The Guru Gita: A Practice Of Remembrance

For many years I faithfully chanted the sacred text of the Guru Gita every morning. The Guru Gita is an ancient Hindu text, telling of a conversation between the Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati, his wife, in which she asks him to explain the  Guru/disciple relationship.

In Sanskrit, the term “guru” quite literally means one who leads from the darkness of ignorance [gu] to the Light of Consciousness [ru].  The Gita is, essentially, a love letter to the Guru/disciple relationship. While it may appear that this is a relationship between a student and his/her teacher, the relationship it describes and explains is, in fact, that of our human, ignorant self with that of our Awakened, Conscious Self. In other words, it describes the Christ principle, the Buddha principle, the I AM principle,  the state of awakened consciousness. In my world, the guru is my small still self and the disciple is the individual expression of that self, the person, the life it animates.

The ancient practice of chanting sacred texts has the power to transport me to a space of equanimity, all without leaving the comfort of my rocking chair.  The loving repetition of the chant has a soothing effect on me and by the time I get to the end I am calm and ready to work through whatever challenges may present themselves in the course of my day. Over the years, I realized that the importance of the Gita in my life lay not in the recitation and chanting of its beautiful verses but in the remembrance of the I AM principle it describes.

While chanting the Guru Gita still has a powerful effect on me, it is no longer a daily practice. The practice of remembrance, however, remains a constant in my life.  Remembrance now takes the form of seeing everyone, including myself, and everything as a perfect expression of the I AM principle.  Remembrance takes the form of remembering that not all of us are in the same stage or state of awakened consciousness all the time, or even some of the time, and it’s okay.  Remembrance takes the form of remembering that, to quote Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”[Click here for full quote]. Remembrance takes the form of remembering, incessantly, that there is no you and me, there is only I AM.

2012
06/24
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  1. Hmm, I have an interest on these things and I always deceive myself with the excuse of “being too busy” then. I always attempt meditating and it works at the late hours of the night, or at dawn, when everything is silent but nature. That’s when I can connect with me. And more often than not, afterwards I always write. I guess Guru Gita is to you as writing is to me. 😉

    • The Guru Gita is but one of the tools we have to connect within. Writing is but one of the tools we have to express who we are. I’ve got a lot of thoughts along these lines that will be unfolding in due course…Keep writing! 🙂 And, again, many thanks for your help! 🙂

  2. M, this is so true and thought I don’t know all the principles you’ve mentioned here, I’ve practiced a few myself — when I take the time to do so. “Awakened consciousness,” if we could all practice that, things will always, always work out. Thank you for this! :).

    • Yes! This is why it’s a journey of remembrance: we don’t have to have studied the principles because, on some level, we “know” and all we are really doing is remembering! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! Thank you for joining me, dear one! xoM

  3. Dear Margarita,
    I loved this post!
    I’m re-reading Byron Katie right now. I think you’d love her. NO one that I’ve read really drives this message of I AM more than she does.
    She had a moment in her life, where she found herself in love with everything in the world. The floor, an old homeless woman, a guy that held her at gunpoint..because she realized she WAS them, too. No separation.
    I hope you check her out, because I know you would LOVE her to pieces.
    She writes a lot of books, but my personal favorite is: I need your love. Is that true?
    Love,
    Lis
    xoxoxox

    • Thanks, Lis! I’m not familiar with Byron Katie, so I will definitely be checking her work out! Thank you! I am very interested in all the apparently different ways that I AM expresses!

      Yes, we ARE all one, and we see it in the world around us ALL the time, if we just recognized it…so my quest is to remember that, and my hope is that many will join in my journey. Soooo glad to have you along! xoM

    • Ann Marquez
    • June 26th, 2012

    Look forward to reading future posts about your journey 😀
    Thank you for sharing. I’m not one to meditate, but I used to use the Desiderata as my mantra. As a matter of fact I keep a book version with photography by Marc Tauss on my mantel but seeing it everyday, it became ‘invisible.’ Last week I thought about it again and decided it’s time to open it up. I especially like the part about avoiding ‘loud and aggressive persons … they are vexatious to the spirit.” But I just love the entire piece. I plan to post about it one of these days.
    Best wishes!!! 😉

    • Ahhh, but you DO meditate. Perhaps not in the classically perceived version of sitting in lotus position repeating a mantra, but those posts of yours must come from somewhere…I’m guessing from some sort of meditation! Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be looking for your post on the Desiderata! xoM

        • Ann Marquez
        • June 26th, 2012

        😀 True 😉
        Thanks M!

        • You’re welcome! It’s all about remembrance! xoM

    • Sheila Lewis
    • June 27th, 2012

    Thanks, Margarita, yes I believe that I AM is the sacred place to BE and the reminder of vehicles, whether chanting or invoking the light, are powerful–always. Keep us enlightened with your wonderful snapshots.

  1. June 26th, 2012
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