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Lead us from darkness to the light

A spiritual discourse on the meaning and significance of Guru Pūrṇimā.

"Gu means darkness and Ru means light. Light and darkness. Tamasomā Jyotirgamaya—lead us from darkness to the light, the darkness of ignorance and the light of knowledge."

"Guru Pūrṇimā is worshipped with great joy, and it is not a worship of a person, but it is a worship of that knowledge, worship of that light which is dwelling in each and every atom."

A spiritual teacher delivers a talk on the festival of Guru Pūrṇimā, explaining its esoteric meaning as the removal of ignorance and the worship of knowledge itself. He discusses the etymology of "Guru," the cosmic principle of Guru Tattva, and the day's association with the sage Veda Vyāsa and the moment light first touched the earth. The talk blends philosophical explanation with practical advice for observance, concluding with Vedic prayers for peace and well-being.

Filming location: Vienna, Austria

Hari Om Tat Sat. Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī. Devpurījī Mahādeva. Dharm Samrāt Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī. Many blessings of Om Śrī Alag Purījī Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā on the divine occasion of Śrī Guru Pūrṇimā. Guru Pūrṇimā comes once a year. Sometimes, a month has two full moons; then both are accepted as Guru Pūrṇimā. Also, Bhagavān Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇa Mahāprabhujī personally said that on the full moon day, when there is a Thursday (Guruvār), it is also known as Guru Pūrṇimā. There are many different commentaries about Guru Pūrṇimā. In my opinion, based on my experiences and spiritual research, when we say the word by word, "Gu" means darkness and "Ru" means light. Light and darkness. Tamasomā Jyotirgamaya—lead us from darkness to the light, the darkness of ignorance and the light of knowledge. We know from histories and old scriptures that the five elements exist. All these five elements are immortal in different forms and different energies. These elements are: the main element called space—Ākāśa tattva, Agni tattva, Vāyu tattva, water tattva, and earth tattva. The earth, water, air, and fire are within the space, and space is within all. In the creation, He took the help of all five elements in our bodies. The space, in the mechanism—in technology we call it the tolerance space for movements—so our joints and bones have the tolerance space to move within. There is also space in the whole body. Our mouth has a space. If there were no space, we couldn’t speak, Bābā. Could we open it? We couldn’t eat. So this empty part in the body, in the nerves, in the kidneys, in all organs, similarly also in vegetation. So Ākāśa Tattva, the fire Tattva which supplies us, giving us the sun, air Tattva. So the space, fire, air, water, and earth. When, for the first time, earth was brought up out of the ocean, it was under the water. Nowhere, not even any square meter, was the earth out; all was in the water. So in the first incarnation, called Varāhī Avatāra from the twenty-four incarnations, it is that Varāha who brought the earth out of the water and balanced it. The nine planets have a very special, significant influence on our earth. In astrology, the Earth is not a planet. It’s called the living earth. It’s a living world, but it is in the mortal world, coming and going. But the other planets, Jupiter, Mars, etc., they have a radiance towards Earth. They get more energy from the earth. So when Varāhāvatāra first lifted Earth out of the water, when the sun ray, the sunlight, first touched the earth—the lighted earth, the illuminated earth—that second, even a quarter second (in the Vedas and Vedic mathematics, one second is divided into 32; that was the accounting of time by the ṛṣis)... And I think we need not be under the ocean; there is a lot of water in the room, so we should start a little air conditioning. So, please start some machine, this also, otherwise, who will lift us again out? So for me, that time, that touch, that’s called Guru Pūrṇimā. That was a constellation: both the moon is full and the sun. When the Varāha comes up, the light—these are the combination of three, and that is Guru Pūrṇimā. Three, the trinities: Brahmā, the creator; Viṣṇu, the sustainer; Śiva, the liberation. Not as a physical form, but as energy, the principle. Second, Guru Pūrṇimā has been decided as a day to remember and worship, the birthday of a great saint, Vedavyāsa. Ved Vyāsa, let’s just put it on my side. Ved Vyāsa is the one who dictated what we call the Vyāsa, who dictated all the holy scriptures. Before Vedavyāsa, it is believed, it’s called Śruti, Smṛti. Thank you very much. Śruti is Smṛti. Śruti is memory, or what we hear. And Smṛti is memory, and Śruti is what we heard. So that is called dialogue between