By: Bhanumathi Narasimhan
Q: Who is a Guru? What is a Guru?
Bhanu didi: One who brings you absolute comfort is your Guru. One in whose presence you feel joy and absolutely relaxed, so much enthusiasm in you, and many more positive aspects are enlivened in his presence. We all know who is a Guru and our Guru is such an embodiment of love and compassion. We are so fortunate to be with him.
Q: How can one feel the presence the master in our lives, even if one doesn’t get to meet him or see him too often?
Bhanu didi: How to feel his presence! He has already given us the solution. Sadhna, Seva, Satsang. So we do the practises and when you are in service (Seva means like him) then you feel his presence, the connectedness and satsang puts you in the right place.
Q: Does everyone need to have a Master; can one achieve spiritual growth without having a spiritual master or a guru?
Bhanu didi: Actually ‘everyone needs’ is not applicable here. Whether you need a guru or I need a guru is more of a direct question, isn’t it? So you need to decide whether you need a Guru and for me ofcourse I need one and I have one, I am so lucky!
Here we need to understand what is Guru. A Guru is one who removes ignorance, who brings you comfort. Who doesn’t want to be comfortable? For everything else we need a teacher isn’t it? Even to learn music, infact any subject. Managing yourself, managing something as subtle as your mind ,definitely you need a proper guide, isn’t it? So when you have a master who can guide you, it is easy for you, the path is easier. So if you want to have comfort in life ofcourse you need a guru. Infact we are so grateful and also very lucky to have a master. It is not that everybody is merited in that way. Infact we have done some good merits, by being of service to people and not thinking of what I need and I can get out of this world rather than how I can help. These things add to our merits and that is how we have got a wonderful master with us. All these doubts arise whenever our energy levels go down. It is ok to have doubts and that is why we have these days to renew your faith, renew your goal in life to achieve that happiness and spread this happiness. I feel that we definitely need a master in our life.
Q: Didi how can I be best useful to this world?
Bhanu didi: That’s a million dollar question! It’s really beautiful to have this question arise in us that how I can help others. Usually our tendency is to ask what did the world did to us. This is the beauty; when you come to the master, the whole thing shifts. How can I be of service to the world?
There are so many service projects in art of living and you can join one of these. Definitely it will benefit many. In fact education is the best gift you can give to the world, to the children.
Q: Didi how do I maintain constant connection with Guruji?
Bhanu didi: Just remove this ‘constant’! Then you will be connected. Just assume that you are connected. Most of the times it is in our own minds that I am not good enough, I am not connected. These things we have to deal ourselves. And the times when you feel you are not connected you have to attend to your sadhana, seva & satsang.
Q: Have you experienced miracles in the master’s presence? Can you share with us?
Bhanu didi: Miracles! It is very interesting topic! There are so many miracles; everyday is a miracle in my life. So many miracles I have experienced, time is not enough now to share them. Once when we had gone to Japan few years back, some fifteen years back maybe. Somebody had brought food for Guruji and they were told that with Guruji’s his sister was there and another two people were there. So they had brought food for three four people only in a lunch box. Infact with Guruji there are always many people around and some forty, fifty people more were there in the hotel. They had followed after the public talk. Guruji told everybody to go and eat and they didn’t move at all! They were sitting there. People who had brought food were thinking Oh Guruji has to eat food, let him eat. Then he said ok bring the carrier, bring the food here. And he started distributing to everybody from the small little Tiffin box. I tell you all the forty people ate and they were so all happy about it, they said oh we are so full now. Everybody got proper food not little Prasad. That was so amazing! I have seen many miracles but that day to hear from people that it was so fulfilling, it was so good food, everyone ate from that small little lunch box. Like this there are so many miracles!
Yesterday I had gone for a satsang and there were so many people there. And they had prepared for a few of us. They had prepared for twenty people but more than one hundred came, everybody ate and went. So I was remembering that wherever Guruji goes the food is there, everything is in abundance and everybody is in the space of sharing and caring. That is so beautiful gift he has given to us. He walks the path. He doesn’t say share and care. He does literally. Who had brought the food for him he shared it with so many people and everyone was so happy about it. So like that he guides us. That is what a guru a sadguru is all about. He is not just giving you some information, some knowledge. He is giving you the wisdom in life to inculcate, to experience and use. That is the beauty of a sadguru and we are so fortunate to have a master in our lives. Just feel that gratefulness. You already have that is why you are asking these questions. We are so lucky to be in the same space and time as our master.
Q: Didi can you share what it was like growing up with the master? Following his footsteps.
Bhanu didi: Again you are asking me a question which is tough to share in a short time! It’s a deep question for me, it’s difficult to share like that in a short time; it is a long story. Infact I am writing a book on this and it will be a good reading for all of you! It is wonderful to be with and still it is. Very luck I am, very privileged like all of you. All of us have found our master in this lifetime so we are definitely so fortunate, don’t you feel so?
Q: How and why was I chosen to meet my master in this lifetime?
Bhanu didi: How and why has no place there! There is only place for Wow; I have been chosen to be with my master! Keep wondering about it. That is a beautiful fact in our life. ‘Wow! I am so lucky to be chosen to be with him’.
Q: Didi how do I feel abundance in my life and that sense of gratitude that you have mentioned? How does one maintain it?
Bhanu didi: Maintaining is very easy; learn gurupooja! Whenever you do Gurupooja you are immediately reminded of that abundance in your life that presence of the master in your life brings in this abundance. Abundance doesn’t only mean wealth. Wealth in so many ways like friendliness as a wealth, you commitment, your caring, sharing all these are your wealth isn’t it?
That is why we say come and learn Gurupooja if you have not already learnt. And then you be in service.
Q: Didi can you share something about the master’s vision for the art of living, how it has grown and how you have experienced, seen it?
Bhanu didi: Master’s vision! Master’s vision we all know that he wants to put a smile on every face and it is so beautiful. I really keep wondering every time I think of 152 countries in thirty years it’s such a big thing isn’t it? And it’s so wonderful. That itself is a miracle. And you go to any place, to the remotest place … you go to kanyakumari or Kashmir you have people who are grateful for this knowledge, this wisdom in life. Infact when you meet such people then you feel how important it is to bring this knowledge to every nook and corner of this globe. Everybody needs to be happy isn’t it? And it is so easy to be happy, that’s what the master’s wisdom explains to us and he has given us this experience. It’s so nice to make everyone as your own, extend your family, and expand your family. That is what his vision is of a one world family and we feel that oneness.
