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Relationship between Master and Student

A personal satsang reflecting on the sacred relationship between a master and disciple, centered on the speaker's Guru, Holī Gurujī.

"Every master wishes that their students will achieve even greater success, higher positions, or realize higher consciousness."

"To express the feeling of your heart—a heart to heart. Srce ka srcu."

Swami Maheshwarananda (Swamiji) shares intimate memories and teachings about his master, Holī Gurujī. He explains the selfless nature of a true master through metaphors of a lake, a tree, a saint, and the rain. He recounts personal stories of Gurujī's grace, their correspondence, and the profound bond that persisted until Gurujī's passing, including the final Guru Pūrṇimā and the poignant moments surrounding his mahāsamādhi.

Filming locations: Vienna, Austria.

DVD 212

I have forgotten some dates, the dates from Hagenau. You will help me to remember them. I am speaking about our dear, revered Holī Gurujī. It is about the relationship between master and disciple. Every parent—father and mother—wishes that their children have a much better life and higher positions in every respect. Parents are never jealous when their children hold a higher position; rather, it is the opposite. The parents wish, which is to pray. A wish and a prayer are the same. Blessing, wishing, or praying for someone—all three forms are the same. This is because parents have a very deep relationship with their children. In India, it is commonly said that blood is thicker than water, meaning blood relatives. And so it is also with master and disciple. Every master wishes that their students will achieve even greater success, higher positions, or realize higher consciousness. That is a desire, and therefore every master strives very much, in every way, to transmit their wisdom without making any distinction. Now, the difference between parents and masters is that the love, wishes, and prayers of parents are limited to their own blood relatives or children. A wish, blessing, and prayer from a saint or master is unlimited. In a beautiful poem, it is said how four things are like saints. The first is a lake, a sarovar. This lake is sacred because it does not hold water for itself, but for everyone. No matter who comes to drink water, which living beings exist, or who bathes in it, the lake is always there and does not become angry. This is called a sarovar. The second is a tree, a taruvara. A tree has a title from the Holy One. A tree stands there for all: for birds, ants, mosquitoes, numerous beings exist within it. Animals, humans—if it bears fruit, it gives to all. No matter who comes, they receive the fruit. We throw stones up at the tree to get fruit; it does not throw the stone back at us, but gives a piece of fruit. The tree has no attachment to those who water it, and is not angry at those who cut it down. Therefore, a tree stands there in every weather: hot sun, storm, rain, snow, cold, fog, and so on. Some trees stand all alone, high up on a mountain. Even such a tree has survived many lightning strikes. So is the life of a saint. He also receives many lightning strikes and survives many situations in life. But this tree stands there for everyone, and so a master, a saint, is there for all. Some think negatively; one speaks well, another speaks poorly, but still, they have this task: to give only good. For example, Gurujī, through his bhajans, has gifted or left us a great, great wealth. The third is the saint, the santajana. The fourth is the rain, the varsha. When it rains, it rains everywhere equally. Whether it is a flower garden, or stones, or dirt, or cities of people, or a grain field, or a forest—rain never says, "Here in this spot it is dirty, I will not fall here." In English, it is said it does not make any difference. And so, in spiritual consciousness, there are no differences. For paramārtha—paramārtha means selflessness—these four are incarnated on this Earth because they carry the longing, the longing to serve. Sarovara (a lake), taruvara (a tree), santajana (the saints), and varsha (rain). All four have manifested here to serve selflessness, sevā. And therefore, the grace, the prayers and blessings from the Master, are more than sacred. The Master's sacred prayers are more than those of parents. But to recognize that and to realize it is difficult. When children are 18 or 19 years old, then the whole world is good except the parents. When children are 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 years old, then all people are good for them except the parents. And no matter what the parents say, the children respond—most often, children respond very energetically. But after one or two disappointments in life, some blows of fate, then once again the solace from the mother or the shoulder of the father is sought. Because the children know where they can rest their shoulder. And for that, there are the parents. Perhaps many will never forgive us, but our