master and disciple. What the master taught, the disciple had to remember. But they knew that in Kali Yuga, memory would be lost. At present, our memory is about 72% lost. And in many cases, 80%. Is it a real research? You can ask yourself, how many telephone numbers do you know by heart? That is an examination, self-judgment; give self-judgment. And that time, when the Master told one word, it went through and through, and they did not forget again. So that is the principle. A professor teaches, and a student listens. The student is called a brahmachārī, and brahmachārī means student. As long as they are studying, they should not have any interest toward worldly life. Masters, professors, or ācāryas, we say, are very strict. They had many rules and principles they were following. Brilliant, brilliant memory. They were like enlightened souls. So that master, the language is a difference which makes the people fight. We say guru, and you say teacher. We say ācārya, and you say professor. "Gu" means darkness. So "gu" is the disciple, and "ru" is the master, the professor, the light. So the light of the wisdom, the knowledge, has the master and disciple still not. Therefore, it is dark. But when the master will explain, the disciple will know. It means he or she also has that knowledge now, enlightened. Lead us from darkness to the light. So, Veda Vyāsa spoke and let work and wrote all these old scriptures. So this day is dedicated to Bhagavān Veda Vyāsa. It’s called Vyāsa Gāḍī. You may say the holy chair. So, whoever will sit in that holy chair will be respected as from the origins. You have the chair of the Pope, and on that chair, only the one who has the title of the Pope has the right to sit. But this physical form is not more valuable than the chair itself. That’s a very important way to think. The Pope is also a mortal being, he will die, but they will not bury the chair with him down in the earth. The holy chair will remain. So that’s a place, that’s a place which remains, that is connected to the principle of the master and the disciple. In India, anyone who is giving a spiritual course or lecture, and they put you in some place, on the chair in the front, automatically it’s called Vyāsa Gaḍī, the Vyāsa chair, Vyāsa. And who has the right? Who is the successor? That time you respect that person as the Bhagavān Vedavyāsa because you sit on that place. So it is a day to worship the knowledge, the wisdom. Not a physical form, but that physical form is also very important. This bulb is giving light, but if the bulb is not there, the light is not there; the power is there. So, jñāna kī pūjā hotī hai. Jñāna kī pūjā hotī hai. Gyān means knowledge, pūjā means ceremony, worship. It is the knowledge that is worshipped. It is light which shows us the path, which makes the clarity. So, sanātana dharma is known as living dharma. And Sanātana Dharma will never be finished or closed. Many systems came and went, but Sanātana did not. Because getting a child, this child is born. If it’s a girl, it’s already worshipped, going to be a mother. If it’s a boy, it’s a father. So this is a continuity of the Sanātana Dharma. When the seed goes into the earth and sprouts, this is the principle of the Sanātana Dharma. So the Sanātana values, it means the universal law, the universal principle. When there will be no more birth given, the human will not get any children, animals will not get any babies, the birds will not get any eggs, and the trees will not give any more seeds. That is going to darkness. It will seize everything. But that will not happen, Sanātana. Can you imagine that in Austria all schools and colleges and universities are locked? No, anymore will be teaching there? Impossible. Austria is a very great country, with a very great education and institutions, the universities, everything. It is a very beautiful, completely Sanātana Dharma. So as long as the master and disciple, meaning teacher and student, system is there, that is the Sanātana. And the worship is that, that first time when you meet your teacher, that day is your Guru Pūrṇimā. Where your teacher told you to write A or B and gave in your hand some pencil or something. Jñānī kī pūjā, worship of the knowledge, not the ignorance. And that is the tattva called Guru tattva. Therefore, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa, these trinities, above the trinity, the highest principle in the universe is called Guru-Tattva. Guru-Brahmā, Guru-Viṣṇu, Guru-Devo-Maheśvara, Guru-Sākṣāt-Parabrahma, Tasmai Śrī-Gurave Namaḥ. Any incarnation will come that is nothing other than the Guru. Every child is born as nothing less than the Guru, because he comes with that knowledge which is still dormant, but the involvement of the consciousness, the awakening of that awareness, and the knowledge grows day by day, like from the new moon to the full moon. That’s why