According to the scriptures of India the Guru principle originated ever since creation began. The lineage of Gurus originates from Lord Shiva, the primordial Guru.

The word Guru is composed of two syllables: Gu means darkness and ru means light. Therefore a Guru is one who dispels the ignorance of a disciple and bestows them with true wisdom.

The Guru Gita, which is a conversation between Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati sings the glory of the Guru. In this beautiful scripture Lord Shiva explains who a true Guru is, what their qualities are and how one should interact and behave in front of a master.

The sages of India always emphasize a self-realized master is absolutely necessary if one wants to learn about their inner Self. Meerabai, Kabir and many other saints acknowledge that it is due to their Guru’s grace they achieved such great heights in the spiritual world.

A master has attained the supreme knowledge and has the power to awaken it in others. They dispel all the ignorance of the mind and show us our true nature. In fact the master is not an individual at all! As Gurumaa has said a countless number of times they are the supreme knowledge or Gods-grace bestowing power!

A true master is always testing their disciples, eradicating their bad qualities and ensuring that good ones arise. Until a disciple does not completely surrender and follow the teachings of the master they cannot receive their entire blessings.

This is the reason why it is said that it is very difficult to live the Guru. But if one is able to live with such a great being they will surely reach great spiritual heights!

In a similar question in this video, a devotee asks Anandmurti Gurumaa whether he is in real bhakti and devotion towards God or his mind is just playing games with him!

Mind is a very powerful entity. The games that the mind plays are difficult to comprehend without the help of a true master. One cannot know the power of the mind without the help of a ‘Sad Guru’.

A Guru imparts knowledge and guides the seeker to gently, but firmly become the master of one’s own mind.

Mind can cause many delusions and confuse a person if one starts to discuss and try to analyze the thoughts occurring in the mind. A seeker thus asked the holy master; Anandmurti Gurumaa to clarify whether what he was experiencing were symptoms of true ‘Bhakti’ or was his mind playing games with him.

Being a devotee of Lord Krishna, this person says that he feels the ‘leela’ of the divine almighty all around in the people of this world. When he chants or hears names of God, he is overcome by ecstatic symptoms of tears and the voice gets chocked, body trembles and he begins to lose awareness.

All these are experiences that are generated in the mind and who can truly decipher it or understand it, because the understanding too needs to be done by the mind only.

At times the heart and the mind may not agree with one another. What the heart feels is borne out of love where as the mind thinks intellectually and has the power to manipulate thoughts as it desires.

Gurumaa tells the seeker not to pay attention to what others have to say. If he feels it is love then no need to ask others. Why does the mind need a certificate of approval from others?

There can be many attributes to such a situation. Sometimes it can be simply a disease or disorder of the mind. It may be infatuation. It may be simple conditioning of the mind that the mind wants to believe in.

There is a lot that can happen in the mind. Only the person experiencing those thoughts knows genuinely if they are true. So the need is to be honest to your own self and keep calm and be true.

Rejoice in the true love of divinity and real Bhakti.

Faith is indeed a very personal issue. To each one it may mean something different depending on their perception. No two people are identical in their looks ideologies and thinking which is why the meaning of this much used word is so varied.

No one has seen God, yet people believe in His existence. Why?

Because God is not the name of a physical entity, someone one can touch or see but yet one can feel if one wants to. Like the sweetness of a sugar candy can only be felt and enjoyed but not really touched.

It is impossible to separate sweetness and sugar. Sugar is a substance the essence of which is sweetness. They are like two sides of a coin; its one for those who look at it that way and separate for those who choose to look at it from a different perspective.

Another example that Gurumaa often uses to explain this concept is that of gold and gold ornaments. Can the two have separate identities? If Gold maintains its identity in one object or form, then it cannot be shaped into any ornaments.

Gurumaa says that it is each one’s own choice whether or not to believe in God. Everyone is free to make their own choices but at the same time they have no right to question other people’s choice. No one has the right to be judgmental.

To believe or not to believe is based on their own perception. So who is to decide right or wrong?

Make your choice and live with it.

Renunciation or vairagya is an absolute necessity for spiritual progress in a seeker’s quest for the Absolute Truth. It is impossible for an aspirant to progress on the spiritual path without developing this quality. Vairagya ignites the yearning for obtaining liberation in a seeker and allows the extroverted mind to go within.

