On the Paduka of the Guru
2. Listen, O Goddess, to what you wish me to tell you and which, when heard, quickly fosters devotion.
4. Better than millions of gifts, millions of ritual observances, millions of the greatest sacrifices is the mere invocation of the holy paduka [of the guru].
5. Superior to millions of mantras, millions of bathings at pilgrimage places, superior even to the worshiping of millions of deities is the mere evocation of the holy paduka.
6. The paduka, when called to mind in time of distress, protects against all evil and all calamity; it dispels the greatest fear as well as all harm or illnesses.
7. The paduka, when remembered, dispels difficulty in thinking, moving, speaking, intercourse, communication, or action. Indeed, memory, knowledge, wishing, or giving are done by him alone who ever keeps the holy paduka on the tip of his tongue.
8. O Goddess! he who, full of devotion, freed of all evil, does the japa of the holy paduka reaches immediately the supreme state of being.
10. Immediately, O Goddess! he who devotedly does the japa of the holy paduka attains effortlessly the [four aims of life: ] religious merit, wealth, pleasure, and liberation.
11. In whatever direction shine the lotus feet of the Lord, thereto one must bow every day, O Dear One!
12. There is no mantra higher than the paduka, no god superior to the holy guru, no [valid] initiation other than that of sakti, no merit higher than that accruing from Kaula worship.
13-14. The form of the guru is the root of meditation (dhyana), at the root of worship are the feet of the guru, the root of mantra is the word of the guru, the root of liberation is the compassion of the guru. All actions in this world are rooted in the guru, O Mistress of the Kula! The guru therefore is constantly to be served with all marks of devotion.
15. Fear, distress, grief, perplexity, delusion, error, and so forth exist only as long as one does not take refuge in reverent devotion to the guru.
16. So long as they have no devotion to a perfect master ([[sadguru]), human beings wander in samsara, suffering from all forms of pain and delusion.
17. The glorious mantra that bestows the fruits of all accomplishments is rooted in the grace of the guru. It leads to the supreme Reality.
18. Just as the boon-conferring guru, satisfied and happy, gives the mantra, so one must please him with devotion, even by offering him one's own life.
19. When the best of gurus (desikottama) gives himself to the disciple, the latter is liberated. He will not be born again.
20. The disciple should strive to satisfy and honor his guru so that he may always be pleased. For when the guru is pleased the sins of the disciple are destroyed.
21. Yogins, sages, gods such as Brahma, Visnu, and Siva bestow their grace when the guru is pleased. No doubt about it!
22. The disciple, directed by the compassionate guru who is pleased with his devotion, is liberated from [the fetters of] action and gains liberation as well as other rewards (bhuktimukti).
32. He who devotedly recalls "My guru is Siva in the form of the Master, who grants rewards as well as liberation," for him perfection is not far away.
38. Why such exertions as those of pilgrimage, wherefore observances that emaciate the body, when the pure service of and devotion to the guru [afford the same fruit] ?
46. Never regard the guru as a mere mortal, for to one who thinks so neither mantras nor the worship of gods will ever give any boon.
47. Those who associate the holy guru with ordinary [[[people]]] either in their remembrance or in their talk - even their good actions will turn into evil, O Dear One!
48. Parents, being the cause of one's birth, are to be honored with great care. Still more particularly is to be honored the guru, for he makes known what is and what is not the sociocosmic Order (dharmadharma).
49. The guru is the father, the guru is the mother, the guru is God, the supreme Lord. When Siva is angry, the guru saves [from his wrath], but when the guru is angry, nobody [can help].
50. By mind, by speech, by action, do what is helpful to the guru. By doing what is bad for him, O Goddess, one becomes a prey to calamity.
51. Those who do not act properly toward the holy guru in body, wealth, or vital power will certainly become worms or insects [in a future life].
52. Death results from the forsaking of one's mantra, misery from forsaking one's guru. To forsake both guru and mantra leads to hell.
53. The body must be borne for the guru's sake. For him alone should one acquire wealth. One must exert oneself in the service of the guru regardless of one's life.
56. When the guru is there, no austerity (tapas) is to be practiced, nor fasting, pilgrimage, purifying bath, or anything else.
59. He who worships someone else when his guru is present, O Ambika, will go to a frightful hell; and such worship would be useless.
60. To hold on one's head the lotus feet of the guru is not to bear a burden. One must act as he commands, for the guru is command (ajha).
