Chapter 8

The Gurus—Their Role in Worship

Swami Prabhavananda writes: “The direction of a competent teacher is essential if one is to attain to knowledge of God, for religion is a practical science to which neither books nor scriptures can be a complete guide.”¹ For this reason many Hindus search for gurus who can help them work out a system of belief and worship.

² We certainly need guidance to understand spiritual truths. Since gurus are not dependent on scriptures, from what source are their teachings and miracles?

The Origin of Guruism

³ Guruism is first introduced in the Upanishads as a challenge to the authority of the Vedas. To replace costly Vedic rituals, the Upanishads promoted ‘secret knowledge’ as the means to salvation.²

⁴ The rejection of the Vedas increased the importance of the gurus. Liberation, it was claimed, could be attained only after a person had been initiated by a guru and received a secret mantra or some other device. Says The World of Gurus: “Being indispensable, the guru also tended to become supreme, even above the scriptures. . . . His own authority, derived from his private mystical experience, was final.”³

⁵ Having supplanted the scriptures, in effect, the gurus soon became identified with God. The guru is also God and it should not be debated, claims the Yogashikhopanishad.⁴ At his initiation, a guru is said to receive supernatural experiences from his deity while in a state of trance and is regarded thereafter as the embodiment of that deity. “The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant,” explains Swami Sivananda.⁵

⁶ Claiming equality with God, the gurus then add in the Upanishads: “One should worship with extreme devotion the guru who imparts divine wisdom, who is the spiritual guide, who is the Supreme Lord Himself.”⁶ Thus, notes Hindu World: “Lights are waved before him, incense burned in his presence, hymns are sung and prostrations made. . . . The guru’s feet are washed and the water in which this is done is passed around to his followers who drink it.”⁷

Miracles—From What Source?

⁷ Many people follow gurus because they are impressed by the gurus’ miracles, which the devotees attribute to God. * The Hindu scriptures, however, record that evil persons, such as Ravana, possessed similar supernatural powers. Is there, then, another source besides God for such powerful works?

⁸ Gurus acquire their supernatural  powers by practicing Yogic arts. But in the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali, the father of Yoga philosophy, attributes these powers to evil “celestial beings” whose chief aim is, according to Swami Vivekananda, “to tempt the Yogi” that he should not gain perfect freedom.⁸ The swami therefore “warned against striving for such sorcerous powers and stressed the need for totally avoiding them,” notes Tantrism.⁹

Liberation—How Real?

⁹ Ancient Hindus turned to Yoga to discover the ultimate truth that the Vedas failed to teach. The Katha Upanishad says that truth cannot be known through scriptures or by reason but by mystic experiences alone. (1:2:23) For this reason, the Hindu swami Sivananda states: “Intellect is a hindrance. That which separates you from God is mind.”¹⁰ So mystics practice Yogic meditation in order to dull the intellect and to experience trances or feelings of ecstasy. Those attaining such a state are said to have found truth and to have attained moksha.

¹⁰ By emptying the mind and deadening the senses, a Yogi can see and hear strange things. “If, however, [Yogic] meditation has been combined, as it often is, with such other techniques as fasting, drug-taking, extreme isolation, and torturelike activities, the deprived [mental] state can be attended by bizarre hallucinations. It may also be attended by ‘mystical’ events of the kundalini type,” states Understanding Yoga.¹¹ * The Yogi is led to believe that these unusual experiences during his nonrational state are both real and good.

¹¹ Following this course, some Yogis claim to experience a oneness with the spirit world, which they say is God. In the book Mysticism Sacred and Profane, R. C. Zaehner warns: “This emptiness is dangerous for this is a ‘house swept and garnished,’ and though it is possible that God may enter in if the furniture is fair, it is equally likely that the proverbial seven devils will rush in if . . . there is no furniture at all.”¹² * For this reason gurus often warn new disciples that Yoga may expose them to demonic influence. Would such warnings be necessary if the true God were involved?

¹² Many gurus promote their personal beliefs, claiming that these are based on reliable scriptures. The Society for Krishna Consciousness, for example, asserts that its beliefs are founded on ‘the Vedic scriptures.’ On the other hand, The World of Gurus states: “No attempt is made to establish the authenticity of scriptures . . . If [the devotees] read the scriptures they would know that the stories of Krishna and Radha are not based on authoritative scriptures, much less on facts.”¹³

¹³ Since gurus are guided by their personal experience and knowledge, where are you to look for God-revealed truth? Obviously, you need to consult scriptures that are truly inspired by God. Where can you find them?

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 19]

Yoga —Did You Know?

“What might appear a superficial dabbling with pranayama [breathing exercises] and the asanas [Yogic postures], may turn out to be the first step along a path of occultism beset with potential hazards for the unsuspecting. The physical exercises of yoga are specifically designed to prepare the body for the psycho-spiritual changes that are to come. Down the ages yoga has been used first and foremost as a vestibule leading to the inner sanctuary of occult experience.”—Tantrism, Benjamin Walker, 1985, page 125.