Reading Room - Lectures of Swami Paramarthananda

Guru Purnima - 1
Today is Guru Purnima day, i.e. a purnima or pournami in which the guru is given
importance. Not only do we offer worship to our guru but also to the guru param
para. We do so because our guru enjoys his status because of his guru; his guru
enjoys status because of his guru and so on. Ultimately the guru less guru is no
ne other than the Lord himself who is the adi guru. So on this occasion we offer
worship to the guru parampara beginning with the adi guru up to our immediate g
uru.
A guru can be worshipped from various angles because he has a multifaceted perso
nality. But on Guru Purnima, we worship the guru primarily as the giver of knowl
edge which is the primary meaning of the word 'guru' - one who imparts the knowl
edge of atmatathvam. The book 'Gurugeeta' gives many definitions of 'guru'. A po
pular definition states that the letter 'gu' indicates andhakara or darkness and
the letter 'ru' indicates the remover of andhakara, i.e. the light principle. J
oining these two letters, 'guru' means the lamp of knowledge that dispels darkne
ss.
Darkness is of two types - external and internal. External darkness is the well
known darkness we experience. Internal darkness is ignorance. External darkness
can be dispelled by a mere lamp. But internal darkness cannot be dispelled by ex
ternal light. A sloka says let a hundred suns rise outside, let a hundred moons
rise outside, but all those suns and moons cannot remove internal darkness. Gnan
am or knowledge alone can remove internal darkness. And the guru is the one who
lights up the inner lamp to remove the internal darkness.
To understand the significance of a spiritual guru, we should have a picture of
what gnanam consists of. Any knowledge takes place in the intellect - be it the
knowledge of mathematics, economics or physics. If this principle is extended, a
tma gnanam must also take place in the intellect. So if material knowledge is an
intellectual process, so is spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge cannot tak
e place in the physical body or the atma. So spiritual knowledge or self knowled
ge is intellectual knowledge that takes place in the intellect alone. Whenever t
he intellect is involved, logic or reasoning is involved. Without logic the inte
llect will not be convinced because reasoning is the only language the intellect
can understand. So self-knowledge requires the intellect and reasoning - buddhi
and tarka.
But here a serious problem arises. How can we say that spiritual knowledge depen
ds upon buddhi and tarka because we are always reading that atma is beyond buddh
i and reason? The Vedas assert that the mind (meaning intellect) cannot know the
atma. This means the atma does not involve the buddhi. So it is clearly noninte
llectual knowledge. Yet we are saying that atma gnanam requires the buddhi and r
easoning. This is one of the biggest confusions in the spiritual field.
Sankaracharya very clearly and beautifully resolves this confusion in his commen
tary on the Brahma Sutras. Both the buddhi and reasoning are of two types - the
buddhi and reasoning that is based on perceptual (nonscriptural) data and the bu
ddhi and reasoning that is backed by scriptural data. Sankaracharya says (not on
ly in this commentary but in his other works also) that whenever we say atma is
beyond the buddhi or atma gnanam is beyond the buddhi, it means it is beyond non
scripture-backed buddhi. So we do require a buddhi or intellect to know the atm
a. And what type of buddhi is it? It is scripture-backed buddhi. In his commenta
ry on the Bhagavad Gita, Sankaracharya says in the second chapter that the only
instrument that can give atma gnanam, is the buddhi. The Upanishads also point o
ut that with the help of the mind alone must atma gnanam be gained. This subtle
atma has to be known by the buddhi alone.
Is reasoning required for the vedanta? Sankaracharya points out that reasoning i
s very much required because the buddhi cannot receive anything without reasonin
g. The intellect will not accept that which is irrational to us. Therefore Sanka
racharya says we can never give up reasoning because the buddhi accepts only tha
t langauge. Sankaracharya also clarifies that whenever we talk about reasoning,
it is not the reasoning of the tarka shastra because it is not backed by shruti.
So if any guru tells us to drop our intellects and reasoning, he is a non-tradi

tional guru. A traditional guru will ask us to retain our buddhi and reasoning.
