GOD OR GURU?

I received deeksha and upadesam (loosely translated - it means a "gift" and "teaching") from my Guru Sivayogi Sivakumar at yogakudil on 1-3-2015. You can click his name and know more about him and if God willing - come closer to God realization with his help and blessing.

Yesterday, I participated in a meditation camp (NDY - Nithyananda Dhyana Yoga). I normally would not have participated but for my brother's insistence. It was a mediation camp to activate all your chakras (energy centres). The program went on as usual. The "sanyasi" who came to teach - was teaching lessons and exercises for activating various chakras. 

After lunch, I was waiting outside the hall to get inside - my brother came with an old man - and told me that the old man had a knee problem. It was obvious that the old man was in heavy pain bcos he was limping very badly. Before even i could say anything, the old man started narrating his attempts at healing this - he labelled it as "osteo-arthritis" - he has tried allopathy - a ortho specialist - homeo medicines etc. Before he could finish, my brother intervened and told him - "sir, u dont need to narrate - he will tell you your problems - just by checking your pulse". 

(My brother is over enthusiastic because he has seen God's wonders happen right in front of his eyes. (FROZEN SHOULDER,  KNEE PAIN)  The one that impressed him was the case of a 30 year old guy who had hemiplegia - or what is commonly known as paralysis - and whose hand was not functional for almost two years. And within two minutes, right in front of everyone' eyes - God made his hand functional. Even that guy was surprised - he found out where i was staying in a nearby village- and came there by cycle to thank me and to know if his leg also could be restored in a similar quick fashion.)

Sorry for the digression. I checked the old man's pulse - and i could see that he had stomach issues - and nothing else major. He was wearing a knee support brace or knee band. I asked him to remove that and never to use that. It severely restricts blood flow. I treated him for about a minute - and then asked him if he still felt the pain. The old man got up - and immediately said - "the pain is gone..." he stretched his legs - walked, jumped and ran down a few steps - and started saying "how did you do it - its a miracle". I asked him to thank God - and went inside the hall for the next session. I dont know his name nor does he know my name. Even inside the hall - he was telling one or two people about this "miracle". This landed me in trouble!!!

After the day's sessions were over, just before leaving, one of the volunteers of Nithyananda approached me in the evening - and told me 

"sir - please do not feel bad. We are taking people in a certain way - we are also into healing - please do not use this forum to spread your way of healing or acupuncture" (Why? Because Nithyananda also uses acupuncture points - but claims DIVINE HEALING POWER!!! If people like me also heal in a similar fashion, then their carefully erected edifice will collapse)

I did not want to create a scene - so i simply went downstairs.

While talking there with the organizing couple, this same volunteer came once again and repeated the same message in different words. This time, since we were not near a crowd, I told him that i did not approach anyone; i did not profit by taking a fee; i do not even know the old man's name - I did a good deed - and there should be no problem in doing a good deed. I cannot refuse to treat someone who is in pain. His answer was 

"if you want to do something like this, you please create an ambience like this, invite people and then heal them. please do not do it here"

It sounded reasonable. Doesnt it?

What is wrong in this volunteer telling me this? Nothing - right?

I beg to differ.

Spreading spirituality is not a business. Therefore, anyone who does what you want to do - should be welcomed. If i have ten jobs on hand, and suddenly someone volunteers to do 5 of them, i should be happy or sad?

Healing is done ONLY BY GOD. All of us can only treat. Whether it is the volunteer or me or Nithyananda - it does not matter. GOD ALONE HEALS. In his eagerness and devotion to his Guru, the volunteer forgot that he was helping Nithyananda "to do God's work". Over a simple question of God or Guru, this volunteer chose Guru over God. That's what pained me. Even after practising spiritual exercises for a few years - he could not see that devotion to his guru was only a ladder to "devotion to GOD". 

If God's work is done anywhere, let us support it. Gurus are transient - God alone is permanent. Devotion and surrender to one's Guru is noble - but only as long as it remains a path to God. If devotion to Guru blinds us from seeing God's creative action - then that devotion to Guru has to be kicked out. If a Guru blocks the view and does not enable his disciples to see God - then even that Guru has to thrown out. Spirituality is not a private property of a few people and God's magnificent creative work cannot be appropriated by a few alone. And no one should have the arrogance to dictate when and where and through whom God can act. We are all God's instruments - and if he commands us to act in a certain way - we should act - irrespective of all opposition.

This post is open to comments.