WHAT GURUDEV TAUGHT

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

18. WHAT GURUDEV TAUGHT
Different gurus come and show diverse practices and paths. Some give the path of
sankirtan, some sakti-pat, some kundalini yoga, some the more traditional ways of self-discipline,
prayer, worship, svadhyaya, and meditation. Now, we can ask: “What way did Gurudev point out
for us, and in what way should his living and dynamic presence be manifest and expressed in and
through our individual lives?”
Gurudev has been very specific in chalking out a certain path for us. He said: “You are
divine; therefore, be what you are. Be aware of your Divinity and divinely live your life. Your

origin is divine; therefore, make Divine-experience your ultimate goal also. From where you came,
that you must once again attain. That is your destiny, and your grand destination also.”
Therefore, he emphasised the words divine and divinity. You are essentially divine. You are
not this cage of flesh and bones. You are not this impure, restless, ever-changing, fickle mind. You
are not this limited, unreliable—sometimes rational, sometimes irrational— intellect either.
Beyond the body, mind and intellect, you shine supremely as a child of God, as a ray of that divine
Light of lights beyond all darkness, as a wave upon the vast, infinite, boundless ocean of
satchidananda- consciousness. You are an amsa (part) of paramatma. Divinity is your birthright.
Life is a chance to regain the awareness and experience of that Divinity. Therefore, lead a divine
life. Divinity is your goal. Divinity is your basic nature. Divinity should infill your life. Therefore,
make your life divine.
Thus, he has given us a very clear-cut direction, a specific way to proceed. And he gave us
the quintessence, the very heart of his message, in three principles to live by: universal love and
compassion towards all living beings; truthfulness in thought, word and deed; plus lofty, sublime,
pure conduct and character in daily life.
He told us to adhere to these three principles. They form the essence of the message of all
the scriptures of the world. They form the essence of the teachings of all the prophets, messiahs and
messengers of God. These three form, therefore, the basis of righteousness, the basis of Yoga, the
basis of Vedanta, the basis of spirituality, the basis of God-realisation. He had no doubt about what
he was saying, and he left us in no doubt about what he wanted to tell us and what he meant us to be.
He made these three principles—non-injury, truthfulness and purity—the very condition
for being accepted as a member of the Divine Life Society. He also advised and taught a synthesis, a
harmonising of the head, heart and hand—an all-round development, spiritualisation and
divinisation of our daily day-to-day actions, of our emotions, sentiments and moods, of our
intellectual processes, and of our inner discipline. He wanted us to develop equally a spirit of
service, devotion and faith in God, control of our senses, concentration and discipline of the mind as
training for meditation, and an alert and awakened spirit of philosophical enquiry.
This is, therefore, the living spiritual force that he established and left for us. He works as
this force. He works as this light of divine living. He who abides by these principles adores the guru,
and he will reach the Goal. There is no doubt about it. Now or in the distant future, he will reach the
Goal.
Thus, Divinity is the keynote of the Sivananda way of living your life. Divinity is the
keynote upon all levels, in all things—total Divinity in your life. And, all the scriptures are to be
studied just in order to know the definition of Divinity, what this Divinity implies, what this
Divinity means, what comprises Divinity and its contrary. But, this one principle—Divinity—is
enough to make our lives sublime, to take us to God and to crown our lives with supreme
blessedness.
This is what he has given. This is what we have received. This is what should enrich our
lives and the very living of our lives. That would constitute a response to his call and be a token of

our discipleship. This is the teaching he came to impart; it is our heritage. Let us claim this heritage.
Let us claim our birthright and shine with the Divinity that we are!