Gurudeva talks on the spirit of the Parampara covering various topics: Spirit of the Guru passed on; Purpose of guru, spirit of sampradaya handed down; Nandinatha Sutras, knowledge of parampara; Duty of Guru and parents; Respond to guru, spiritual qualities manifest; Nandinatha and Tirumular, spiritual force cannot be stopped; Three pillars, only Satguru gives sustaining spiritual force; Bringing continuity of spiritual force into 21st century.

Unedited Transcript:

We're all involved in the Nandinatha Sutras which in my imagination comes from Nandinatha Himself. Reflecting opinions oblique and behavior in every aspect of life for all those on the path. The Nandinatha's great disciple Rishi Tirumular shows us in the Tirumantiram how well he was taught by his guru, and how well he fulfilled his mission by going to South India to revive the Monistic Theism of Saiva Siddhanta. This vast amount of knowledge in Tirumantiram, which digests the Agamas and Vedas and weaves them together in such an astute way. Indicates a lot of deep meditation, training, yoga practice, and a great spirit because he actually did what he was sent to do. And we actually have that great treatise today. Over two thousand two hundred years later.

That shows us an unbroken continuity of what? Intellectual knowledge? No! Of Spirit. Spirit of the Guru. Hindu temples sustain Hinduism around the world. Scriptures keep us always reminded of the path we're on and the path we're supposed to be on. But only from the Sat Guru can you get the spirit, the shakti, the sustaining spirit to make it all come to life in you. To make the temple meaningful, and to compliment the scriptures with your own sight, your own third eye sight. Otherwise it's just words. Nathas are not on the path of words. Rishi wandered down from Himalayas to Bangalore. What did he say? Nobody knows. Who did he talk to? Nobody knows. Did he influence crowds of people? He only had to influence one individual. One individual. Speak out to the world at that time which was to become what we know as the modern world.

Kadaitswami caught the spirit of the Rishi, he caught the spirit of the previous rishi, the previous rishi and all the ones that preceded him. And it's that spirit of Sampradaya that makes the traditional teachings meaningful, that gives you the power to discriminate between what is real within those teachings what is superfluous or just plain nonsense. Gives you the power to blend Siddhanta with Vedanta, the Vedas with the Agamas. The great Shankaracharya, Shankar, Adi Shankar, preached that Siva sits absolute, quiet and blissfully, sits that quiet pure energy in His Advaita philosophy. Only in his later life when he was at [...??] did he accept that if the yogi raises his hand, that's the shakti, the movement of that quiet energy. Does that, the irreversible spirit of the Guru carries through all of the Sishya and it's basically the only gift the guru can give, is that sustaining spirit.

He doesn't have to give knowledge because that's already been written down. He doesn't have to build temples because there are more than enough temples for everybody. The gods can build their own temples. And people can build temples. Kadait, we're not, nathas are not following the way of words. Kadaitswami spoke to a lot of people, who knows what he said? They didn't have any tape recorders. Doubtless he wrote anything down. But each spirit carried through to Chellappaguru, who didn't say an awful lot. He wasn't following the way of words. Spoke only of divine essences of the philosophy. Didn't write three hundred verses, three thousand verses like Rishi Tirumular did. Nor did he give lectures to crowds like Kadaitswami did. His spirit was passed on to Satguru Sivayogaswami who passed his spirit on to a lot of devotees. We must remember that during the time of the British all gurus had to work very low key. And that Yogaswami's work, great work, started to flourish after the British left Sri Lanka. He passed his spirit on to lots of devotees.

