Miscellaneous - Religion   

Acharya’s grace

CHENNAI: Faith is the basis of spiritual life, while knowledge and scholarship only serve to augment spiritual experience. Only those who have attained illumination and thereby experienced truth and understood God are eligible to guide us in this spiritual path. Through countless births the soul travels in search of this ultimate goal, liberation. This destination is a state of release when the Jivatma qualifies to escape being cast into the cycle of Samsara. That is why tradition affords a venerable status to preceptors and seers who have selflessly and tirelessly helped humanity to tread the path towards liberation.

Though the Supreme Being is the embodiment of all knowledge, the Lord chose Acharyas during His incarnations as Rama and Krishna to highlight the importance of learning from an Acharya in one’s lifetime, pointed out Sri Tridandi Sriman Narayana Chinna Jeeyar Swami in a discourse. Lord Rama learnt the Sastras and the necessary kingly accomplishments such as archery under the tutelage of Sages Vasishta and Vishwamitra. The Bhagavata Purana states that Lord Krishna underwent Gurukula training in the hermitage of Sandipani. It is also said that the Lord studied under Gargacharya.

The Chandogya Upanishad affirms the power and value of surrender and claims that a sincere seeker has to approach a spiritual teacher to attain salvation. Every Jivatma in embodied form (male or female) is being subject to joy and sorrow while living in this world, and in its quest to overcome these, seeks the guidance of an Acharya. Such surrender with utmost faith makes the attainment of the goal an easy task as far as the soul is concerned since the Acharya takes responsibility for the soul’s welfare.

The ultimate goal is reached through the Acharya’s grace that not only provides solace to the Jivatma caught in material and worldly problems but also offers invaluable guidance to the soul that has lost its spiritual moorings. Enlightenment dawns on the Jivatma who understands that worldly life is only for those who remain in ignorance. This awareness releases one from bondage and enables one to reach perfection.

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