Vairagya in the spiritual world is a mental state associated with developing a total dispassion or detachment towards materialistic/sensual enjoyments. It arises when the seeker realizes that everything in this life is impermanent, illusionary and bound to cause misery.

Real renunciation occurs when one gives up the sense of “I” or egoism and realizes their true identity. The veil of duality is lifted and one recognizes that the supreme bliss we are searching for is right within us!

Throughout this world we see people running after money and luxuries. Even after they obtain them they are still unhappy! Then, what is real wealth?

As Gurumaa says real wealth in our lives is the spiritual practices we perform and the knowledge we obtain in the company of self-realized masters.

In the company of great masters we realize that the happiness we are searching for through worldly pleasures is temporary! Permanent joy and peace can only be obtained if we surrender and meditate upon the Lord who lives in our very own hearts!

On this day many people throw wood sticks in fires and perform prayers in order to eradicate themselves from bad thoughts and wishes. Through faithful devotion, prayers and spiritual practices we ask the Lord to burn impurities such as egoism, lust, greed, and all the various desires which exist in our minds. We pray that pure, good qualities like selflessness, forgiveness and love arise in us.

Krishna, one of the most revered gods of Hinduism was also known to enjoy this festival. Krishna sprayed colors on all the gopis of Vrindavan and stole their minds and hearts. Similarly we pray to the Lord to look upon us and color us with His divine love and grace!

The great sages of India say Holi really signifies inner purification. Every year through the festival we receive an opportunity from the Lord to rise above our ignorance and realize the true purpose of our lives.

The real celebration of Holi occurs when the fire of love for the Almighty is kindled within our hearts and keeps shining within us eternally!

According to the sages of India this entire universe is vibrating with the universal cosmic sound Aum. Watch this video by Gurumaa to discover the significance and hidden meanings of the mantra Aum!

Aum is always seen in the beginning of every prayer or mantra, and is also known as a bija (seed) or moola (root) mantra. In fact as Gurumaa says if Aum is not used in the start of an incantation, it is not considered to be a mantra and has no value!

The mantra Aum represents the Hindu trinity, or three principles of existence: A represents Brahma, U is Vishnu, and M is Shiva. The silence felt after chanting Aum signifies the ultimate reality that is present at every moment. This reality is beyond creation (Brahma), sustenance (Vishnu) and destruction (Shiva).

According to Indian scriptures this entire world, along with the human body and mind is made up of three gunas (qualities). A represents the tamas guna (ignorance, darkness), U is rajas guna (passion and dynamism) and M symbolizes the satwwa guna (harmony, clarity). The silence experienced after chanting Aum transcends the three gunas, and represents pure consciousness.

Each letter is connected to a specific area in the body. When chanting Aum, the vibration of A can be felt in the abdomen (navel area), U in the throat and the resonance of M can be experienced in the head. The silence experienced after the chanting of Aum represents the supreme consciousness that is beyond our thinking and comprehension.

These three syllables also represent the three states or bodies that constitute the human system. A represents the waking state (jagrat avastha), U symbolizes the dream state (swapna avastha), while M is related to the dreamless state (susupta avastha). The fourth state is beyond the three levels of consciousness and is known as transcendental state (turiya avastha).

This state is not represented by any letter and occurs when one has finished chanting Aum. In this state of silence only consciousness is present and nothing else exists. This consciousness is the Brahman, or atman that exists within us.

The great sages of India constantly reiterate that Aum is the essence of the four Vedas. Everything has arisen, rests and dissolves in Aum. Anyone can chant this beautiful mantra, and regular chanting eventually leads one to experience God: the pure supreme consciousness, or bliss that exists right within us!

Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya is one of the greatest philosophers of India who emerged at a time when India was undergoing a period of immense spiritual, intellectual and social chaos.

During this period Adi Shankaracharya traveled throughout India to elucidate the true knowledge of the Vedas. In his short thirty-two year life-span he united the teachings of Advaita Vedanta, and preserved the teachings of Vedic dharma.

Advaita (non-dualism) Vedanta is a school of Vedanta which believes that only Brahman is real, and this entire world is created by maya, the illusionary power of Brahman. The individual soul and Brahman are not different from one another and when one obtains realization of this supreme knowledge, they are liberated.

Adi Sankaracharya has composed many works such as commentaries, books dealing with the fundamental concepts of Vedanta, along with hymns and meditation verses. One such work is the Atma shatakam, which is also known as Nirvana shatakam.

