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Most people fail to grasp that their own lives hold the keys to their happiness; instead, they tend to seek happiness elsewhere. There are many teachers in your life already, however, as this traditional chant to the guru, the remover of darkness, assures us: Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshvara,

Guru Sakshat, Param Brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha

This chant is profound because it acknowledges that one's birth, present life situation, accidents, and illnesses are the keys to the doors of happiness. Let's look at it more closely.

Guru Brahma: Brahma is the creator. Here, we appreciate and acknowledge our creation as a powerful Guru. Our birth and all its elements are potential aids for our enlightenment. The elements of our birth include our parents, the body they gave us and its genetic makeup, the conditions surrounding our delivery, and the procedures employed to assist our birth. The place we were born is also included: the country, the culture, the socioeconomic conditions, and so forth.

By chanting Guru Brahma, we cover a lot of territory. For instance, how many of us are completely appreciative of our parents? Parental issues cause a lot of unhappiness. To appreciate and acknowledge truly the gift of life that came from our parents and our birth is a great step forward toward enlightenment.

Guru Vishnu: Vishnu is the preserver. Vishnu represents the duration of our lives and all the experiences we accumulate as we live. Vishnu represents the present time, what we are going through right now. This includes our jobs, our living situations and environments, and the people we live, work, and interact with each day. We appreciate and acknowledge our present lives as possessing the key to our enlightenment.

When you chant Guru Vishnu with sincerity, the way you view your everyday life will start to change. You will begin to perceive the magical qualities hidden in ordinary existence. You realize that everything and everyone can become your teacher, giving you clues to your blissful nature. It all begins by appreciating and acknowledging that this could happen. Even if your everyday experiences don't prove enlightening to you, is your ordinary life worse for the appreciation?

Guru Devo Maheshvara: Devo Maheshvara is another name for Shiva, the Destroyer. This is the transformational or revealing aspect of life, including all illnesses, tragedies, accidents, difficulties, and, ultimately, the death of the body. If you can appreciate and acknowledge Devo Maheshvara as Guru, then you are a very evolved soul. It takes spiritual maturity to embrace difficulties and to see within them potential for enlightenment. The greatest spiritual growth can come from appreciating difficult times in your life and facing them fully with an open heart.

Guru Sakshat: Sakshat means the guru that is nearby. Your teacher is your guru. How deep is your ability to appreciate and acknowledge your teacher? Ultimately, the Guru, the enlightening principle, is within ourselves. But until we can recognize that quality in another, we will never contact it within ourselves. The aim of yoga practices is to find a means to let the inner light of Self come through all the layers of personality and projection that confuse us. Having someone act as a mirror can help you see the divine Self within you. The outer teacher will help you to see where you are resisting your Self.

Param Brahma: This is the Guru that is indescribable and beyond all form.

Tasmai Shri Guruvey Namaha: This means "I offer all my efforts to the teacher." Without the effort of the student, no teaching can be obtained. I bow; I surrender all of my self to that Self. Not my will, but Thy will be done. We surrender all of our efforts and practice, and the fruits of that practice, at the feet of our Guru.

All the gurus named in this chant are teachers always available to awaken you to who you really are-if you're willing to perceive them as such. This chant asks us to notice the people and situations in our own lives and appreciate them for giving us opportunities for Self-realization. You don't have to go anywhere or find anyone: it's all right there in your own life. Appreciating the modern relevance of this ancient Sanskrit chant is what Jivamukti Yoga is all about.

Copyright © 2002 by Sharon Gannon and David Life.

Tags: Yoga