78. Destruction results from the anger of the guru, harm from treachery to him, and evil death from criticism of the guru, and the greatest ill from his displeasure.
79. A man may survive after entering a fire, or after drinking poison, or falling into the hands of death, but not one who has sinned against his master.
80. Where the holy guru is criticized, one must turn away one's ear, O Ambika, and leave that place immediately, so that no such thing can be heard. One must then invoke the name of the guru so as to counteract what has been heard.
81. One must love those whom the guru befriends and respect his spouse and family. His practice must never be criticized, be it Vedic, Sastric or Agamic.
82. The holy paduka is the disciple's ornament. To remember his name is japa. To do what he commands is ritual action. To attend obediently on him is indeed to worship the guru.
Guru and Disciple
51-52. Siva is all-pervading, subtle, transcending the mind, without attributes, imperishable, space-like, unborn, infinite: how could he be worshiped, O Dear One? This is why Siva takes on the visible form of the guru who, [when] worshiped with devotion, grants liberation and rewards.
53. I am Shiva without any form, O Goddess, imperceptible to the human senses. This is why the virtuous disciples can worship [Me] in the form of the guru.
54. The guru is the the supreme Shiva himself, manifestly perceptible as enclosed in human skin. Remaining thus concealed, he bestows grace (anugraha) on the good disciple.
55-56. It is to protect and help his devotees that Siva, though formless, takes on form and, full of compassion, appears in this world as if he were part of the cosmic flow (samsara). Concealing his third eye, the crescent moon [on his head], his energies, and two of his arms, he appears on this earth in the form of the guru.
57. Siva without his three eyes, Visnu without his four arms, Brahma without his four faces, such indeed is what is called a guru, O Dear One!
60-61. The guru is none other than the Eternal Siva. This is the truth. No doubt about it. The guru is Siva himself . Who, otherwise, would bestow liberation as well as other rewards? There is no difference, O Parvati, between the guru and the god Sadasiva. He who distinguishes between them is sinful.
99. Difficult to find is the guru who, when pleased, immediately affords the treasure of liberation, thus saving from the cosmic flow.
104. Many are the gurus who shine [feebly] like lamps in a house. Difficult to obtain is the guru who, like the sun, illuminates everything.
105. Many are the gurus well versed in the Veda, the Sastras, and so forth. Difficult to find is the guru who has mastered the supreme Truth (paratattva).
107. Many are the gurus who know bad mantras and medicinal herbs, but a guru who knows the mantras given in the Tantric and Vedic traditions (agamanigama) and in the Sastras is difficult to find on this earth.
108. Many are the gurus who despoil their disciples of their wealth. Difficult to find, O Goddess, is the guru who destroys the sufferings of the disciple.
109. Many on earth are [the gurus] who follow the rules of caste and stage of life (varnasramadharma) and who know the kula practice (kulacara), but the guru whose mind is free of all discursive thought is not easy to find.
110. A guru is one whose mere contact brings about supreme bliss. Such a guru the wise man chooses, not another one. Verily, by the mere sight of him one gains liberation.
114. As blades of grass are blown away by a great wind, so the sins of the disciple are destroyed by the gaze of the guru.
115. As a lighted fire burns away all fuel, moist or dry, so by the compassion of the guru are all sins destroyed.
116. As darkness is dispelled at the sight of a lamp, so the mere sight of the perfect master (sadguru) destroys ignorance.
117. He who has all the proper characteristics, who knows all the precepts of the Veda and the Sastras as well as the rules governing the ways [to liberation] (upaya), he indeed is a guru.
121. Even a guru who does not have all the [proper] qualities is still a guru [if he] knows the supreme Truth, for only one who knows the Truth is liberated and can liberate [others].
After having enumerated different kinds of gurus, the chapter ends as follows:
129. Though gurus are numerous, only one who performs the full consecration (purnabhiseka) is to be worshiped. No doubt about it!
130-32. Having found a holy guru endowed with all the proper qualities, one who destroys all doubts and bestows knowledge, O Goddess, one should not stay with another one. If, however, one happens to have a guru who has no real knowledge and who causes doubts, no harm would be incurred by leaving him. Indeed, as the bee eager for honey flies from flower to flower, so the disciple eager for knowledge goes from master to master.
133. Thus have I told you briefly the qualities of the guru and of the disciple, O Mistress of the Kula. What else do you wish to hear?
