B.: One who would try to teach something can never be the Sadhguru [Tom: the true or genuine or real guru]. He who gives unto the earnest sadhaka suggestion to do this or that can never be the Sadhguru. The sadhaka wants rest from activity – that is why he has come in search of spiritual awakening. He has already become exasperated with ‘doing’, although he might be unable to understand, express or articulate that such is the case with himself. The peace he is searching for so longingly is permanent termination of possibility of activity. In other words he wants everlasting cessation of the madness called ‘doing’.
Instead of being told how to achieve the same, the conned sadhaka finds that the charlatan asks him to do something in addition to, or in place of, his incumbent activities. Could more ‘doing’ possibly be a help to the sadhaka? It will make him lose what little peace of mind he yet had.
Activity stands for creation; creation stands for the destruction of one’s inherent happiness – i.e., the natutal state of poorna.
Reality is perfect happiness only because there is no creation possible in that state. Creation is seen owing to avidya maya. If activity be advocated, the adviser is not a Guru but a heartless tormentor. In such cases we can say that Lord Yama has come in the guise of a Guru, to torture the unsuspecting, gullible sadhaka.
The [evil-minded] charlatan cannot Emancipate; but the one thing he invariably does is this – he strengthens the fetters of those who care to pay any attention to him. You talk of appointing an uttharadikari [Tom: heir or successor] for Ramana Maharshi. Ramana Maharshi has nothing to say; he makes no assertions; he has no message for the world; he has got nothing to convey; he is no teacher; he has no teachings. He IS. That is all. That being the case, where is the question of any successor? The charlatan, therefore, first collects a hefty fee as ‘dhakshina’ and then persuades the unwitting man on the Clapham omnibus to do this and that, saying, ‘If you sincerely do as I tell you, you will obtain peace of mind…’. It is like paying a fortune to purchase poison, thinking it to be amrutham, and drinking it gleefully, congratulating yourself on your ‘rare luck’ at having chanced upon the same. So, the charlatan abets your attempt to kill yourself; obscuring the self-luminous Aathman, which is fathomless Bliss Itself, with upadhis that obnubilate it, and reaffirming for yourself thereby the poisonous, false conviction that your self-identity lies with the perishable body, is certainly an act of attempting suicide. As for Sec. 306, no amount of concealment can permanently veil the Self.
No matter how dense one’s nescience [Tom: ignorance] might be, one casual, merciful glance of Grace from the compassionate Sadhguru, lasting not even for a complete nimisha, will suffice to destroy countless aeons of accumulated ignorance. A mountainsized heap of gunpowder is burnt up by a single spark of fire.
A room might have been in darkness for thousands of years, but when the door is thrown open and sunlight floods in, how long does it take for the room to become totally illumined? Thus, since ignorance is totally vulnerable to being eviscerated by the Sadhguru’s Grace at any time, it cannot be said to have any permanence; so, it is unreal or non-existent…
…The point is, turn inwards and SEE. That is Guru’s Grace. Guru’s Grace means inward-vision or introverted mind. Guru’s Grace and Jnana-dhrishti [Tom: literally, knowledge-vision, ie. seeing the self or self-knowledge] are thus one and the same.
The above excerpt is taken from Aham Sphurana, 30th August 1936, see here for more information on this text.
Tom: compare the above text to Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 271:
271.
The guru who tells his disciple
“Do this or that,” becomes for him
Yama, lord of death, or Brahma,
Lord of birth. He who declares
“You have done enough,” is the true guru
Bringing grace divine.
[The true guru prescribes no discipline, but the enquiry “Who am I?”]
Tom Das 