Guru Poornima:
We Observe Guru Poornima Our Whole Life

Close your eyes for a while and look within. … [Meditation takes place, followed by everyone singing Om Poornamadaha, "The Whole is perfect."]

Today, we have all presented ourselves in manifest form just to be together and observe that which is always there; but with our eyes, we only see the manifest forms of it. As we are constituted as human beings, we have limited power and only see individual forms, figures, things, objects, occurrences, and situations. Therefore, we remind ourselves of that which we have heard from Guru—that it is all one Reality. How is it one Reality? If we do not experiment on the manifest level with our eyes and understanding, then it becomes difficult for us to understand. Guru remain only a theory. … [Swamiji speaks in Hindi.]

Today, we have gathered over here. Even though we know all these persons, we have our consciousness or mind to know that each one is different. So we have the sense, gyan, or knowledge, of otherness—I am here and others are there, mine is here and thine is there. This is what a human being has been living in his life for many, many incarnations and ages. Now, with our fortunate actions or karmas and their results, we have this human form and with it the knowledge that there is always Oneness. Even when we see duality, or a second and a third, even when we see sentience and insentience, but it is always One.

This is what Guru says all the time. Not only does he say it every year, he says it every day. He lives it every minute. Whenever somebody comes, he sees with that awareness, with that vision, that you and I have never been separate. You could remember because of Me. I could remember because of Me. They could remember because of Me. He and she remembered Me because of Me. That Me is Guru Consciousness. We observe Guru Consciousness. This means that we not only celebrate in the way that in the market some show, movie, or fair appears and we watch it, buy things, and all that. Rather we observe whether that which is Guru Consciousness has been observed and imbibed. We observe Guru Poornima every year, just to check that we meet it.

So this is not a show, a dinner, or some kind of a celebration which is meant for those people who have not understood this fact and are still children. Children have to be given some kind of understanding that we are One. Having that understanding, we have come to know that That alone is. Then, what is this manifestation? It is the offering of That. That Sat Chit Aanand, that Absolute, Formless, Pure Consciousness-Existence, has offered—which means, he has given this action with which he himself made out of himself the forms, figures, phenomena, actions, and happenings, the whole sport and leela. That is his offering.

That is why we love to be one with the offering. So when Guru Poornima comes, it automatically appears that "I’ll have some flower, some garland, or something to offer." So before we begin to sing songs etc., I see that some people have flowers; but those who have not brought any should not feel that they had to bring them. Otherwise it will become a tradition, a fashion, that "Because they are doing it, so I’ll do it" or "I’m feeling bad because they have those things." It doesn’t matter, because it is an offering. If you are asleep, thought and action will never come. So thought and action, and bhaavanaa or the expression of love, joy, and delight, are all action. This action is called bhav [existence], the world, the bhav saagar [the ocean of existence]: it is the same, but it is action. We, as human beings, are familiar with our action. We think that when we raise a finger or use our eyes and hands, then action is there. No. Action is the moment you wake up. Then, That Being, the Absolute Bliss Consciousness, the God or Guru, has offered himself in the form of action, the very waking state. We call it the waking state and never think that it is action. We deny it and say "Let us sleep." When sleep comes, it is an action. When dream comes, it is an action.

But because human beings are born as small children, they cannot grasp everything. Therefore we prepare them (at one time, we were also like them) to unfold higher and higher vision, mind, or ability. When higher ability comes, then we can understand what Guru is saying. Guru is saying that it is all one Reality. But the disciples, or those people who have yet not reached that height, do not understand one Reality. Therefore they say, "How can that be? A form cannot be action. When a wheel moves, then you see action. You don’t say that a wheel is itself action." This is where a human being is. That’s why I say if the vision is form, even if it is subtler form—you may call it formless, or a subtle form—then it only sees form. That is the constitution, or human makeup, as it is. Even small children, who do not know what action, the world, form, mother and dad are, will also have this.