parents will always forgive us—except for some exceptions where one is mentally ill. And so was the grace of Mahāprabhujī upon Holī Gurujī, and upon all his disciples. But many have not realized this. We had a discussion in Vienna with Dr. Gulab Kotari from Rajasthan. Why do many saints have no disciples? This is truly a burning question, not only for India but for the whole world. There were many, many saints, but after them, everything returns back. This is because they did not understand the Master at all. The Master desired nothing, only one thing, which was for all. Most of the time, like a lake—if you want to take water, take it. Like a tree—if you want to sit in the shade, then do it. Or if you want fruit, then do it. And so, we need this consciousness. And once consciousness has awakened, it never sleeps again. But before that, when the seed sprouts, many, many rocks lie upon it: the rocks of our many karmas, śikṣā, and so on. So, it is damn hard, but once you get through it, it is the most beautiful thing. And so, I can tell you, and many of you know, the grace of the Holy Gurujī was very, very great for everyone. I can say now, as a selfish person, that Gurujī had his love and grace very, very much for me. He has had so much kindness, grace, to forgive. And children are right to be a little bit mischievous sometimes. Children have the right to be a little bit guilty before their parents sometimes. And perhaps I was also sometimes a little at fault. But the relationship between Holī Gurujī and his grace towards me, and my relationship with him, was inseparable. And so I return to yesterday’s topic; it belongs to my current narration. Indeed, Holy Gurujī is one of the persons, a saint, whom I have encountered or been fortunate to meet in my life, who was truly disciplined and practiced constantly. I have sometimes said, "Gurujī, now you have seen Mahāprabhujī, God. You lived with him for 20 years, and he gave you everything along with his blessing. Why do you practice now? What more are you practicing for? When you are self-realized, then you no longer need to practice." And Gurujī said, with his very gentle manner, with a little smile, a gentle smile, "Here is Mahesh. You know, I am not as far along as you think. But you are right, you are Yogirāja." He sees an answer in such a way. And then he said, "You know, one never has enough to drink this nectar, the wisdom. No one has enough. In the name of God, I have been given this life to enjoy this nectar. And so I try not to let any moments slip away. Perhaps I have not yet fully realized anything. And that is why I want to truly become one with him." And just as Holī Gurujī said in his bhajan, "Pal-pal le the sambhal, Mahāprabhujī, pal-pal le the sambhal"—in every moment, he takes care of me, he looks after me. This is my bliss, that every moment Mahāprabhujī takes care of me. No moments are without His presence. And so, I have many, many letters from Holī Gurujī here. What he writes to me is indescribable. What a master writes to his disciples, with how much love and blessing or grace he pours forth! Sometimes even stricter. And how—I only half-read the letter and then set it aside. I want to arrange these letters, but I do not yet have the strength; there is so much grace within. One day, I hope to find the strength to organize, review, and publish some of these letters for you. I have been here in Vienna for 35 years, or even longer, and I have always checked my mailbox four times to see if there is any mail, because Gurujī is the mail. Calling Gurujī back then was three days' work. We had to register the call from Vienna. Then they registered for London, from Vienna to London. And from London to India, the underground cable ran through the sea, through the ocean. And there in India, it went to a certain Rajasthan or whichever main state it is. And from there it went to the district, and from this district it went to the place where the headquarters for this area is currently located. After two or three hours of registration in Vienna, they called us back, and on such and such a day, from those 10 or 15 minutes, their call was attempted, connected. So, I waited for my phone to ring, but I immediately understood that it was working. Then it worked. But in India, there was a disturbance on the phone. So Gurujī waited there, and I waited here, because we didn’t have a telephone in the Ashram. Of course, in Nepal and Kathu, there was absolutely no question of that; there were no telephones. Except for police radios, and there you are not allowed at all, you won't get through. So, Gurujī had to go to Jodhpur or Ajmer or Biawar or Jaipur, so I will call him. And he waited: "The person will call." And now I am infinitely sorry that I did not record his answer, what he told me on the phone. And when my letter arrived there in India, and the postman brought a letter to Gurujī, then Gurujī immediately gave the postman 10 or 20 rupees as a gift because he had brought my letter. The postman always told me, "Please, Swāmījī, write