“Perform virtuous deeds! Engage in charity and giving! But what is true merit (Punniyam)? Have I forgotten to offer my tribute (Kanikkai) to the Guru? Did I stand back in hesitation or shame to bow before the Guru?
This is the justice/truth proclaimed by the Great Saint Vallalar! One must attain a Guru—that itself is the greatest merit! The one who has attained a true Sarguru and received the Thiruvadi Upadesham (Instruction on the Divine Feet) and Thiruvadi Deeksha (Initiation of the Divine Feet) is the one who has truly earned merit!”
To the disciple, the Guru is God! The Guru is everything! You must respect the Guru’s words as the ultimate truth of the Vedas. Do not attempt to give advice to your Guru! Do not demand that the Guru act according to your personal desires. Instead, you must conduct yourself according to the Guru’s command.
Do not stand back in hesitation or shame to bow before the Guru. Never forget to offer your tribute (Kanikkai) to the Guru. For the Guru who unites you with God—even if you gave them the entire world, it would not be an equal exchange!
“In the olden days, one could only attain a Guru by surrendering everything—Body, Wealth, and Soul! But in this day and age, people search for a Guru they can get for free. They lack the basic awareness that an offering must be given to the Guru.
Is it not from the alms (Picchai) you provide that the Guru survives? Is it not from your alms that a family lives? Is it not from your alms that the Guru wanders and travels to provide spiritual instruction to many people like you? It is through your alms that the Guru performs his sacred work of Wisdom! Should you not shower the Guru with alms even without him asking? The life of a Guru is sustained solely by the alms given by the disciples!”
‘The Guru is truly the Supreme Brahman.’ To be blessed with such a Guru, you must have performed millions of virtuous deeds! If you do find such a Gnana Sarguru (True Master of Wisdom), do not attempt to measure or judge him with your limited intellect. Do not lose your spiritual clarity through arrogance and abandon your Guru. And do not, out of the pride of your wealth, disregard or neglect him!”
“Therefore, the suffering will be yours alone, not the Guru’s! Do not watch or scrutinize how the Guru lives his life. Instead, reflect deeply on what the Guru said and act upon it!
There is a saying: ‘Do not seek the source of a river or the origin of a Rishi (Sage).’ Simply conduct yourself as a good disciple. Provide alms to the Guru! Bow down and serve! Perform selfless service (Panividai). Take his commands upon your head and execute them immediately!”
“Perform Gnana Dhanam (the donation of Wisdom-Thiruvadi)! Spread the Guru’s teachings to the entire world. Distribute sacred books of wisdom-thiruvadi to everyone—this is true Gnana Dhanam! While Annadhanam (the donation of food) quenches the hunger of the body, it is Gnana Dhanam that removes the hunger of the Soul-atman.
Only the one who performs Gnana Dhanam becomes a true disciple! And in the future, only such a person becomes a sublime Sarguru. The Seat of the Guru (Guru Peedam) should come seeking you! If you run after it with greed and desire, it will move to a distance far beyond your reach.”
“Do not desire to become a Guru! First, be a good disciple. Only a good disciple can become a good Guru. A true Guru has no greed for material wealth; it is because you have that greed that you hesitate to give!
Who is a Guru? A Guru is one who is considered worthy by a Sage, blessed by them, and seated upon the Guru Peedam (the Seat of the Guru). You know nothing of his true nature! A Guru is one who has been trapped in the joys and sorrows of the world, worn down, and refined—tempered by fire. Only such a person can provide the Thiruvadi Upadesham and Thiruvadi Deeksha. That authority is granted only by a realized Sage!”
Should you ever conduct yourself in a way that causes pain to such a Gnana Sarguru? Serve with your whole heart so that the Guru—who carries the burden of your karmas upon his own shoulders—may rejoice! Bow down! Melt in devotion!
Instead of doing that, do not wound his heart and end up taking his own ‘sins’ (burdens) upon yourself. Do not insult or slander the Guru; you can never truly know his glory! While everyone has a mother and a father, not everyone is blessed with a Guru. Only the one who has attained a Guru is truly the fortunate one!
“Guruvin-adi panindhu kooduva thallaarkku
Aruvam-aay nirkum Sivam” – Avvaiyaar
“Understanding the deep meaning of the Avvai Kural, one must attain a Gnana Sarguru (True Master of Wisdom) in this world to achieve the Great Deathless Life (Maranamilla Peruvazhvu)! Let us all live in surrender, bowing at the golden feet of Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar Ramalinga Swamigal!”
-Gnana Sarguru SivaSelvaraj Ayya