So this is the offering—the offering of God, the offering of Guru—which he has already offered you: he has offered you life, action, form, vision, intelligence, everything. Having received it, we still do not know what he meant when he made us appear. So he had to come himself to inform you, "Look, I meant that you are a form—and my form. I know that you are my form. But you have been given the understanding that your form is separate and my form is separate—especially when your eyes are there. But when the Knower is there, and if you know the Knower here and the Knower there and thus it’s one Reality, then you just guess that it must be one—but you can’t get it. Therefore we observe Guru Poornima day, Guru Poornima night, Guru Poornima morning, Guru Poornima evening, Guru Poornima month, Guru Poornima year, and Guru Poornima our whole life." Thank you very much. [Applause.] …

What is that in which all this is happening? That is Guru. We do not know it. So somebody has to tell you. It doesn’t matter it it’s on one day, but you are capable enough that you can know, even in half an hour or in one sitting, that that is Guru. That’s what Swamiji is welcoming. That has been the moment that we are all observing. …This is the place where we speak of Param Gati, which means the Supreme Goal. This means that we are individual human beings who have minds, and these minds know that these are their conditions, their gati. Because of the human mind, people become happy and sometimes unhappy, worried, and agitated; they get tension and sometimes diseases. So they began to say that such people do not have Param Gati, they have human gati, they have human existence, which cannot survive individually, all alone. You have to depend on food, on the market, on your friends and company, on your books, and all that. This goes on and on. But at heart, you want to be like a little child, who is not worried and agitated at all, who is not at all concerned. …

Small children are very blessed. But when you become a human being, then your mind creates a situation that someone is higher than you, someone has something more profitable than what you have, something is a higher palace than your cottage, somebody is more beautiful than you or your wife or children. All the time, there is something other which is always better. Even if somewhere someone is eating a very small salad, but that is better than your food. [Laughter.] …It looks like we are human beings, and we think that "Everything that is other than me is wonderful." Watch. This is not your supreme goal. This is not your highest awareness. It is lower awareness, and you have to pass through this desert of lower awareness, where everything is empty. It looks like "Something will come, and then I’ll be joyful. We’ll celebrate something, and then I’ll be happy," and all that. This is a human being. So here on this platform, at this place, we, the very intelligent and aware persons, have come to know this fact that we are intelligent. If we are intelligent, then our association is with intelligent persons. But why is it that even when our association with intelligent persons is very pleasant from your side, yet they do not accept it; rather they think that you should accept their thoughts, their ideas, and their living. In this way, you have concluded "Better to live by yourself" … because wherever you go, you either think that "They are good" or "I am good."

So this duality, this sense of otherness, becomes very important. That is not Guru, Param, or Oneness. Guru is not a beard or a form, a hand or a watch, or anything like that. Therefore, when we celebrate Guru Poornima, we have to learn what we are doing. It’s very nice that we come, have prasaad and flowers, and can chitchat—even for a minute. You come and say, "Swamiji, you look so nice." I say, "No, only for today." [Laughter.] You say, "No, no, you always are." I answer, "Well, that’s what you are. That’s what I see you as—that you are forever just the same." But you respond, "No, I never remain just the same. I really change here and change there."

The changing aspect of our mind is not Guru. We have learned this, and because we are very intelligent we say, "Guru is all that there is. Guru is everywhere. Self is everywhere. God is everywhere." But then why is it that you say, "God is so nice and Guru is so nice. God is everywhere and Guru is everywhere," yet everywhere you find different persons who make you annoyed or who disturb you? Therefore we accept that we are human beings and that all over the world human beings are just like that. There is absolutely no difference. In the beginning you look alright, because you are sort of divine and you don’t know the sense of otherness or duality. But after twenty or thirty years, everything appears to you such that "It doesn’t belong to me." You have the best things from the market and all the gadgets, everything which you had wanted is there, but after you pile it all up, after some time you say, "No, that’s not what I needed."

As a human being, what do you need? You know it. As a human being, you need Highest Awareness, Highest Knowledge, Super Knowledge, or highest health. You need stability in that of which you have had the glimpse. You know that as children you were alright, you were very blessed. But later on, when you became big, where was that blessedness lost? … When you became bigger, everything is away from that which is yours. What is yours? Guru Consciousness. Highest Awareness. That is found to be in a human being. It is there. But in the market, in the family, world, and work situations, it does not come out. It comes out a little bit when you are in the forest with nature. You know that you are able to appreciate nature. Nature is the forest, rivers, and mountains, with their animals and birds, where you feel that everything is fine. Why are they all fine? Because they do not talk to you. The moment you begin to hear somebody…

So your need is "In this vast jungle, in this vast world, I should meet somebody who is always talking something which I like." That is hidden within you. You are that person. I say that you can cultivate that power, that awareness, that your tongue or language will be wonderful, your seeing will be wonderful, and your hands will be creating wonderful things. You will have a wonderful life as a human being, which you feel that you should have. Yet while the style of living and thought of every one is different, still you copy them. Why would you not like to create your own style of living which will depend on your understanding, on your awareness? If your awareness is close to Oneness, to love, knowledge, harmony, affection, and thankfulness, then your every action—even though you act towards others, hear from them, and receive their actions—will start to become good and profitable, helpful and loving for you.

