Who is a Guru?
“Guru is not just the individual you see in a mortal body. His mortal body will wither and meet its end one day. But the Guru is the divine force which never dies; he is eternal and ageless. Guru grows within (the inner depths of the seeker’s consciousness). In yogic science, time and space have no value. You are within me; and I am within you. Whenever you remember me, you will find me within you. If a Guru is genuine, he is omnipresent — he is present simultaneously everywhere; he is not constrained by the limits of time and space.”
What does GSY involve?
The practice of GSY involves chanting (mental repetition) of a divine mantra and meditation. Guru Siyag initiates a seeker into GSY as his disciple by giving him/her a mantra — a divine word — to chant silently round-the-clock and also teaches a method of meditation. The chanting (Japa) of the mantra becomes involuntary when it is repeated constantly over a certain period of time. This, however, depends directly on the degree of intensity, faith and sincerity with which the chanting is done. In some cases the chanting becomes involuntary after just over a week of practice while in some other cases it takes a fortnight or even a few months. Besides chanting of the mantra, the disciple is also required to meditate for 15 minutes each, two to three times a day.
The meditation and chanting together awaken the dormant Kundalini, an energy force in the practitioner’s body, which induces involuntary yoga Asana, kriya, bandh, pranayam and mudra.
What is GSY?
The practice of GSY originates from an ancient form of Yoga known as ‘Siddha Yoga’. Due to the large number of Yoga schools that have mushroomed in the West, the term ‘Yoga’ has come to mean physical exercise or a process by which the body can be strengthened. However, the term ‘Yoga’ actually refers to a ‘Union with the Supreme’. The word ‘Siddha’ means that which is ‘perfect’, ‘perfected’ or ‘empowered’. Siddha Yoga is the means by which Yoga (union) can be attained effortlessly. This Yoga can be realized only by the grace of the Siddha (Perfected) Guru, without any effort on the part of the disciple.
Siddha Yoga is gifted to mankind by the ancient Nath sect of Yoga tradition. Ancient sage Matsyendra Nath first attained knowledge of Yoga thousands of years ago directly from Lord Shiva in the celestial abode in the Himalayas. Lord Shiva asked Matsyendra Nath to disseminate this knowledge of Yoga to the entire mankind for its spiritual evolution. Since then, the Yoga system, full of knowledge and wisdom, is being handed down from generation to generation through the guru-disciple tradition. It is so broad-based that it integrates all the Yoga systems such as Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raj Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Gyan Yoga, Laya Yoga, Bhava Yoga, Hatha Yoga, etc. It is therefore also called Purna Yoga (complete Yoga) or Maha Yoga (great Yoga).
Siddha Yoga is the means by which Yoga (union) can be attained effortlessly. This Yoga can be realized only by the grace of the Siddha (Perfected) Guru, without any willed effort on the part of the disciple. ‘Effortless’ here means that the disciple only has to do the practice, he does not have to set specific goals to achieve. The spiritual transformation will happen of its own accord.
What is Importance of GSY
We bring you a small excerpt from Gurudev’s speech given in 1999. Here, He talks about what Yoga is, and specifically about the history and effects of his sect of Yoga, Siddha Yoga. In the end, is his message to the youth and how they will bring about a transformation through Yoga. Guru Siyag on Yoga “How do you define yoga? Sage Patanjali in the very second aphorism of his treatise ‘Yoga Sutra’ defines yoga simply as “a neutralization of mind’s inner tendencies called Vrittis.” Until the mind, which is fickle and runs helter skelter, doesn’t become calm and stable, the seeker can neither meditate nor can he experience yoga (a union with the supreme consciousness). In the practice of Siddha Yoga, which I speak of, it is the Guru who subtly checks the disciple’s mind from wandering off, calms it down and makes it devoid of any thought.
“The Nath sect of the Yoga tradition that we follow (through Siddha Yoga) is led by nine Naths (ascetic yogis) who are immortal. Machhindra Nathji was the first in the pantheon of great Gurus when the current epoch of Kaliyuga began millions of years ago.
“Gorakhnathji was one of Machhindranathji’s disciples. Gorakhnathji likened the Vedas to the Kalpataru (mythical wish-fulfilling tree) and described Yoga as the “Immortal fruit of the Vedas.” The practice of Siddha Yoga frees the practitioner from a triumvirate of afflictions: physical, mental and spiritual. No affliction exists beyond these three broad categories. The practice of Siddha Yoga has been freeing hundreds of thousands of practitioners from all kinds of physical diseases and ailments.
“This transformation (through elimination of triple affliction) is based on a tangible philosophy. It is not a figment of someone’s creative imagination. I am aware that some people do employ fiction when dealing with yogic philosophy because their advice is purely theory-based and lacks practical experience. Some “Gurus” even go the extent of saying that the Kundalini can be awakened if the seeker practices Yoga for 20 years! To this I say, “What is the guarantee that a Guru and his disciple will live for 20 years? Why slog for 20 years for something that you can achieve today? Why not gain spiritual consciousness here and now? This talk about 20 years is utter rubbish.”
What is the Message to the Youth?
“Childhood or adolescence is the right time to begin your spiritual journey. It is necessary to go through spiritual transformation at a young age. Nearly 90 per cent of my disciples are young people.
“I have a strong belief that a spiritual revolution (awakening) cannot take place in the world unless and until the youth becomes spiritually conscious. It is the youth who will usher in a transformation in the world. The youth have done it in the past, and they will do so in the future.”
