क्या कोई है जो
इस रूह की प्यास बुझा दे?
एहसान है उसका जो हमें
हमसे मिला दे!
(Is there anyone who can quench this soul’s thirst?
We’re indebted to the one who helped us find ourselves!)
The unfolding of this year’s 3-day Guru Poornima celebrations at SRM was perhaps best captured by this Bhakti, rendered exquisitely by Avneesh Prabhu and the Bhakti team.
They say that nothing is impossible. But expressing all of our gratitude and indebtedness towards the presence of Guru Tattva truly does seem like a near-impossible dream. SRM is blessed beyond imagination to have that presence in the form of our Living Master, Sri Guru. But, just how do we say ‘Thank You’ to the one who is guiding us to our true identity, quenching an otherwise unquenchable thirst for peace and happiness? Every word feels incomplete, every expression inadequate, every gesture too small. Yet, despite the odds being stacked against us in this sweetest of all endeavors, we eagerly await Guru Poornima every year, and choose to accept this mission impossible. This year, on behalf of all of us, Avneesh Prabhu conveyed this resolve before Bhakti team’s dedication on the 2nd day with perfectly chosen words – “प्रभु, हम भी आपके प्रेमी हैं! (Prabhu, we are also your devotees, after all!)”
शुक्रिया कैसे करें?
और कर्ज़ ये कैसे भरें?
(How do we say ‘Thank You’?
How do we repay this debt?)
Not surprisingly, we were staring at defeat (surrender) even before the mission got underway. No sooner than the celebrations began, it was Sri Guru who started showering us with blessings. As if it was Shishya Poornima, not Guru Poornima. While the launches of Chaturmas Diary (our favourite spiritual journal), and Sadguru Sutra (a compilation of Guru sutras from Raj Granth) were welcomed with overwhelming joy, there was one surprise gift that stole the show – a video track on Shrimad Ji’s composition ‘Marag Sacha’, voiced by Sri Guru. During the launch, Gautam Prabhu’s inability to describe the divinity of the moments when Sri Guru did the recording in her Sadhana room, said all that we needed to know. The sanctity of this particular gift deserved that silence, as well as the standing ovation that followed Sri Guru’s stunning explanation of the verses, and the first screening of the video track.
Quiz for seekers who attended Day 1 of celebrations: On Day 1, Sri Guru shared three roles of a Guru in every disciple’s life. Can you recall what those three roles are?
Like last year, the evening concluded with a special ceremony in which many devoted couples were blessed with a Brahmacharya Niyam by Sri Guru.
ये आँसू कह रहे हैं सब
हम और क्या कहें?
(These tears say it all,
What more can we say?)
Our mission gained some momentum on the 2nd evening of the celebration, which was filled with heart-touching expressions from seekers. From Zalak Prabhu’s riveting recital of her 180-degree transformation since meeting Sri Guru, to Parth Prabhu and Kruti Prabhu’s poetic promise to spread Sri Guru’s light as far and wide as possible – all the expressions collectively touched those fine-tuned chords of the heart that make the eyes glisten with tears of joy. Beneath these diverse expressions, a unified voice echoed throughout – that Guru does not just show the path of transformation; Guru is the true path (Marag Sacha) to transformation.
When Guru’s wisdom and love begin to radiate through disciples’ expressions, this festival doesn’t remain either Guru Poornima or Shishya Poornima; rather, it turns into Guru-Shishya Poornima. And this was exemplified in no better way than the prime presentation of the evening, Ram Ratan Dhan Payo – a musical drama that portrayed the untold inner journey of Sant Meerabai. The performances seemed less of enactment, more of embodiment – a testament to the preparation and devotion of everyone involved in the ideation, writing, rehearsals and execution of the play.
Finally, the points in the ‘gratitude expressed’ column seemed to be crawling up. But the evening ended with the ‘blessings received’ column receiving another exponential spike, as Sri Guru blessed all those present with the sacred Guru Prasadam, tying her divine presence on our wrists, and cementing it in our hearts!
Quiz for seekers who attended Day 2 of celebrations: Most of us know that a Guru is revered as the Holy Trinity of Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh. But, towards the end of Day 2, Sri Guru explained how a Guru is also the sacred Triveni Sangam of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati rivers. Do you remember what aspect of a Guru does each river symbolise?
जैसे कोई नदी
दरिया से हो मिल रही,
अब वो ही वो है
और हम कहीं भी नहीं…
(Like a river that meets the ocean,
Now it’s just You, we do not exist…)
The journey starts with seeking purpose, peace and fulfilment. But those who have known, have known that the highest peak of devotion is when the devotee ceases to exist, and only the Beloved remains. It is this experience that our Yogis have termed as ‘Samadhi’. The Dhyan Dhaara meditation on Day 3 was like a teaser of that inconceivable experience. And it is fitting that the celebrations culminated into this meditative peak. Because while devotion prepares the heart, meditation dissolves it. And if our ‘Mission (to) Express Gratitude’ to the Beloved is indeed impossible while remaining separate, the only remaining option is to let this separate identity dissolve.
Quiz for seekers who attended Day 3 of celebrations: On the final day, before the 2 hours of intense meditation, Sri Guru shared the difference between Prem and Dhyan. Were you listening, or were you too eager to jump straight into meditation?
ये जो रूह की रूह से डोर है बंधी
ख़ुद में समा लो, अब आरज़ू है यही…
(Pull the thread that binds us to You,
And make us dissolve in You,
This is our only prayer…)
Listen, O Beloved! Until this prayer is fulfilled, we vow to return with our mission every year!
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