To Gurudev

Aditya Bhaskar, New Delhi

Gurudev, your darshan is my only moment of religion.

Gurudev, where will I go searching for gods in temples, when in temples I only want to see you.

Gurudev, your blessings are the only clothes I have to wear, without them I am shamefully naked.

Gurudev, your association is the soul enchanting flowers of spring to beautify the barren land of my personality.

Gurudev, your wise words are the nectar to fill the empty vessels of my mind.

Gurudev, you are the unfathomable ocean to cleanse the dirt of my ignorance.

Gurudev, without you I am like an old man without his stick, like a mother without her son, like a dog without its master, like a blind man without ears, like a lover without his beloved.

Gurudev, your love is present everywhere like the sunshine, yet I sit in my dark room and mumble.

Gurudev, your grace is ever resplendent like the ocean, yet I stand with my bucket inverted complaining of drought.

Gurudev, permanently I overburden you with a myriad of expectations, yet you satiate them all like the ocean dissolves a teaspoon of salt.

Gurudev, the strength of your renunciation could crumble the Himalayas, yet the warmth of your love can match a million suns.

Gurudev, the respect that you command could make Mount Everest touch your feet, yet you are found with your head bent below the lowest of the low.

Gurudev, the life of your smile can wipe away a billion deaths.

Gurudev, your glory outshines a billion suns, outlasts a billion yugas and your amiability a billion moons.

Gurudev, your virtues are like the endless branches of a tree which are hidden by the beautifully dense leaves of humility.

Gurudev, the fruits of the tree are the love and devotion of your fully satiated devotees.

Gurudev, your glorious being is the majestic trunk of the tree and Lord Rama and Lord Shiva themselves are the life-giving roots.

Gurudev, the brightness of your forehead is incomparable; seeing it the sun becomes jealous and hides away at night.

Gurudev, you are like a magnifying mirror; whatever minute love we have for you is magnified infinitely and reflected back onto us with sun-like intensity.

Gurudev, you are the vehicle and you are the driver to take me across these long and weary deserts of delusion. Mostly enamoured by the dance of maya, I forget the driver and I even forget where the vehicle is headed. Yet, Gurudev, you are always there incessantly driving with infinite patience and infinite forgiveness, driving through many lives of ignorance and some moments of realization, driving through adversity and the good times. You keep on driving sometimes in this form and sometimes in another and sometimes without any, but you never stop, you go on and on and on.

Gurudev, your love, like the laser beam, has the most perfect focus and the greatest intensity. Just as each photon in a laser beam travels in the same direction, each cell in your body vibrates with the name of God.

Gurudev, just as oxygen is all pervading in the physical atmosphere and due to our daily preoccupations we tend to forget it, yet if we have to live fifteen minutes without it, death of the body is certain. Similarly, Gurudev, you are all pervading and omnipresent and due to my sensual preoccupations I tend to forget you, but if I were to live a microsecond without you, there would be nothing left in me to die.

Gurudev, you have wiped the tears of lakhs of people in a world where helping anyone is impossible.

Gurudev, you have toiled incessantly to spread your guru's message, not even idling for the minutest moment.

Gurudev, you have sacrificed your well-being, your choices, your comfort, your time, to bring happiness in this world of sorrow.

Gurudev, like a gigantic tree you have offered shade to all your devotees irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, past, present, future, motives or intentions.

Gurudev, you have been the profoundest of teachers and an even more profound disciple in a world where teachers have nothing to give and disciples are incapable of receiving.

Gurudev, your message of yoga has deluged the world with life-giving nectar. The many lucky souls who have received a new lease of life due to your unconditional grace realize you as their only benefactor.

Gurudev, your message of bhakti will bring joy, happiness and compassion back into the lives of people and will show the world how to live.

Gurudev, you have been perfectly true to your name. With the sword of 'satya' you have dispelled the darkness of the world and now your subjects live in 'ananda' in your kingdom of yoga and bhakti.

Gurudev, your unconditional, unbreakable love for the villagers is incomprehensible to us, yet it has become inherent in each breath.

Gurudev, your superhuman endeavour to help the poor, the needy, the helpless, the weak, the hopeless, the handicapped is the greatest proof of your unbounded love, like the day is the proof of the sun.

Gurudev, you have made the kanyas of Rikhia outshine the greatest of the great. Is there a greater accomplishment than this? Is anyone else capable of doing this even if he tries? No one but you Gurudev, no one but you.

Gurudev, you have been the first to recognize and manifest the divinity in women. You have discovered the sacrifice and viveka in women and made it your most efficient tool. You have transformed man's greatest weakness into your greatest strength. You have worshipped the Divine Mother, Devi Ma, in her truest form.

Gurudev, your yoga jyoti has created a beautiful dawn which even the sun cannot aspire to match.

Gurudev, with your sublime efforts you have provided the materialists with a peaceful inlet and your bhaktas with a worshippable form. Gurudev, you are a supreme visionary and for you the past and future are as tangible as the present.

Gurudev, what you say is not a reiteration of the Vedas, but in fact the Vedas are a reiteration of your experiences.

Gurudev, by your consecrating presence you have made many realize their dharma and thereby accelerated their mental, physical, creative, financial and spiritual growth.

Gurudev, like the most loving mother you have embraced all our weaknesses and slowly and sternly you eradicate them all.

Gurudev, the prana given by you has led to the blooming of the flowers of many lives which were closed buds waiting in darkness for the dawn of your presence.

Gurudev, you are able to perform every act, yet due to your supreme love you allow your disciples to do seva so they can obtain divine grace.

Gurudev, you have time and time again rescued me from the deepest of trenches of sensual entanglements, yet there is not an iota of thankfulness in my heart. Who is a greater lover than you, Gurudev, and who is a bigger cheat than I?

Gurudev, all the bad qualities ever mentioned are epitomized by my behaviour, and all the perfect qualities emanate from you - no, they obtain their stamp of perfection from your association. Which wise person would favour such a mismatch, yet you tolerate me and embrace me in the greatest conditionless, causeless love known to me.

Gurudev, please give me the benediction that in times of. happiness my heart sings only the beautiful melodies of your greatness and in times of sorrow my being realizes you as its only hope, its only support.

Gurudev, please give me the blessing that forever your name remains on my lips, your sight in my eyes, your words in my ears and your presence in my skin.