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I am the Soul
Srimadji reveredly bows to the one who has explained to us the real nature of the soul. Who is that one? The one who has himself realised the self; experienced the soul; immersed himself within and enjoyed the bliss of self-realisation. Only such great ones have the ability to become a direct guide to those taking the path of spiritual uplift. Only the one who attains this capability becomes eligible to be the great preceptor. To emphasise on this exalted status of the great preceptor, Srimadji, while offering his obeisance, adds two adjectives to highlight the greatness of such a preceptor and says -
श्री सद्गुरु भगवंत
Shree is the goddess of wealth; one who is wealthy. What wealth are we referring to? You all here are wealthy too; some millionaires, some billionaires; shouldn't you all be great preceptors? Yet you are not. Why is it so? You all are so embroiled in the pursuit of this material wealth, that you have lost track of the real wealth, the spiritual wealth. You are suffocating the soul within. Truly wealthy is the one who has attained the true perception of the soul, for that is the real wealth. Rest is all immaterial. He who has realised the 'sat', i.e. the soul in its ultimate reality, is eligible to be termed as a great preceptor. Sat is the soul. Sat cannot be equated with the worldly pleasures or material wealth. Perhaps you feel 'sat' is money, wealth. But try as you may, this wealth will not make a “great preceptor of anybody. Only the one who realises the 'Self" becomes eligible of being adorned with the prefix ‘shree?.
Bhagawant is a term that has many meanings. Here it reads bhagyawant 'a fortunate person’; who has been able to amass a treasure of virtues which make him the purest soul. A person who is capable of guiding others too in a similar pursuit. One who swims across the swift current of the material world, and rescues those getting drawn into its whirlpools. Srimadji bows repeatedly to such a great preceptor, endowed with “shree' a sadguru and True God.
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