Subtopic: Spirit of the Guru, passed on. : 0:8:0

Now for instance I myself if I went to the Northern part of Sri Lanka and went to Siva temples and worshiped there, would I return to America and build a Siva temple? Maybe yes and maybe no. Would it be a temple like this? Would I have a monastic community, no. Would we have a Saiva Siddhanta Church? No! Would we have a Hinduism Today? No! Would we have missions all over the world? No! Would we be sitting here right now? No! Only because of the existence of the one guru, of this venerable line of gurus that I caught the spirit. And through the spirit the words manifest, the activities manifest, the devotees maintain that straight path, the disciplines come, the sight comes. After it comes stays. So today we're thinking about the guru, and the purpose of the guru. Without gurus we'd only have temples. Without gurus we'd only have temples and scriptures. Without gurus we wouldn't have the spirit and people would stop going to temples and stop reading the scriptures. Maybe they'd begin after, in desperation when they wanted something, needed something and they'd find something within the temples. So the spiritual energy, the shakti energies, energies which manifest a tiniest part of a second just before you move your arm. Energies that manifest, microsecond before you have a thought or pronounce a word. That is all that spiritual qualities. Now you don't need a lot of words to transmit the spirit from you to another person. It's just that the sishya have to be opened. And to be kept open. And a little bit of the spirit becomes like a tiny fiber, a tiny thread from the guru to the sishya. Easily broken. And a little bit more of that association becomes another strand of the same thread. Now we have two threads and then three, then four. Then they're woven together and finally a string. It's between the guru and the sishya. Then they're woven together and woven together and finally a rope, and finally a rope strong enough to pull, pull a cart. You've seen in India this big thick ropes that pull a cart. And upon that the spirit of the parampara travels. The spirit of the sampradaya travels. It makes the words that are said go deep. They just don't bounce off the intellect they go deep into the individuals. Spiritual force doesn't just occur. That doesn't happen. It's a hand me down. Just like the human race just didn't happen, it was a hand me down of many many fathers and mothers and many many incarnations that brought us all here. That's what the parampara is a spiritual force that moves from one person to another.

Subtopic: Purpose of guru, spirit of sampradaya handed down.: 0:12:48

Now this is not talking about something like the modern idea of a shakti plant where somebody gets a little jolt and pays a little money and then that's it. It's like giving somebody a tiny silk thread and then he's got the thread and you drop your end of it or he drops his end of it and the experience has started and stopped. This is a constant weaving in and out of one fiber added to another fiber added to another fiber added to another fiber. Just like this kavi, kadhi kavi rope is woven, each fiber attached to another fiber, attached to another fiber, attached to another fiber and finally we have a thread. And then it's all woven together and finally we have a firm rope that cannot be pulled apart. By two hands or destroyed even by two people pulling against one other. That is sampradaya, that is parampara, nothing more. And as we look at these great line of gurus, coming from Lord Siva Himself through Nandinatha and the countless ones before Nandinatha, through Tirumular. The countless rishis to the Rishi of Bangalore. To Kadaitswami, Chellappaguru, Yogaswami, who see the same spiritual force flowing. We see an undaunted, rare, succession ship of individuals who consider adversity as a boon from the gods. Where all of the accumulated karmas to be wiped away come together in one place to be taken care of all at once. Very efficient. Therefore the nathas don't run from adversity, nor do they resent it, they take it within themselves in meditation, deal with it, dissolve it in the clear white light within themselves every tiny little bit of it, and consider it a boon from the gods. And it all came at one time rather than to be strung out over a period of many many years. The mysterious nathas had their own way of handling almost everything, and much of that will be revealed in the Nandinatha Sutras, which has within it all the knowledge that's within catechism and creed. Knowledge which is in our holy orders, knowledge which is in our Saiva culture, brahmachari course and all the courses we've printed throughout the years, summarized in very short little stanzas. Giving codes of behavior, conduct, ways of living, ways of moving, ways of thinking, as well as basic core of the Monistic Saiva Siddhanta taught by our parampara for eons and eons of time.

