Guru Gita in verse 129, speaks as to how the Guru goes about his job of conferring the Self
Knowledge to the disciple.
"Karuna khadga-patena chhitva pasashatkam sisoh
Samyogananda janakah sadgurusso'bhidhiyate."
He who by the sword of his compassion cuts the eight-fold fetters of the disciple and [thus]
gives birth to spontaneous bliss in him, is called the Guru.
The eight-fold fetters are said to be: hatred, shame, caste
[social class], [commitment to] good culture i.e. asrama,
[protecting one's] reputation i.e. maryadha, pride and egoism,
[ahankara]. All these are snapped by Guru, to make to
realize what you are.
Once Muruganar brought a big jackfruit. It was to give it to ashramites because that day was
his mother's annual ceremony day. Bhagavan said: "O, you have not left this still. So,
you have to perform sraddha. Where are brahmins? I am one Brahmin, [Bhagavan telling about Him!], Ramanatha Brahmachari and Viswanathan are there. We shall find the fourth one!" Muruganar shed tears and prostrated before Bhagavan! Bhagavan, nevertheless allowed him to distribute
the jackfruit pieces to everyone on that day, lest it should go waste!
Now to the point which we are discussing. Guru is the Self. It is Is. One without the second.
There is nothing other than That. It is nirguna, blemishless, nitya, suddha. Where is compassion [karuna] coming from? Karuna is the Self's Grace. While the Self is one without second, you cannot
separate Karuna from it, Grace from it. It is not only Sat, it is Chit and it is Ananda. Sat Chit Ananda.
Siva is the Self and Uma is the Grace. Grace cannot be separated and counted as one more apart
from the Self. Grace is always feminine. But she is concorporate with Siva. She is Ardhanareswari. Unnamulai and Annamalai is One within One. Christians name their girl children as Grace.
No male is named Grace! But she is part of parcel of the male principle, the Purusha.
Manikkavachagar sings: "You have come to stay in my Heart. But the Heart is oozing nectar
of Grace." He says in Tiru Ponnoosal, the Decade of Holy Swing, a song that describes
the swing-game of girls.
Nanjamar kandathan, andatthavar nathan.... (Tiruvachakam,
Tiru Ponnoosal, Verse 4)
He is having a blue neck [due to halahala], he is the Lord of the gods, he lives in Uttarakosa Mangai, where the clouds touch the tall walls of the city, embedded with pearls and rubies. He stays in my Heart, with the mother of graceful words; he lives in the Hearts of all his devotees, oozing the nectar of grace; he vanquishes our birth. Let us sing his glories, O girls with bangles made of corals and conchshells, let us play the game of golden swing!
(Source: Guru Gita - Eng. Trans. Divine Life Society, and an article in Mountain Path, April June
2009)
Arunachala Siva.