born out of the Lord’s presence. The Pakshi Raja is none other than Garuda. The guru’s sandals are like Garuda which will destroy the snake. The tapat thriyam or the three kinds of suffering.

The ignorance (a jada vastu which is inert cannot know anything) is here compared to a huge ocean. Now who will destroy this ocean or reservoir of water. The submarine fire is called battawah and that fire is erupted out of heat and water gets evaporated. This marine fire is on the floor of the ocean. Geysers in Yellow Stone Park. This marine fire is compared to guru’s padukas and this will dispel the ignorance of the students.

So in this verse, the sandals are compared to rows of suns to dispel the darkest sins, compared to Garuda for thapat thriya snake and lastly to a marine fire on the ocean of ignorance. To that sacred and glorious sandals, I offer my prostrations.

Verse seven: The sacred sandals have the glory of bestowing/blessing the worshipper with samadi shastta sampathi. The six fold inner qualifications – sama, dana, uprama. Titksha, shradda, samadana. The sandals have undertaken a resolve to bless the worshipper with smadi Shasta smapthi. But we should always remember this fact. The worship of sandals will give you chitta shudthi, then desire for moksha, viragyam and Vedanta shravanam which alone will give knowledge for liberation.

Ramadevah (Rama’s husband) is another name for Vishnu. Sthira bhakthiu and drustta or triva bhakthi. This guru sandals will bless the devotee to get Eshwara bhakthi. It will transform a nasthika to a asthika. Eshwara bhakthi will increase when one offers repeated prostrations to the sacred sandals of the guru.

Verse eight: The devotees who are committed to the worship of padukas, all the favours (purusharthas) are bestowed upon. Therefore, we worship those sandals that bestow us all the favours.

Swaha Sahayah Asksha is Lord Shiva. Swaha is the name of Agni’s wife. When you want to please agni, go through his wife. All the slokas end is swahah. Sahayah means husband. So, swahasahayah means agni devatta. The one who has this agni as the third eye of Lord Shiva. When this fire, Lord Shiva burnt manmatta. Swah sahayah Asksha means literally,’ the one who has agni as the eye.’ The guru’s sandals supports Lord Shiva. How do you say that the sandals carry/support Lord Shiva? Guru’s sandals carry the guru and here the guru represents the Lord. Guru Rupa Shiva is carried by his padukas.

Swaha means Anthakaranam (the mind complex). Ach means shudha Bhavah. Anthakaranam Shudhi. The bestowers of Anthakaranam Shudi are guru’s padukas. So by worshipping the sandals, the devotees will get Chitta Shudi. To such a sacred and glorious sandals, I offer my repeated prostrations.

Verse nine: We offer worship to those sandals (they are like Garuda to the snakes) and the snakes are kama, krodha, loba, moha, matsaryam. Asuriam Sampath are like snakes as they poison the mind. The kama mind is destroyed by Garuda which is none other than the sandals of the teacher. Earlier the snake was compared to tapat thriyam and now it is compared to kama.

Any refinement requires dosa nivtrthi and guna adhanam. Even when we take a bath, we use soap to remove the dirt (dosa nivrithi) and later put powder, scent and all that (guna adhanam). First remove dirt and then put fresh paint. Or replace dirt with virtues. First remove kama nivrithi and help the seeker to gain sadhana chatushtaya sampathi. The sandals of the teacher bestow the students with all the qualifications. Once the sishya’s mind is refined the next step is knowledge which leds him to moksha. Instantly and not for months and years.

To such a sacred and glorious sandals, I offer repeated protrations.