Meditations on Transcendence

 **Ode to the Guru, the Liberator** O venerable Guru, radiant beacon of the night,   In tangled realms where modes obscure the light,   You, the liberator, break the chains that bind,   And lead the soul to truths it’s long resigned. In the maze of senses and the body’s snare,   Where passions weave their intricate affair,   You cast away the veils of ignorance so dense,   Unveiling wisdom’s pure and sacred essence. With Krishna’s ancient words, you gently guide,   “Tribhir gunamayair bhavair ebhih sarvam idam jagat, mohitam nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam” (7.13)—   Through modes of nature, the world is veiled,   But in your light, the hidden truth unveiled. Adi Shankara’s voice, in reverence we hear,   “गुरुं विनाऽध्यात्मविद्या न सिद्ध्यति” —   Without your grace, the self remains unclear,   Yet with your touch, the soul finds freedom near. You are the key to Navadha Bhakti’s path,   The ninefold devotion that stills the heart’s wrath.   In the dance of senses and temporal chase

An improved perfect self already exists Purification is needed to manifest the improved self Uncovering layers is our focus When there is a mixture only one needs purification Where there is required and not required substance, entity, to separate one needs purification Identification, separation and elimination are various steps in purification Knowledge and awareness is needed to identify unwanted things in heart Otherwise there is no regulation of unwanted things Wanton kingdom of unwanted things in the heart Unwanted is well integrated with wanted making the process difficult The wanted in dormant and unwanted is active Daman is complete supression of the unwanted with help of Lord Damodara One can catch, group and tie the unwanted - desires and ahankara Destroy and eliminate them Meditation is the culmination of the entire curriculum of the Gita which aims at removing the three main defects of our personality: mala, vikshepa and aavarana. tatrekaagram manaha kritvaa yatachittendri