Exploration

Shishya : Gurudev, I am troubled. The more I grow, the more I realize how small I am. My actions seem like drops in an endless ocean. I wonder — is there any use in trying, when my contribution feels insignificant? Guru : (smiling) Child, you have touched the doorway of wisdom. The Katha Upaniṣad says, “Uttishthata, Jāgrata, Prapya Varan Nibodhata” — Arise! Awake! Approach the wise and learn. To see one’s littleness is the beginning of humility. But to stop acting because of that littleness is a mistake. Shishya : But Gurudev, if maturity means seeing the futility of my effort, why continue at all? Guru : True maturity is not despair; it is clarity. The Bhagavad Gītā teaches: “Karmanye vadhikaraste, ma phaleshu kadachana” — You have a right to action, but never to its fruits. The fruit is beyond you, but the action is yours. Shishya : Yet Krishna also says He is the doer of all actions. Then what role does my effort have? Guru : Just as a flute does not play itself, yet without the flu...

Phase 1 – The First Bond: Sneha (Affection) Shishya : Gurudeva, when a child is born, who owes whom? Does the son owe his life to the parents, or do the parents owe care to the son? Guru : In the very beginning, my child, there is no ledger, no balance sheet of duties. There is only sneha — affection that flows like a spring from the mountain. The Manusmriti declares: mātṛ devo bhava, pitṛ devo bhava — “See your mother as divine, see your father as divine.” But understand this well: in those first years, divinity is not about worship. It is about protection without demand. Shishya : Then the son has no duty at all in that time? Guru : Not duty as you think of it. A sapling has no duty to the soil except to take root. The parent’s dharma is to shield, nourish, and create a safe garden for growth. The son’s dharma is to receive with trust — to grow strong without the burden of premature choices. Modern reflection : In today’s world, this is when your parents stay awake through fevers, wo...

Shishya : Guruji, why did Lord Vishnu take ten different forms? Were they merely mythological interventions, or do they represent something deeper within us? Guruji : Ah, my child, you have asked a question that only arises when the heart is ready for transformation. The Dashavatara are not just divine leelas. They are symbolic stages in the evolution of consciousness and character—both in humanity and within each individual. Let me take you through them, one by one. 1. Matsya (The Fish) – Instinct & Survival Guruji : Matsya swims in water, bound by instinct. This is the first stage—raw survival. In our early character, we are governed by the fear of extinction. We cling to life, as a fish gasps outside water. Shishya : So this is the child’s stage? Where the ego hasn't formed, only the will to live? Guruji : Yes, and many remain trapped here, reacting from fear, not reflection. 2. Kurma (The Tortoise) – Stability & Withdrawal Guruji : Kurma teaches balance and withdrawal. ...