1. Sage - A sage is a Wiseman who has the wisdom and knowledge about the Truth of God. Examples of sages are Chanakya, Hemadripant, Confucious, Tsun Zu. A sage is also a philosopher like Aristotle or Socrates.
2. Saint - A saint is a person who has manifested to serve the purpose of the divine Lord Almighty. Examples of saints are Kabir, Tukaram, Meerabai, Saibaba, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. Some saints are canonised by the church also like St.Peters, St.Thomas, St. Francis Xavier. There are also Sufi saints like Rumi, Hazrat Kwaja Garib Nawaz or Inayat Ullah Khan.
3. Guru - 'GURU' – 'Gu' means destroyer or remover, and 'Ru' means darkness or ignorance. Therefore, a Guru is the destroyer of our ignorance and illuminer of knowledge. The term 'Gu' also means 'Gunaheet' meaning beyond Gunas, qualities or attributes and 'Ru' means 'Rupavarjita' meaning beyond all forms or formless. Therefore, the Guru is the One who has transcended the mind, body, senses, and the three Gunas. 'Gu' also denotes spiritual ignorance, and 'Ru' denotes the light of spiritual knowledge. Therefore, Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance in his disciples and illuminates them with spiritual knowledge through spiritual experiences. The Guru is the Tattva or the Teaching Principle of God. He is Nirgun or Unmanifest. The unmanifest Guru pervades the entire Universe at all times. The unmanifest Guru works through some of the evolved individuals who are known as the sagun or manifest Guru in the human form – 'Gurur Sakshat Parabrahma.'
The Guru in the human form is the beacon of spiritual knowledge for guiding the sincere spiritual seekers on the path of Spirituality and towards God-Realization. The Guru initiates the few chosen ones formally into the world of Spirituality according to his discretion. The twice-born disciples enter the world of the Spiritual by giving up their materially worldly relationships. From that day, the Guru becomes the Mother, Father, Teacher, and every other relationship. The true disciples commit their life in service of their Guru by taking refuge unto the Lotus Feet of their Guru. A Guru is the manifestation of the divine Lord Himself - 'Gurur Sakshat Parabramha.' Only a 'real' Guru can you the direct experience of God. For e.g., Lord Dattatreya, Kapila Muni, Vyasdev, Sukhdev, Adi Shankara Charya, etc., to name a few, are the Gurus of all times. Only a true Guru can remove the material world imperfections and perfect the spiritual knowledge in his devotees and disciple.
4.Incarnation or Avatar: An incarnation is the divine essence of the Lord. He has manifested or taken a human form to establish 'Dharma' or 'Righteousness' and God's religion. Some of the most remarkable incarnations or avatars are Shree Ram, Lord Shree Krsna, Parashuram, Buddha, Jesus Christ or my KrsnaGuruji. The full Avatar is enlightened and completely aware of their own divinity even at the time of birth. The incarnation is never overcome by the 'Maya' or 'Illusions' of the material world. They are always aware of their mission and the divine powers at his command.
Therefore, A God, Guru and Incarnation are no different from each other. They are all the same. An Avatar and Guru both remain in a state of eternal bliss. They both are Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. But, at the same time, there is a primary difference between Avatar and Guru. The difference lies in how that state of Cosmic Consciousness (Eternal Bliss) is attained.
With the Grace of my KrsnaGuruji, I have been able to pen this most wonderful introduction of the Sages, Saints, Guru and Incarnations, in a string of words. Thank you for reading, and do watch out for my next blog about "The story of the Supreme Master - 'Lord Dattatreya.'
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