Guidance of acharyas – The Hindu

Life is like a vast ocean. Just as waves rise and fall one after another, human life too alternates between hardship and comfort. A person stranded at sea desperately searches for help, and even a small raft becomes a priceless means of survival. In the same way, being caught in the endless cycle of birth and death is described as a disease — piravi pini. It resembles the plight of one who struggles in the ocean of existence, unable to reach the shore of liberation.

Valluvar declares that only those who surrender at the sacred feet of God can transcend the sufferings caused by repeated births (kural 10).

Thanneerpalli Sri Krishnan Swami explained that a person must clearly understand three fundamental aspects of life: avidya (ignorance), karma (action and its consequences), and vasana (latent impressions).

Ignorance of the distinction between the perishable physical body and the imperishable soul is known as avidya. Performing improper actions is termed karma, and the cultivated inclination or taste for such actions is called vasana.

Just as a small raft becomes a lifesaving support for a person stranded in the sea, the guidance of the acharyas enables a seeker to cross the vast ocean of samsara. Even the great sinner Kshatrabandhu was freed from the burden of his evil deeds through the compassionate guidance of Sage Narada. An acharya reveals to us our true nature, explains the divine qualities of God, and teaches the eternal relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme.

Sri Varaha Purana declares that we have paid a heavy price — through the exhaustion of the punyas earned in previous births — to obtain this rare human form. Therefore, this precious opportunity should not be wasted. By surrendering to God through the guidance of an acharya, one can attain liberation from the bondage of samsara.