The knife which does not cut things, openly unuttered holy words,
the flower which cannot be reached by others, unused and ill-drained water in the pond, unprotected private parts, the mind which is unmindful about others, and the worship made without being realized as significant.
All these are useless.
A true spiritual teacher explains the importance of wisdom and guides us to realize the enlightened state through the path of spirituality. Thus, he makes our present birth meaningful and purposeful. The spiritual teacher through his selfless service guides us to attain liberation.
The truth about human soul, God and the light are explained by him. He guides us in the noble path of spiritualism. He makes us realize the truth about all entities and thus he becomes the true spiritual teacher.
Such a teacher follows the code of moral conduct and leads a disciplined life beyond any temptation for worldly pleasures. Only then he becomes qualified to guide genuine congregation of followers through the path of truth.
In Tamil there is a saying: we should not explore the source of the river and the monk. A true self-disciplined follower need not think about them.
Evil thoughts and wicked deeds will easily catch the fickle minds. We must be extremely careful to practise self-discipline, noble qualities and achieve greatness. Then only we can become successful souls.
We must relinquish all our desires and personal comforts and be ready to sacrifice many things in our life. Worldly pleasures will make our minds revolve around them and will lead us to deadly hell, so beware of these dangerous sinful-path.
A Tamil saying tells us: identify the evil-minded persons and be away from them.
Those teachers who take intoxicating drugs that ruin the body and blur our intellect cannot be a spiritual teacher. Neither he nor you will benefit from such spiritual teacher. As a result, there is no salvation for the teacher and the taught.
A true spiritual teacher is one who searches for the truth, one who is compassionate towards all living beings, one who tells us what is meant by truth. Who is a true spiritual teacher (guru)? One who is involved in continuous search for what is true and one who conducts others in the true path of universal love. We need only such a spiritual teacher to lead us.
A true spiritual teacher has no desire for worldly pleasures; he feels the pains and sufferings of other lives; he sacrifices everything for the welfare of others. He is the standing example for the divine love in human form. Choose such a saintly teacher and lead your life in the path he has prescribed. That is the right path of enlightenment.
One such true spiritual teacher is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Saibaba who was born in a small village, Puttaparathi, Andrapradesh. He has transformed the village into a city which attracted people all over the world. While it was a tough task for the government to provide drinking water, he was able to solve the water problem for a few districts, and provide continuous water supply to the people of those districts with the support of his devotees.
He has built a super-speciality hospital which provides free treatment for all kinds of illness to all the people who came there for treatment. We cannot see such a free medical service anywhere in India. In his ashram we cannot see any religious, racial or regional disparities. Saibaba addresses all devotees as truly blissful souls (Dhivya aatma sorubhigal). Saibaba’s cardinal teachings are as follows: Look after your parents and serve them first, then identify the needs of others around you and serve them all. Do selfless service. It will transform you into a soul filled with love.
In addition, he says: See God in all living beings and serve them. That is the time when God dwelling in all souls will bless you. Through devotion you will attain salvation. “Service to Mankind is service to God”. This is the quintessence of Saibaba’s teachings.
Saibaba has been guiding millions of people in the path of love and non-violence and make them service-minded souls for more than sixty years (statement made around 2004). Those who have been transformed into noble souls by Bhagavan Sree Sathya Saibaba look upon him as incarnation of God. After getting the blessings of Baba, the devotees following the noble path laid down by Baba have been serving other people.
Vallalar has entreated the enormous light of divine grace (God) to bless the people and provide them with whatever they asked for and wherever they might be, by making yourself present in their place. In the same way Bhagavan Baba says: “You need not come to me. Do your service in your station. I will come and bless you wherever you are”. That is the unique nature of great saints.
Saibaba proclaimed that he was Shridi Saibaba in his previous incarnation and predicted that he would be born as Prema Sai in Mandya district, Karnataka. He is such a unique saint who has realized the past, present and future.
I prayed to him that I should be protected from sufferings and immediately responded that he was watching me and listening to my prayers. It was Saibaba who gave “eyes” to the book, “Garland of Divine Vision” (Kanmani Maalai). We can keep on narrating the multitudinous miraculous acts of Saibaba. Moreover, Saibaba, the incarnation of compassion, rescued my life when I was at a critical situation.
Words cannot describe the compassionate nature of him. A great saint, non-peril. Even today Saibaba is blessing all devotees in the omnipresent spiritual form. We should be fortunate to see the divine form of Baba. You must visit his ashram and feel the presence of God. All your sins will be washed away.
I have been reaping the fruits of many visits and his “Dharsans”, and doing my services as prescribed by Saibaba. I am leading a contented peaceful life with my family members.
Another saint I greatly admire is Jaggy Vasudev. He was born and brought up in Karnataka and has started a yoga centre at the foot hills of Vellilgiri, Coimbatore. He has been guiding people to saintly state through yoga and social service.
He is explaining the philosophical concepts through scientific explanations to the modern man. He follows the yogic path of Patanjali and has trained one hundred disciples to teach yogic practices and spiritualism to all people living in urban and rural areas.
