Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court judge Justice GR Swaminathan delivered a strongly worded speech defending India’s guru tradition and criticising what he termed “fake rationalism” during a Guru Vandana event held in Hosur.
The programme, organised by a Satsang group to honour Udupi Pejawar Mutt seer Vishwaprasanna Theertha Swamiji, saw the judge share a personal experience to underline the spiritual significance of the guru concept.
Narrating an incident from a late-night highway journey, Justice Swaminathan said, “I will just narrate one incident and conclude. My daughter had completed her law course in Patiala. My wife and I went there for the convocation. A few months ago, after the function, we planned to return to Delhi the same night. But everyone advised us not to go, they said the mist was heavy, traffic was very bad and we should avoid the highway. But despite that, we decided to start, trusting the driver’s confidence. Around 1 AM, somewhere between Chandigarh and Delhi, there was such heavy mist that visibility was not even five feet. While driving on the highway, the car’s rear wheel got punctured. Just imagine, my daughter was seated in front; there was me, my wife and the driver.”
He continued, “The driver tried to fix the stepney but couldn’t properly. My wife knows some mechanics, so she also got down to help. Just imagine; the visibility was less than five feet. At 1AM on the highway, my wife and the driver were working on the tyre while traffic kept passing. At any moment, a vehicle could have hit from behind. I became very frightened.”
He further said, “It was such a helpless situation. At that moment, when we say ‘Guru Maharaj,’ each of us may belong to different mutts or traditions, but the philosophy is one. It means Dakshinamoorthy only. For nearly 30 minutes, they struggled. As vehicles kept coming very close, the only word that came to my mouth was ‘Gurunatha, Gurunatha…’ For me, the question of why God exists is a different matter, it is an abstract thing, but the Guru is the living presence of God. It is very difficult to hold on to God’s feet, but it is very easy to hold on to the Guru’s feet.”
He continued, “That incident changed my life deeply. When we feel helpless, the one who gives us courage and support is only the Guru’s grace, nothing else can. Now in Tamil Nadu, some people who call themselves ‘rationalists’, call us immoral, foolish and barbaric because we see the Guru as the embodiment of God. I say, those who say so are the ones who are immoral, foolish and barbaric.”
He added, “I have very close connections with many spiritual movements. Recently, I have been closely associated with a yogi near Tenkasi. He says that we only see the body, but there is always an aura around us. That aura is especially strong around Guru Maharajas. When we come near that aura, many of our weaknesses get cleansed and washed away.”
He added, “The Satsang people here have organised this Guru Vandana for us. By going near the Guru, we place ourselves within that aura and purify ourselves. They have given us a wonderful opportunity for that, and we are indebted to them. Earlier in this event, six or seven people were honoured. Look at each of them, they have built excellent institutions. One courageous woman has established a wonderful school despite many people being afraid to give school campuses for dharmic events in several towns. When I see all of them, do you know what I feel? I still have about four-and-a-half years of service left as a judge. Seeing this courage makes me feel that I too should act even more boldly.”
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