Subtopic: Nandinatha Sutras, knowledge of parampara.: 0:16:46

But today, want you to think and think through the rest of the day the spirit of the guru. Suppose you didn't have a guru? You'd be guided by the spirit of your intellect, or the spirit of your instinct. Or the energies confusion. Guru has only one job, is to keep someone on the right track. So we're not the way of words, we're the way of spiritual unfoldment. And sishya move from one stage to another in spiritual unfoldment as they progress through the different petals of the higher chakras, and come into one or more inner awakenings one after another. And they're not to settle down in any one or several of the chakras and consider this is a nice life. I like this part of my unfoldment that's why so I won't just strive further. They can't do that cause it is the spirit of the guru that drives them onward. He's constantly thinking and saying this is not good enough you can do better. Did Chellappaguru ever take Yogaswami and sit down and say OK now we've done enough let's just be ordinary. No, he kept walking him around feeding him, walking him around feeding him, walking him around feeding him, walking him around feeding him, and then finally Satguru Yogaswami's walking around feeding everybody, walking around feeding everybody, everybody's doing the same thing. Passing on that spiritual quality which, when we have it we don't have any problems. We don't have to solve problems. Problems are solved through words when you follow the path of words. Spiritual awakening is there, problems are solved by lifting consciousness. And the problem goes away, just automatically goes away. For everyone, every Hindu needs a guru, preceptor. That's as much a part of Hinduism as are the temples, as the Vedas, and even the great scriptures. Cause not everyone can see for themselves. They need someone to see ahead a little bit for them and to keep them on the right track and in the right mood. Swami Satchidananda, as I've heard him all through the years in public lectures make the remark: "You all need a spiritual guide, if you don't want me, find somebody else." But you need someone to guide you through life. Grandmother, could be grandfather, could be great uncle, could be your father, could be your mother, somebody that you listen to and follow. Because of people not having a guide, they're wandering around bumping into each other, they can't see the consequences, of their actions. Therefore perform good bad and mixed actions. Don't keep on the right track, therefore, wandering around in circles. They don't listen to their mothers, they don't listen to their fathers, they don't listen to their aunts, they don't listen to their uncles, their grandmothers, or their grandfathers, or anybody. Unfortunately many children are raised these days to do just that. By their parents. Don't ask me make up your own mind. I just want you to be happy. They're raised to be confused. They're raised to be off the path. They're raised to be lower consciousness people. That's my recent editorial coming out this week in Hinduism Today. Indicating let's get back to the basics of raising children properly and giving them the proper guidance because that is the duty of the parent, as well as it's the duty of the guru to raise the sishya properly through the years.

Subtopic: Duty of Guru and parents: 0:23:0

It's the duty of the sishya to be responsive to the guru and not resistive. I was impressed at the Bangalore Ashram how responsive everybody was to the gurus there. Guru looks, everybody what now, what can I do. Guru speaks everybody immediately responds, no resistance, I have something else to do, or you already gave me ten things to do how can you possibly want me to stop now and do something else for you? Isn't there somebody else around here that can do it? None of that I saw there. Maybe everybody was just being on their good behavior because we were there but it certainly took a lot of practice. They must have been practicing to be on their good behavior for about five years before we arrived. Wonderful responsiveness, and then the connection, with this, because of this responsiveness the connection between the sishya and the guru maintains a systematic growth. Maintains a systematic growth and the spiritual life comes up within the individual which breaks all routine, and yet works within routine. It is beyond all intellectual and reasoning abilities yet it works within the intellect and through reason. It's unpredictable, yet predictable that it is consistently unpredictable. And that's the spiritual qualities that I see in all of you here at Kauai Aadheenam. That is beginning to manifest in the sishya all over the world. We saw that very clearly manifesting in Malaysia when we were there. The sishya are so bright and so responsive and they're, in a sense getting on their toes. What shall we do next? Just tell us, we'll figure out all the details and it'll be done better than you could expect it. That is the spiritual quality. Without that quality in life nothing really works right. People settle down to a one day routined job. Begin the process of hate jealousy and revenge, hate jealousy and revenge, hate jealousy and revenge to their employer, to employees that work close to them. Even now a days to their mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. This kind of competition goes on.

Subtopic: Respond to guru, spiritual qualities manifest.: 0:26:1

In the Nandinatha Sutras it's very clear that competitive games and competitive activities should not be stimulated within young people or old people also because, it keeps the lower qualities active. Everyone should be helpful to everyone not compete with anyone, do the very best you can and appreciate others doing the best that they can. So you'll all have a lot to think about when you finally read the Nandinatha Sutras and think that they came from deep within, two thousand two hundred years ago. At a time when Nandinatha sat with his sishya. Tirumular had said, go down to south India and teach about the glories of Lord Siva. That He is within you and you are within Him. He is the life of your life and keep our philosophy moving along down there. I can see that they've gotten a little bit confused. He didn't have to go to the airport and buy a ticket and take a jet plane to fly to south India. He had a long and arduous, probably mostly on foot and bullock carts journey. Many many things could have happened along the way. He could have had many temptations. Saw all the pretty girls bathing at the rivers. He could have been robbed, he could have been hit, he could have been killed. But because of his tapas, and the good karma he accumulated by being very carefully obedient to his guru, in the connection to his guru, the spiritual force carried him like on a magic carpet right down to where Chidambaram is today. And started his mission. And he fulfilled his mission. And his mission is being fulfilled to day right here in this room. And will be continued to be fulfilled two thousand years from now. Cause nothing can stop the spiritual force. Death cannot stop it. The intellect cannot stop it. Once it begins it continues. The instinct cannot stop it. Adversity cannot stop it.