several letters." So Gurujī said that every time my letter arrives, he is so happy and he gives the postman something. So, I said, "Gurujī, I will write every day. Will you give the letter every day?" He said, "Yes, every day I will give more. Will you write to me?" So, do you understand what a relationship between master and disciple is without any material expectations? To express the feeling of your heart—a heart to heart. Srce ka srcu. And in this letter, Holī Gurujī wrote that Devapurjī would come one day. And indeed, Devapurjī came to Europe. Holī Gurujī said that Devapurjī lives in Kistu. "Ah, Lord God, it is my great grace that you conceive here to me in my meditation." It was noon. And Devapurjī said, "Now I am going to Europe to Mahesh. And I thought, along the way I should give you blessings. That is why I have come." The letter is with me, in Holī Gurujī's own handwriting. And once, suddenly, Holī Gurujī wrote and said how close I am to Mahāprabhujī. And from that day, Gurujī did not see me as a student, but as one who is with Mahāprabhujī. But I said, "Gurujī, I am naturally a disciple." And Gurujī never said from his mouth to anyone or others, "I already have so many disciples," or this or that. It has always been said, "Mahāprabhujī is a disciple. Mahāprabhujī will do it, Mahāprabhujī will give it, he will bless you, he will solve your problems." Such realization and trust—one hundred thousand percent certain. Even the moon and the sun can change their paths, but the words of my Holy One will never change. And so, now it has been three years. This is the third Guru Pūrṇimā. One month before Guru Pūrṇimā, I was sitting in the garden of the Streljki Ashram, under this beautiful tree. My gaze was fixed on this house where I live, this hut. I looked at the apartment where I had lived, and at the orange pan in his room. And there I had a beautiful vision once again. I have forgotten the date; I believe someone wrote it down. The Strelke-Bhaktas have definitely written it; I will ask them. And there Gurujī told me that this Guru Pūrṇimā would be the last Guru Pūrṇimā. "And if you wish, then come, we shall celebrate together." He often said something to people, but we also did not believe anything. Mahāprabhujī also called him Gurujī, but Gurujī did not want to acknowledge it. Suddenly, I called upon Parvatī and said, "I am canceling the Guru Pūrṇimā program here, and this coming Guru Pūrṇimā I will be in India." I called Parvatī and said, "We will give up the Austria Guru Pūrṇimā program and celebrate it in India." Everyone remembers that. Some were not so fortunate. You said that I always change my programs and so on and so forth. I said, "Yes, unfortunately I am ending, but I have to do this this time." And that was truly the last Guru Pūrṇimā with Gurujī. I called Gurujī on the same day. "I am coming for Guru Pūrṇimā." And Gurujī was on the phone; he could no longer speak. He was full of emotions, love, and he said, "I have asked Mahāprabhujī that perhaps we should mostly be here for this Guru Pūrṇimā. So when are you coming?" Then he said, "I have to book my flight, there are some programs I need to conduct." Then he said, "As you like." You know, Gurujī did not speak much English, just a few words. And the Prāmanandī brought Gurujī to these words: "As you like." So, when Gurujī constantly asked him something, he would say, "As you like, Gurujī." And these had always remained with us through him as well. "As you like." Yes, you know the whole story, and it was impossible for us to hold it back. But Gurujī was very pleased that I was there. He had such severe pain in his knees, it was unbearable—not only while walking, but also while lying down, sitting, and so on. A doctor in Delhi, an orthopedist, said, "Swāmījī, I will give you new knees and everything will be fine and the pain will be gone." And that was a temptation for Gurujī to go to Delhi. But it was clear to all of us that his kidneys had almost ceased to function. Well, when the time comes, everything changes, everything falls into place. It is incredible how quickly the body changes its functions. As I said, thank God that we are all healthy. Then we took Gurujī from Delhi to Jodhpur. Gurujī said, "Please, you should take me to Rajasthan. It is enough to be in Delhi. Now his desire is to come to Rajasthan." And we fulfilled his wish and rented a private flight, a taxi, an air taxi. Two doctors, a nurse, and Dr. Shanti flew with this plane to Jodhpur, and everything was fine. It was already so close that in a few days Gurujī could come to Jadan Ashram. I had already been in India for one and a half months, and almost a month I spent in Jodhpur. I only wanted to go to Jodhpur for one day; it is a one-and-a-half-hour drive. Then I told Gurujī that I am going to Jadan today and will return in the morning. Gurujī said, "Good idea, I will go also with you, let's go. We are leaving today and will return tomorrow." I said, "No, Gurujī must not, you must not do anything." "Why not?" I said, "The doctor