finally the guru is pūrṇa, complete. Knowledge is that knowledge where there is no ignorance, and where there is ignorance, there is no knowledge. Still missing. So exactly, there is a constellation when the moon will be exactly 100% full. And then, changing already. We have to catch that second, that minute. It means what remains. So what comes from complete? It is a complete. When you take from the complete, it will always still remain complete. In the egg of the peacock bird, we need not inject the colors inside. That baby which will come out of the egg of the peacock will be colorful itself. So, in that consciousness, the Guru Tattva is leading the whole creation on this earth. So, you know, in some countries, there was in India, in many schools, when the student goes first time to the school, there is a beautiful ceremony. One week before the ceremony is at home, when you go from the home, when you come to the school. Now, also, there is a ceremony where they give chocolate and nuts and this one little bag to the children, and one balloon. That I was in the school, I was in the school,... Papa, I was in the school, I was... There is also a ceremony to make them happy. So life is a ceremony. Life is a worship. Life is beautiful, and life is to live a life healthy, happy, and harmonious. So Guru Pūrṇimā is worshipped with great joy, and it is not a worship of a person, but it is a worship of that knowledge, worship of that light which is dwelling in each and every atom, in each and every cell of the creature’s body. That means the Guru Pūrṇimā. When you meditate, you get realization. Then you will say, "So on this day, you should have a nice day." You should wash yourself three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. And change the attire from there. One week before, we are carrying and fasting. Be positive. Sun, look to the sun. When you touch the water, say, "Thank you, God. Thank you for this water." Can you imagine when, in the morning, we touch the water, how beautiful it is? Is everything everything as God has given us, and still we don’t see Him where He is? We believe that it is someone, and someone believes differently. Fasting means all negative energy will be reduced. Positive energy will be entering the body. Fasting, prayers, be nice to all, have positive thinking. You know, when we celebrate New Year, that’s exactly Guru Pūrṇimā. That’s exactly something new coming. Every year is a new year. Why do you worship every year? Yeah, for you it is every year, but for the newborn child, it is the first time. A newborn child is a new year; it is the first time in the new year. So we worship. Happy New Year, happy New Year. My God! Yes, that is a new year of birth, or manifestation, or enlightenment of the knowledge. So that is Guru Pūrṇimā. I pray to our Alag Purījī Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā Vyāsa Gaḍī. Ālag Purījī was before the Bhagavān Vyāsa. So this Gāḍī, this holy seat of the Ālag Purī Jī, is very, very... Ages and ages going on. So I pray and bless you in the name of the Ālag Purījī Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā to all. For your good health, healthy, happy, harmonious, divine, and long life, that you realize within you the Pūrṇa, that light, that Guru Tattva, that you become that one, what you should become. On this day of the Guru Pūrṇimā, 31st July, around this time, European Vienna time, 7:30, if the internet will function, I will come again and give you the blessings. Otherwise, in every center, in every home, everywhere, anywhere you are, think and worship inwardly. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya—lead us from darkness to the light. Asato mā sad gamaya—lead us from unreality to reality. Mṛtyur mā mṛtaṁ gamaya—lead us from mortality to immortality. Sarve Sam Swastir Bhavatu—Everywhere should be good health. Sarve Sam Shantir Bhavatu—Everywhere should be peace. Sarve Sam Mangalam Bhavatu—Everywhere should be harmony, happiness. No one should fight. Sarve Sam Purnam Bhavatu—Everyone should have everything, all comfort, all happiness. Nothing should be missing. No one should be hungry. No one should fight, no war. Sarve sam śāntir bhavatu. Peace, peace, peace. Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu—The whole world and all the planets and the space, there should also be peace. Peace is very important. We are not the doer. The doer is God. Mahāprabhujī is the only doer. Peace, peace, peace. Therefore, how did he say it? Sarvam Saṅkhyā Vipam Sarvam Śānti Śānti... Peace, peace, bless you all. Devadhī Dev, Deveśvara Mahādeva, Kījai Dīpa Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kījai Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Gurudeva, Kījai Alak Puriṣa Mahādeva, Kījai Oṁ, Oṁ, Kījai.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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