And for how long must we retain these faculties? Until the end. With the buddhi
and reasoning supported by the scriptures, we have to gain atma gnanam That is w
hy he say gnanam is gained by shastra vichara or enquiry. Shastra vichara has th
ree aspects. Vichara conveys the importance of buddhi and tarka (logic). So the
three aspects are shastra, buddhi and tarka. Knowledge is an intellectual proces
s that happens because of shastra vichara.
But there is a problem. We are ready to use our buddhi and reasoning to acquire
the knowledge of the shastras. But the shastras do not communicate directly to u
s however talented we may be because the shastras have their own method of commu
nication. We do not have the 'key' to open the shastras. Without the 'key', not
only will we not get any benefit, we may also misunderstand the shastras. In one
of his commentaries, Sankaracharya says that nobody should study the scriptures
independently. We must go to a person who has the 'key'. The 'key' is called mi
mamsa or sampradaya. The person who has the 'key' is called as sampradayavith. S
o the shastras are important, buddhi is important and reasoning is important. Al
l the three put together is called shastra vichara. But what is even more import
ant is the person who has the secret key to open the secret shastras. He is the
guru.
Since the shastras and the key are both important, the shastras are useless with
out the key and the key is useless without the shastras -- just like a record pl
ayer and a cassette -- each needs the other. The guru and the shastras are compl
ementary because without one, the other is meaningless. So on Guru Purnima, we w
orship both equally but the guru is given an extra focus.
How did the guru get the key? He got the key from his guru. How did his guru get
the key? He got the key from his guru and so on. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, a
significant portions is taken up just to enumerate the guru -sishya parampara.
Just as we are grateful to our forefathers without whom we could not have taken
birth, so also we are grateful to the guru-sishya parampara.
We are especially grateful to two gurus who play very important role in transfer
ring the key- Vyasacharya (Vishnu Avatar) and Sankaracharya (Siva Avatar). How d
id they help us. One made a mini key and the other made a maxi key. The Upanisha
d is the box in which gnanam is contained. Vyasacharya's key is Upanishad conden
sation (mini key) and Sankaracharya's key is Upanishad's expansion (maxi key). O
ne condenses the Upanishad, the other expands it. The condensation is called Upa
nishad sutram and the expansion is called Upanishad bashyam. Vyasacharya's conde
nsation is known as Vedanta (Upanishad) Sutras and Sankaracharya's expansion is
known as Vedanta (Upanishad) Bhashya.
Why do we require these two keys? Any learning is complete only when we have the
capability to condense it and expand it. We must be able to express it succinct
ly and also elaborate upon it.
Since Vyasacharya crystalize the sampradaya and presented the Vedanta shastra an
d also because Vyasacharya is senior to Sankaracharya in the parampara, Guru Pur
nima is called Vyasa Purnima.
Guru Purnima is also the beginning of Chaturmasya of sanyasis. A sanyasi is supp
osed to move constantly. However Chaturmasya being the rainy season, moving abou
t may be difficult. A sanyasi may step on the insects that come out during the s
easons. So an exception is granted and sanyasis are expected to remain in one pl
ace during this period. In whichever village they may be, the village people inv
ite them - please stay here and teach something to us. The sanyasi accepts the i
nvitation and on the auspicious Guru Purnima day invokes the guru-shishya paramp
ara and begins the teaching. So today is an important day not only for sanyasis
but also for mumukshus (seekers of liberation). So on this auspicious occasion l
et us all invoke the grace of all the acharyas for our spiritual fulfilment.
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Guru Purnima - 2
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Guru Purnima is a day of sanyasis. Therefore I would like to talk about the glor

y of sanyasa. In the Vedic culture and tradition. Sanyasa is kept as the ideal f
or every human being. The ultimate goal of every individual is supposed to be sa
nyasa. It is said in the Vedas that everyone must go through four ashramas or st
ages of life -- brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha and sanyasa -- and the final
one through which one attains moksha or reaches the Lord is sanyasa. In the old
en days, the people started brahmacharya at a very early age of five to 10 years
. Even marriages were performed early. Child marriage was prevalent. This enable
d one to go through all the four ashramas. A person could enter vanaprastha when
the organs were reasonable intact.