This great hymn composed of six stanzas summarizes the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and explains what our true nature really is. Sri Adi Shankaracharya says we not the body, mind, intellect, senses nor anything that attaches us to this world.

What are we? We are the formless, absolute, auspicious all-pervading consciousness that exists throughout this entire world!

The word mantra originates from Sanskrit. Its root word man means mind, while tra means tool. Mantra is a tool used to calm the mind.

A mantra is a group of letters or phrases that generate a specific vibration within our system. Different mantras produce different vibrations within an individual and invoke different gods.

Mantra jaap is one of the easiest ways to purify the mind and transform one’s inner being. It eradicates countless negativities and impure emotions stored in our mind.

Mantra repetition also allows a devotee to obtain one-pointedness, or focus, on the specific deity of the mantra. If the mantra is practiced with full faith and devotion its vibrations can awaken the spiritual centers located in our subtle body, and bring about experiences of higher consciousness.

It is the nature of the mind to waver and become entangled in worldly desires. Mantra repetition draws the mind and senses into the inner world and allows one to connect with their true, blissful Self.

Once a person experiences the tranquility and peace of the inner world, the outer world becomes insignificant to them. As Gurumaa says, allow the mind to become focused and absorbed in the mantra: It will take you to the source of true happiness!

In this part Gurumaa elucidates the true nature of the mind. She explains that it is the nature of the mind to look outside at different objects, jump from one thought to another, and desire worldly objects.

This is the state of every mind that has not been disciplined through spiritual practices, and as a result it becomes dull and lethargic and filled with impurities.

The scriptures of India say that the mind is your best friend, but can also be your worst enemy. If the mind is trained and purified it allows you to experience your own inner Self.

A good mind is the most important possession one can have. Without this possession it is impossible to realize your true Self. Therefore the sages of India always emphasized valuing and respecting the mind.

However, if one continues to remain under its control they become slaves of their own minds.

So, what is the mind? As Gurumaa says the mind has no shape or form, and is really nothing but emptiness! The scriptures also say that the mind is nothing but a contracted form of the universal consciousness.

It is the nature of the consciousness to create, and just as it has created this outer world it continues to create infinite universes inside our minds. As a result the mind is always creating and dissolving worlds of thoughts, fantasies, and all kinds of dreams.

Therefore the mind is uncontrollable because it is nothing but the pure energy of this universal consciousness!

The great philosophers and sages of India composed many great works which discuss how the mind can be stilled and purified. They developed practices such as yoga, pranayama and meditation which cleanse the mind, and ultimately allow one to experience their own nature, or the paramatma that exists within! As the mind turns within, it merges with the pure Self, and becomes the Self!

We assume that fulfilling our desires will make us happy, but they really don’t! One wish only leads to another, and ultimately we realize we are not finding the happiness that we are always searching for.

How can we experience this true happiness? Gurumaa says the only way we will truly become happy is by discovering our own true nature!

If we can eat vegetables, why can’t we eat non-veg?

This is a never-ending debate which I have stopped having with my friends who guzzle animal fat, birds and eggs every day. Have you also faced the same problem?

Staunch meat-eaters swear that plants and fruit have equal sentiments as animals, so it is as much a crime to eat vegetarian food as it is to eat non-vegetarian food.

Gurumaa explodes this myth by saying that the consciousness of animals is much more developed as compared to the vegetable and fruit kingdom.

If you watch cocks being carried to the slaughterhouse, you can see the fear manifest in them. This fear is transferred to us when we eat the slaughtered cock.

Another argument in favor of vegetarianism is that trees keep on giving fruit in spite of plucking them off. In one field, after the harvest is over, another series of grains or plants can be grown. But once you kill an animal or a bird, its life is gone forever.

Gurumaa says that she eats everything except ‘that which walks, flies or swims’.

Research has shown that preparing animals for slaughter requires them to be fed extensively and is much more expensive than growing plants or fruit. The animal feed industry is one of the largest in the United States.

Meat production leads to increase in carbon dioxide and methane gas in the atmosphere, which is the one of leading causes of global warming.

There is an increased risk of suffering from breast cancer for women who eat meat, as compared to vegetarian women. For men, those who suffer more heart attacks are meat-eaters as compared to vegetarian men.

Convinced? Then, how many friends did you convert to vegetarianism?