Why does Nanak say ”by the guru’s grace”? Is not man’s own labor enough?
It is necessary to understand this very subtle point, because Nanak stresses on the need for Guru a great deal. Later Nanak says that without the guru, God cannot be attained.
What is the reason for this? If God is omnipresent why can’t I meet Him directly?
What is the need to bring in the guru?
It is as difficult to drop the ego yourself as it is to lift oneself up by your boot straps. It is just like a dog trying to catch his tail. The quicker he turns, the further his tail swishes away.”
Here lie all the complications. No sooner have you somehow conquered your ego then you will say, ”I have dropped my ego,” and there you introduce a new form of ego even more dangerous than the old.
The Guru is needed so that this new ego is not born
Even as you say, ”By the grace of the Guru,” you can convey by your behavior: ”See how humble I am! No one can be more humble!” And now these new paths are etched out by the ego. Till yesterday you were proud of your wealth; today you are proud of its renunciation and your humility.
The rope is burned but the twists remain. How is this arrogance to be destroyed? – hence Nanak’s emphasis on the Guru.
There is no difficulty in attaining God directly, because He is present right in front of you. Wherever you go, there He is.
But the one difficulty is that YOU stand within yourself, and how will you remove this interfering YOU?
Hence, ”THE GURU’S GRACE.” The seeker may labor but the attainment will always be by the Guru’s grace. This concept of the Guru’s grace will not allow your ego to form.
It will destroy the old ego and prevent the new from forming; otherwise, you rid yourself of one ailment and contract another.
Nanak says time and again, ”Nothing can be attained by whatever you do, unless you eradicate your own self.”
This concept of the guru is a priceless alchemical device to annihilate the ego, because whatever you do, you just say, ”It is all the grace of the Guru.”