There are so many monasteries (Ashramam) and many leaders teach yoga without knowing the basics of yoga and as a result, the students also do not understand what their yoga teacher teaches.
Some people have taken the yoga teaching as an activity for granted and treat ed themas recreation. Some years ago there were people belonging to various clubs, societies or circles. They proclaimed that they were doing social service or involved in literary activities. They were also proud to claim that they belonged to a prestigious club.
Today people are bragging about yoga. They claim that they practice one kind of yoga or other. Neither have they understood the principles of yoga nor have they achieved anything to uplift their souls. Some patients taking allopathic medicine have resorted to some yogic and breathing exercise and perceived some improvement in their health. How many of them would have really understand the significance of yoga?
Sometime before, in our town, I suggested to a member who frequently visited me that we could learn yoga from the Isha Yoga Centre. He said that he knew the yoga fully well and proudly said that he had been teaching yoga to many persons. When queried further, he referred to some yogic postures such as “Suhasanam” and “Padmasanam”. He has not understood that it was one of the eight steps to have union with God. What he referred to was the first of the eight stages of yoga to reach God. Moreover, I explained to him: Yoga means becoming one with God through the spiritual wisdom.
Then he realized his ignorance and repented. Like him, there are so many people who make mistakes out of ignorance. They do not know what they are doing. They blindly argue in favour of what they believe to be true.
Kanmani Maalai and Arulmani Maalai have been written with a view to making people understand the truth about all entities. I have shared my experience with others who have misunderstood the true nature of God, man, soul and the world. The main purpose is to make all people realize the truth about spirituality. Some people do not understand when we say “Do what is good”. They understand only when we point out that certain acts are evil and must be given up if they want to reach God (attain salvation). That is why I have mentioned about those persons who misunderstood the eternal truth. My aim is to make them realize their mistakes and help them lead their life in the right path.
That is why our ancestors have insisted that spiritual teachers must lead a disciplined life of true spirituality. Our ancestors have guided us in the right path without any hesitation. Even if the Supreme Ruler commits a mistake, it will be pointed out bravely without compromising with Him. Thirunavukkarasar has rightly pointed out about the devotees of God: we are not citizens of any ruler in the world; we are not scared of the God of Death; we will never suffer in the hell.
This is the nature of spiritual souls and devotees of God.
Jaggi Vasudev, a truly great spiritual guru, a great saint. He has raised and installed Lord of Meditation (Dhyana Lingam) in the Isha Yoga centre. Through his power of penance, birth after birth, he has achieved the supreme power to make a most powerful symbol of meditation. Even if a person without any knowledge of meditation and spirituality will be enthralled by the positive waves emerging from the symbol of meditation if he goes and sit inside the meditation hall. He will experience the peace of mind which one gets after meditation. The power of Dhyana Lingam is so great that nobody else has performed such a miracle.
I have witnessed these miraculous acts of Jaggi Vasudev who has helped me to come out of my sufferings and guided me to lead the present life.
Another remarkable act of Jaggi Vasudev is that he has conducted Sahaja Sthithi Yoga classes for prisoners in Tamil Nadu and changed many of them into kind human beings. These prisoners who have been brought into the prisons with revengeful attitude, were transformed into men with human kindness and compassion for all. Such a remarkable change happened in their minds, just because of Jaggi Vasudev. He has travelled to various countries and brought many people into the path of yoga and spiritualism.
Establishing a blissful, peaceful and love-filled world is the main objective of Jaggi Vasudev. Just like the mother who feeds the baby with milk of human kindness, he feeds the people with spiritualism and strong mind, performing the role of a mother as well as a father to guide them.
Isha Yoga concept includes the teachings all saints in order to make people spiritual persons ultimately. Along with his disciples, the true guru takes committed interest to change ordinary human beings into spiritual persons. I should say that it is a self-less service without expecting any returns from the general public.
Jaggi Vasudev takes great care and patience in every step he undertakes. A spiritual refuge for those who seek the help of Jaggi Vasudev.
Moreover, I joined the Isha Yoga Centre and served the people for some time.
Everyone of us must visit Isha Yoga Centre which is located at the foothills of Vellingiri which is well known as southern Kailash (Then Kailayam). The Lord of meditation (Dhyana Lingam) is worthy of visit and people must visit the centre in order to experience the divine grace showered by Lord Shiva. Jaggi Vasudev shows us the spiritual path to liberate us from the cycle of birth and death.
In Tamil Nadu this is the only centre where people belonging to various castes, creeds, races are equally treated and guided in the path of love. They practice here the concept – Love is God.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Saibaba in Andhra Pradesh and Jaggi Vasudev in Tamil Nadu are serving the people of the world in their unique paths of love. Their services cannot be described in words. They are such great saints whom all of us should devotedly follow.
Generally speaking, the people will not realize the greatness and their unique power to transform others into human beings with love and kindness to all when these spiritual saints are alive in human form. People will extol them highly when they leave their physical human forms. Shree Sathya Saibaba and Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev are living Gods. Human beings must surrender to them and follow their paths of love if they want to have external life. No use in repenting after they depart from this world. Realize the truth about spirituality and saintly life. Wake up, come out of ignorance and realize the eternal truth.