permits nothing." And Gurujī became a little angry and said, "Which doctor is here to discharge you, Mahesh? Name him, he dismisses Swāmījī." I said, "It is not the doctor, but your physical condition." And then the doctor came, and Gurujī said to the doctor, "Give me permission to leave, because the Swāmījī has arrived." The doctor said, "Swāmījī, I promise you, Gurudev, in four days I will give you all the good and send you to Jadan." And Gurujī said, "Okay." Gurujī was so pure in his mind, in his thoughts, like a little baby. He had his temperament, but not for long. After a few minutes, he started smiling again. He is called Kṛpā Sāgara, Ocean of Grace. I said to Gurujī, "I am going to Jadan and then to Chūruk, and I will bring you our fresh cow’s milk." Gurujī said, "These are all excuses." And the doctor was gone, and Gurujī told me, "Come back quickly. To tell the truth, without you I do not feel well in this hospital. It is boring, and I will come back early right away." And he said, "Tell the doctor to give me some sleeping pills today; I haven't been able to sleep for two days." And we told the doctor not to give any sleeping pills, because in Delhi they said that if Gurujī goes into deep sleep, it might be difficult for him to come back. And then the night duty doctor didn’t know, and Gurujī said, "Bring me my sleeping tablet, because it is the Esser." And Gurujī went into a deep sleep. But he waited for me to come. I came back around eleven o’clock. As promised, I have brought some good Jadan cow milk. Gurujī, I awakened him; he woke up and drank the milk. I asked, "Does this milk taste good?" Gurujī said it has amṛta. "These are the hands of Mahesh Amṛta." In the afternoon, he visited the Maharaja of Jodhpur and the Queen, and his mother—all three. And Gurujī sat down and immediately began to tell something from the Rāmāyaṇa. And the royal family said, "Swāmījī, you must not speak, please rest." And the queen's mother said, "Gurujī, you must not speak so much." "Okay." But Gurujī said, "This is my task. You have come for darśana, and I must give you prasāda." Even in such situations. And Gurujī lay down again. The next day it was already ten o’clock again, and he had not woken up. I came and was a little angry with everyone because they had not washed Gurujī yet and had not washed him yesterday. We sat down with Gurujī for a bit and exchanged a few words. When Gurujī saw, he realized that I was there. Then Dr. Shanti said, "The hospitals are there and they will take care of it, and it would be good for us to go out." I said, "Gurujī, I am sitting outside." He held my hand, but I went outside. And that moment, Gurujī said goodbye. Those were the seconds or minutes when Gurujī truly took leave. When I thought, "You are here," I said, "Yes, that was it." I was sitting outside, and Dr. Shanti was inside. She called the doctor; everyone rushed and placed him on the machine for favorable breathing. Also, the body was there, but it was no longer. But of course, we cannot say that only the body pumps and life is there. No. It is consecrated again. Gurujī has returned. And he was inside, but in a deep sleep for a week or ten days. I traveled to Jadan one day, and someone called me from Jodhpur. We spoke, and I asked how Gurujī is doing. He said, "Swāmījī, I have a request. I know that Gurujī will never leave. He is just waiting for you to tell him, 'Gurujī, now you may go.'" I said, "How? He is not speaking; he is in a coma." The bhakta said, "Speak into his ear; he hears everything." I said, "I cannot do that. My mind and my heart do not allow me to tell my Master, 'You can go now.' Although I know that now in the body there is only suffering. Why are you telling me that I should say, 'Gurujī'?" He said, "One day Gurujī told them, to him and his wife, Sobhājī and Rajendrajī. Gurujī was ill, but he said he cannot leave because Mahesh does not allow it. And as long as Mahesh remains silent, no matter how difficult it is for him, he will stay here." That was so much his love, attachment to me, more than I had for him. Why? Indescribable. Because he told me, "I am always here for you." And when He has promised these words, "I am always here for you," I cannot be harmed as long as He does not tell me, "Now you may go." I became clear and determined to go to Kathu. Early in the morning, I received a vision that I should go to Kathu. Then only Mahāprabhujī shall speak, not I. I went to Kathu. Everyone was very happy; we had satsaṅga in the village Ashram. I went to Devapurjī's samādhi in Duni, and at 9 or 9:30 I went to the Mahāprabhujī samādhi place to pray for Gurujī. During the prayer, I spoke to Mahāprabhujī in my thoughts: "Please, give your blessings. Either heal Gurujī—that is the first condition—or call him to you." The prayer was not yet finished when a call came from the Jodhpur hospital to the Kathu Ashram. Mahāprabhujī has heard, Gurujī has heard, and now Gurujī has said, "My treasure has already said. My promise is now fulfilled," Gurujī has said. In Kathu, very