A Bow to the Gurus Who Illuminate Our Lives

The world is but a reflection of what lies within. When the conscious mind wakes up from slumber and realizes the world within, that aloha moment is created by a Guru. A Guru lives to create that moment of realization in you. This self-realization pierces through the mind’s material attachments and awakens you to a whole new world. My humble gratitude to that magnificent form which introduced me to an unparalleled world!

He, who has the world within, just like a seed encapsulates tremendous life form and energy. He, by whose will my world manifests and destroys itself. He who is a mystic and a yogi. He, who showed me how to just be. My inexplicable gratitude to that radiant form!

He, who taught me that I am a limitless form of energy. He who showed me that I am a mode through which energy percolates. He, who showed me that I am one with Him. He, who detached me from the dualism of the material world. My heart goes out to that all-pervading energy form!

He, who radiates truthful knowledge through the senses of the body, just like a lamp illuminates from inside a pot with many holes! He, whose energy reflects in the world. He, who fills light in my life. My humble gratitude lies in that life form!

He, who destroys the delusion that the body, senses, and intellect are real. He, who introduces me to the witness, the soul. He, who aligns me with the flow of the universe. May my soul never leave His abode!

He, who shook me awake to the reality of my being. He, whose grace awakens one to consciousness. He, who gave me eyes within. My gratitude to your existence!

He, who is unchanged through the various states of body and mind. He, who reveals himself to the seeker. He, who is an embodiment of knowledge. My gratitude for being in my life!

– Adi Sankaracharya, in his work Sri Dakshinamurti Ashtakam

Let us express our gratefulness to:

• Life – for teaching us how to celebrate existence

• Death – for teaching us to stay humble

• Earth – for teaching us forbearance

• Sky – for teaching us limitlessness

• Water – for being the source of existence

• Light – for being the source of energy

• Air – for letting us breathe and survive
  

Gratitude is best expressed by practicing it in our lives! It’s not a one-day event. It is a way of life.

A bow to all those magnificent souls who influenced our lives with their way of life. Any energy that reduces baggage in life is a Guru. Any energy that pushes us to dwell inward is a Guru. Any energy form in whose presence we experience detachment from the world and a deep connection to the truest being of self is a Guru.

A bow to the Gurus everywhere!