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I am a follower of Siddha Yoga. I have read Lahiri Mahashay's biography, Autobiography of a Yogi and Babaji the lightening. I practice Pranayama regularly. Honorable Shankaracharya of Kanchi Peeth blessed me personally on 4 occasions so far. First when I was Judge at Nasik second when I was judge at Ahemedabad, third at Pune when I was Charity commissioner & fourth in 1982 at the residence of Mr. Shivraj Patil. I believe, because of his blessings and good wishes I rose to the level of a Judge of High Court. Can Shankaracharyaji help me in my effort to advance me towards Self-Realization?
I am desirous of Shaktipat benefits. How can I get Guru for advancement towards Self-Realization?
Akshay (Name changed), India |
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Wonderful! Having burning desire of Self-Realization is the first qualification one needs to progress on the spiritual path. There are not many people who have such a desire. In fact in my view, having desire of Self-Realization is a sign of spiritual progress in itself.
Who is capable of attaining God or Self-Realization?
The desire to attain knowledge of the Divine will dawn only in the person who is relatively free from desires, who has relatively a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. If you feel you belong to this category then you are already (relatively) close to God but you don’t know it (and that is fine.)
When will one attain the Self-Realization?
In simple words: One who has tamed the 5 headed Cobra of mind that hisses through his 5 sense organs can attain the God instantly. Person that has attained Vairagya (dispassion, indifference, non-attachment) with Viveka (discrimination & wisdom) where there are no desires left in him attains the God. The Self-Realization can come only when ocean of desires, Vasana (subtle desires), attachment and ownership has dried completely and there are no waves of Vrttis (thought waves) left on that ocean (of mind).
All this is nice to read but most difficult to achieve and one needs efforts of several lives to achieve the goal. See the difference between Lord Vishnu and us
Do we need a Guru?
Technically one does not need a Guru. You have to do all these things yourself. Guru only removes obstacles in the path of Sadhak. Guru never gives Self-Realization to seeker. It is the seeker who attains Self-Realization. When you are ready, the Guru will appear before you of his own accord. This is 100% true. Let there be absolutely no doubt about this in your mind. Doubt or uncertainty is a great obstacle in the path of Self-Realization. It must be removed by study of religious books, Satsanga (holy company), Vicara (enquiry) and reasoning. Again and again it will raise its ugly head to mislead the Sadhak. It should be fought with again and again.
I just wanted to give you the depth of the water (of divinity) and pass the thought that it is you who has to take every step and you need not wait for a Guru in order to that. Once you are aware of this generally that brings peace of mind. Otherwise person seeking God is agitated and frustrated many times in this journey in absence of a Guru and sometimes even when he is blessed by a Guru.
You asked: “Can Shankaracharyaji help me in my effort to advance me towards Self-Realization?”
The fact is a spiritual aspirant is always backed up by the whole spiritual world. All saints lend their invisible help and support to such a struggler. You are never really left alone. You will get help from saints and Yogis internally. You will be guided when there is need for the guidance. There will be help when help is needed. So not only PP Shankaracharya will help you but there will be many more. But always remember this will be invisible help, until you have attained spiritual wisdom to see the divine. (The reason we cannot see the divine is because of the ignorance within us.)
Here is what Swami Sivananda says about Guru – “Place your foot, step by step, very cautiously, on the different rungs of the ladder of yoga. Ascend very gradually to the summit. Be earnest in your Sadhana (practice). Equip yourself with the necessary qualifications. Do not waste your time in search of a preceptor. When you are ready, you will enter the halls of wisdom. And there, waiting on the threshold, you will find your preceptor.”
Now with the goal in your mind you can seek a Shaktipat Guru. Here is a page that will provide you all the required information about Siddha Yoga and possible Shaktipat Gurus.
Wishing you the best in your search for a Shaktipat Guru!
Thank you.
Mahendra Joshi
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