early in the morning, I had a dream where I saw all of this. But the person who answered the phone at Kathu Ashram didn’t tell me anything at all. I made tea, quickly drank the tea, and said, "Now let's go." There was a small renovation work; I absolutely had to take a look at it. I looked at it and wanted to go greet Mahāprabhujī once again. I said, "If I go once more, I will now immediately greet Mahāprabhujī, then I will take a look at this construction work and continue on." And so everything within me, directly and indirectly, was conveyed—everything I am meant to do. We arrived at the village Ashram, and there someone was waiting with the phone, urgently requesting me from the front. I knew what was going on. And so we came, and they called Jodhpur from the hospital apartment. I knew what it was about. And then you know everything. That is what I wanted to share with you today. That was what Gurujī always practiced. He practiced this svara-sādhana. The greatest harmony is caused by following the functions of Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. When you eat, which wing, nostril, or Iḍā, Piṅgalā should flow, and when you eat, which should flow, which should flow at sunset and at sunrise. No matter where he was—on the train, the bus, in the car, or anywhere else, he was a guest or in the āśrama—in certain parts, he pressed his hand and squeezed a particular side of his armpit, but leaned in such a way that the right side flows. For Gurujī, it was like a few seconds of work. And likewise, the phases of the moon, the lunar systems. It is not only that he spoke, but that he lived. He not only spoke about it, but he also lived it. And it was a lifelong work. The medications have completely disturbed his body and his thoughts. I was at the Kumbh Melā in Nasik; I only went for five days and then came back. I said, "Gurujī, where is your mālā?" I wanted to give him his mālā. And Gurujī—I gave it to him—he returned the mālā to me. "Mahesh, now I have practiced this mālā enough. Now you continue practicing this time." And he gave me this mālā, his mālā. Of course, this mālā is sacred to us. And it is too sacred for me to carry in my throat. So we performed pūjā for him in Jadan. I wanted to give him this mālā in his samādhi. But thanks to Premanandī, Premanandī said, "Swāmījī, that would be an eternal pity. Just as Gurujī has given it to you, you should keep it as darśana." And this mālā is in Jadan Ashram. When you take it in your hand, you always sense Gurujī, his presence. And the story of his mālā. You have it in Līlā Amṛta, I believe. In Bola Guda Ashram, Mahāprabhujī lives in this small part. We have a room, entirely made of earth, with walls and the old-fashioned little house—a room. And there we had a small room built next to it, for Holy Gurujī, like our garden house. I received tools for the hut, so to speak. And Gurujī always said, "Madhvanandī's Bungalow." What is a bungalow for Gurujī? One day, Gurujī, around eleven o’clock or so, was sitting in his little room meditating. And Mahāprabhujī appeared. So Gurujī quickly stood up and made praṇāma. And Mahāprabhujī said, "What are you doing here?" So Gurujī said, "I repeat your name." "Without a mālā? Don’t you have a mālā?" So Gurujī said, "No, I have not had a mālā until now." And so a mālā came into his hand and was given to Gurujī. In a moment, a mālā appeared in his hands, and he placed it into his hands. "Take this mālā and practice with it. Your mālā is connected to life because it is called mālā, sumiraṇa karo. Make your sumiraṇa throughout your life; repeat your mantra." And that was the rudrākṣa mālā—such large rudrākṣa beads. And Gurujī practiced for so long in his lifetime; if you take this hand once, you will say, this is not a rudrākṣa bead, but this is wood—so worn out with his fingers and thumb. As long as he has practiced. And now, onto your little endurance. And so this special story. This afternoon I had my Yoga-Nidrā and received Gurujī's darśana. Almost every day on the web, Gurujī was very gracious and gave me his darśana. Last weekend in Enkelstraße, I also shared how Gurujī came. And that was a very clear signal for me once again that after all his astral tasks, he aligns again within me and I return. He was so clear and so beautiful. And that is how it is to speak about Holī Gurujī. One can speak for hours. But only those who have truly awakened this love in their hearts can understand it. Mother and father know what child means. But the child knows what parents mean, and especially the mother. And so, this is a spiritual, divine consciousness. And when one has found this consciousness, then one is always there. And this thing should grow within you, day by day. "My love is ever and ever more deeply bound to You, O Lord; day by day my love for You shall grow," Holī Gurujī said. Siddhi dhana Bhagavān, Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān, Sanātana Dharma.

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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