Jain Digest 2003 09 Vol 22 No 3

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 14

The Place of 'Sadguru' or True Guru on the Road to Moksha
A Satsang given by Gurudev Rakeshbhai Jhaveri in Toronto When you are a genuine seeker of your soul's liberation, the phony on 24th July 2003 in Gujarati and translated into English by Dr. Guru will not stay around too long because he is interested in self Mahendra H. Mehta
praise, money, comforts and acquisition of material things while The place of Sadguru in one's your interest is in attaining Moksha. Only a Sadguru can appreciate journey towards Moksha is pivotal, if what you are seeking because he too is on the same path. one is to meet one's goal. Bhagwan Once you find the Sadguru, you will fall in love with him Mahavir told Sudharma Swami who in and there will be no conditions, no questions, and no doubts. In turn told Jambu Swami that many souls fact a time will come when the Sadguru will push you away so have attained Moksha after Samarpan' that you can move faster towards your goal. Guru Gautam could or surrendering to their Sadguru.. not part from Bhagwan Mahavir and delayed his attainment of The notion of surrender conflicts
Kevalya because of his Rag or attachment towards Bhagwan. with the independence of the soul frequently emphasized in the
And Bhagwan Mahavir aware of Gautam's condition sent him scriptures. However, Gurudev explained that the two concepts
away before his Nirvana to put Gautam on the path of Keval are not contradictory but complimentary if we delve into its deeper
Gnan and eventually Moksha. meaning. Surrender is the nearest translation of 'Samarpan' but For some the question arises, why not learn everything from there is no connotation here of servitude.
the scriptures when it is so difficult to find a Sadguru in this part Independence of soul means we are free of various "Kasays'
of the world. Gurudev explained that in first place, one has to such as ego, anger, greed. When we surrender (Samarpan) to our
realize the inevitability of a Sadguru's guidance towards Samkit Sadguru, we give up our ego, anger etc. So the result is the same
or Samyag Gnan. Once this is understood, it is difficult to find a although the terms look different from our worldly experience.
Sadguru in any country, even in India. Once we find the Sadguru, So surrender to our Sadguru, to a realized soul, means
it is not always possible to be in his presence long enough to independence from all our Kasays and on the right road to Moksha.
receive his blessings and guidance. To cross all these hurdles, Gurudev gave an example of a cockroach that had fallen on his one needs a stock of Punya from the past, either in this or past life. back. For him, the whole world looked upside down while he H aving found the Sadguru, one has to be in his presence to struggled hard to get back on his feet. A Sadguru turned him on benefit from his grace and blessings. He may not acknowledge his feet and his perception of the world around him changed in an you for a long time but you must not have any doubt that he has instant into a true knowledge. Without the help of a Sadguru, we your enlightment in his thoughts. He will be like a lighted lamp struggle like the cockroach for eons with ‘Mithysdrasti'. and when the moment is right, your close proximity to your The first thing a Sadguru does is to knock our ego down. He Sadguru will result in
Sadguru will result in the flame from his lighted lamp to jump likened our ego or 'l'to an erect wall. When the Sadguru knocks and light your lamp or Atma. History is replete with such great it down, he turns our 'l' into a bridge which joins our soul to
souls lighting millions of such lamps, Bhagwan Mahavir being Paramatma. So the question arises, how do we find a Sadguru. It the case in point. is easy to find a policeman or a soldier or a fireman because they Gurudev compared the reading of scriptures to attain salvation wear the insignia of their job. A Sadguru does not have such as reading a text book of Medicine to cure your cold. He quipped external markings. So do we look into his inner state of mind? A that you might spend hours to find the right chapter on your malady Sadguru is a realized soul, he is neutral towards friends and foes and once found, you might read 50 different causes of cold. While and he is non-judgmental towards everyone and possesses true you are sorting out the cause of your cold, you might descend knowledge of the scriptures. But these are internal characteristics into developing pneumonia. A Sadguru is like a well trained doctor of a Sadguru which are not easy to assess.
who will diagnose your problem and prescribe appropriate So Gurudev turned the tables around and said the true seeker treatment. He added the Shastras give generalized knowledge of Moksha is the real judge of a Sadguru. If the Sadguru imparts
while a Sadguru gives personalized instructions. In the hands of true peace of mind and brings transformation in us from seeking
an untrained seeker of knowledge and without proper guidance, worldly needs to seeking of Moksha, then that is our Sadguru.
he added, Shastras (scriptures) can become Shastras(weapons of destruction).
(continued on page 13)
12/JAIN DIGEST. Fall 2003 Jain Education Intemational