From birth to death, somebody teaches you at every stage in your life. Those people are, in fact, teachers. But one who teaches you about the nature of God in you and how He works in your body and soul is a true spiritual teacher (Sadguru). For example, we can treat all women folk as our own mother. However, only one woman is responsible for your birth. Likewise, all teachers are to be respected but we must follow the divine path laid down by true spiritual teacher.
Only when we have spiritual teacher in the outside world, we can realize the presence of such a teacher inside us. Search for the life – giving force, God, and the spiritual guide in your transitory body. You will realize the supreme guide. Kavimani Desika Vinayagam Pillai said about God’s presence:
He is in our souls and we must realize the God dwelling in us.
Thirumoolar says:
He dwells in the human body which is the temple for him.
So the spiritual guide is your own soul. Catch hold of God in your soul. All desires will disappear. The soul in you is the place of God. Aspire to surrender to the God and you will give up all other desires. This is what Thiruvalluvar says: Clasp Him who is above all desires in order to do away with other worldly desires.
I humbly offer my prayers to all saints born in this holy land and particularly I am indebted to nine gods and saints. As I have written in nine four-lined stanzas in Tamil, they are as follows:
Lord Shiva in Chidambaram, Anjaneya, Ramalinga Swamigal, Lord Govinda (Maha Vishnu), Guru Thavasi, Jyothi Ramaswamy Desikar, Lord Ganapathy, Shri Sathya Saibaba and Jaggi Vasudev.
One who dwells in me and my family members, guides so many spiritual saints (Siddhar) and blesses all of us is Goddess Bhagavathi Amman at Kanniakumari.
Kaakapukandar, the great saint living for many ages has sung in praise of the supreme mother at Kanniakumari. Kaakapukendar has rightly summarized the all-powerful nature of Kanniakumari in his eight-lined verse. Goddess Kanniykumari, the basis of all creations, and the root cause of all activities in the world has been blessing us in the form of a young divine girl with sacred garland of holy beads in Kanniakumari.
Ancient supreme energy blesses all who visit this holy land of Kanniakumari. Visit Kanniakumari and be blessed with many boons.
In the path of wisdom there are three stages: Form (Uruvam), both Form and Formless (Aruva Uruvam ) and Formless (Aruvam). When the human soul journeys through all these stages of devotion, it reaches a final stage where Mother Goddess is the only refuge for the liberation of soul. This Mother is the brilliant, luminous light, the origin of all powers and energies in this world. The same Mother eventually provides us the nectar of wisdom which makes us saintly persons. The same Mother manifests herself in the form of most graceful young girl in Kanyakumari where the most brilliant Mother blesses us all in Kanniakumari.
Thirugnana Sambandar one of the four saivite saints, was blessed with the divine milk of wisdom by the Goddess when he was three years old. Thiru Arut Prakasa Valallar was also blessed with divine nectar from the Mother Goddess. Only with her support and guidance, Vallalar realized the divine presence of Lord Nataraja. Should we not aim at such an inexplicable spiritual state of greatness?
A great saint Vallalar was born on 5th October, 1823. He was an embodiment of compassion and was a revolutionary monk of renunciation. He taught us to give up all blind beliefs and realize that God pervades all living things and the world, and preached that we must understand this universal truth and practise love and compassion for all living things in the world.
Compassion is the only key to open the Heaven’s gate. Love is the only means to reach God. He followed the same path of love and compassion and attainted God, leading a life without death. He is such a great saint, non-perail.
Vallalar said: God manifests himself in the form of light, the symbol of enormous divine grace. He made people worship God in the form of light. He established a unique choultry to provide food for all who came there hungry. The oven where he started the first fire, has been still active and provides food for millions of people ever since his choultry was established.
Vallalar gathered and coordinated those who aspired to reach God and established a path of true wisdom (Sathya Gnana Sangam) and brought to light the wise path to all people. He humbly said that he was one of the devotees of God, who came from generation to generation in the past.
He revealed the truth about our eyes. The holy feet of God are present in our eyes. God is present as energising light in human eyes. He invited and advised all people to become spiritually great souls so that they would live everlasting happy life without an end.
Vallalar is a great saint who sang six thousand divine songs. He was endowed with all spiritual powers and transformed his human body into a bright, light filled body. Disease can be cured by singing divine grace filled songs of Vallalar. Arutprakasa Vallalar was endowed with such a spiritual powers which are beyond our description. A wonderful mystic and spiritual guide.
A branch of Vallalar’s Sanmarga Sangam was started by me in Kanniakumari and the organization has been serving people . To start with I published “Kanmani Maalai” and then “Arulmani Maalai”. I have accepted Vallalar as my true spiritual teacher who has been blessing me through his invisible support.
As a result, Vallalar has become my body and soul. All saints and truly spiritual persons ( sidddhars ) aare made of the same substance like Vallalar. Seek such spiritualists and make them your guide and live a long life of spiritualism.