Subtopic: Nandinatha and Tirumular, spiritual force cannot be stopped.: 0:29:38

We look at the line of gurus all the way around the room. And then around and then around and then around and then around we can see ahead another two thousand two hundred years. It's the same spiritual force. Shakti of Siva. Through the Nathas. That are, many Nathas get born and born again and again as Nathas. To move things along and when things aren't going very well more Nathas come to put a spiritual force into the world, such as Hinduism Today which has united all the Hindus of the world. Educated all the Hindus of the world so they can talk in one voice to one another. And look at karma, dharma, reincarnation Vedas and Agamas and all these wonderful things that we're putting in the newspaper in the same way. Hindus now can speak about Hinduism and understand one another in Asia, England, throughout the continent of Europe and Africa, the United States, Canada, South America. And have fun and appreciation for their very great religion, which is put forth in Hinduism Today in a very simple non sectarian way. Just all the basic principles one way or another. All the work of the mysterious Nathas. So if you ever get discouraged and wonder about the path, remember that there are three parts of Hinduism that will keep you on the path. The guru, temple and the scriptures. Go to the temple, strengthen your relationship with the guru and begin studying the scriptures. Discouragement will go away and courage will come. Dark hours will go and the bright hours will come. Problems will bend down as the intelligence that comes from the spiritual force begins to come up. This is the way of the mysterious Nathas who don't follow the way of words. The Nathas don't have any hype. Hype is something to sell. We're the only organization that is not beating a drum, or selling a mantram, or selling a seminar, or selling a promise. We just are who we're and doing what we are doing. And if anyone comes along that's our karma at that point in time and we do the very best that we can with the facility that we have. We don't sell healing, we make no promises. Nathas do their job on a very broad scale and pay attention to every small detail, both at the same time. And that's the little bit of the spiritual force that has come from sage Yogaswami, Chellappaguru, Kadaitswami, Mysterious Rishi and those that preceded him to Tirumular and Nandinatha. And those that preceded him, and those that preceded him, and those that preceded him, long as people walk on this planet. Three pillars of our great religion. Satgurus, Shiva temples, Muruga temples, Ganesha temples, all the temples and all the scriptures. But it's the spiritual force of the guru that makes it all come to life in the individual. Would we all be sitting here today if when I went to the Jaffna peninsula to find my guru, and he wasn't there? And I just went to a few temples for a while and I came back to United States. We wouldn't all be sitting here today. The temples don't give you that kind of spiritual force. Scriptures don't kind of give you that spiritual force. It's only the Satguru that gives you that sustaining spiritual force, that makes life on the planet worthwhile, and gives you the ability to prevail all challenges. And, make a lasting difference. Not only in yourself, in the lives of others.

Subtopic: Three pillars, only Satguru gives sustaining spiritual force.: 0:36:2

And now we're all working together to bring Hinduism, most especially Saivism into the twenty-first century. Into the twenty-first century. And it's going to take all of our energies collectively, to make that next big step into the twenty-first century cause there'll be many changes in the world. People are changing, world is changing, and it's our job to bring the best of tradition into the twenty-first century. Clarity of thought, and most importantly the spirit that goes along with it. Spirit translated to ordinary language would be: I want to do my hatha yoga, I want to get up in the morning and meditate. The lack of spirit is: I have to do my hatha yoga, oh, do I really have to. Maybe I won't get up and meditate. That's, that's the instinctive mind talking. It's not the super conscious mind talking. That's the difference with the spirit. I want to, that's spiritual force, do I have to, our I should, that's the instinctive, intellectual force. That's capturing this talk today in bringing down to earth it's about as far as I can bring it down. So I was sitting here thinking about our wonderful gurus and what they said and what they didn't say. And if you look you find out you don't know what some of them said, what they didn't say. But what they did, that's the important thing. And how did they do it? Continuity of spiritual force, one thread and then another thread. One fiber and another fiber and another fiber until a rope built up stronger than any humans could pull apart. Bands of steel that's the Natha way. Spiritual force. Aum Namah Sivaya

Subtopic: Bringing continuity of spiritual force into 21st century. : 0:39:10

Well this beautiful puja, give me the vibhuti we'll give vibhuti to...