Today is the day that you should know that all of you are that Guru. Nobody tells you this. What do they say? "You are only a disciple, because you are young. You are only a child, so you are not intelligent. When you grow up, then you’ll come up with my awareness." You say this to your own children. You cannot say that your children are Guru, even though you take them on your shoulders and head and in your lap. They’re much better than any kind of respectable Guru, but you do not call them Guru. Why? Because a child still needs Guru Consciousness. He’s innocent and wonderful, but Guru Consciousness has not yet come. So human beings are in need of Perfect Awareness, Highest Awareness—of pleasant and good awareness, of all that which is called pleasing and loving, of all that which a human being wants to live. …

Having an opportunity to interact with such people who do not have Guru Awareness, you become miserable, so much so that even though they are good and gentle, rich and wonderful, but you do not like them. Why? Because you have Guru Consciousness, the highest Awareness. Although you would like to live with them, but it will not be possible if you are not able to create that awareness. Where will the beginning of the creation be? Your own self. So unless you turn out to be Guru Consciousness in your own head—transformed—till then, you will not be able to create a second person who is Guru. …

Man’s voice is, "I’m only here, and whatever I speak is right. Whatever I eat is right. Whatever I see is right." Everything is here [indicating the body]. And God says, "I am everywhere. You can find me in that which everybody has." You are human beings, and you can understand my point. What does everybody have? Everybody has his "I am—I exist." Then you can compare: How would it be that there are different "I am’s." There can be different bodies, food, or flowers, but the sense of "I am" is never different. "I am" will always be I. …

[Guru Stotram is sung.] What is that which you love? Your Self. But there must be someone who recognizes you as your Self so that you can recognize your Self as one Reality. That is the prayer to Guru. … So the prayer is to your Self. Nobody has been taught that he should pray to himself, because people think that they are a male or a female, a little person who is sinful, bad, and having bad karmas. Thus nobody prays to himself, they all like to pray to God. But then they pray to God to get things and forms. This is not so in this prayer. Your Self is that who is always with you, wherever you go. Whether you are a small child or a big person, whether you live in the city or forest, God is always with you. How would you see this? It is not a photograph of God that is with you. It is that Awareness where you know "I am." Sing more. …[Several songs are sung, Swamiji often commenting in between.] Why is the tradition of Guru and disciple an ancient tradition that been going on and on? You say, "Twamayva Maataa … [He repeats this ancient Sanskrit prayer to Guru] Oh Guru, you are my mother, you are my father. You are my brother and everything that is in the manifest world of this objective reality. And you are the same as me."

It is very hard for human beings to have a worriless state. Now, how to create it? You have seen what happens to those in many religious and educational institutions— if they are human beings, then worry will creep in. But today has been a demonstration. You have been sitting here since 11, and it is now 3:37. What is that which has kept you worriless? So adopt any method, but you should be free from worries. Worry is if you remember that the body will be diseased and sick, the mind will be tense and agitated—and not only this, that all the bodies will perish and die. Remembering this, worry will come. So it is a mighty work. It is not for everyone. …

Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum. That is your initiation on every Guru Poornima. Repeat the words which are the mantra: Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum. If you just repeat the mantra Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum, then your shop will run better. [Laughter.] If you repeat the word Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum, your health will be high. If you repeat the word Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum and go to school or college, you will get good grades. If you repeat Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum, all your desires will be fulfilled. Even if you are fifty years old, if you need a wife, you’ll get one. [Laughter.] The mantra is so powerful, that anything you wish for will come. Why? Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum is your True Nature. It is your Life. It will happen if you get connected to the Life and not to the trees, carpets, and things, not to the bones, blood, or hair. You should be united with the Life, the name of which is Immortal-Amaram, Madhuram-Blissful. Amaram Hum becomes Aham Brahm Aham—am-ram-hum, so consciousness has become That. Then Aham Madhuram Aham—aham-"matterum"-hum [Laughter], so matter also becomes Aham. Aham, that I, is always your Consciousness. It is God within. … In all possible ways, you are the one who is the underlying Reality—all that which is being interacted upon is part of It. That is the Whole. There, the seer, scene, and seeing become One. That is Guru. Thank you very much everyone. God bless you. [Applause.]

July 2, 2004