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A guru or
master is the one who reveals to you the
secret that is hidden within the
cave of your own heart. Through his teachings and guidance
he opens your eyes to the reality concerning your existence
and unites you with your real Self. He frees you from the
three fetters of egoism, delusion and binding actions. Having
found himself a way ouf of the limitations of human life,
he knows how to bring you the true knowledge that is liberating
in itself. In the absence of centralized authority, the
gurus played a significant role in preserving the age old
traditions of Hinduism and bringing together its diverse
streams into a cohesive and meaningful repository of religious
knowledge using which people would be able to free themselves
from the bonds of life. A great deal of what we know today
as Hinduism comes to us from the selfless work of these
untiring souls who preferred obscurity and austerities
instead of fame and comfort in order to do the work of God
in their capacity as the recipients and storehouses of divine
knowledge. India has been blessed with many of these great
souls who contributed richly to Hinduism and brought spiritual
solace to millions of souls. There were also many, who were
not born in India but were attracted it by its spiritual
magnetism and made it their spiritual homeland. If Hinduism
is alive and vibrant today, it is mainly because of the
contribution made by these venerable souls. Through their
writings and speeches and by the example of their own lives
and activities they inspired millions of people showed them
the path to Self Realization. These are great souls,
born with a purpose and still active in our earth
consciousness, even after their passing away, through
their thoughts, memories and deeds, shaping the spiritual
destiny of mankind and preparing the world for the future
divine man. The present day Hindus are indebted to
these great souls, without whom Hinduism would have met
the same fate as the religions of ancient Egypt, Greece,
Babylon, Iran , Rome and the two Americas.
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