When a great spiritual Master is born on the face of the earth, inevitably aspirants from all over are drawn towards Him. Those who yearn for liberation sing in praise of Him and embark on the spiritual journey.

The aspirant like a seed has the possibility of growing into a tree of enlightenment, but is oblivious of it. The Guru makes him aware of his infinite potential. Inspired by the Master, when the disciple surrenders to His instructions and delves into deeper layers of his own consciousness, he breaks through all the earthly barriers to achieve his fullest potential and extend to the skies of eternity. Have faith in the compassionate Guru. Prepare to be buried like the seed and attain great spiritual heights.

The courage to dive into the unknown is awakened upon meeting the Guru. The aspirant develops faith in Him. The feeling of surrender upsurges and the ego perishes. His life undergoes an enormous transformation, which is reflected in his concepts, his responses, and his conduct. In the Guru’s presence, a lover of sensual pleasures turns into a lover of the Divine. All these changes take place in such a short span of time that it feels like a miracle and because it occurs in the presence of the Guru, the Guru is also seen as miraculous.

Miracle or Natural Law?

In the outer world things require time to change, but transformation in the inner world needs only awareness. When the aspirant is awakened, everything changes in an instant. Awakening is a revolution and not a development.

Growth needs time, but revolution takes place in a moment and transforms everything. There is no delay. The moment you realise your divine nature, you become enlightened. It is difficult to humanly comprehend such a momentous change in an instant. But why can it not happen?

If you light a lamp in a dark and dingy house what happens to the darkness? Does it remain or does it vanish? How much time does it take to disappear? Even if the darkness has existed for years, it does not take time to disappear. It gets removed instantaneously. No sooner do you light the lamp than the darkness will disappear. Does this seem like a miracle to you or do you think of it as a natural law? It is the same with the presence of the Sadguru. The transformation seems like a miracle but it is an eternal law.

You wonder at such a transformation also because you have always been struggling to drive away the darkness of your ignorance, your sinful thoughts and activities. For the most part, you have only managed to suppress them. You cannot fight darkness. To remove darkness you need light and not might. Just turn towards illumination. You do not have to bring in the light. It is already inside you, it is you. You have simply to become aware of it. This can be done in a moment. The thing is, this does not hit home. Infinite is the grace of the Guru who points that out to you and motivates you to make that shift. He treats your disease of ignorance with the light of knowledge. Would you call this a miracle? Is it not natural to see a disease getting cured when the patient is administered the right medicine?

The Phenomenon of Awakening

The wonderment is only because the phenomenon of awakening is beyond intellectual comprehension. The awakening brings with it illumination likened to the rise of thousands of dazzling suns at once and clouds of nectar showering the bliss of the Self. This phenomenon is not for intellectualising or writing essays on, it must be experienced and revelled in. To accept the possibility of such a happening is the first ray of light touching a heart filled with darkness.

Celebrate! Even if the first ray has risen. Sing, dance and attain God. Wake up. Bring transformation in your vision. Become attuned to the Self and go beyond the cycle of birth and death.

This is not impossible. The impossible can never happen. If the transformation has taken place, it is simply because it was always possible. Since it has not happened to you in many births, you see it as a miracle. Besides, you have not even dreamt of such spectacular splendour of the Self. When the dark night of ignorance retires and the light of realisation dawns, the thorny experiences of transitory life turn into fragrant flowers of eternity. Remember, it is not unattainable. Remove the cover of ignorance and unveil the glorious Self. When you realise your Self as distinctly separate from the body, your life will be instantaneously transformed.

Grateful for the Benevolent Guru

The disciple after the attainment of unprecedented realisation is immensely grateful to the Guru whom he feels has transformed him from a pauper to a prince. The words ‘Thank You’ seem too trivial an expression. His heart and eyes overflow with feelings of indebtedness. He is unable to withhold himself. What can he offer to the One who has blessed him with the infinite, the eternal, the Divine?

However, the Guru disowns this favour done to the disciple. He says that He has done nothing, and reveals to the disciple, “You already had the jewels but you weren’t aware of them. Because of this you wandered in the world in the hope of happiness, but in return only suffered stress, failures, negativities and limitations. With that, you gave up hope. You lost faith in yourself. Your begging bowl of desires always remained empty. You never bothered to look within yourself. I simply made you aware of your hidden treasure. You trusted me, dug within and found it. You think I gave you everything, but that isn’t true. Anyone who turns within will find it.”

The Key is in Opening One’s Own Eyes

Believe in the Guru and His words. Give up your old habit of keeping your eyes closed to the truth. Dare to open your eyes and attain your wealth of bliss. The Guru is ready to show the path to everyone, but who really wants it? You are scared of losing your ego. You do not realise the benefit of becoming free from its shackles. You do not even dare to humbly seek anything from your Guru because in that too you need to reduce your ego. How can you be filled if you do not want to bend, surrender and seek?

He who gives his head, attains everything. You will attain it only by the virtue of surrender. Ego is the price you have to pay for the eternal. The feelings of faith and surrender open the gates of your heart and reveal the jewels that lie hidden within.

No revolution can occur without surrendering to the Guru, no peace is experienced without giving up the ego at His Lotus Feet. The Guru helps the disciple awaken. The disciple when he first meets his Guru is without any worth, but the miraculous touch of the Guru’s grace makes him priceless. That is the benevolence of the Guru.