The Vedas glorify sanyasa ashrama. No doubt the other ashramas are also glorifie
d. Brahmacharya is glorified. Grihastha is glorified as giving sustenance to the
other three ashramas who live on the biksha of grihasthas. Therefore grihastha
ashrama is supposed to be the pillar that provides support for the other three a
shramas. Vanaprastha is also glorified. But our shastras are very clear that san
yasa alone is the superior ashrama. It excels and surpasses all the other ahsram
as. That is why when people meet and greet one another, the Vedas are very clear
that the people of other three ashramas must first do namaskar to a sanyasi irr
espective of status. This means when a rich emperor approaches a sanyasi who is
sitting under a tree and does not have any possessions, it is the King who must
prostrate to the sanyasi. So in our tradition, renunciation is considered to be
the ideal. Our culture does not respect possession or position but renunciation.
Heroes in our culture are those who have renounced or sacrificed.
There are four type of sanyasa based on the nature of renunciation which could r
ange from partial to total. The greatest type of sanyasa is paramahamsa sanyasa
which is the renunciation of everything. At a lower level a sanyasi can have ren
unciation of everything. At a lower level a sanyasi can have the sacred thread.
Thus we can have 'lower-grade' sanyasis who have an interest in something. Param
ahamsa sanyasa is itself of two types - vividisha sanyasa and vidwat sanyasa. Vi
vidisha sanyasa is taken for studying the scriptures. 'Vividisha' means a desire
for learning. Vividisha sanyasa is a step to vidwat sanyasa. In vidwat sanyasa,
a sanyasi is not interested in anything. He has attained the knowledge. He does
not hold on to anything - to even the fact that 'I am a gnani'. But even in the
knowledge he does not have abhimana. So the aim of vidwat sanyasa is total renu
nciation. The aim of vividisha sanyasa is committed study of the scriptures.
According to our scriptures, vividisha sanyasa is the ideal means in life and vi
dwat sanyasa is the ideal end a person can think of. Why is this so? The sanyasi
who has renounced everything is closest to Brahman (the ultimate reality) which
he is pursuing. If he want an empirical model for Brahman, a sanyasi offers suc
h a model. How? Brahman is free from all actions and duties. A sanyasi is one wh
o does not have any duty at all. He is duty-free. He need not earn. He does not
have family duties, social duties, religious duties, etc. If at all he has a dut
y, it is owning up of the duty-free Brahman. Secondly, Brahman and a sanyasi are
both relationless. The vedas define Brahman as one that is free from all relati
ons. At the time of taking sanyas, he breaks all relationships. Thirdly, Brahman
is behind everything and supports everything. So also a sanyasi. Like Brahman,
he supports the whole creation. He does not belong to anyone. He belongs to ever
yone. Nothing belongs to him. Everything belongs to everyone. Fourthly, Brahman
does not depend upon anything for security. A sanyasi also does not depend upon
any particular thing for security. He does not have a bank balance, a house, etc
. He finds security in himself. The beauty is he gives security to others. And t
he irony is the other person to whom he gives security could be a very rich pers
on while the sanyasi himself is a pauper. This vividisha sanyasa is ideal means.
Sanyasa is also the ideal end. Because in renunciation alone we ultimately own u
p our mastery. A sanyasi gives up everything that will be snatched away by time
later. Most of what we possess will be snatched away by time or death. The only
unsnatchable entity is the atma. A vedantin's (spiritual seeker) approaches as f
ollows. When a thing snatched away from us, the loss is intensed. When it is giv
en up or given away by us, the pleasure is intensed. An example is usually given
of a lady, who while visiting the temple lost a gold ornament. She thought some
body has stolen it. She felt very bad and was upset. She took a owe that if the

ornament were to come back to her, she would offer it to the Lord. As it turned
out, she got back the ornament which she offered to the Lord. Then she was very
happy. When she lost the ornament, she lost the benefit of wearing it and was ve
ry sad. When she gave the ornament to the Lord, again she lost the benefit of we
aring it, but this time she was very happy. From this we get a very important id
ea. In loss, we are without an object. In giving also we are without an object.
But in loss there is pain. In giving there is pleasure. So even before time or k
ala (call it Yama or Bhagwan or whatever) takes away from us, we handover to tim
e. So when things go away, we do not feel any pain. When old age comes, teeth go
away, relations go away. A tyagi is not worried about the loss of anything incl
uding his own body. He knows kala is the one who is going to take away everythin
g. He holds on to only one thing that kala cannot take away - atma. He can even
challenge Yama, because he knows that Yama cannot touch him. So what is the ulti
mate tyaga. It is giving up everything that can be lost or taken away and findin
g security in what cannot be snatched. This is called Paramahamsa sanyasa or vid
wat sanyasa.
What is the life of such a sanyasi? Since he does not belong to any one family o
r community, he keeps moving from place to place. If he remain in one place, the
re is a danger that he may get attached to the people. Also , the people may get
attached to him. His life is to teach people. He does not have anything - bank
balance, health insurance, etc. He does not know what his security will be tomor
row. Yet he seems to be the happiest person. When we see such a sanyasi, we will
realise we don't need things for joy. If not, a sanyasi must be the most misera
ble person. We have many things but still feel insecured. A sanyasi does not hav
e anything and yet feels very secured. We need things but not for happiness or s
ecurity, shastras clearly say pleasure is there for a person who does not posses
s anything. A sanyasi teaches this by his very lifestyle.
A sanyasi does not move about during Chaturmasya - the four months of the rainy
season. He stays in one place because moving about is very difficult. Further, i
nsects come out during this season and if he moves about, he may step on them. H
e approaches a place and seeks the permission of the people to live there during
this period. In the olden days, people had great respect for the sanyasis and j
umped at the opportunity - 'We will give you Biksha. You please give us gnana bi
ksha'. The sanyasi then takes Chaturmasya vratam wherein he violates the general
rule of not remaining in one place. Nowadays since conditions are different the
four - month period is reduced to four pakshas or fortnights meaning two months
. During this period, the sanyasi starts Vedantic teaching and for this a Guru P
uja is performed. All the gurus belonging to the guru parampara are invoked beca
use it is due to their grace alone that we get the benefit of this teaching. Thi
s puja is called Guru Purnima.
Guru Purnima is also called Vyasa Purnima. Why? This is because Vyasa is the mos
t respected of all gurus. Vyasa brought out the entire Vedic teaching systematic
ally. So he gets the most respect. Through Brahma Sutras (one of his works) Vyas
a brought out the Vedantic teaching which is the basis for Indian culture - a cu
lture where spiritualism is given importance as opposed to materialism. This is
evident in many areas such as dance, music, etc. Therefore if Indian culture is
glorious, it is because of Indian philosophy and if Indian philosophy is gloriou
s, it is because it has come out of Vyasa who is as glorious as Vedanta. So on t
he occasion of Guru Purnima, spiritual aspirants worship all the gurus, seek the
ir grace and begin Vedantic study.
Now the question arise 'What good is all this (talking about the glory of sanyas
a) when I know for sure I am not going to become a sanyasi'? Even though sanyasa
is ideal, sanyasa can be external or internal. More than external sanyasa (that
has been discussed), it is internal sanyasa that is more important. Krishna say
s in the Bhagavad Gita - 'Hand over everything (mentally) to Me'. This applies e
ven to a grihastha. A grihastha's attitude should be - 'Oh Lord! Health, wealth,
the people around me, are all Your gift to me. You can claim them back whenever
you want and I will not complain. I will return it with thanks'. Nothing belong
s to us. Everything belongs to God. God can claim anything without giving advanc
e notice and if He does, we should give it up without batting an eyelid. If raga

-dwesha (likes and dislikes, passions and aversions) is gone, a grihasta becomes
equal to a sanyasi. The house itself is an ashram. This means we can convert ou
r home to an ashram. This is called internal surrender or saranagathi. External
surrender is called sanyasa. So on this auspicious occasion let us seek the grac
e of all the gurus to bless us with wisdom and moksha.